Brakes:
Very intuitive. My layman’s version: Break the lug bolts loose, jack the car up and remove the wheel. First thing I did was pulled the two, small plastic brake pad level sensor connector out – not from where they ‘mount’ to the pad, or are inserted in the pad, but to where they connect to the caliper (and thus, are wired into the car’s electrical harness). Gently wiggle back and forth- they will come out. I then opened the master cylinder – be sure you don’t have a full master cylinder reservoir, or fluid will spill out when you compress the caliper pistons. Keep an eye on this. Next thing I did, with the master cylinder cap open, is put a screwdriver between the brake pad and caliper – and pried against the brake pad – on all four corners, pushing the four caliper pistons flush. You’ll need them as flush as possible to fit the new pads against the new rotors. Clearance will be tight, but will fit. Remove the pad mounting pins (two per wheel) with a narrow, long punch and hammer – the pads will drop out of the bottom of the caliper. I also, I think before the above steps, loosened the two caliper-to-spindle bolts. There are four large bolts here, you only have to remove the two that hold the caliper in place. It’s intuitive – so look, and you’ll see. Very straightforward here. My only warning is to use a 3/8” ratchet and SHORT six point socket and extension on the top bolt head, as the ½” combinatation, or 3/8” deepwell combination, will not allow you to get a straight-on bite to the bolt. Or – use a sturdy, tight fitting wrench. I definitely recommend a breaker bar as well. You’ll need it. Just be careful here, that you don’t round off the corners of this top bolt. I almost did. When removed, I simply propped my caliper up on the outer tie rod end linkage where it was out of the way – and be careful – and don’t let it drop. Only held in place by fragile fluid lines. The rotor came off very easily, with a 5mm hex wrench/socket (remove the bolt). I cleaned the mating surface (hub) with a drill/wire brush and put antisieze on the hub before installing the new rotor. After the new rotor was in place, I used loctite on the caliper mounting bolts and bolted it back on (81-5 ft lbs torque, I believe). It also helps to have your key in the ignition so you can turn your wheels (at the wheelwell) where you want during this process. Also, it’s a good time to pry off your wheel bearing cap (outside of the hub). Mine was packed full of fresh MB green wheel bearing grease- which is a good sign in my book. This design is very ford-like, so I had to problem getting the cap on/off. Just a large, flathead screwdriver to pry all around the cap until off. And the hammer to gently tap back in place. Next, I spent a lot of time on the pad preparation. Which included removing the original sensors from the pads – they are PLASTIC and press in. I ended up using a small amount of WD-40 on the area, to help the sensor slide out. I used a ‘pick’, like a finely pointed dental instrument, to slowly eeek the sensor out of it’s hole in the old brake pad. And finally, as it was near the top, wiggled out with pliers. Installation is very straightforward. Same way out, same way in. Just go slow and be careful. They are cheap to order, it’s just something you may want to do on your next order if you will be taking on this job. Order a couple of spares. Next – my only dilemma was what to use from brake pad paste (anti-squeal). The original coating looked kinda yellow/green, but was definitely dirty. So I wiped dry the little steel plate that presses next to the backside of the brake pad, and put it aside. I then coated the backside of my new brake pads with an antisieze I got from oreilley’s (like autozone – in texas). Two small tubes of red material. Basically, put it on very liberally on the back of the new brake pads AND on the side of the steel plate (that pushes against the brake pad) that the caliper pistions press. In other words: Back of pad (anti-seize) < steel backing plate < other side of steel backing plate (anti-seize) < caliper piston. Hope that made sense. All metal-to-metal areas had anitisieze on it. Oh yeah, my dilemma….I would’ve liked to use the Mercedes benz paste, but didn’t want to make the trip to the dealer. Next time, I’ll plan ahead better. (so it was a short dilemma…we’ll see if the brakes are squeaking next month!) One last thing – I let the pieces with anti-seize sit in the sun for awhile – so it would dry faster and cure. Didn’t want to install wet, as I didn’t want the paste to be ‘pushed away’ during assembly/brake use. Also, you might find you’ll need to push your caliper pistons back in place, with your new rotor on. Just use the old pads – and use a screwdriver between the old pad/pistion, and compress them. Being an old ford/Volvo guy, I had my “C” clamp out – in preparation to compress the pistons. NEVER needed it. Reassembly was straightforward. I used a few drops of oil on the wheel bolts – and loctite on the rotor-to hub bolt (5mm). I think that’s it. And this is the way I did it – a first time MB DIYer. Very simple. Brakes work great – no squeal. And total cost was around $150.

Thanks to all who advised me on this. Please feel free to comment/correct me where necessary. I hope this helps someone in a similar situation. Best regards, 71Rcode