I recently purchased an 02 E320 with 35K miles. Without purchasing a shop manual, it is difficult to get information on some scheduled repairs. I have looked over the owners manual but it is silent on the issue. When are brake rotors scheduled for replacement? I know the rotors on some cars (especially newer cars) are only made to last a limited number of miles (not thick enough to be turned). When it is time, I will replace them myself. My goal is to order all the parts I will need at one time.

Thanks,

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02 E320 Black (198K)
85 300D Blue (147K)
83 300D Blue (299K)
Plus 2 300D Parts Cars
05 ML350 Silver (165K)
02 ML320 White (207K)

Pull the wheel and look on the circumference of the rotor. Min thickness in mm should be stamped on the rotor.

Correct.
Most people around here are averaging 2 sets of pads per 1 set of rotors.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

I have found 2 sets of pads per rotor to be a pretty consistent rule of thumb as long as you do not turn them.

Off the top of my head, I think the rotors are 28mm new and somewhere around 25mm minimum thickness.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

.... and what happens when they are below minimum thickness? my ;89 300e now has about 225k km and original rotors .... can't complain about anything except that they are a 'bit' glazed

cheers

If the rotors are too thin, your maximum braking capacity is diminished. The act of braking turns motion energy (of the vehicle) into heat energy (in the brake pads and rotors). As the rotors heat up, their ability to absorb more heat is less. A thicker rotor can absorb more heat than a thin rotor. Under normal circumstances, this heat is transfered to the air well before the maximum level is reached, but in extremes, this heat level can be reached, and will result in brake fade. The rotor minimum thickness is set by the manufacturer to assure adequate braking capacity. If you're not turning laps at the local speedway or continually driving up and down mountain roads you will likely never have a problem with undersized rotors.

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1989 300 SEL that mostly works, but needs TLC