Changing brakes on C200 Kompressor - (W203)

[Kompressor]

OK I am going use this thread to show a step by step guide in changinng the brakes on a C200 Kompressor W203 model with the sports pack. Feel free to edit, correct or suggests things I should cover etc. as this this job will be done by this weekend. Pics will be included.

STEP 1
The tools you need are:
2 or 3 Tonne axle stand - (I got a 3 tonne being me)
2 or 3 Tonne trolley/hydrolic jack or MB jack that came with your car
Wooden blocks or wheel stops - (SAFETY: to prevent car rolling back when on axle stands)
Wire brush
16mm ring spanner
16mm rachet - (from a rachet set)
7mm allen key
Sharp chisel (wider the better)
Set of torx sosckets (star shape: T20 to T55)
Cooper slip grease (I got copper ease anti seize assembly compound)
Degreaser
Water pump plier (yes water pump plier)
Mallet (Hard Rubber type)

STEP 2
Parts you need - dependent what needs changing:
Brake pads and sensors - (sensors important: 1 for front and 1 for rear)
Brake shoes and discs front or back

 

[Kompressor]

I will post STEP3 onwards over the weekend in the mean time this is my tools and parts setup.

Tools:

 

[Kompressor]

This guide is about changing the front brakes and disc together. I will be doing another guide this weekend the latest about the rear brake shoes

I apologise for any typo in advance: :Oops:

Ok, there are a few other things you're going to need:
1: Traditional hammer
2: Brake pin punch - halford sells them in a set I got two different sets and a lucky thing too
3: Torx set also from halfords and spare torx screws sold at MB dealer for estimated £1.60 each. They are so easily damged and though I found one already damaged, I also damaged the second one so get 4 torx screws for your brake discs just in case.
4: 18mm ring spanner and 18mm rachet from your rachet set.
5: Thick wooden blocks or a two bricks for the

First make sure the car is on a level even surface as possible. Then I used two bricks and set each behind the rear wheels - close and tight to prevent the car rolling/rocking back - safety is key!

Loosen the wheel bolts but not too loose before jacking the wheels off the ground - yes its obvious but this giude is for novices like me

I then used the jack that came with my car. For this reason you have to do two things specific to this type of jack. (1) Jack the car up to the full extent the car jack will go in order to slide the axle stand under. (2) Positions the axle stand on the rubber area designated for the jack. Now, the axle and jack cannot both be place in the rubber area allocated for the jack; so position the jack beside the "rubber area" - the side near to the front wheel.

As soon as you jack the car up to required height slide the axle stand under lining it up with the rubber area. Note the axle stand adjustable element is larger than the rubber area so position it so the one side of the rubber area is in the middle of the adjustable element of the jack and gently lower.

After you have lowered the car on the axle stand properly - I actually left the jack in place alongside the axle stand but you go ahead and remove it to give yourself more room to work - remove the wheel

 

[Kompressor]

Now you need to remove the brake pins from the caliper in order to (1) get the brake pads off/out and (2) in order to change the brake disc as well.

This pic show passenger side without sensor

This pic shows driver side with existing brake sensor

To do this you need a brake pin punch. First spray some penetrant fluid on the brake pins to loosen them before using the punch and traditionsal hammer to tap them out. Allow the penetrant fluid to do its work spraying liberally to allow maximum effect - some effort is needed but don't go ballastic knocking out the pins or you can damage them!

The punch needed to do the job

Now you must be careful of the clip in the center that holds the two brake pins in place. They have tight tension on them so while punching the pins out they could fly off. I punched them out half way and then used my water pump pliers to hold them while using another pliers or vice grip to pull out the pins.

 

[Kompressor]

Now once you have successfully removed the brake pins. I can now go ahead and remove the brake disc. To to this I have to remove two bolts located on the inside or inner side of the brake disc. The bolts are actually located on the sub axle that attaches and hold the brake calipers. Do not remove any other bolts but these two. You have to stick your head round behind the brake disc to see where these to bolts are. A mirror can be helpful with a torch but I prefer looking behind there regrdless of how ackward it is so I can see what I am locating.

You then spray some penetrant fluid on the two bolts if you find them hard to remove, then get your 18mm ring spanner and use the ring side to undo the the two bolts - I use the traditional hammer to hit the ring spanner once secured to help me get them turning.

Once they give way and start turning switch to your rachet as that will undo them quickly and more efficiently.

Once you have removed the two bolts then get something to rest the caliper on as support as you don't want the caliper dangling by the brake fluid hose/line. This will damage it. You may also need your hard rubber mallet to tap the caliper off the disc in order to remove it and set it down on a pre-positioned support. I used a plant pot which was handy for me.

Now you need to remove the disc but there is a single torx screw you need to undo so go ahead and do that with your torx wrench.

WARNING:
Apply some penetrant fluid on the torx scew first to loosen it up a bit.
Do not use a power drill with a torx bit to loosen or tighten this torx screw you will round it up and damage it. Do it by hand.
When tightening or loosening press in firmly and hard but turn steadily to ensure the torx fits tight and snug to prevent slipping or damage.

I gave the above warning because when I removed my wheel I was met with this

Lucky I had a set of these I picked up in halfords to remove the damage torx which was done by the previous owner/mechanic.

Bolt/screw extractor set

 

[Kompressor]

Skip this bit if your torx screw that hold your brake disc in place isn't damaged.

First I had to drill a hole in the damaged torx head with my drill, about 3mm deep or so

Then I use the extractor bit No2 which is the second largest in the set, by placing it in the drilled out hole and turning anti-clockwise. The self tapping threads does the work as it bites into the torx screw and unscrews it.

Again do not use the drill on the extractor bit use a rached or vice grip to turn by hand whilst pressing in firmly and tightly.

 

[Kompressor]

Now that you have removed the torx screw replace your disc with a new one. The new front disc on mine is drilled and vented and painted matt grey. This is a special paint and should not be removed and you do not need any cleaning agent on it; just peel off excess paper sticker covering bolt holes and fit

You can if you want remove the paper sticker as I did below with my razor scraper.

Now you need to remove the old brake pads from the caliper and replace them with the new ones. NOTE: read the leaflet that comes with your brake pads if you're a novice like me. It states the paste that is on the back of the brake pads should not come in contact with the the cailiper. So I cleaned mine off like so.

Next you need to use your waterpump pliers and squeeze the calipers back into the caliper bracket like so

 

[Kompressor]

Then insert the new brake pads on each side and place the caliper with the brake pads over the brake disc. This is going to be tricky but keep at it until you're successful. You may have to squeeze the caliper "tensions" on both sides as shown above several times as you will notice squeezing one side pushes the other side out.

Just keep doing it until you get both sides balanced and wide enough for both brake pads to fit over the disc as you try to put the caliper back on. The hard rubber mallet can be useful in tapping the caliper back on over the brake disc as the new brake pads are thicker than the used ones and need extra encouragement to go one.

Once you get it on, insert the bolts that holds the caliper or caliper bracket if you may, to the sub axle as shown below and screw in place with the rachet then tighten with the ring spanner - again you may need the traditional hammer to give it a few bangs to tighten it.

Here is a better view of the bolts behind the disc on the sub axle in question

 

[Naraic]

Good thread. It will be easier to replace the calipers first and then insert the pads.

 

[Supercharged]

I,m also impressed by this post , if you do Car DIY this thread will be so valuable

 

[Kompressor]

NOTE:
The same procedure as above is done except for the brake sensors. In this case you need to insert the new brake sensor into the new brake pad first and then insert the brake pads into the caliper. The brake sensor only go in one way and from one of the two holes which are spaced differently from the hinge that secures it at the brake pad end. The other end is a plug that fits into the sensor socket on the caliper end.

Old and new sensors repectively. Also notice in the right pic how a bit a wire brushing makes the clip like new

Old brake pad with old sensor - throw away:

Now all that is needed is to insert the pins back in the brake pads and caliper as you line up the brake pads. So go ahead and do just that inspecting as you go along to make sure the brake pins are straight and lined up nicely with the holes all the way through as you tap them gently with your traditional hammer.

 

[Kompressor]

Before I replaced my brake pads and discs I wire brushed the calipers, clips, and around the axle wheels, nuts and shield.

 

[Kompressor]

Job completer :mrgreen:

Look at the new brake pads

All done just replace your wheel and tighten
Pump your brake pedal a few times until you feel the tension or pressure come up nice and firm before driving... that's it

Special thanks to the following members for helping me during the procedure:
In no special order:
television
s-a-m-u-n-i-t
alexander patient
Dave E320CDI
1nevster
Dosco
PJayUk
Xtractorfan
mb300d

 

[Kompressor]

Good thread. It will be easier to replace the calipers first and then insert the pads.

Yes, I did one side this way and the other side with the brake pads in first. I must admit. This was the first time in my life I worked on my car. ANY CAR for that matter.

My mechanic let me down so I bought all the parts myself and did it myself. As a result I made this guide for others to follow. If a complete novice like me can do it then anyone can do it.

 

[Kompressor]

I,m also impressed by this post , if you do Car DIY this thread will be so valuable

Thanks. I hope this will become a DIY sticky after the experts look it over.
I have my headlamp unit to fit and both windscreen wiper arms and cross bar to fit next, so I will make those into a guide as well.

I was going to fit my rear brake shoes but the brake replacement indicator has gone from my dashboard since I replaced the front brake pads/sensors so decided to hold off doing the rear until a few weeks time.

 

[television]

Yes it will be a sticky.

I would like to add 2 things,,it is possible to use a tyre lever or flat bar to retract the pistons while the caliper is still attached to the car, secondly it is reckoned to be better to undo the bleed nipple on the caliper, rather than force any debris back to the expensive ABS pump, just clamping the pipe enables you to undo the nipple. The older the car, the more relevant it is

 

[Kompressor]

Thanks for the heads up television. Will bear that in mind next time.

 

[Uncle Benz]

Yes it will be a sticky.

I would like to add 2 things,,it is possible to use a tyre lever or flat bar to retract the pistons while the caliper is still attached to the car, secondly it is reckoned to be better to undo the bleed nipple on the caliper, rather than force any debris back to the expensive ABS pump, just clamping the pipe enables you to undo the nipple. The older the car, the more relevant it is

He's absolutely right on this!! I had to replace a brake master cylinder on a Vito recently after the owner forced a load of debris into it. Could have been worse if the ABS unit had suffered too!!

As an aside, I am increasingly finding higher mileage W203 C Class with sport brakes suffering with seized caliper pistons. The pistons have the chrome plating peeling off, and parts are not available so the only cure is new calipers. They are only available from the dealer at £360 per side at present I am led to believe.

 

[moosehead]

I've just had new disks all round on my 2005 W203 with Sport Pack. I did think about doing it myself but chickened out and got my MB trained Indie to do it. I'm glad I did as it was a nightmare getting both the fronts and rears off. The vehicle did 80K miles (mostly motorway miles) on both the original front and rear disks although I did have a set of pads fitted to the front at 40K.

The problem with the fronts seems to be the aluminium caliper and the corrosion you get between two different metals (fortunately the pistons were OK). On the rear the parking brake had obvisouly worn quite a grove in the drum part of the disk and even with the adjusters slackened right off it was a pig to get the disks off.

Hopefully it will be another 80K before they need replacing!

 

[television]

I will ask that it all goes to the DIY and I think that the addition of clamping the pipes and undoing the nipples be included, its just good practice