Most of the tips were really helpful. What I didn't realize was that the brake pad mounting method was different between the ML320 and the bigger brakes (ML430/ML500/ML55); note that ML350's in some countries have the bigger brakes instead of the old ML320 brakes. My experience is with the smaller brakes on the ML320 where I replaced the front pads. Tools needed: - flat headed screwdriver - T40 Torx bit on a socket wrench (I used a screwdriver bit adapter); a Torx security bit may work better because it'll push the brake dust into the hole of the bit tip - floor jack and two jackstands (I used the Sears Professional for SUVs that raises quickly and higher than usual) - piece of wood to put between jack and frame - wheel hanging tool - rubber mallet - new brake pads (I used Wagner Thermoquiets) - blue locktite (can be removed using hand tools) - C-clamp w/ 5" opening (can use a woodworking clamp such as a Bessey Tradesman as well) - wire brush - bucket of soap for cleaning wheels - long 17mm impact socket - breaker bar - torque wrench - worklight - two sets of latex gloves (because one set will rip through) - brake cleaner spray - blanket for sitting on the ground so you don't get your pants all dirty - anti-seize compound (Kopr-Shield or high-temp compound) Steps - Set the parking brake (this assumes you're doing the front...if you're doing the rears, put chocks in front of the front wheels) - Loosen the lug nuts with the breaker bar (it's a lot easier than trying to use the tool from the spare jack where you have to hop on top of it to get enough torque :-) because if the wheels spin if you just jack the - Put a piece of wood on top of the jack and position the jack underneath the front frame member (do *not* put the jack under the suspension piece which is in front of the frame member...this piece is cylindrical and the frame member is flat on the bottom); the wood will keep the jack from scratching up your frame - Jack up the ML and put the jackstands on either end of the same frame member, then lower the ML with the jack. Only lift it high enough to get the wheel off the ground because this is easier to get the wheel on. - Take both wheels off (put the wheel hanger in the topmost wheel bolt hole first, then take the other wheel bolts off). The wheels are likely bonded to the rotor by rust, so you may have to whack the inside of the tire/wheel w/ the rubber mallet. You can also kick the outside of the tire on one side to get the stubborn wheel off. Clean the wheels inside and out since you have them off. - Start on the passenger side first. It doesn't have the brake wear sensor. - Use the worklight and look behind the brake caliper; you'll see two rubber hollow cylinders sticking out of the caliper. The rubber cylinders/shrouds are there to keep brake dust off the screws. Hidden inside these two cylinders are the Torx screws you have to remove. Remove these torx screws using the socket wrench and T40 Torx bit. They'll be coated by brake dust, so you may need to use brake cleaner to blast into the rubber cylinders. - Now look at the top side of the caliper just under one of the rubber hollow cylinder. You should see the Torx screw threads (this is the only shiny part you should see since everything else will be covered w/ black brake dust :-). Use your flat headed screwdriver against the thread and flip it towards the engine a few times until it pushes into the rubber cylinder. You can see the other screws threads by looking underneath the caliper, but it's pretty obvious once you've done the easy top one. - You can now flip the caliper and rest it on top of the hub. Rotate the bottom part of the caliper upwards to free it; you'll have to do the inverse when you put it back on later. - Now remove the pad facing you (the same outer one that you could see w/ the wheel on). You should have the caliper upside down so the pads will be removed by lifting them up. Take the flat headed screwdriver and pry on the two front clips to move the outer brake pad; it should be obvious that you have to pry each of the front clips over two humps that keep the pad in place. - Leave the other pad (the inner one) on. You'll be using it to help push the piston back in. Put the swivel part of the C-clamp on that the pad and the other end on the outside of the caliper. Loosen the brake fluid reservoir cap. Slowly turn the C-clamp and push the pad in; the back of the pad is roughly 1/8" away from the piston when it's wide enough to put new pads on. Look inside the brake reservoir to make sure you don't overflow it; if the fluid is close to the neck of the reservoir, the piston is far enough in. - Apply anti-squeal goo to the piston surface if you need to; the Thermoquiets do *not* need this goo. - Put on the new inner pad. - Put on the new outer pad. You may have to pry on the same outer clips to get them over the two humps. - Rotate the caliper back onto the rotor to see if it fits. I found I hadn't pushed the piston back enough by around 1/16", so I had to pop the outer pad and use the C-clamp again, but I used the clamp on the new pad instead of the old one; hope I didn't damage it)-: - If the caliper fits over the rotor, reinstall the caliper. You have to push upwards while rotating it downwards. See the 3rd long flat clip on the outer pad? You're expanding this while pushing the caliper on. - Push the Torx screws back into the hood so you can see the bottom of the threads. Put a drop of blue locktite on the last few threads of each screw. Use your socket wrench and retighten them so they're snug. - Pump the brake pedal a few times to bring the fluid down in the reservoir. - Repeat for the driver's side. You have to unplug the brake wear sensor before flipping the caliper up and plug it in after you put the caliper on (the wiring goes over the caliper). - Put the cap back on the brake reservoir. - Use a wire brush to clean off the rust from the rotor. Apply anti-seize compound so you don't have to kick the wheel off next time. :-) - Put the wheel hanger on the topmost hole. Putting the tire on is actually easier if you sit on the cloth and then lift up so you can see the hole and hanger at eye level. I first tried to do this by kneeling next to it and had a hard time getting the hanger into the hole on the wheel. - Put all the wheel bolts back in and tighten as much as you can w/ the breaker bar (the wheel keeps spinning, so it's hard to get any torque on it) - After both wheels are back on, use the jack to raise the ML again and remove the jack stands and then lower the ML. - Use the torque wrench to tighten down the wheel bolts to 110 lb-ft. Remember to lock your torque wrench if it clicks when you reach the right torque. And be careful of where the end of the torque wrench is spinning. I rubbed some paint off the inside of my front bumper because the socket wasn't long enough to get the torque wrench away from the ML's fender area. - Release the parking brake and go test out the new brakes! I found they grabbed quicker than my old brakes which were only halfway worn (I got sick of the black brake dust everywhere on the front wheels). If you are replacing rotors, don't bed the pads until after 50 miles so you can get the oil off the rotors; if not, you can bed the pads immediately. No squeals at all so far. Total time was around an hour and a half. Once the ML was jacked up and the wheels were off, it took roughly 45 minutes to replace both sets of pads. And yes, it is as easy as folks have said, though a bit dirtier than I expected :-) Special thanks to Chris Kirkorian for spending the time to tutor me through my first ever brake job. He had never seen the ML320 brakes since he has an ML55, but had enough experience to work around any differences. I was too grimy to take pictures, but here's a picture of the old pads w/ some installation hints: Only negative w/ the Wagner Thermoquiets is they should rethink their padding/packaging a little; the pads were loose in the box and rolled around quite a bit. The pad performance is excellent so far. The brake pedal doesn't feel as mushy as it used to and it seems to grab faster than the MB OEM ones. No noise at all from the pads, despite not needing anti-squeal goo. I'll update on the amount of brake dust I have later (which is the main reason I replaced the OEM brakes even though they didn't need replacing yet). Update 11/15/04: Still VERY happy with them. The fronts actually dust less than the rears on my ML320 now (the fronts usually dust about 4-5x worsed than the rears for those of you that have an ML430/500/55 :-) By now, the fronts are usually a filthy black. Gave the ML a wash two weekends ago and the back was harder to clean then the front. Brake feel is still better than the old MB pads I had, but as you might have seen in the pic, the old ones looked a bit glazed. The new brakes seem to grab faster and need less effort. No brake squeal whatsoever and I didn't have to use any "brake quiet" goop. I should have done this long ago. Brake dust was sooo annoying....