This is for a complete replacement of rotors, pads, and the brake sensor. Total cost: $250. If you had to buy all the tools and jack too: Maybe $400. Mercedes quoted me $1,942.

I did this in 37 minutes using some milwaukee stuff, in my garage, in sandals and PJs.

Pre-requisites:
- Rear rotors - Amazon has them for $60/ea. Or do FCPEuro for $108/ea. or Mercedes OEM at $314. You can't turn slotted/cross-drilled rotors, so might as well buy new. Especially since turning a rotor is like $20/ea anyways.
- Rear pads - Amazon has Brembos for $120/set. Pick whatever compound works best for your use.
- ONE brake sensor. If you haven't hit the wear sensor yet on your old pads, you can reuse. $6 for FCPEuro

Tools Required -- Note, the links are the cheapest tools I could find on Amazon in case you're working on an extreme budget. Otherwise, buy some quality tools and not worry about them all turning into hammers like HF products do:
- jack
- jack stands
- 19mm deep socket -- wheel bolts
- T30 or T40 (forgot which) torx socket -- stupid rotor screw
- E10 socket -- brake pad sensor bracket
- 18mm socket/wrench -- caliper bolts
- hammer -- for throwing
- large flathead screwdriver -- pushing the pistons back into the caliper
- 3/16 punch -- driving the pad hold pins out
- Brake cleaner
- optional: Impact driver for the stupid stupid rotor screw.


Process:
1. Loosen the wheel bolts (19mm socket or tire iron)
2. Release the ebrake/parking brake
3. Raise car and secure on jack. You can do each corner or the back axle... up to you really (jack and jack stands).
4. Remove wheels
5. Remove that god awful rotor hold screw (T30/T40). If it doesn't come out, use an impact driver. If it strips, you get to drill it out and curse the day away.
6. Remove the brake sensor bracket on the back of the caliper (E10). If pass rear, remove sensor from connector. put aside
7. Hammer the pad retention pins inward (3/16 punch). Might require some jiggling of the pad retention metal clip to release fully.
8. Remove pads.
9. Remove brake caliper bolts (18mm). Put the caliper aside, if you didn't raise the car too high, you can set the caliper on the ground, otherwise, safety wire/zip tie it up.
10. Remove the rotor. (Hammer)
11. Brake clean the new rotor on both sides to remove anti-rust film (brake clean). If you did this in an enclosed space, congrats on killing some brain cells.
12. Install rotor, reinstall the rotor hold screw. It doesn't have to be super tight, remember that you (or someone else) will have to remove it in the future. Anti-seize works too. (t30/t40) OR, don't use it at all, the screw has no functional purpose other than to keep the rotor from rotating/moving when you reinstall everything.
13. Reinstall caliper (18mm)
14. Put OLD pads into the caliper. Using the screwdriver as a prybar, slide it between the pad surface and rotor, pushing against the pad, this will push the pistons back into the caliper. Do this for both sides of the rotor. (screwdriver).
15. Remove old pads. Grease up the new pads on the BACKING and EDGES where the pad touches the caliper. This helps with noise and keeps things sliding smoothly.
16a. Driver side: Install new pads, make sure to slide the metal retainer in, so the retention pins can slide thru the pad holes, the metal retainer and the caliper holes.
16b. Pass side: Install new pad sensor onto the outside pad. Install new pads, make sure to slide the metal retainer in, so the retention pins can slide thru the pad holes, the metal retainer and the caliper holes.
17. Reinstall retention pins. Make sure they are fully seated. You can also add a little grease on the pins to help with noise/install
18. Reinstall brake wear sensor brake. Pass side: reconnect connector
19. Reinstall wheel.
20. Repeat on the other side.
21. Torque wheels.
22. PUMP THE BRAKES TO GET THE CALIPER PISTONS TO SEAT AGAINST THE ROTOR. Otherwise, you're going to scare yourself when you try to brake.

 

Very indepth and good job : )

 

well written only thing better would have been to add some pictures ..
I know PIA to take pics with phone when hands covered in nasty brake dust with a touch of grease...

 

Couple of things I would add.

Unlike a lot of European cars that use the disk brakes as parking brakes (i.e., no separate brake drum and brake shoes integrated into the rotors), Mercedes rear calipers do NOT need to turn the pistons as they are retracted into the calipers. That makes it so much easier.

Secondly, you need to check procedures in the WIS as to whether the rear brake pads need to be in the Assembly Position. This can be done using your favorite Mercedes-specific scanner or through accessing a special menu on the dash (search YouTube for how to access the special menu).

NOTE: Not all cars require this, so check first before proceeding.

 

@AngryScotsman please provide your complete model number 212.xxx and I will post the WIS instructions.

 

Yeah, I thought about that, but I was trying to see how fast I could do it, while maintaining some semblance of safety.


To be fair, I've never seen multiple piston calipers needing to be turned to be retracted. Doesn't mean they don't exist, just that it's not very common.

Quote:

Secondly, you need to check procedures in the WIS as to whether the rear brake pads need to be in the

I highly doubt it. This is the second time I've done brakes on the wagon and never had any mechanical issues with install, no codes (stored or otherwise), or any performance issues.

Mind you, this is on a 2014 E63S wagon. I imagine if you have a S212 or a W212 AMG (sans carbon brakes), the procedure is the same. Non AMG and cars with Carbon brakes may have different procedures.

 

Thanks AngryScotsman, appreciate your post, details and work

 

 

@AngryScotsman please provide your complete model number 212.xxx and I will post the WIS instructions for anyone who wants to review them.

 

 

That video is BASICALLY the same for the AMG cars, except for the caliper is a sliding vs our fixed calipers -- disassembly is different.

Does confirm the T30 vs T40 and provides a good tip about the anti-seize on the rotor hub.

 

Especially liked "- hammer -- for throwing" but sadly didn't see it in any of the 22 steps.
Next time!

 

Hey fellas, quick question re: rear brakes (new to forum and mercedes)

changing rear rotors this week and curious if there is any potential problem jacking car up one side at a time and not both rear wheels together?


thank you much, have learned a lot browsing so far and love the car.

 

no issue - however if airmatic gets goofy after re: rear height - drive it around a bit and it'll sort itself out after a couple on off power cycles with the engine, and from the sticky:

https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...-way-lock.html

 

Thanks Peter

read over that thread, will make sure hood/trunk is open to see if that helps

the air system was my main concern.

one more question, if I have the floor jack raising the car where can I put a jackstand as a secondary safety precaution while the car is up?

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...nder-w212.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...ing-point.html

 

read those as well but didn't see an option for placing a jackstand when doing one side at a time, looks like the only option is raising both wheels by differential and then putting jacks on the plastic jack spots by the wheels

 

You can use the suspension pick up points where the arms mount to the subframes. Just be careful with tabs and such, don't want to bend the subframe tabs, otherwise resting the car on the suspension points is fine.

Better, use the jack points as mentioned above, but gets difficult if you're also using them to lift the car.

 

that's what I ended up doing, ordered a rubber puck thing from amazon that fit into the jack points to raise the car and placed the jackstand under suspension as a safety

rear brakes and rotors took me a whopping 3 hours but went well.

The car definitely sagged once I was done (leaving trunk/hood open didn't prevent it from adjusting), but once car was turned on the car lifted itself back up eventually.

Overall was very simple job just took some time and was a good experience to learn the car a little bit.

Up next: headliner to tighten the bolts and start troubleshooting cabin noises from a few rattles and a noisy seat but otherwise car is getting to really good shape.

Thanks to the forum for the help, the resources here along with some yt videos have been incredibly helpful.

 

@AngryScotsman

Thanks for the post. Exactly as advertised.

FWIW Step #5. Remove that god awful rotor hold screw (T30/T40). If it doesn't come out, use an impact driver. If it strips, you get to drill it out and curse the day away.

I just used an impact driver, and with hit with the hammer the screw was loose and came out exactly as it should I learned my lesson having to drill out the same screw holding the rotor on my RX-7 until I learned of the impact driver.

What kicked my *** was one of the upper pins which I beat to sh*t. Had to order replacement pins. No idea why 1 of the 4 pins was so 'stuck'. It was not in any shape to want to be pushed back in.