190e front brake discs - when are they too thin?

[JamieD]

Have an MOT due on a 2.0 190e 1992... the front pads have plenty left, but I'm concerned the discs are getting a little thin... they are not grooved or cracked. Is there a minimal limit for discs?

The car has been stood for 2 years in someones field... the car has a real lack of power, I know the brakes are not locked on / seized, but could the brakes be binding? its and auto, and doesn't have that auto 'creep' when gear is engaged...

any advice appreciated!

 

[nicky]

The limit on the front disc is 28mm, but the min. service spec is 28.5mm (meaning if you are replacing the pads, you need this minimum amount of disc left)

The thinnest on the rear is 21.4mm, min. service spec is 22mm.

 

[LAMAR]

The limit on the front disc is 28mm, but the min. service spec is 28.5mm (meaning if you are replacing the pads, you need this minimum amount of disc left)

The thinnest on the rear is 21.4mm, min. service spec is 22mm.

I don,t thonk thats correct Nicky. I don,t have the specs to hand but i think about 19mm for the front and about 8.4mm for the rear is about right. E class 210 front vented disc min is only about 24mm wear limit and 190 discs are not as big

 

[Doinitmyself]

19.4 mm on the front and 7.8 on the rear.

 

[190D]

Solid Brake Disks
Front brake disc diameter = 261.8mm to 262.2mm.

Front brake disc thickness =11.0mm new.

Front brake disc wear limit =9.0mm worn.





Rear brake disc diameter =257.8mm to 2.582mm

Rear brake disc thickness = 9.0mm new.

Rear brake disc wear limit =7.3mm worn



Hope this helps.

 

[swancvs]

Hi Sorry, if I should have posted this in anotehr thread.

Re Brake discs I have never owned a car from new and properly serived it! So all this MB ownership and proper service interval stuff is very new to me. Sorry to be such a pleb.

Anyway, I was shocked to put my CLK new from 08/99 in for it's service this week 45k to be told it needs new pads and discs front and rear! Is that normal? Have I been lucky to get them to last this long or have they worn about right, too soon?

Came as quite a shock when you start to add the bills up.

Thanks.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I'm sorry to say that 45K seems to be about right nowadays for disc replacement. Mind you everything as far as disc/pad wear is relative. If the pad material was softer the discs would last longer and vice versa.

I owned a 300TE for years and the discs were still good at 80K but I did get through pads. Over that mileage I probably spent more on pads than replacement of the discs at 45k would have cost.

 

[swancvs]

thanks, I must say it was quite a heart attack putting it in for it's service to find out it needed all that work on top. Big surprise with a matching bill. The best bit is they are so glib about the cost. I would have expected a phone call at the very least to say the work needed doing, how much it would cost and did I give them the go ahead.

Including the 4 tyres she will need fairly soon (2-3k) the overall bill will be little shy of £1000, not funny.

I'm even considering get quotes from non-mb garages. After all changing the discs isn't rocket science, I've done it on other vehicles when the need arose.

Feels a bit unfair that they have yoiu over a barrel over the 'full service history' and almost make it seem as if you are insulting them to ask about the price.

Thanks for your help I go get a small mortgage.!!!

 

[angus falconer]

Anyway, I was shocked to put my CLK new from 08/99 in for it's service this week 45k to be told it needs new pads and discs front and rear! Is that normal? Have I been lucky to get them to last this long or have they worn about right, too soon?

Came as quite a shock when you start to add the bills up.

Thanks.

45k is normal. I replaced my C43 disks at around 43k. Most modern cars are heavy and have powerful brakes but all that energy has to be absorbed somehow....

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I get my local garage to do all the basic work on my car. I've known the guy who runs the garage for years and its very comforting to have have trust, Ask around there will probably be a small garage near you where the boss actually gets his hands dirty and these tend to be the best.

As regards cost my local garage charges approc £30 an hour and did an excellent job on replacing all discs and pads. I buy my parts from euro car parts UK online or KMS by phone. I usually buy genuine parts and the saving is considerable.

 

[clive williams]

45K is about right for a relatively lightly used set of pads. I reckon you've done well. Unfortunately these days a disc change also accompanies a pad change. This all happened when they banned asbestos from pads and to compensate for the new (more abrasive) pad spec all the disc manufacturers had to use a softer material - hence more wear. I thought I was lucky when I got two sets of pads out of one disc set on my 500E, the discs were probably MB supply as the previous owner appears to have had a full (German) dealer service history.

Discs are not expensive from people like Euro Car Parts I budget for them every time I need anticipate a pad change. I always use quality OEM suppliers like ATE etc as its not worth the saving to use the cheapies.

 

[swancvs]

thanks,

I've had more realistic quote from them now, when I pleaded my reality of shock, horror and general disbelief and now it will cost £440 including parts, labour and VAT so all in all that doesn't sound too bad guessing around 200 or so for the labour then 240 divided between the 4 wheels doesn't sound too horrendous given MB's price tag on most items. So for now I think I'll stick with the 'full MB history route.' When they were talking about £350 for the front and similair for the back and then VAT on top I was in clinical shock. Considering the service had just cost £328 inc 10% discount.

One small aside, I had two nasty rust spots developing around the piece of plastic housing the registration plate bulbs on the boot, so they agreed to respray the boot lid under warranty. All good so far however, they subbed it out to a non-MB garage to do the work and my car which went in badged as a CLK230 Kompressor has come out a CLK320 Kompressor! Didn't realise an engine upgrade came as standard when you repaint the boot!

Only shame is they stuck on the Kompressor badge as well, anyone in the know will spot it as odds a mile off. But I figure what the hell, a small grin!

 

[tom7035]

thanks,


One small aside, I had two nasty rust spots developing around the piece of plastic housing the registration plate bulbs on the boot, so they agreed to respray the boot lid under warranty. All good so far however, they subbed it out to a non-MB garage to do the work and my car which went in badged as a CLK230 Kompressor has come out a CLK320 Kompressor! Didn't realise an engine upgrade came as standard when you repaint the boot!

Only shame is they stuck on the Kompressor badge as well, anyone in the know will spot it as odds a mile off. But I figure what the hell, a small grin!

Be careful regarding insurance keeping this badge on. Seems silly, but I have known a simple change of badge to nullify a claim! (Something to do with attracting not-so-knowledgeable thieves).

 

[clive williams]

I guess your estimate of £200 labour is about right as it will take about 30-40 minutes per wheel to remove the wheel, unbolt the calipers, change the disc and put it back together again with new pads. I must admit it probably takes me about the same time but then I've got to jack up each corner in turn and drink two cuppas whilst I'm doing it.:lol:

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[MerChris]

Interesting thread for me as I have an estimate from an Indie Merc specialist quoting the thick end of £200 all in for replacement of ONE disc and pad set (rear off-side). Labour alone is £120 (@£59.5 an hour). I initially reckoned that's really high - now I KNOW it is!!!

Takes the point out of using some indies if you ask me....

 

[swancvs]

I asked the receptionist the dirty question today, turns out the labour is £240 and the rest is parts. I think they're charging £60 an hour whilst it's in so that would work out at an estimated hour per wheel. For the record that's with a 10% discount, after all we have been with them for the last 7 years.

I have to say that I think 4 hours is a long time for a very well equipped garage with fully trained mechanics to strip the bits off and rebuild a 6 year old car. It only took me 90 minutes to perform a similair effort on a seized brake drum on my old VW camper. That was parked on a sloping driveway, with very limited tools, lots of effort and a rudimentary understanding of mechanics. Unfortunately I'm still stuck with this full MB history thing. If I'm keeping the car forever (pretty much the plan) then why am I so bothered? I have it in my head that if the work isn't done by MB then it won't be in the best interests of the car or my pocket (value wise.) Not that I have any plans to sell.

I wonder what others feel? I'm not being a scrooge but when is a car old enough to say stop and sort it yourself. i.e. they put 6 bottles of Mobil 1 Engine oil in for my service parts supplied at £53.46 for 6 of them, come on how much does this stuff cost? I could be wrong, perhaps it is ultra specialised and terribly expensive, somehow I doubt it.

I spent a short while working in a motor factors whilst between careers and it was an eye opener so I find some of their prices hard to swallow. If that's what the car costs then fair enough I chose to buy it, but they really have the after care sewn up if you want that MB history.

Sorry rant over, I'll go quitely to the slaughter I mean service desk and pay my bill.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

[clive williams]

[
I wonder what others feel? I'm not being a scrooge but when is a car old enough to say stop and sort it yourself. i.e. they put 6 bottles of Mobil 1 Engine oil in for my service parts supplied at £53.46 for 6 of them, come on how much does this stuff cost? I could be wrong, perhaps it is ultra specialised and terribly expensive, somehow I doubt it.

SwanCVS,

The price you paid for Mobil1 is about right (£35.64/4lts) and its d**n difficult to get it a lot cheaper. I've got v. good contacts in the motors game and the best price in this country is about £29.00 for 4ltrs. In french supermarkets however, its cheaper still.
I've always found Mobil1 searches out all the leakage paths no matter how good you think the sealing of the engine is. So for that reason and the cost I now use Castrol RS fully synthetic, which I can purchase at £19.96 for 4 ltrs. At an 8 ltr oil change the saving is worth having. Some of my motorsport pals swear by Castrol RS so I feel happy about using it.
You could of course, provide your garage with your own oil and take any saving as a result. I know of one person who does this as he doesn't trust the garage to use the oil he's being charged for.
One last point on the price of parts - I used to get parts at cost+5% with one of the large national dealership chains and was regularly paying less than 50% of the normal retail parts price, so therefore I know what the mark-up is (~120%). But I also know that the highest proportion of the dealerships proftability base is the parts sales and the lowest is the new car sales, which is why dealerships cannot afford to make parts significantly lower (it would have a disasterous effects on most businesses).

Clive

500E
320CDIT210