Brake Parts; OEM, Aftermarket-OEM or Aftermarket-Aftermarket?
 

OK, I am down to 3/32" on the pads for my '98 E300 (W210) and am going to do pads, rotors and wear sensors. When I checked online for parts there are no less than SEVEN different types of pads; 3 listed as "OEM", which I would call aftermarket OEM (Pagid, Textar or Jurid) and four others with out comments in that column which I would call aftermarket aftermarket (akebono, PBR and one without even a name mentioned). Same for rotors, there are Balo, Zimmermann and Brembo and some which are slotted and some which are cross-drilled ($$$$).

So my choices are to go to the dealer, or buy one of these aftermarket lines. My question is, are any of these aftermarket lines truly aftermarket OEM (identical to the dealer parts without the three-pointed star mark-up) or should I just forget aftermarket and buy from MB? I am just leaning towards that, not because I think there's any great difference but the fact that the aftermarket offers too many choices and at least MB you know are going to fit, and after all they are BRAKES and you don't want junk. Still, I don't want to pay for the star if that's the only difference.

Does anyone have an idea of what the list price is for a set of pads and rotors from MB for the W210 for comparison purposes?

Textar pads and Balo rotors are a good combo you won't be sorry.

In my experience, the OEM aftermarket pads are usually pretty good, but usually are a slightly different compound than the one sourced to the dealer. It all depends on year and model. Sometimes, they are similar, sometimes a little different, and sometimes they are the identical part. Its hard to tell what you are going to get. I have always used the aftermarket Textar pads and have never had a problem and found them to perform identical to the parts that you would buy at the dealer. Everytime I have used them, they have always been an exact fit.

If you want aftermarket, go with the Pagid, Jurid or Textar pads, they should all be pretty good on the W210. For rotors, go with the Balo, Zimmerman, or Brembo. Cross-drilled is not necessary unless you like the looks and/or cost. If you want the exact OEM part, I believe that fastlane usually has the pads with the three-pointed star. I have always gone with the OEM aftermarket and have yet to have a problem or find that the quality or performance of the brakes was anything less than OEM.

I believe you've taken the parts source lingo to a new low, or a new high, depending on how you look at it. An original equipment manufacturer is an original equipment manufacturer. You can buy their parts from a dealer or from someone else. The same rule applies for brake pads as for everything else - never buy a part from a dealer unless you have to. With brake pads you don't have to.

There are alot more Aftermarket suppliers of brake parts than you would believe ,this is an example...
http://www.movit.de/rahmen/mercedes.htm

Yes, an OEM manufacturer is an OEM manufacturer. Suppliers like Textar, and Pagid make parts that are sold to MB with the three-pointed star and purchased at a dealer. However, they also make parts without the three-pointed star, which are sold under their own name and believe it or not, are actually a little different than the actual OEM pads for that car. That is what is meant by OEM aftermarket. An OEM Mercedes manufacturer that is making a modified part for the aftermarket.

Yes, Ali, that is why I drew the distinctions that I did in the original post. I realize there are three "tiers" here and was looking for feedback as to whether there have been any bad experiences with any of the different ones. Also, one of my fears is of "counterfeit" parts.

You're much less likely to get some Chinese or Indian knock-off coming from behind the counter at the local MB dealer than from one of these mail order houses...so for safety related parts, such as brakes, suspension and steering, I probably do tend to go for the OEM MB parts rather than start with anything less. For other parts (so-called comfort or convenience items) I buy whatever seems to give the best value, but for brakes it seems foolish to cut corners if there's a chance you'll land up with something sub-standard. I have heard horror stories on this board from those who bought ball joints or tie-rods online only to have them fail while driving...how foolish do you feel when you lose control of your car because you saved $30 on a ball joint?

It's also just common sense...the biggest savings I realize come from doing the work myself. So, if I have to spend an extra $50 to get MB parts it is still several hundred dollars less than having the work done at the dealership. The difference between a $700 brake job and a $250 job is great...but between $250 and $200 for parts seems to make little difference or sense to me.

Textar is usualy what you get when you buy brake pads from the dealer. I think they quoted my friend $40 each for rear rotors for his W210 and maybe $30ish for rear pads. I forget what the fronts were.

Dealer brake parts are usualy pretty cheap with these cars.

Either the prices have gone up or the fronts are MUCH costlier than rears (probably both) but I've priced the aftermarket sets as recommended and the best price I could get is $55 each for the rotors and $65 for the pad set for a total of about $175 - that's non MB. I would guess MB will be over $200, probably around $250 (probably $85 each for the rotors and $75 for the pads is my guess...I'll know tomorrow when I swing by the dealership).

I just recently did this ..
 

brake job on my '01 210. The pads (Pagid-front, ATE-rear) and rotors (unmarked) were the originals from the factory.

I replaced with Brembo rotors up front and ATE in back ... Pagid -- Pagid for pads.

I have noticed ZERO difference in braking feel (which was exceptional before the change) and the same brake dust output. (lots :rolleyes: ) The rotors were lipped pretty well @ 46k. The total in parts amounted to about $280 and a very easy DIY.

HTH and Good Luck :D

This was what the dealer wanted for the rear rotors back in Jan or Feb I forget. Maybe it was $45 each but it was about that.

Just a quick glance here gives me:

Front rotors: $50 x 2 = $100
Front pads: $55
Rear rotors: $30 x 2 = $60
Rear pads: $35
----------------------
Total: $250, not including sensors or minor bits.


A few months ago I priced out brake parts for my car, and the parts were about 20 percent more. I ended up buying the pads from the dealer, and they were Textar pads with the MB star on it. Just this weekend, I did the rear brakes on my parent's 300E, and ended up using aftermarket Textar pads with Balo rotors. Thus far, the quality seems pretty similar to the pads I bought with the star on it.

I think the key to buying aftermarket is knowing the quality of the brand, that's the only way to make a cost-benefit analysis. Based on people's experiences, I think the aftermarket Textar/Balo combo is probably close enough to MB specs that I'll be using it in the future.

IF you buy Textar from dealer with the same compumnd as the aftermarket ones then guess what??? it is the same pad! IF you think that dealer pads are better....well I have some Ocean front property here in Atlanta for sale as well!

NO one sells rotors (for MB cars) that match the OE quality rotor. SOME are close & many are good, but not equal...(not true on ML's..as they come from Mexico!)

Jurid pads
 

In researching brake pad prices I've noticed that Jurid pads almost always carry the lowest price, usually by $10- $15 per set. Is this any reason to be concerned?

OK, the OEM Parts it is!
 

I bought the parts from my local dealer who gives me a 15% discount off list price for being a MBCA member. The net price for the pad set was $64.60 ($76 list) and the price for the rotors was $73.95 each ($87.00 list). The pads are stamped Jurid but the discs are unmarked. The pads come with the anti-chatter paste so that saves a couple of $$$ too.

Essentially the dealer's discounted prices are about the same as Fastlane's prices for aftermarket parts...$215 for the whole setup including wear sensors. Not worth going aftermarket in this case, I stuck with genuine MB parts.

One last question...do the dealer techs do something to remove the paint covering the new rotors or just let the pads wear it off? I've never seen rotors come painted (grey) like this before...I've seen them covered in grease which I have always cleaned off with brake cleaner before installing pads...but paint?