Hi, not sure if i should have posted this here or in the general one...

Can anyone tell me if I should buy the original Mercedes brand (textar or pagid or Jurid) brake pads or can I buy aftermarket like wagoner,raybestos, or beck arnly? Is the stock pads Organic and will switching to semi metalic or ceramic give an an advantage or be worse? Also are Genaric brake rotors ok? or only the originals?
Thanks in advance,

 

Brake Pads: I once used a non-Mercedes brand (I forgot which one) and it created nasty dust that stuck to the rims and was pain in the *** to clean. The few dollars in savings was not worth all the hassle. I have been using MB brand pads ever since. Keep in mind that you don't have to go MB dealer to buy original MB pads. You can buy the on-line much cheaper. E-mail me if you need a reference.

Brake Disks: You need to keep in mind your driving (or braking) habits. You also need to consider if during your daily commute you drive down from high elevations. What I mean is that if you use your brake a lot as a matter of driving habit or if you have to brake for an extended period of time to control your speed coming down high elevations, then you generate a lot of heat in your brake pads and specially your disk brakes. So if generating excessive heat, you may want to consider brake disks that dissipate brake dust and heat better/faster and are less prone to warping. Otherwise, regular disks are fine. We live in high hills and other family members use the brakes a lot. I bought (on-line, mail order) and installed cross drilled brake disks last year and I am very happy with them. They are about $90 each. I will include a picture with this post. E-mail me if you need a reference.


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Thank You for your reply, I greatly appreciate it. Where should I buy the pads or rotors? maybe the vented/drilled ones? Thanks again!

 

+1 on what K said. They are not that hard to install and you could find what ever component you needed on the internet. Look into some that don't have brake dust. I know my G35 doesn't have any brake dust what-so-ever and they are OEM. When looking at the disk brakes, you could go slotted or cross dirlled - depending on performance and what you needs are as well as looking to the 4 or 6 piston calipers.
Let us know what you get!

 

Hello! I just spent over $750 for 4 new rotors and all new pads. The shop promised that the parts were OEM. After 2 days the squeaking was beyond annoying. When I went back, the "Import Specialists" shop was out of business. MB Sarasota inspected the car... get ready for this.. the front rotors are not new, but not worn out either. The front pads were not brand new, but were OEM and have plenty of life left on them. The rear rotors and pads are new. Two mechanics at the dealership claim that they have never heard of the brand on my car. Now I squeak nearly all the time but don't have the $ to fix my mistake. Lesson? Go with OEM and have a reputable and trusted source do the work. OEM always.

 

Sorry to hear about that. I agree with what you say about going to a reputable dealer, the little money it will cost in parts or labor is well worth not having the headaches later one. On the other hand...doing it yourself gives you insight into your car and saves lots of $$$ too.

Has the squeaking stopped yet?

 

Wow, that stinks! too many people unfortionatly cheat. thanks for all the advice, I am going to try to order the parts this week.