Easy brake job on Mercedes-Benz CLS x218

Even though the discs and pads were fairly new and otherwise in good condition on the Merc, braking caused vibrations, leading to suspected warping on the front discs. This is unhealthy for the vehicle in the long run, reduces braking effectiveness and is really annoying. And when changing one disc, the other must go as well since they need to go in pairs. And with new discs, new pads are also necessary. So, the complete package.

Changing discs and pads on a Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake with the AMG package is a breeze. New parts in this pic are from Autodoc, genuine Brembos and the same that Mercedes uses. Only difference is the price - this set cost 170 euros total, and installation is free when you do it yourself.

Brake pads are held on these calipers with springs and two locking pins. The only thing that caused issues in the installation is removing the locking pins, which are intended to be removed with a factory specific tool. But I found that I could make the tool myself, see below.

This is a regular 5mm bolt and a copper washer from something else, maybe a hook or drywall anchor. Don't really know, just had one lying around. The funnel shaped washer thing helps keep the bolt in place, as otherwise it is really difficult to hit just the head of the pin with a dowel and clear the caliper (looking closely you can see I managed to mar the caliper slightly when trying removal initially.

In the above picture, the upper pin is removed. The spring clamps the brake pads down and is just a matter of pulling out once the pins are out. It is a good idea to change the spring clamps while changing the pads as well.

The disc is attached to the hub with one small allen bolt. To change the disc, you need to lift the caliper bracket out of the spindle. It's held in place with two bolts in the rear. Couldn't get a good picture of them though. By the way, the torx shaped "bolts" on the top of the caliper are not bolts at all, they are there only for visual effect (i.e. increasing horsepower).

Remember to wash the new discs with brake clean before installing. They come coated with oil to prevent rust and you want to remove this before installation. There was quite a lot of the stuff on these Brembos, I washed them at least twice. Also, put some brake grease on the backs of the pads to resist squealing (but never on the pad materials, obviously).

Once the discs are in place, install caliper bracket and caliper, torque down to specs, install pads and retaining springs, slap wheels back on, and go do burnouts. Well really you need to burn the new pads and discs in first, unless they come as a package where this is already taken care of.

Then go do burnouts.