Bad news on Brakes
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 28
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E55 AMG
Bad news on Brakes
Well I got done getting my car inspected I got a fairly clean bill of health of on it but 1 bit of bad news.
Apparently a piror owner had my rotors turned and now they are below "safe" spec I forget how many MM below they are I have it written down. I checked the stickey for common replacement parts. I see the rotors are about 300 and some change out the door. My question is how much of a pain is going to be to change these out myself with all the electronics that are involved with sensors and what not.
Or should I bite the bullet and have a shop change them out.
The dealership wants a 1000 to do the work.
Apparently a piror owner had my rotors turned and now they are below "safe" spec I forget how many MM below they are I have it written down. I checked the stickey for common replacement parts. I see the rotors are about 300 and some change out the door. My question is how much of a pain is going to be to change these out myself with all the electronics that are involved with sensors and what not.
Or should I bite the bullet and have a shop change them out.
The dealership wants a 1000 to do the work.
Super Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 511
Likes: 2
From: Orlando, FL
04 E55 AMG, 03 350z Track Built/Single Turbo
I'm planning on replacing my own rotors pretty soon, and would be interested if anyone has any input on this as well. This won't be my first time to do my own brake job, I'm just wondering mainly how necessary it is to replace the gaskets on the pistons and what not.
I'm personally looking at some R1 Concepts premium rotors, Akebono pads, and replacing the pad wear indicator sensors because they're cheap anyway.
I'm personally looking at some R1 Concepts premium rotors, Akebono pads, and replacing the pad wear indicator sensors because they're cheap anyway.
Banned
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 668
Likes: 2
From: Racine, WI
2003 E55 AMG
Well I got done getting my car inspected I got a fairly clean bill of health of on it but 1 bit of bad news.
Apparently a piror owner had my rotors turned and now they are below "safe" spec I forget how many MM below they are I have it written down. I checked the stickey for common replacement parts. I see the rotors are about 300 and some change out the door. My question is how much of a pain is going to be to change these out myself with all the electronics that are involved with sensors and what not.
Or should I bite the bullet and have a shop change them out.
The dealership wants a 1000 to do the work.
Apparently a piror owner had my rotors turned and now they are below "safe" spec I forget how many MM below they are I have it written down. I checked the stickey for common replacement parts. I see the rotors are about 300 and some change out the door. My question is how much of a pain is going to be to change these out myself with all the electronics that are involved with sensors and what not.
Or should I bite the bullet and have a shop change them out.
The dealership wants a 1000 to do the work.
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 887
Likes: 2
From: Northern California
2004 E55 AMG; 1991 Previa
Honestly 30 minutes on each side with some patience and a large can of wd-40 and anyone with a monkey wrench can do it. Of course wait for your brakes to cool before screwing around. GET A BRAKE HARDWARE KIT, I replace that when I change rotors 
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 348
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From: Bay Area
2005 E55 / 2008 E63
Well I got done getting my car inspected I got a fairly clean bill of health of on it but 1 bit of bad news.
Apparently a piror owner had my rotors turned and now they are below "safe" spec I forget how many MM below they are I have it written down. I checked the stickey for common replacement parts. I see the rotors are about 300 and some change out the door. My question is how much of a pain is going to be to change these out myself with all the electronics that are involved with sensors and what not.
Or should I bite the bullet and have a shop change them out.
The dealership wants a 1000 to do the work.
Apparently a piror owner had my rotors turned and now they are below "safe" spec I forget how many MM below they are I have it written down. I checked the stickey for common replacement parts. I see the rotors are about 300 and some change out the door. My question is how much of a pain is going to be to change these out myself with all the electronics that are involved with sensors and what not.
Or should I bite the bullet and have a shop change them out.
The dealership wants a 1000 to do the work.
You don't have a 63 where each rotor is $1k per minus pads / labor etc. Consider yourself lucky.
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Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Cypress, TX
'06 E55, '15 Jeep SRT8, '94 Mustang GT
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 503
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From: Houston, TX
W211 E55
If you run into the caliper bolts seeming impossible to get off you can take the car on a short drive to get them warm. I had this issue with mine and eventually decided to take it to my friends shop and use an impact, simply put they came out with just a ratchet.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
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E55 AMG
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 929
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From: Littleton, CO
2005 E55 silver
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: San Jose, CA
2007 E63 w/P30 and Eurotech CF Diffuser
Lastly, if you don't track it, just get some slotted, vented, single piece rotors for <$200 each.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 488
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From: Seattle
1992 911 C4, 2008 P2 E63 AMG (gone but not forgotten), 2007 SL65 Renntech
If you find someone to help you do it let me know and I will bring my E63. The front and rear rotors need to be swapped out. Anyone with suggestions on where to get them please let me know. I don't want to pay for the OEM ones unless I have to.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 590
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From: Washington
10 E63, Sold -07 E63
I'm in Bothell, and can help. It's just that my time isn't so free. I have swapped mine and was pretty easy. If your looking for parts, I've seen sets for front and rear $1700 2pc rotors + pads, cheaper with 1pc rear rotors tho. I don't remember the company name. One mistake I made was I went cheap route and bought low millage used rotors, and new pads... been having vibration on the brakes, so I need to resurface my rotors. There is a company in Kirkland that resurfaces crossdrilled and slotted.
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From: In A Parts Catalog
65 230sl
Your E55 AMG uses a fixed front caliper and a slide-on rotor. In the grand scheme of brakes, yours are one of the easiest to change.
To get a better idea of how to change them, here is a good thread:
DIY-W211 E55 FRONT PAD AND ROTOR REPLACEMENT
Best part is, a pair of factory rotors will only set you back ~$265, plus tax, with free shipping: Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Front Brake Rotors from Oscaro.
Also, unless the brake pads have worn perfectly on the old rotors, its highly recommended to replace the pads with the rotors: Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Front Brake Pads from Oscaro.
And when replacing the brakes, there is a potential to break the pad wear sensor. Because they are ~$5, I recommend replacing them every time you put on new pads: Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Disk Brake Pad Wear Sensor from Oscaro.
Other than the parts listed above, I would recommend a few other parts:
And some other helpful tips I've learned from many years of brake repairs:
Good luck with your project, and be sure to post up pictures of your progress & final result!
To get a better idea of how to change them, here is a good thread:
DIY-W211 E55 FRONT PAD AND ROTOR REPLACEMENT
Best part is, a pair of factory rotors will only set you back ~$265, plus tax, with free shipping: Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Front Brake Rotors from Oscaro.
Also, unless the brake pads have worn perfectly on the old rotors, its highly recommended to replace the pads with the rotors: Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Front Brake Pads from Oscaro.
And when replacing the brakes, there is a potential to break the pad wear sensor. Because they are ~$5, I recommend replacing them every time you put on new pads: Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Disk Brake Pad Wear Sensor from Oscaro.
Other than the parts listed above, I would recommend a few other parts:
- Purchasing brake parts cleaner to remove the manufacturers coating form the brake rotors
- During installation, applying anti-seize to lubricate the disk brake hardware
And some other helpful tips I've learned from many years of brake repairs:
- A good breaker bar is helpful for removing the caliper bolts.
- When compressing the caliper pistons with a c-clamp, be sure to open the brake bleeder screw, as the fluid can't back feed through the ABS module without potential damage
Good luck with your project, and be sure to post up pictures of your progress & final result!
