The parking brake on the 1994 E320 Wagon that I just bought isn't working. I suspect that the prior owner might have driven it with the brake on. (I know, how can you not see that bright red light!)It's about the only thing on the entire car that's not working.

My question is, about how much should I expect to pay if it needs new shoes or something more?

Thanks in advance.

jwiles

jwiles,

A parking brake rebuild kit is only about $25-35, it comes with shoes and springs, IIRC. I rebuilt my 123 chassis parking brake only to discover the star wheel adjuster had been put back together wrong by the po. I had the kit so I rebuilt it while it was apart and put in new shoes. You might want to pull the hubs and inspect before you order anything.

Then again, if you're asking how much this will cost if you take it to a shop, it will all depend on what kind of shop you try and how much integrity they have. Some are obviously better than others.

Good luck.

Thanks Mike,

Actually, I was asking the approximate cost to have a shop do it. I do my own oil changes and fluid checks, but that's about the end on my mechanical ability. We have a reliable Mercedes dealer nearby, bur I haven't contacted then yet. We just purchased the vehicle and it needed the parking break repaired when I bought it. I can get a fair idea of possible cost if you can tell me how long it might take them to do it.

Thanks again,

Jack Wiles

Have you tried to manually adjust them? They may be way out of adjustment.

__________________
'76 240D-Sold
'78 240D-Sold
'85 300 SD, 165K-Sold
'88 300 TE, 165K-Sold
'64 Porsche 356C Cabriolet- under restoration
'86 560SL 124K Miles-Sold
'94 320E Wagon, 74K Miles-128K Miles JUNKED
'06 E350 Wagon, 84K Miles
07 SL550, 14K Miles

Thanks for the thoughts on manual adjustment. That's already been tried with no success. I'm planning on having the dealer fix the problem. I was just curious as to how much this should cost. If the brakes are about $50 and there is two hours labor at $75 per hour total cost would be around $200. The part that I don't know is how long it should take a dealer to repair them. Would it be more than two hours? Less maybe?

I do thank you for trying to save me some money.

Jack Wiles

$75 per hour? Such a deal! The dealer in San Jose gets $115/hour.

__________________
'76 240D-Sold
'78 240D-Sold
'85 300 SD, 165K-Sold
'88 300 TE, 165K-Sold
'64 Porsche 356C Cabriolet- under restoration
'86 560SL 124K Miles-Sold
'94 320E Wagon, 74K Miles-128K Miles JUNKED
'06 E350 Wagon, 84K Miles
07 SL550, 14K Miles

I've replaced the parking brake shoes on both my 123 & 124 cars. They're pretty much identical in both cases. While not my favorite job, it is pretty easy. A good mechanic could do it 1 hour, 1.5 tops. I've done it in 2, working in my home garage, and without any specialized tools for installing the return springs. (Stretching out the return springs is the ^#(&* hard part!)

In both cases I paid ~$30 for the kit with brake shoes & hardware. Figure on 100% markup at a dealer or mechanic.

If the PO never, ever used the parking brake - quite common in North America - you may also be looking at new cables. This will add significantly to the cost, both for parts & labor.