For "Bill," the forum Diesel Moderator

Firstly, let me put you at rest. I will find another place to rest my
head on the `net. You can close my "user" a/c with mercedesShop
as soon as you have read this post. We part as friends and why
not? We both like mercedes diesels.

I am totally unaware of parts sales and tech help available via this
mercedesShop vBulletin `net site. I just plain never knew about it.

In Europe today, repair garages accept brake calipers for rebuild. I'm not aware of exactly how it works entirely but repairable
brake calipers are forwarded to repair facilities wherein serious
experts under the highest cleanliness standards work with
layers of failsafe standards to remint brake calipers. Perhaps
they devote so much energy to this activity due to the autobahn
system which permits speeds in excess of 150mph but the average is 90mph, according to the ECU. USA cars use the exact
same Ate, Bendix and Girling units, also Brembo (later). No
similar system exists for officially supervised brake caliper rebuild in the United States. Since we have no similar system in place like
the Europeans, the only certain method to guarantee the inner
workings and hidden mechanisms of those MB supplied brakes is:
1) to purchase replacement new; or, 2) rebuilt from Caliber Motors in California, an MB dealer, who is the only MB dealer in the US who offers rebuilt brake calipers done by MB and carrying a warranty by MB. Please do reconfirm all of the above. You must.

The fact that various US independent MB shops can obtain seal kits to rebuild brake calipers does not guarantee that they would know what they are doing. When to toss a piston or to call a ridge
out-of-round for the squared accordian seal involves more than
a naked eye or "feelings." Dust and dirt must be eliminated even
to the extreme of using denatured chemicals; oxygenous matter
held behind the piston may never be expelled through the M/C-----well, on and on and on. Many shops have no such ability, no such committment nor awares to properly succeed at this task. In fact, used calipers of a similar brake manufacturer would be a better idea if an owner couldnt afford to purchase new calipers.

In addition, the mere fact that seal rebuild kits are sold may only
imply that someone has their thumb stuck on the sales button.
It is much the same as someone selling ammunition but no firearms or controlled substances but no syringe. Better to rethink
this entire line of argument. This is a tautology; circular reasoning.

The internet is a strange place, Mr Moderator. One can say anything that one wants to and without fear of too much accountability PROVIDED you dont say anything that hurts someone or casues them losses. I realize that additional rules are agreed upon at the registration of mercedesShop and the vBulletin system. I have been here for exactly 3 days. I am
responding to you as the Moderator for your plead for an answer
back and this at my first having laid eyes upon your query. BTW,
nice to meet you, too.

Faulty brakes can kill, Mr Moderator. It is a safety issue. The reason for an addendum repost to this thread was to provide
an additional evidence from myself for all potential lurkers that
I take no responsibility and can take none for any party who
attempts to improperly repair their brake system and as a result
of anything read. It did alarm greatly to see a lister say, in effect,
that he was going to go do his own brakes soon, yes, it did. I'm
sure that some of the estimated 125 vehicles that piled up today
on I-75 North in Ringgold, Ga, will be inspected for their brakes; very many of the 176 cars that piled-up on I-10 in 1995 in Mobile
Alabama, were later examined for their brakes, too, or so I read.

Mr Moderator, there are a few Federal statutes that happen to
address these types of specific subjects, if you would know how to care to learn to peruse these matters. I would have thought
that you, as a Moderator, would have already done a thorough
checking of such, especially in re safety issues.

It disappoints that you do not know how to care for my various
posting commentaries Mr Moderator, yet I accept that you have
the right not to like them. I have reread some of the content of
those posts, especially for accuracy, completeness but not for
appropriateness for this venue. No emendations will be given you.
Your comments that I am opposed to the DIYer is an unsupported
comment which is unsupportable. How would you know such a
thing? I have a mere dozen posts yet you condemn? If you go
back and take a second look, you'll see several items that confirm
DIYer experiences.

I must say, Mr Moderator, that of all the things to call attention to
for an infraction of list culture, it seems to me that brakes would
have been almost at the very least likely to expect any call-down
at all, especially given the conservatisms I wrote. Those silly
rebuild kits cost somewhere between $11. to $19.---- hardly
enuf to make a list vendor insolvent. Also, if it does threaten a
long cherished notion of some that brake caliper rebuids are a
serious buisness given over to competent workmen: Good! It
might save their life. It might save your life, too, Mr Moderator.
Who knows? They guy on your tail next time may have rebuilt
his own brakes...

Anything further dispositions might be best handled via direct
emailings. I have no issues with your future contacts via that
method. Unfortunely, the matter may seek for further discussion.

Good luck Mr Moderator!