There is a reason a rebuilt caliper costs $120 and the kit costs $20. It's a pita to rebuild them right. If you take it apart and find some rust on the piston then you just wasted $20 and your time.

A smarter option might be to disassemble and inspect the calipers before making the decision to repair or replace. In fact, that is what the MB service manual suggests.

There is no point in trying to overhaul a rusted, pitted and/or scored caliper. But neither is it necessary to replace one that is leaking only because a seal is tired.

I agree 100%.

I did just that last Sunday. It took all of 15 minutes to remove the caliper and find that there is now way I'm going to rebuild it myself (rusty as all get out).

Waiting for the Cardone rebuit Ate Caliper now.

actually it is not leaking it is sticking so I am hoping it is not scored just rusty or old. I dont mind spending a saturday morning cleaning these up I just cant keep putting a ton of money in this car. thanx for the suggestions, if I cant rebuild them Ill send the kits back for credit on calipers

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Am in the middle of replacing the front 'Bendix' calipers on my 300CD, cause the RHS was dragging.

Just purchased reman calipers from Kragen (partsamerica) at $47.50 a side + $25 core charge. You get a core refund on the old units when you ship (at your cost) or take them back to a store. They are the correct/original Bendix units for your car.

Havn't fitted the new calipers yet, cause I'm now into a front end rebuild (that's another story ) but initial impressions of the reman calipers are good, and delivery was fast.
Calipers are available unloaded (w.out pads, but with springs, pins and clips) or loaded (with pads, pins, springs and clips).

Replaced a leaky rear cylinder on the Tahoe with a Cardone reman unit over a year ago. Again, good quality and still going strong.

Cheers!

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Neil.


1991 190E 2.6 170k
1995 E320CA 57k
1999 Chevy Tahoe 98k
2000 R1150GS 45k
1983 300CD 178k - sold, but not forgotten

I put a pair of these on the wagon this fall. they are cardone, which is the same brand I found at several different online sources, including here. maybe they really are inferior to other cardones. maybe they are the exact same.
these ones did not have the metal shim/ trim ring, and lasted about 5 weeks, and were leaking all over .

LLW(Limited lifetime warranty), I called down and they ordered in another pair. Unlike the first pair, the second pair had the correct shims/trim ring installed, and have been fine so far. about 5 weeks on the second pair, too.

they would not give me a free qt of brake fluid to re-bleed my brakes, try as I may.

If you all ever do need to go to CSK, I advise you to check prices online, and print the page off to bring along. I find they generally price things 10-50% higher in store, but will pricematch the online price.

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

advance has remanufactured Bendix for $74 with $15 core. They had cardon which were 69 without the hardware. They even have them in stock. Ill save my rebuild kits but the old caliper was junk, it had a groove around the piston and it was locked solid.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Mine also have the trim rings installed. Lets hope they last longer than 5 weeks

Cheers!

__________________
Neil.


1991 190E 2.6 170k
1995 E320CA 57k
1999 Chevy Tahoe 98k
2000 R1150GS 45k
1983 300CD 178k - sold, but not forgotten

We all have our financial limits. If you want to rebuild your calipers, go ahead. I've done mine and they work fine. Just remember to NOT separate their left & right sides. It is a tedious job, but rewarding. And I agree, if the rubber lines are old and hard, replace them.

Once you have resurfaced the pistons and chambers with emery cloth and installed new seals, be sure to coat the chambers with new brake fluid before inserting the pistons. This will save the seals. And be generous when bleeding after. This will assure that all the crud is out of the chambers.

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

Yup, I just installed a pair of front Bendix reman's from worldpac for about $120 each (one was leaking). I also wouldn't play around trying to rebuild them. Also, you might as well replace the hoses while you have it apart.

That means that I saved over $400 when I "played around" and overhauled my old calipers!!!

Probably, but not really worth the trouble IMHO.

well the caliper on the pass side is junk. fwiw, can someone tell me how to remove the rotor hats? I was going to start smacking it with a hammer but thought id ask.

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Guys,
Keep your rebuild kits for your "new" calipers from parts america. I was lured in by their attractive prices and my old calipers were completely shot when I tried to rebuild them (bores rusted very badly). I put about 1000 miles on my reman calipers and one day I noticed the back of the front wheels were wet with brake fluid. Took them off and the rebuilt calipers were leaking fluid. Took them off and rebuilt them in 30 minutes and 3000 miles later everything is ok. I will say that the piston seals in the rebuild kits were wider than the ones I took out of the remanufactured calipers.

Try to rebuild them if you have an air compressor it really isn't hard at all and you can save a substantial amount of money. Good luck.

Are we talking about the front or rear rotors?