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?

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

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.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

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.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

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?

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87 300e (white/black; amg body kit)
88 300ce (red/cream; amg body kit)
93 300ce cabrio (white/blue/blue top)
93 300ce cabrio (black/grey/black top)
98 ml 320 (totaled @ 137,000 miles)
99 clk320 (black/grey/black top)

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?

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

no need for you to remove the grey coating, it will wear off after a few applications of the brakes.

Its to keep the top of the rotors from rusting. If you have aftermarket wheels that expose the brakes this is a cosmetic issue.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I'm posting a follow-up as I just completed the front brake job on my '98 W210. What a pleasure compared to the earlier W123 I did last year.

In about an hour and a half I could do pads and rotors on both sides, no messing with wheel bearings or removing the hubs like the earlier ones. It's really criminal that the dealer charges nearly $500 in labor for this task...I saw the prior owner had it done at his dealership in 2002 and they charged almost $700 for parts and labor! Now, in '06 the parts set me back $215 from MB, so what does that mean, 5 hours in flat rate book time for this job??? Unreal.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

The dealers need to make money. Frankly with all the overhead a large MB dealer has I can understand why they need to charge $100 an hour. Those multi million dollar buildings, don't grow on their own.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

My friendly dealer charges $124.95/hr...what I find amazing is the labor times they charge...I saw an invoice recently to change spark plugs on an ML320...$695, roughly for the repair. That's roughly an hour per plug...hell, I can do that!

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2002 Ford ZX2
2 x 2013 Honda Civics

Do you have $3M worth of cars sitting outside? A $8M building? About $200k a year in tax? Maybe $1m a year worth of salaries to pay? Several hundred thousand a year worth of other expenses?

It takes a lot of money to run such a business. Plus a lot of customers are cheap and don't want to pay for what is needed or good work. Maybe that ML320 had a bunch of stuck plugs.

Its easy to say oh I can do it for cheaper, well then do it for cheaper.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I replaced mine a few years ago. I got ATE power slot rotors for about $100 for a set from Bekkers.com (they are $118 now) and standard ATE pads for about $40 or so for the set. Sensors came with the pads. Needed a can of brake cleaner and some squeel lub and I was good to go. $150 or so for the whole deal. Car stops on a dime. No fade, not squeeks.

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Sent from an agnostic abacus

2014 C250 21,XXX my new DD ** 2013 GLK 350 18,000 Wife's new DD**

- With out god, life is everything.
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- You can pray for me, I'll think for you.
- When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.