A newb here and just looking for some advice. The brake hoses in my W108 appear to be stock, or more than 20yrs old and I want to replace them. I frequent Kent Bergsma's YouTube site and saw that I should replace these old, rubber brake hoses. While I'm doing this job, should I consider other brake work too? Things that are crossing my mind are: rotors, pads, maybe calipers too. However, the other things crossing my mind are... nothing is wrong and all seems to be working fine and if I mess with the OEM set-up too much do i run the risk of creating other problems. I really appreciate any and all advice. Thank you! Key Stats: W108, 1970 280SEL, 75k mi. I obtained the car in Nov 2017, it runs well considering age. I am trying to go through make sure all necessary mechanical items are taken care of so i can drive more often on longer trips without thinking about something going wrong.

If you see no leak in any of the hoses, I would not do anything. When you need to replace the pads, take another look. No need to create problems. Likely all your components are just fine.

I wouldn't say that's good advice. Old rubber hoses don't leak. They burst. That'd obviously lead to crucial failure.

I'd say 15 years is the max I'd trust a rubber line for. Any further is asking for danger. If they appear cracked AT ALL or swell visibly anywhere when brake pressure is applied, they are overdue for replacement. Take your time to ensure you do one line at a time, and don't run the master cylinder dry. Bleed each side as you finish it. That will also save time. If your old fluid looks like coffee then flush the whole brake system.

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^ agree on all counts. 15 years absolute max for a pampered garage kept car. less, for a driven hard and poorly maintained example. if you don't know how old they are, assume they are overdue for replacing. this is a preventative maintenance task you do not want to ignore.

as stated, brake hoses do not leak - they burst. either that, or they swell shut internally, restricting fluid flow and making the brakes less effective all around.

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Thank you for the replies and extra important info. I will plan the project to replace all hoses and inspect pads as well.

All brake hoses have a date code on them, month and year. The issue usually is that they rot from the inside out and the inside diameter gets very small, which restricts the flow of fluid in both directions. It doesn't matter how they look on the outside, it is the age that matters. Eight to ten years is a prudent max. They are pretty cheap.

Don't forget the one in the back. I wouldn't do any other brake maintenance at the same time unless you see or experience problems.

When I did my hoses, the seals on the pistons were toast too. All that rubber is the same age in theory

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