I need to replace my brake pads and rotors for my R350.

Where is a good place to purchase brake parts?

Rule No1: buy reputable brands at trusted locations. Not Mercedes parts on eBay...

Best advice would be AKEBONO ceramic pads + Zimmerman rotors and related parts on FCP-Euro with free lifetime replacement.

Sometimes Mercedes sells genuine parts cheaper than FCP does... meaning shop a little!

Thank you

The R class is a heavy girl and the brakes are not huge. I find them effective for normal driving, but if hauling down from high speed, or hurtling around B roads, not so great. I've had no trouble with discs from various manufacturers in the past on numerous other cars, but always avoided cheap or unknown pads. I've also usually fitted the biggest standard discs where there was a cheap upgrade (Saabs mainly). That doesn't look possible for the R, unless you have a lot of money and an AMG where it would be worth it.

When it's time to do the big lump that is my R class, both the Zimmerman and Akebono look reasonably priced, so I will bear this in mind

I priced the parts through FCP-Euro and then called my local MD dealership. The parts were more than double, and the parts guy couldn't even tell me if the pads were ceramic or not.

Pads and rotors are something I made sure to buy from FCP for the warranty. I went with Zimmerman rotors and like the silver color they come in.

Your R350 probably has the 325mm front rotors like the ML350. If you hunt around youll be able to find the ML550 rotors and calipers that are 350mm and I assume, the same for an R550. These can be changed in to your R350 and are a reasonable upgrade. Check your calipers and usually the size of the fitment is cast into the caliper housing and/or the bracket that holds it all together.

The AMG calipers are 375mm and expensive and hard to find.