jmiaebrown

Got my baby back today. She looks good. Only now I am getting a "Rear Fog Lamp" and "Rear Light" message. Something about the alternates are being used. Are the bulbs easy to change?

SmilerMick

The dash warning will stay on if any of the brake sensors are worn/broken.
If you don,t have any new sensor at hand, then no problem, Just cut the 2 wires before the brake pads, and join the bare wires together and put a bit of tape on them.

02S430

great post, i just did my brakes and it was really thanks to this thread

sessayan

So I printed this post about two months ago and just got my brakes done. It was very helpful and I would have approached this wrong had it not been for this post.

As I took my pads off, i discovered that the whoever did the brakes before me didnt do install the pads right and didnt run the pins through the little holes in the pads. I was trying to put them back the same way and it didnt make sense so i went back to the pictures in the post and discovered the problem. Wow I love the Internet, Forums and this post in particular as it saves us all time, headaches and money!!!

Since I waited to long, I now have the go to the workshop message on my command and need to take it off.

Does anyone know how to make the "brakes are low go to workshop" message go away?

tn52

About those pins that we can punch/drive them out with a nail or drill bit, what component/part exactly hold or locked them in place so they will not slide out themself? Thanks all for the writeup!

my06clk

there is a compression clip attached to the pins that contacts an opening in the whole when is inserted.

my06clk

YOu need to replace the Brake wear sensors..

srknutson

Don't let your car kill you always use jackstands. I knew a couple people who if you could ask would tell you the same, but they are dead. Their cars killed them to young.

jmiaebrown

Can anyone tell me where to find posi-quiet brakes? Since my first post I have not been able to locate anymore.

aznlegend

Very nice write up.

I need to change my pads and rotors.
How hard is it to change the rotors?

bigboy

Thanks for posting this help me a lot . Can someone post on how to change rotors .

Thanks Again

BIGBOY

carlosinseattle

Nice job guys.

I just changed the fron brakes on my 01 S600, easiest brake job I've ever done. Forst side took 1/2 hour, second side only took 10 mins.

Someone should make this Thread a sticky so it's easy for everyone to find

jcromer7

very helpful information. turn off car. jack and support for safety. lug wrench. 45 torx post socket. 6mm allen post socket. big offset adjustable pliers. large flat screwdriver to pry caliper off. i only had one front and one rear sensor. very easy; no problems. thanks for your guide.
jc

boltonblue

with respect to jacking your car.
any time your going to be under the car, always take the tire you just took off and slide it under the car. That way even if the car falls off of the jack or stands, the chassis can't get lower than 8 inches or so.

It is also a good idea when compressing your calipers back in to make room for the new pads to crack open the bleeder screw a little while your pushing back.
This helps in a couple of ways.
a) you don't have to worry about fluid spilling out of your main reservoir and making a mess,
b) your flushing the really toasted cruddy fluid out of the caliper,
c) and it is much easier to slid back when your not trying to force it all the back through the master cylinder.

Lastly, if your changing your pads it not a bad time to take a little extra effort and flush your brake fluid as well.
This is easy to do.
The engine remains off for this endeavor.
So after you have changed your brakes and put everything back together except for the wheels.
simply slip a length aquarium air hose over the bleeder nipple and run to a catch can.
with a dedicated turkey baster suck the old brake fluid out of the master cylinder reserve and discard of appropriately and refill with clean fresh fluid.
have a trusty assistant depress the brake pedal for you.
slowly crack open the bleeder and hold it open until the pedal goes to the floor.
close the bleeder and have them release the brake pedal.
repeat this process until the dirty fluid in the line goes clear.
it usually it is a pretty dramatic change in color.

PaulRG22

Perfect instructions. I completed the job this morning. It took me around 2 hours as I decided to paint the brakes and smarten the hubs up a little. Looks like new now. It really is a very straightforward job. Many thanks.

griego89

To anyone who also changed their rotors: Has anyone encountered a rotor alignment screw that wasn't seized? Every time I read a post about rotor changes everyone seems to have had a problem with it. Also what size torx do you need to remove caliper it looks huge.

t_clealy

BIG Thanks to the Pros who contributed the "How To " here. Very very helpful and supportive.
Here's a story. I own an S500 and first time doing brake job (Fronts) on it. So I got everything off to calipers. Without thinking much, started going right the 4 bolts holding the outsider of the caliper. So the fluid started to pour out....lol Oops!!! No, not right. Put the 4 bolts back on. Now....I am sitting back and thinking...lol What's next! So looking at the 2 pins holding down the pads, wondering how they come in/out.
So got on here..."BAM" It says...you can just tap them off. 5 minutes later...Front brake job " DONE "...How about that.

Thanks guys. God Bless!

Trinsoca

t-clealy
just make sure that you clean off the brake caliper and check for leaks. There are small "O" ring seals located between the area that you took those bolts off and fluid ran out. Sometimes they leak under high pressure after loosening those bolts. Check the inside of your wheels for fluid leaks. If no fluid on the inside of the wheel after diving then you are fine.

t_clealy

Good looking out, Bro. Thanks much. You're a good man. God Bless.
Hope all is well with you and yours.

Everything was...fine. Until I removed those and came the fluid. After that I had spongy pedal. Then I had to bleed it with 5 yr son....Haha How about that for a helper ? LOL
Now everything is great. Back in business again. Just can't believe how easy to do the pads on these if you don't have to do the rotors.

Much appreciated for the heads-up.

~Bye-Bye~

pghponton

One thing I have not seen mentioned here:

Remember, brake fluid EATS paint so be careful!

No need to put towels or paper towels around the opening of the brake fluid bottle to catch fluid when you compress the caliper. Before you start the job, open the cap on the brake fluid bottle and drain off some of the fluid into an old jar with a turkey baster.

When finished, top off with FRESH, NEW brake fluid. Do not re-use what you removed as it might be contaminated/dirty from the container you used. Always remember to dispose of old fluids correctly and responsibly.

Great post, thanks to all who have posted here. I plan on a DIY job next month on my "04 W220 (S430 SWB).

The sensors, they are a dealer only item or ??

xexpo

Brake sensor are available many places. Around $5.00
Parts.com, RMEuropean, PartsGeek.

t_clealy

Confirmed the sensors are very inexpensive. $5-$6 and change, that's it. If they brake light is not ON yet, then your sensors should be ok. Because I did my brakes b4 the light came ON and then I inspected the sensors, they look fine. But because I bought them already, so replaced them. However I did one on 05 745Li, because the light was ON and the sensor was already hitting the rotor, so it got worn out, then I also replaced it.
GOD...I never thought doing brake job on these w220 is too easy. Best part was I didn't have to remove the calipers. Can be done in 5 minutes.

pghponton

Thanks everybody for your responses regarding the sensors. I am learning a lot about my W220 from all of your posts. I only hope that I can contribute once in a while.

P ONE

I just replaced my rear pads on the 01' CL600 using fkong's instructions and they were spot on. Thank you sir for better instructions than I've had on equipment I've paid big $$$ for. I consider myself pretty good at doing things if I have the right tools and ok instructions. Took me about an hour and a half which included a chat with the nieghbor. I will never, ever pay someone to replace the pads again. In looking around while there, I'm pretty sure that replacing rotors and calibers wouldnt be that difficult either. Thanks again fkong.

sacra44

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!!!!!!! Nice and easy to follow!!!!