supernsx

I went to the dealership two days back and they said my R500 needs both brakes (F/R pads and rotors) and transmission services. The brakes are going set me back for $1300 and the transmission service is $550 according to the dealer.

So, my plan is to replaced the brakes with aftermarket cermic brakes and OEM rotors. The part should cost about $450 + $300 for indy shop labour. On the other hand, I am unsure about the transmission service cost. Should I take it to a good indy shop or I should stick with the dealership?

Thanks!

JTReeves

Supernsx,

I've enjoyed reading your posts here.

I got the same recommendation from the dealer on my R500 early in the spring. I took it to a local independent shop for a second opinion. He pointed out that the dealer "always" recommends full replacement of pads and rotors when there is an indication that, e.g., pads are nearing final tolerances on either front or rear. He said that my rear pads were nearing replacement time and quoted me a cost that was less than half the dealer's full estimate. He recommended I wait on the fronts until I got a warning light.
I had him do the rears.

On a later visit to the dealer, they pointed out that my fronts were nearing replacement time. I sought quotes from three independent shops. My original shop quoted a very reasonable price. When I took it to him - and reminded him of his quote, he expressed surprise that it was not higher. I stood pat. He did the work for a price within 10% of his original quote and I left happy.

Of note was that one of the indies needed me to come in for the quote, a process that would have taken at least two hours by the time I arrived and waited. The third took down my specs (year, model, mileage) and called me back within an hour with a quote based on parts and labor. It was a lot more than my original shop's quote.

I'm happy with the work done and the price I paid.

JR

termite

I just had all brakes done [front and back] w/ new pads and rotors at an indie a block from the dealer. using all OEM parts, the bill was around $900. the tranny service i had done at the dealer and it was $450....

lkchris

It requires special tools to change transmission fluid and it would be a good idea to see if your "indie" has them and has done it before.

bzliteyear

My 2006 R500 had new rotors/pads for all 4 wheels at 40k.

At 60k recently, i was surprised to hear my MB dealers say that front needed brakes again(only 20k miles?). The good news is that MB dealer actually said ok to just get new pads. This is MUCH BETTER than BMWs where they're ALWAYS saying do both rotors/pads.
Patrick

supernsx

Thanks for all the info. I am currently having my eyes on either OEM, Zimmermann, Brembo, Centric Brake Disc. Regarding the pads, I am thinking either EBC or Akebono ceramic.

Any one has any experience with these brands?

Ted Flynn

Well - with past vehicles, I've tried non-dealerships and a lot of them say, "it's just as good".

What's the savings?, $400. You bought a Mercedes and expect top performance and professionalism until you have to pay for it? Then you want top dollar when you go to sell it, but along the way you're going to cheap out for a few hundred bucks?

I bought a Mercedes to go the long haul. Engineers way smarter than me say to change it out for top running condition & I'll spend a little more to get that.

How many "older" Mercedes owners are dealing with stuff that was handled incorrectly?

That's just my 2 cents.

termite

I have to say that where a simple brake job is concerned, factory training is not something worth paying an extra $400 for. You are simply throwing money away. Any competent mechanic can change pads and rotors w/ ease, doing the exact same job that the factory trained tech will do. On a similar note, my R500 was supposedly serviced at the local dealer [w/ the carfax entries to prove it]. when I went to check the cabin filter, I found that it had never been done and whatever ham fisted factory tech changed the air filters, broke some plastic and omitted to replace a bolt or two...

Ted Flynn

I feel for you, nothing worse than a bad dealer.

Zimbrick in Madison WI is great and spend my money as a last resort.

An example was my check engine light coming on. They said to run it a few more days and make sure the gas cap was on tight. Then when they hooked it to the diagnostic machine, it said to replace some device that costs $600. But the shop manager said to run it some more and sure enough the light did go out. He easily could have stuck it to me, but didn't.

I'm lucky to have a reasonable dealer.

supernsx

I just got the quote from a good brake stop here for $275 to change and bleed the brake. With Brembo/Zimmermann brake rotors and EBC cermic pads ($500), the saving is actually quite significant ($800 vs. $1400).

Btw, still undecide what parts to buy.... too many choices.

termite

My advice is to buy OEM pads and rotors. In the last 70 or so cars and 25 years of tinkering, I have probably used every rotor and pad combination at some point in time. The zimmermans have been a mixed bag for me; at least two sets warped immediately, the cross drilled ones sounded like a weed wacker when you hit the brakes and had the windows open and the brembos wore no better than stock in every MB I ever put them on, in some cases worse. pads are far more tricky as the trade off is stopping power [cold stopping as well as hot stopping] vs. noise vs. dust vs. wear....have never found an aftermarket pad that balanced all of the factors well enough to make it worth not buying OEM MB, especially in a three ton MB

supernsx

Thanks. Btw, I almost ran out of gas today and when I checked, my R500 is only getting 9 MPG instead of the normal 14. Need to replace the brake quickly!

Ted Flynn

Termite said it well - he's tried many combinations and it came back to the OEM parts.

MB engineers are way smarter than us & they know what it takes to make these cars run so well. Then in turn, we drive these cars because they run so well for so long.

If the price difference is as large as Supernsx quoted, I'd be concerned for my vehicle going to that cheaper place.

These cars are highly technical and as a professional, I don't mind paying professional rates to ensure my time isn't wasted.

East Coast

I have to agree with Ted. I did not buy this thing thinking I was going to Canadian Tire for brake and transmission service. I have yet to have any success with aftermarket brake components. I bought this car for the engineering behind it, safety included. It is what it is because of the parts contained in the vehicle; not because half of the parts are made by KIA or Ting-Tang-Pow Manufacturing. I expected a premium for parts when I bought it and that's the price of ownership for such a vehicle. There are Chevy Cobalts you can purchase where a $29.99 rotor will work for a few months; if you can tolerate the squealing and pedal jump.

Just my 2 cents.

avlis

How much is the dealer charging for an OEM front rotor? $100?

supernsx

OEM parts are actually about 20% cheaper than the aftermarket parts such Centric or Brembo.

The concern I mostly have is with the soft OEM pads. Since I have 22" wheels, cleaning the brake dust off those wheels every other weeks are definitely not fun. Therefore, I am leaning heavily on using cermic brake pads from EBC and Akobono. Regarding the rotors, I have a good chance to stick with the OEM.