| Avoid PBR brake pads
I bought the PBR rear brake pad set for the 2000 ML320 and was sorely disappointed. I found one of the parts to be improperly constructed. The right rear outboard pad was constructed from a left rear outboard plate. One edge of the plate is supposed to have a "C" shaped notch on it and the other an inverted "L". This way, the "C" notch hugs the slide plate and the other side can slip down over the opposite slide plate when you mount the caliper. Due to the misconstructed part, I had to grind off one edge of the "C" to make it the inverted "L" shape. I couldn't get the caliper on without the reconfigured part.
The left side pads were correctly made and went in just fine. BUT...the left side is supposed to have a wear sensor built into the pad and this set did not.
The pads appeared to be constructed well and they were packaged better than the Mintex pads I bought for the front.
Since I had everything apart, I went ahead and did the grinding and installation instead of waiting out an exchange. They grab just fine and there is no squeeling. I'll just replace them the next time I do the fronts.
On a side note, my front pads are lasting 24k miles and my rears are lasting 48k miles. I did not measure the rotors, but there was a distinct lip on them. I replaced the front rotors for the first time (48k miles) and left the rears alone. I bought the Brembo front rotors and am extremely pleased with the quality of these things. They come from the factory with a cross-hatch pattern that is supposed to help bed the pads.
Other tips for the interested:
The front calipers are retained with hidden (inside rubber boots) torx head bolts and the rears are retained with 13mm bolts. You have to remove these metal sheilds (13mm bolts) that are just below each caliper to remove the disk. Not sure of their purpose. I had to put liquid wrench in the lug bolt holes in order to get the rust to release its hold on the rotors. I tried beating the first one off with brute force, but it wasn't budging. After 5 minutes with Liquid Wrench, it came of with a couple of light blows. I put anti-seize compound on the inside mating face of the rotors before mounting to the hub. Didn't want to go through all the mess again. I also coated the front face with a slight film of grease to keep the rust down.
Things to buy for next time:
Caliper spreader - don't know why I don't already have one.
Torx bit sockets - shouldn't have beat the 5mm Allen socket in the torx bolts the first time around.
Hope this little report helps someone out. |