On Friday, my wife told me her Mercedes was "making a funny noise when she puts on the brakes". Upon close inspection, I determined that the driver's side front outboard brake pad was worn to practically nothing. FWIW, the rears still seem fine. So on Saturday, I replaced the front brake pads. I fully expected the job to be overly complex, but was pleasantly surprised. That was the easiest brake job I've ever done, hands down. Kudos to the Mercedes engineers for not over-complicating things.

The only down side....The Duralast Gold Ceramic pads from AutoZone were $65, for front pads only. That surprised me. At least they have a lifetime warranty, in case I ever need to replace them again.

sounds like a nice experience, $65 isnt too bad for brake pads, our Chevy van break pads are in the $80 range.

My experience is that disc brakes are simple to replace. A large c-clamp being the only "specialized" tool you need, to press the pistons back in the caliper so the caliper and used pads are easy to remove and the new thicker pads can be easily installed. Some Chevies need large allen wrenches for the caliper bolts.

One trick is to loosen only one of the two caliper bolts and tilt the caliper down to replace the pads. Of course, you must make sure that the un-loosened bolt body is well lubricated and not sticking.

This is FAR EASIER than fooling around with the springs on drum brakes!

A pair of front pads can cost $150 for my Corvette (Corvette Tax).

Weren't there wear sensors to give advanced warning on the dash that the pads needed replacing?

(Brakes are about the only thing Mercedes engineers don't overcomplicate.)

There is one on the driver's side inboard pad. The sensor never triggered a warning light. The inboard pad had not worn at the same rate as the outboard pad, so I'm guessing that's why I never saw a warning light.

It seems the calipers aren't working properly and that you did a 'pad slap'. Either the calipers need replacing, rebuilding, or something needs to be cleaned and lubricated.

Hope you lubed the guide as that seems to be sticking. It would cause one pad to wear faster than the other.

- Vikas

I didn't lube anything. All I did was remove the old pads, press the piston back into the caliper, and install new pads. If I have to replace the pads again in another 80k miles (which is how long the OEM's have been on), then so be it. It's a good excuse to spend a few hours in the man-cave.

Are they 2 or 4 piston calipers?

+1

Each caliper has 1 piston.

I wouldn't use DuraLast or any mass-market pad on a Benz - I'd stick to Textar, Jurid, Pagid, ATE or PBR. Mercedes also calls for a pad paste to be used, which is identical to Molykote M77 which can be had at a Honda dealer or industrial supply house.

I've never heard of any of those, so I'll take your word that they're good. Personally, I've had nothing but excellent results from Duralast pads on several vehicles, and will continue using them on all my vehicles without the slightest concern.

'Pad slap' brake replacement is great for road racing.
It is not smart for long term car maintenance.

Those listed are all excellent,ATE and Pagid i believe are both OEM suppliers for MB.I would add Bendix and Raybestos (higher grades) to that list as well as maybe a few others.
Duralast and other house brands would definitely not be on my list of choices.