Hello everyone,

I want to change the brake pads on my 95 E320. Since I never did it before (on a Mercedes) I wonder if it is an easy job. I've done it on other cars and had no problems. In general when the pads are changed, do the rotors also require replacement? On the BMW I had to change the rotors and pads every time.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Do I need to bleed the line?

Thanks you all!!

The brakes are pretty easy to change on these cars. You'll want to reference this article from the DIY articles:

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W124BrakePads

It has pretty much all you need. Most rotors have wear indicators and don't need to be replaced every time. The wear indicators are a small notch along the outside of the rotor (see my pic below) - just check them out - there are also minimum thickness specifications that other techs could post.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Daily Driver: 02 E430 4MATIC
In the family: '03 E500 // '04 ML500 // 64 220SE

Easy job. Pay close attention to the routing of the wires on the wear indicators. If improperly placed on the outside of the pin clip, they will rub on the inside of the wheel. Once the insulation rubs off, contact will be made and your wear indicator dash light will come on.

Easier than on my '89.

The only thing I would do differently than what is described in the DIY article is:

1.) Break off the old sensors; this makes removing the spring plates easier.

2.) Insert the new sensors into the new pad after replacing the spring plate. Again, makes spring plate replacement easier and faster.

3.) Use shims and paste to eliminate the possibility of brake squeal.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

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Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black

Cheap as I am, I was able to reuse the old wear sensors by carefully extracting them from the old pads. Unless they're worn, there's nothing wrong with reusing the old sensors if you don't break them.

One thing that caught me by surprise that I never encountered on other brake jobs, was that I found that I couldn't fit the caliper over the rotor with new pads - there wasn't enough clearance. The problem was that I didn't clean all the packed-in grit from the pad mounting surfaces of the caliper. Use a wire brush and clean all that grit from the caliper to get the clearance you need.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 159K

Kestas, why would you remove the calipers to replace brake pads? That's the beauty of replacing brake pads on MB automobiles ... simplicity ... remove 2 pins ... no need to remove the calipers. Obviously to replace rotors you need to remove the calipers.

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Fred Hoelzle

A Tip that has not been mentioned is to open the bleeder when pushing the pistons back in. This gets rid of the old fluid/crap in the calipers [ where it accumulates] instead of sending it back up the line . Very important . This also makes piston much easier to push back in as there is no line pressure on the pistons. It also does not effect the masters res. level.
If doing pads on an ABS system, this is real important, as you can push the crap right back into the ABS unit ..big $$$ mistake.

I'm usually doing other stuff "while I'm there", like regreasing the wheel bearings.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 159K

Thank you all for your repplies!!!

Are instructions for replacement of brake pads on a 1992 300-E simular or different. I want to repack the wheel bearing as well what is involved? Is synthic grease ok to use Valvoline?

Bob Geco

I used the instructions those w124 instructions on my 92 300e...all turned out well.

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1994|040|W124.036|E500
http://www.mbworld.org/forums/image....ine=1216527951

Repacking the wheel bearings includes a few tricky steps. If not done properly, the bearings will have a short life.

Firstly, the grease seal must be replaced. It's nearly impossible to remove it without destroying it. Plus it's considered a wear item.

Any good wheel bearing grease (NLGI 2, with EP additive, for elevated temperature service) should work fine for the bearings. Valvoline synthetic, Mobil 1 synthetic are two good choices. I'm sure there are others. I find the best grease is Mobil Infinitec 152. This is a synthetic grease specifically made for wheel bearings, cheaper then Mobil 1, yet outperforms Mobil 1. The only problem is that I haven't yet seen it sold over-the-counter. Don't over-grease the bearings.

The most important part of wheel bearing service is proper seating and setting the preload. Seating is done by installing the bearing and wrenching down on the center nut while turning the wheel/rotor until the wheel becomes hard to turn. Then back off the center nut and set the preload, ideally with a dial gage.

Please search for more detail on greasing and setting preload. There's been much written on this subject.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 159K