Brake change 18 W222
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Joined: Oct 2024
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From: Kansas
Mercedes Benz S560 Renntek tune
Brake change 18 W222
Hello everyone, well my car shaking while braking, only at speeds above 35ish. Took it to a local euro shop. They quoted me 1400 for new pads and rotors. Uhh no. Got a set powerstop Z23. Read mostly good things. I’m going to attempt to do them myself. Im mechanically inclined but usually hate working on cars. The tight spaces, nothing works out like it should pisses me off 😆. Most that I can see say changing them isn’t difficult. I’ve seen a few videos that say to go to the service menu and press brake pad replacement. The guy says you can hear the calipers retract, is this only for rear? All the videos I’ve seen you still need to use a C clamp and push the calipers back like every other brake. And to make sure the e brake is off. Any tips would be appreciated. Cheers
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2019 S560, 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid
Yes, basically it's the same as every other car in front. IIRC, you have to loosen or remove the front calipers in order to get to the rotor. As always with brakes, clean everything up and put some lube on the sliding surfaces of the caliper where the pads move in and out.
The rear is different due to the electronic parking brake. You have to go into the service menu and do the 'change brake pads' setting that backs off the parking brake motors. Then it's simple, and the rear rotors can come out with the calipers still in place once the pads have been removed. With new pads and the rotor in place, you go into the service menu again to complete the pad change process.
In theory, you might have pushed some brake fluid out of the reservoir in the process, so good precaution to check the level when you're finished. If you haven't changed fluid in the regular 2 year interval, I'd go to your trusty indy mechanic to do the full fluid change.
The rear is different due to the electronic parking brake. You have to go into the service menu and do the 'change brake pads' setting that backs off the parking brake motors. Then it's simple, and the rear rotors can come out with the calipers still in place once the pads have been removed. With new pads and the rotor in place, you go into the service menu again to complete the pad change process.
In theory, you might have pushed some brake fluid out of the reservoir in the process, so good precaution to check the level when you're finished. If you haven't changed fluid in the regular 2 year interval, I'd go to your trusty indy mechanic to do the full fluid change.
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S550 V8, CL600 V12, SLK32 AMG
While you are at it, also do the brake hoses. Its not a lot extra, and you are going to take all the things apart anyway. Hoses get old and dirt from the hoses gets into the calipers over time.
A trick with the hoses. Close the brake cylinder. Put something on the front seat to press in the brake pedal. Move seat forward. When you then loosen the hose, only a few drops of fluid will come out.
Put new hose in, and bleed like normal.
Also the OEM rotors are two piece. I don't know if there is a difference between one and two piece rotors. However, when you pick up the two piece, be careful not to grab it hard in the center area.
A trick with the hoses. Close the brake cylinder. Put something on the front seat to press in the brake pedal. Move seat forward. When you then loosen the hose, only a few drops of fluid will come out.
Put new hose in, and bleed like normal.
Also the OEM rotors are two piece. I don't know if there is a difference between one and two piece rotors. However, when you pick up the two piece, be careful not to grab it hard in the center area.
Last edited by waterzap99; Jul 10, 2025 at 10:39 AM.
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2019 S560, 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid
The center/hat on the two-piece OEM rotor is press-fit into the disk and believe me, would take immense force to move in any direction. My aftermarket one-piece replacements weigh about a pound or so more each wheel, so Mercedes' decision to do a two-piece is quite hard to fathom ...
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From: USA
One of them there S cars
Don't forget to get new brake pad wear sensors. They're inexpensive, even from the dealer. Amazon sells them, and lots of third parties make/sell pad wear sensors.
Brake flushes are easy. If you have a helper, have them pump the brakes several times (while engine is running), hold them down, open bleeder screw, release trapped pressure, close screw, repeat until clean fluid comes out. Then move to the next wheel. If you can spare 50 bucks, get a dedicated brake bleeder like a Motive brand bleeder. Don't recommend the suction version that you hook up to the brake bleeder screw. They're a pain. Get the canister version that you hook up to the brake master cylinder reservoir. No helper needed, (log of person), and the engine doesn't need to be running, so no getting high on exhaust fumes or getting your skin baked.
I'm sure you know, bleed sequence is Passenger Rear, Driver Rear, Passenger Front, Driver Front. I always dye the brake fluid to know when fresh fluid is in the system. I know, it's not technically "legal", but... well, sue me.
Brake flushes are easy. If you have a helper, have them pump the brakes several times (while engine is running), hold them down, open bleeder screw, release trapped pressure, close screw, repeat until clean fluid comes out. Then move to the next wheel. If you can spare 50 bucks, get a dedicated brake bleeder like a Motive brand bleeder. Don't recommend the suction version that you hook up to the brake bleeder screw. They're a pain. Get the canister version that you hook up to the brake master cylinder reservoir. No helper needed, (log of person), and the engine doesn't need to be running, so no getting high on exhaust fumes or getting your skin baked.
I'm sure you know, bleed sequence is Passenger Rear, Driver Rear, Passenger Front, Driver Front. I always dye the brake fluid to know when fresh fluid is in the system. I know, it's not technically "legal", but... well, sue me.
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2004 SL500 // 2015 S550
The center/hat on the two-piece OEM rotor is press-fit into the disk and believe me, would take immense force to move in any direction. My aftermarket one-piece replacements weigh about a pound or so more each wheel, so Mercedes' decision to do a two-piece is quite hard to fathom ...
Only thing left I can think of is trying another new set of pads/rotors as I recently installed new wheels. I think my OEM wheels may have had uneven hubs, thus varying the wheel bolt torque. After each brake job, the shaking came back within 2-300 miles. So something is clearly off.
Last edited by Jay04SL; Aug 12, 2025 at 03:05 PM.
