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  #1  
Old 02-28-2010, 04:08 PM
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C230 Brakes

Maybe I did it wrong, but I did try to search and I don't see the answer. I have 99 C230 Kompressor, and I need to change the front brakes. With other cars I've always been a DIY-er, and I want to take care of this myself.
I expect odd things with different makes of cars, so I looked at it to see, and I can't tell--the bolts holding the calipers on--what are they? They look like odd, and I didn't know if it required a special tool, or am I just seeing things, because they are inside the sleeve?

I just expect the worst from past experiences. GM used to use (and maybe still does) a torx head, and that's ridiculous. An older Ford I had used shims that you had to beat out with a hammer. So I approached this cautiously, trying to figure out what I need.

And along these lines--Haynes has a great line of books to do repairs on lesser vehicles. Are there similar publications available for M-B? I'd love to have the book on der Kaiser.

Thanks for any help or sarcasm you throw my way.

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  #2  
Old 03-01-2010, 08:19 AM
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In the DIYer section, there are several DIY brake jobs that are similar to that car.

As with American cars, pretty simple.
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  #3  
Old 03-01-2010, 02:02 PM
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I did it a couple of years ago and I don't remember anything too bad. There is a Haynes manual available but it doesn't include the 6cyl or Kompressor, but is useful for other repairs. Get new rotors if you will need them. Be careful what brand of pads you get. They are not all the same. But that is a bit of an "oil thread" question, everyone has their own opinion. You might need sensors if your lining light is on, and technically you need a little of the silver brake grease I think.
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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra
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Old 03-01-2010, 02:11 PM
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Location: Albuquerque, NM USA
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They're trying to keep DIYers away, so the required wrench is 7mm inhex (allen).

Working on a Mercedes without reference to official repair procedures is a big risk and IMHO not smart.

http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/outside/11498/?requestedDocId=11498
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  #5  
Old 03-01-2010, 05:04 PM
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And we have a winner! Thanks so much. That's the answer I was looking for, a 7 mm hex.
Yeah, I know--I figured out the oil change on my own, and NOW it's easy, but the first time was frustrating as hell.
I did see the official repair procedure...it just said "remove" it didn't say how. Now that was funny.

In normal brake repairs, I remove the cap from the brake fluid fill to relieve the pressure before compressing the piston. However, the ORP says it differently--open it up at the caliper? (I'd have to look at it again--I found it online somewhere). Would it still work to open at the cap? It keeps the system nominally "sealed" and deters from the need to bleed the brakes.

But I will check out the DIY section thoroughly before I try again--this coming weekend now.

And all the comments have been helpful--If I can save money doing it myself, I can afford the expensive brake pads. How in the world did I believe that just because I bought a ten year old car it would be cheaper to take care of?
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  #6  
Old 03-01-2010, 07:06 PM
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Location: Seattle
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The parts for this car are not too expensive usually. I just took off the cap (I might have just loosened it) and that worked fine. If you take off the rotor you will need a 5mm hex also. I had a hard time finding that believe it or not.
__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra
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  #7  
Old 03-31-2010, 10:28 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 9
I finally did get to it, and it wasn't that bad. Of course, the pads had worn down so much that one of the wear sensors was unusable. I'll be on a search to find those.
FYI, No auto parts store had the 7mm hex allen, but the local small hardware store did. I'm a big fan of Handyman Hardware!
I think I'm going to need a tune up, however, and I think I might be in over my head on that one. With the Supercharger--I can't even SEE where the sparkplugs are.
Thanks for the help, I'll be back again! I'll be reading up on the tune up, first of all...

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