daltex

I did the C350.
Couldn't have been easier.
Still old school like the old Japanese cars.

Will do the SL during the week.
Both cars take the exact same brake pad.
So, that is the second thing that I found that they have in common.
First was the oil filter.

mtlbenz

Ok, let us know how that goes and if you disconnect the battery to do so.

which pads did you go with?

daltex

I didn't disconnect trunk battery or deactivate SBC.
Got the cross-drilled rotors turned down($20) at a machine shop and replaced the brake pads.
Went with cheapo pads - $40 from O'Reilly and $7 for sensor because I will have to replace rotors at next brake pad change.
Bedded in brake pads and it feels good and best of all no Christmas lights on dash.

FYI
You will need an 18mm socket/wrench and a T-30 spline to remove the caliper if you need to take off the rotor.

mtlbenz

Was your break wear light on before you changed the pads?

How did you change the sensors?

daltex

No it wasn't. My rotors had ridges.

There is a hole in the friction part of the pad that the sensor "pin" goes into and it slots in a groove on the metal piece.

I am counting the savings in not going to the $tealer.
2 x exactly the same brake jobs(C350 & SL500) - over $550 at dealer.
Cost me:
2 x brake pads $83
1 x sensor $7
2 x turn down rotors $20
1 x loctite $5.29
1 1/2 hour total labor time

mtlbenz

How come you only replaced 1 sensor? The SL uses 2 sensors. 1 for the front, and one for the rear.

What was the loctite for?

m4xm1l10n

The reason why you disconnect the battery is to prevent from turning the key on while the calipers are off. I always did my brakes with out disconnecting the battery by just putting the keys away in case some friend comes around and decided to turn the radio on . basically you can not turn the key on while you have the calipers apart !!!!

daltex

I did front brakes only, so 1 sensor.
Loctite was for threads on the 2 x 18mm caliper bolts and the torx bolt that holds rotor onto the hub.

I had the alarm go off because I didn't turn off the anti-tow function(button below ABC switch), but this didn't cause any problems.

What could potentially happen if you turn on the ignition with the caliper off?

Rook3300

When you turn the key to position 2 (just before starting the car), the ABC and the brake system pumps prime and pressurize the system a little to test it before you set off. Pressurizing a caliper without it being attached could cause some potential problems.
I'm no expert, so don't take this as expert advice.

Rook

m4xm1l10n

Correct

armic777

When I push my brakes harder than average they make ugly squeeking noise.

So, I thought its time to change the brake pads.

I called the stealership and they told me $20 for diagnosis and 109.50$ for change/axle + brake pad price = so i guess something around $250 per axle.

But they also said, if brake pads are bad I should get a warning message via sensors on the display but I dont have such message on the screen as of now.

I dont want to risk my rotors. Is there a way to check myself without de-assembling the wheels if my brake pads are fine or not?

daltex

Depending on the wheel that you have, you can use a flash light and take a peek at the thickness of the outer brake pad friction material.
Also look at the rotors.
Are they glazed, have ridges, high spots or an outer lip.

Dealerships normally will forgo the diagnosis fee if you have the work performed at the same time. If rotors are replaced it does not come out to $250 and you can bet that they going to want to do rotors.

If you looking to spend the $20 wisely and at the same time get brake pads checked, print out the $19.99 coupon from NTB/Tire Kingdom and take it for the wheel balance/rotate/alignment check.
For $20 you get wheels balanced, tire pressure checked, pads and rotors checked, wheels rotated and your alignment checked(I leave this out).

Rook3300

Mine do the same thing when braking somewhat hard and I asked the dealership to check the brakes while I had it in for a Schedule A maintenance and the ABC pump replacement. If you're in there for something else, it's almost no problem for them to check that out for you. They said the pads had over half the material left and the rotors looked excellent. The squeaking is probably just light glazing which I'll try and remedy by doing the old "brake in reverse" trick. We'll see if it helps.

You should get a warning once the pads get to about 1/4 or less left. After finding out that my pads were fine, I think I'll just go by the warning indicator from now on while periodically doing my own manual checks on the pads.

Yea, like daltex said, depending on your wheel type you should be able to see the pad sitting right up next to the rotor. If you don't see much pad between the rotor and the caliper (or none at all) it may be almost time to get your brakes done.

Personally, I wouldn't trust one of those brake job places with the SL. Sure, they're fine for old Tauruses and Silverados but when it comes to brakes on luxury cars, I think they just see a "fat wallet" and pretty much make up stuff to get more money from you. Especially the old standby, "These rotors can't be turned... we'll have to buy new ones for you (at a 140% markup)."

Rook