Adastra

Hi,

I need some advice. My light went on that I need to change brakes. I looked at the brake pads online and i can get them for 140$ front and 140$ for the back. I was wondering if its good idea to change this myself rather then paying 1k at the Dealership or some other shop for the same thing. So, how hard is it to change brake pads? Is this going to be sufficient and is the light gonna go off once i change them or do I need to reset it somehow? i need as much information as possible. Thanks!

daltex

Search the forum, there are a few threads about brakes.
If you have done brakes before, the SL's brakes is easy to replace.
Just remember about either disconnecting the SBC/not opening the doors and hiding the keys away.
Are your rotors okay?

ttdang123

This link has a lot of inf for you to consider

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r230...ory-r230s.html

Best of luck

Adastra

That link is good but I cant open any of the pdf files. I guess u have to subscribe. Is there any manual out there how to replace the brakes? My Rotors are ok.

ttdang123

Prob some where on Ebay but I do not know.

The best free ones would prob be what is posted here (I think)

IngenereAMG

If the brake light is on, you ned to replace the sensor in order to make the light turn off.

five337

Having just finished this job on my 2004 SL600 - I would say it is incredibly easy.

Disconnect the SBC plug in the front of the engine.

Wheels off, pins out, push the pads out, press the calipers back in with your fingers (mine were very easy to move - no tools needed), apply paste, drop pads in, push pins in, put wheel back on and you are done. Easiest pads I have ever done.

I attached the PDFs from the other site for you here.

ChuckT

More than likely you either don't have a PDF reader (such as freely available from Adobe.com), or your computer does not have the association for the PDF type to a PDF reader.

Adastra

Thanks for the helpful information and the pdf's. Do you guys know how to change the sensor to reset the message in the car? Do I need to buy a new sensor? Where do you do that part? Any info would be helpful.

Thanks

mikey100

I have no idea why anyone would spend $140 per axle for SL500 pads ?

You can buy the BEST made, by Akebono, who invented the ceramic brake pad, for far less.

And I cannot think of anyone would consider installing conventional (ie, non-ceramic) pads on an SL500.

Yes ...... Do it yourself and please remember to surface the rotors.

Let us know how you do.
You'll LOVE what the AKEBONO'S will do for your SL500 !

Mikey Lulejian
Lake Oconee, GA

dan1495

The brake sensors are available at MB dealers. I just bought some a few weeks ago and I think they were around $12.00/each.

fitzgeraldo88

U need to use star diagnostics to set the cars informatics to the new brakes

five337

Huh? Nothing I have ever read says you need a star diag to do brake pads.

I just did pads and rotors on all 4 wheels on my SL600 - just unplugged the SBC computer while I was working on it and plugged it back in when I was done. Everything works perfectly and quietly with the Akebonos and 4 new MB OEM rotors.

Adastra

So, I need 4 sensors then. Where are these sensors located? Could anybody quickly tell me how to replace them? So, once I do all that, I should expect the warning light in my car to go away as well or do I really need this start diagnostics?

Thanks

mkirincic

For the 2003 SL500 you will need two sensors one for the front right side and the other for the rear left.

by the way you can buy these sensors on ebay for half the price of MB dealer cost.

As for resetting the error, once the new sensors are installed the error goes away. Or worst case disconnect the battery in the trunk for couple of minutes and reset everything.

Mark

Adastra

Thanks.
I am just curious where these sensors are located? I haven't started working on my brakes yet, trying to get as much information as possible at the moment before i dig into it.

Thanks

mkirincic

The sensors are located on the brakes on the right hand side of your vehicle. There is a plug to the and a wire in the middle of the pads. If a message appears on your screen about the brakes you will need to replace the sensors.

five337

The sensors are really simple. I've attached two pics from a rear pad for a 2004 SL600, one with the sensor out of the pad, and one of the sensor in the hole in the pad. No special german technology here - when the pad gets worn down to the hole, the sensor breaks, the circuit is open and you get the warning. Replace the sensor and the circuit is closed and the warning goes away

Adastra

Thanks for your quick replies and all the helpful information you provided me with. I will work on my brakes this weekend so I hope things go smoothly.

Thanks everybody.

leebobo

I just replaced my 2003 SL500 rear brake pads. If you need photos, please let me know.

biophase

I need to do mine soon. For those of us who have no brake pad changing experience should I go to a dealer or will a place like Midas suffice? Should I supply my own pads?

leebobo

Now that I, just an average DIY guy, have done it once and I know how easy it was to replace my rear, I know for a fact that any professional mechanic can do the job even faster. Yes, I have changed brake pads in my BMW evr since I own the car and changed tires and pads for my Hayabusa motorcycle also. So, I do have a little experience. But, I am no mechanic and had to read a lot before trying. Like I said in my post, I spend more time searching for the torx socket than anything else. Back to Midas, I don't think they will do it for you because you will have to deactivate the SBC in your car and they may not want to do it. I have documented my entire pad change process in a Word doc but too big to post here. Let me know if you want to see how it is done from start to finish. Steve

Late

Hey i am changing my rotors and pads on memorial day and would really like to see a write up on it. I am looked over a couple of threads on the fourms and say the Mercedes tech write up... but there are still a couple of things that I am confused about.

Quick list that comes to mind...

1) Can you have the ebrake on while changing the the brakes? ( i don't have access to a lift so i will be jacking the car up one corener at a time)
2) What size torx bolt is used to remove the rotors?
3) where is the sbc plug actually located in the engine bay? I know it isnt neccessary to unplug the system but i would like to be safe here as this is my first time working with this system.

LAZARU5

I thought I would save a few dollars and got 4 sensors for $20 ($5 each) including shipping from an eBay auction. Even though the package has a German sounding brand same, the sensors on eBay are inferior. The seal on the plug is poor quality and the end that snaps onto the pad did not fit very well. I gave up trying to get it to work and just reused the old sensor until I can get a genuine one from the dealer.

Steve L

A silly question, but where is the sbc plug located in my 2003 SL 500. I have changed pads in the past, but do not want to get into trouble with the sbc. Thanks!

Steve L