I took my car in yesterday for regular service. A couple of hours later the service rep calls and tells me "Mam, I wanted to let you know that your brakes are REALLY worn" According to him I needed new brake pads and rotors, front and back. I reminded him that there were only 23,000 miles on the car and wondered how that could be possible? He assured me that was common on the ML and I agreed to having it done.
When picking up the car I overheard the same service guy talking to another customer who decided to "wait on the brake job" and my first thought was "Is today push the brake job day?" I asked to see the old pads and rotors, yes the pads were worn somewhat and the rotors who knows, he said they measure them on a machine. I don't know...Today I am still kicking myself for agreeing to having it done and I feel like I was just plainly ripped off.

My question is how long should the brakes last, especially on an ML320. If you have had to replace the brakes how many miles were on the car.

I just feel like "such a girl" after this!!!!

Thanks

the ML's do tend to go through brakes, but he was lying when he said they use a machine to measure the rotors, it is a simple thickness measuring device. as a rule you should get at least two pad changes for each pair of rotors.

okay, maybe they do but a full brake job at 23,000 miles, isn't that excessive. I live in Florida, no hills anywhere, I don't tow anything and I am not an aggressive driver. I've had 2 SUVs before this and didn't have to change the brakes at all.

thanks

i will do a little research and see how often our customers go through brakes on their ML'S. another thing some dealer do is if they feel that the brake pads that are on the car will not make it untill your next service, they will recommend replacing them.

I did get con into replacing the front brakes at 23k miles by the stealer. But the rear brakes should last 55-60k miles. I replaced the front brakes and rotor at 55k mile and there is still some meat left on the pads. If you live relatively close to the stealers (say within 1 hour drive), you should just drive it till the brake sensor tells you to replace the brakes. The stealers tend to recommend the brake job when the pads/rotors are getting close to MB's specifications.

our customers average 10-15 thousand miles between front pad replacement

Thanks for checking on that for me. I still think 10-15000 miles is a ridiculously short lifespan for brake pads. I still think a full brake job, all 4 pads and rotors at 23000 miles is a rip-off. Oh well, lesson learned, next time they recommend it I take it somewhere else and see what they say and what they charge!

Thanks again.

10-15k miles average??!!!! That's crazy.

Ever since the dealer recommended we replace all 4 sets of pads at 24k miles for $600, I have done my own brakes. We have 60k miles on the car and I have put 2 sets of front pads, one set of rear pads, and one set of front rotors on. The rear rotors look to need replacing now. I never measure them, only go by the lip on the outer edge created by the wear. If it's anything more than really minor, I replace.

I did all pads and front rotors for around $320.

i agree, but mercedes and most reputable shops have a huge amount of responsibility and liability when it comes to brakes, when i was at the local dealer here, we had to sometimes deal with customers who had to return after an A or B service to get their pads replaced, they were quite upset, mainly because it could take 2-4 weeks to get an appointment for service, any one who has dealt with mercedes Benz Of San Diego knows what i am talking about. not sure about other dealers, but this one was a mess.

From what i've read, MB recommends rotors after every second set of pads, so it's unlikely you need rotors after only one set of pads. FYI - My dealer wanted $1400 for the job, but I had it done by my local mechanic using all MB parts for $850 and it runs smooth as silk. According to the mechanic, brakes are a snap on the 320.

carson356,

I agree with you there, but if the service manager would be upfront and just say, "you are probably going to need pads before your next service" most customers would appreciate being able to make the choice at that time. To simply say, "you need pads" is being dishonest in my opinion. Using that logic, why not tell them they need a new transmission? I mean, one day they will and wouldn't the customer be inconvenienced if it was between A and B service? ha ha

what we do is if we believe the pads will not make it to the next service we tell them that, give them the option and most of the time they replace them.

A couple of months ago my dealer told me the same thing. They quoted me $1200 for front pads and rotors. I told them I was going to pass. Ordered cross drilled Zimmerman and pads off of ebay for $600 front AND back! I posed a picture guide of what I did at
http://www.furgasonhomes.com/ml/brakes98ml.htm hope this helps you in the future.

__________________
1998 ML 320
BIG Sound

True.

ML pad replacement is relatively frequent compared to other models, but it IS a snap to do in the comfort of your own garage!

Side note: I wouldn't recommend cross-drilled rotors on an off-road vehicle because of the damage potential with thrown debris. If your ML never sees anything but pavement, then fine...

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

and...by-the-way - with cross-drilled rotors you are increasing your brake pad wear as the holes act as little cutters chopping away at your pads.

ONLY if you are a VERY agressive driver do you require cross-drilled rotors to provide additional cooling properties.