I bought the MW in 2011, almost new with 143k Km (none of those were true). The seller told me it had changed the disc pads before selling the car, and indeed I noticed there was plenty of pad on them. So forward to 2021 and I decide to change the discs, even them having some pad still, I started noting a vibration when braking hard, so it was time to do it.
And I'm glad I did.
First thing I noticed was that both the rear pads and disc were original, and by checking the dates I found that the rear discs were original do the car, date 2006, and the pads from 2009. And still had some life to them, low quality life, but some life nonetheless.
So, what this tells me is that 3 years in, the previous owner replaced the pads for new ones, but used the same disc. But they still did 140k with some thickness left on them. This also tells me I'm soft touch braker…
The car did complete 400k km after this.
Discs still had usable thickness, but then I saw this, and did explain the vibration I was feeling.
The discs were easy to remove, the bearings not so much, specifically the left one.
After a lot of pounding, with no luck, I had to borrow a puller and finally was able to see why it was so stubborn, a little rust was enough to make my life very difficult.
The rear bearings were also oem and original to the car, and were still good enough. But since I was going to have all this trouble, I thought it better to replace the bearings too.
I bought FAG bearings for the rear, fortunately oem ones were FAG too, so… that's nice.
Installation is reverse of removal. Got to find a big tube to get that bolt to 200Nm + 90º…
With all that done, it's disc(o) time!
I went for the normal discs, not because of the price difference to the Powerdiscs, but ATE recommends against using these pads with Powerdiscs, and after understanding how these ceramic pads work, it makes sense.
Also did the front discs/pads, but the day was getting long, and didn't take many photos of it. But it's very similar to the rear ones, but some details of assembly are different, always follow your manufacturer's instructions.
And that's it, I did replace all the hardware and bolts, for the brakes and suspension, just wanted to make sure everything was fresh and renewed.
PS: Just for those who are paying attention, I did remove the wheel liners to check the state of the sound proofing after one winter, and I have to say that besides some sand, the material is in perfect condition.
Comments 6
The soundproof pads on liners are looking pretty good, Are they original or aftermarket?
Aftermarket, I did them myself from acoustic fleece. But still, winter over here isn't as harsh as over northern Europe and Russia.
Good Job! Did you check if they absorb and keep any water? I had Mercedes Benz W210 a while ago. She had big fleece pads under rear bumper. These pads were wet almost permanently.
These absorb water the same way, but as far as I know the material is made with that in mind. The liners are made of a similar kind of pressed fiber, and they also get wet, but no one seems to have a problem with those. This fleece I use is the same used by Mercedes, so it should be the same as in yours.
I haven't had a problem yet, but time will tell.
That's fine, so far they are not in contact with metal ;). See what happened right under bumper where these panels contacted with body.
That's some weight reduction right there. I'm not worried now, it's a garage car and lack of rain is the big problem over here. Thanks for sharing the photo.