Does this quote seem right

[Eddy77]

I’ve got a CLK350 Sport with the upgraded AMG brakes etc.

over the summer I noticed the calipers were dragging in the front. Having not used the car since the summer I decided to get it looked at by my local Indy to see what is actually required. It went in today and the diagnosis is that both front calipers are on their last legs. They work but are slow to release and have some split boots etc. Also need new discs, pads and back plates.

This garage only fits Mercedes OEM parts. Each caliper is £410 plus VAT. Throw in discs, pads, back plates and labour and the quote is around £1,600.

I guess I could save money by using a eurocarparts caliper etc etc but is that a good idea? Or should I just suck it up? The car is a keeper and the cost isn’t an issue really. Just wanted to know if The quote is reasonable for all of that work and whether I might do better to go with pattern parts. This quote is all to use Mercedes genuine parts including discs and pads etc.

Thoughts?
I’ve known the garage for years and they are suggesting I leave it for now and do it next year. In the meantime he has cleaned everything up and greased everything. Says it should be fine for another 6 months of light usage but recommends the work is done as part of the next service in Spring. So there’s certainly no pressure from the garage.

 

[AMGeed]

The quote seems pretty good to me. I can recall getting a price for a single front brake caliper from MBS for my E55 about 5 years ago and it was over £400+vat.
So the calipers are £984 inc vat, OEM discs and pads all round will be at least £300 so I don't see he is overcharging on the labour at £1600 all in.

Any possibility of getting the parts and doing it yourself if you are handy with the spannering? Certainly not a difficult job and a sense of satisfaction in doing it yourself.

Edit............just read your "Slipped disc" thread. Sorry to hear that and obviously not a DIY job for you.

 

[W1ghty]

I’ve got a CLK350 Sport with the upgraded AMG brakes etc.

over the summer I noticed the calipers were dragging in the front. Having not used the car since the summer I decided to get it looked at by my local Indy to see what is actually required. It went in today and the diagnosis is that both front calipers are on their last legs. They work but are slow to release and have some split boots etc. Also need new discs, pads and back plates.

This garage only fits Mercedes OEM parts. Each caliper is £410 plus VAT. Throw in discs, pads, back plates and labour and the quote is around £1,600.

I guess I could save money by using a eurocarparts caliper etc etc but is that a good idea? Or should I just suck it up? The car is a keeper and the cost isn’t an issue really. Just wanted to know if The quote is reasonable for all of that work and whether I might do better to go with pattern parts. This quote is all to use Mercedes genuine parts including discs and pads etc.

Thoughts?
I’ve known the garage for years and they are suggesting I leave it for now and do it next year. In the meantime he has cleaned everything up and greased everything. Says it should be fine for another 6 months of light usage but recommends the work is done as part of the next service in Spring. So there’s certainly no pressure from the garage.

Mother of god that’s high ! I did my E class with Brembo discs and pads all round for under £200 in parts from eBay/ECP. Another £50 I bought new caliper seals . I know that’s diy but if I had bought MB discs and pads all round that would have been £320 from Grangemouth MB .
Big Red and Brake parts online do refurbed/exchange calipers in the £40-80 range ??

 

[Teego]

You don't need new calipers. They need to be stripped and cleaned, especially the pistons. Then rebuilt with new seals. Caliper bodies should never fail in normal use. A rebuild kit for both front brakes is about £15. For a good mechanic it's about an hour's extra work if you are having new discs and pads. If I was having discs and pads I'd specify it anyway.

I used to rebuild the 6 piston calipers on my bike and it's an easy job once you know what you are doing. You do not want to run out of brakes on a bike!

 

[clk320x]

Send the calipers off to be refurbished and they’ll be back good as new, will not cost much at all.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Brakes International. 4 pot calipers , £120 each.

 

[clk320x]

Bigg Red. Brake Caliper Refurbishment

Brake Caliper Refurbishment

biggred.co.uk

 

[Trickythemerc]

I had an ECP caliper fitted last year £130 MB £300 been fine so far. MB had no stock and it was 23rd December.

 

[Eddy77]

Thanks guys! The quote is mainly parts. Labour is two hours at £58 plus vat an hour so it is simply the cost of parts that ramps it up to £1,600. I’ve got an itemised estimate. I’ll look into refurbing though as that is where the cost is. Each caliper is nearly £500 including vat and I need two!

 

[W1ghty]

Thanks guys! The quote is mainly parts. Labour is two hours at £58 plus vat an hour so it is simply the cost of parts that ramps it up to £1,600. I’ve got an itemised estimate. I’ll look into refurbing though as that is where the cost is. Each caliper is nearly £500 including vat and I need two!

Give MB Grangemouth parts dept a ring , they do a forum discount and deliver For £5 ish

 

[Eddy77]

Give MB Grangemouth parts dept a ring , they do a forum discount and deliver For £5 ish

Will do! Thanks!!

 

[Eddy77]

So a little update. When the car went in the Indy spent an hour removing wheels, discs, pads etc and cleaned and greased everything up. Removed a build up of rust. Charged me an hour’s labour which seemed fair. Provided the quote for £1,600 to replace everything mentioned above but said it’s fine for now. Anyway, today I took the car out for a drive to Aldi of all places. 15 mile round trip. And the change was noticeable. Brakes not grinding. The slight pull to the left which I had atttibuted to an alignment issue was gone and it generally just felt so much better. Not to say that the callipers aren’t on their last legs etc but a good clean up and derust has done wonders. Will revisit in the spring!

 

[Rory]

It seems almost unfair that brakes wear out if you use them and stick if you don't - so they get you either way!

I asked the dealer years ago and my indie more recently, to strip and clean the brakes. Both refused, although I think the indie would have done it if I insisted. They want the profit on the parts as well as the labour charge.

 

[E55BOF]

It seems almost unfair that brakes wear out if you use them and stick if you don't - so they get you either way!

I asked the dealer years ago and my indie more recently, to strip and clean the brakes. Both refused, although I think the indie would have done it if I insisted. They want the profit on the parts as well as the labour charge.

1. Find a better indie.

2. For your current situation, buy refurbed calipers and shop around for the rest of the parts. If your indie isn't happy with that, see 1.

 

[Eddy77]

1. Find a better indie.

2. For your current situation, buy refurbed calipers and shop around for the rest of the parts. If your indie isn't happy with that, see 1.

My indie is brilliant in that regard. He always tries to find a refurb / renovate solution. His £1,600 quote was to replace everything with genuine MB parts but has said that IF I want to go with the full refurb next spring he’s be happy to shop around for pattern parts and or refurbs. His policy is to always used genuine MB but he’s very happy to use decent pattern parts (Bosch / Brembo) if requested. I’m going to try and use the car a bit more over the winter and come spring I’ll ask him to have another look and see how the callipers are looking. Then take it from there. I know the discs need doing as the pitting and scoring is clear to see. But the calipers themselves might solider on a bit longer.