Vehicle inspection report E200 coupe

[erdnase]

This a list of work Mercedes recommended for my car after it’s been serviced. What do you think an independent should charge . Plus how long till the work really needs to be done..

Include	1- Safety Critical Brakes		Cost
		Front Brake Pads		208.02 GBP
		Front Brake Discs		303.00 GBP
		Rear Brake Pads		177.42 GBP
		Rear Brake Discs		273.00 GBP
		Parking Brake Operation		0.00 GBP

 

[Teego]

Call a couple of fast fits like Formula 1 for a quote.

 

[KennyN]

Whats the mileage on the car ?

K

 

[erdnase]

29000 miles

 

[markjay]

Best to double check at an indie first that the discs and pads actually need replacing all around.

 

[kendog91]

Can do yourself for £200, only thing that will be difficult is the rear disc changes, they take some persuading.

 

[Petrol Pete]

IMHO getting basic brake stuff done at a main dealership for pretty much any car is money not well spent. It looks good on the service history I suppose, but it really is basic spanner work that any decent garage can carry out.

Making sure quality parts are fitted is far more important , some garages refuse to fit customer supplied parts these days , especially brake parts.

 

[W1ghty]

New Discs all round at 29,000 miles .
I would measure the disc and pad thickness yourself first .

 

[W1ghty]

MB told me at 40k miles on the E class that I needed new discs . Anyway at 100k I treated the car to them .

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I would wait until the brake pad wear warning light comes in and then, and only then change the pads. Unless you brak hard a lot then the disks should be fine for the life of the next set of pads.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

PS If the service was done at a main dealer then the health check report and accompanying video should provide approximate percentage wear/remaining - what does it say?

 

[DSM10000]

Can do yourself for £200, only thing that will be difficult is the rear disc changes, they take some persuading.

Good quality discs and pads will cost more than £200.

 

[kendog91]

Good quality discs and pads will cost more than £200.

Last discs and pads I bought lasted 75k miles, never had an issue. I always OEM quality

 

[markjay]

The service life of brakes depends on the braking, not on the driving.

Driving in city traffic will wear the brakes more than motorway driving.

Brakes can last for anything from 15k to 100k miles.

Mileage alone is therefor not a good indicator of brake wear.

(Driving style is obviously also a factor)

 

[SpikyMikey]

Not suggesting it's the case here, but discs and pads are a popular 'up sell' item at service time. As others have said, I'd be tempted to get a second opinion.

 

[Londonscottish]

The service life of brakes depends on the braking, not on the driving.

Driving in city traffic will wear the brakes more than motorway driving.

Brakes can last for anything from 15k to 100k miles.

Mileage alone is therefor not a good indicator of brake wear.

(Driving style is obviously also a factor)

Maundrell's insisted on replacing them on my E500 before I could pick it up. At cost price with zero labour; excellent service.

They were on 56k, the owner lived in Bucks or Oxfordshire or somewhere round there.

I've put 30k on them and the fronts have a fairly pronounced lip on them now.

So, on that sample, 29k is possible.

As you say, it depends.

 

[DSM10000]

Last discs and pads I bought lasted 75k miles, never had an issue. I always OEM quality

What does OEM quality mean though?

I bought MB front discs and pads from MB Edinburgh a couple of years ago at a significant discomt and they were £200

 

[markjay]

When I got my W204, it has 33k miles

What does OEM quality mean though?

I think he means buying parts from 'Tier-1' automotive manufacturers, I.e. those firms who make the parts for the car manufacturers (e.g. Pagid, Ate, Brembo, etc).

 

[DSM10000]

When I got my W204, it has 33k miles

I think he means buying parts from 'Tier-1' automotive manufacturers, I.e. those firms who make the parts for the car manufacturers (e.g. Pagid, Ate, Brembo, etc).

But you can never be sure if the part is made to the same standard as OE and there are many fake parts being sold. Caveat emptor.

I agree that there are many good parts at lower cost available though.

 

[markjay]

But you can never be sure if the part is made to the same standard as OE and there are many fake parts being sold. Caveat emptor.

I agree that there are many good parts at lower cost available though.

IF the MB part carries both the MB part number AND the manufacturer's part number, then you can buy the part without the MB branding and it will be of identical spec and quality as the MB part (though it won't have the same warranty).

But where the part only carries the MB part number, but not the manufacturer's part number, you are correct in saying that simply buying parts from the same manufacturer does not guarantee the same spec or quality. One example is Varta batteries, you can buy MB-branded Varta batteries or you can just buy Varta batteries, but the MB-branded batteries do not carry a Varta part number, and so there's no way of knowing if the Varta-branded batteries are made to the same spec and quality as the MB-branded Varta batteries.

Of course, you can always argue that parts made by a Tier-1 manufacturer will in general be of good quality, but again you are right in saying that they won't necessarily be made to the same spec (unless they both carry the same manufacturer's part number).