I went to the dealer to check brakes at 32,000 miles. Inspections showsonly 15 to 20% remaining on brake pads. They recommend a complete new set within the next 5,000 miles. Estimates of $600 pe axle or $1200 total. Is this too much? Can I get a better deal elsewhere?

 

I am not all that familiar with the E500 but I recently replaced the pads on an E430. Based on my experience, I would think you could get a better deal most anywhere. I bought the new pads for about $40 per axle (total of eighty bucks as I recall). It was a very simple job to put them on and took less than an hour. My friend who was helping me and who is very gifted mechanically commented that he wished all cars used a system similar to Mercedes, since it is especially simple to replace the brake pads and they really work well. I hope this information is helpful.

 

You only need new rotors and pads. Should be around $250 depending on whether you go with OEM or aftermarket. This is excluding labor.