I have a 2002 ML320. A few months back I replaced both the front and rear brake pads. Since I am selling the car soon, I decided to just go to Kragen and pay $100 for the Raybestos OE brake pads instead of going to the Mercedes Dealer. A few weeks after I replaced the pads, I started hearing a clicking noise everytime that I came a complete stop and every time that I started from the complete stop. One mechanic told me that it might be coming from the calipers and to clean and grease everything up good with brake grease. Unfortunately that did not solve the problem. A few others have said that it may be a result of purchasing brakes other than the Mercedes Brand. Now I am ready to sell my car, but I need to get rid of the clicking sound first. Before I go out and pay $300 for pads from Mercedes, is there anyone that can confirm that that is what is causing the noise. Also, the clicking noise is not present when we put the car up on the rack and depress the brakes. It is also very hard to tell where the clicking sound is coming from. To me it sounds like it is coming from the middle of the car, but I have been told that sounds travel very well underneath the car and it is very difficult to pinpoint. Anyone's input is greatly appreciated.

I can't say where your noise is coming from, but it doesn't sound like the brakes . My guess is that it's coming from the torsion bar mount/adjuster (located under the middle of the car). Lots of early ML's have had this problem.

MB addressed this issue in March, 2006, by offering improved torsion bar supports to be installed at the bottom half of the the torsion bar adjuster. This, along with the recommended Optimol lubrication paste eliminated the noise permanently. MB dealers will charge around 1.5 hours labor, plus parts (cheap), to do this job.

Thank you very much for the input. Is this a job that a non mechanic can do? If so what part do I ask for and is there anywhere that I can find instructions or is it pretty straight forward?

Dealer Technical Bulletin 32.30/30a has all the necessary information. The parts department at your local MB dealer can look it up for you.

Thank you for the input, the fixed worked perfectly. The new inserts for the torsion bar were less than $15 and it took a nearby shop less than an hour to put them in. To be honest, I was not very confident that inserts would completely take away the noise. To my suprise, the noise is completely gone. Thanks again....

I'm glad everything worked out for you, and thanks for posting the results.