W211 rear brake change

[OneForTheRoad]

Seems to be an area of contention, with some saying it's fine and others the opposite. If not, where else can you jack the whole back end?

There are jacking points on either side sills.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

Pretty sure MB recommend this, as do many other sources for raising the rear to place on stands.
I can imagine the cast casing could crack if subjected to a sharp blow but just supporting the car's weight for a relatively short duration?

Maybe jack up the suspension but not the full weight of the car . Users perogative I suppose.

 

[ChrisEdu]

The replacement caliper carrier arrived today, along with a spare caliper. The previous owner had painted them green, so that was quickly dealt with using a nylon cleaning disc on my drill.

My new pads now fit correctly but, I'm having to replace the bolts (I know you're meant to anyway, because of the thread lock), as they are not winding back in very well. I had noticed they were hard work to remove, so I'm wondering whether somebody has previously over-torqued them.

Here's hoping that I might finally be able to finish the job this afternoon with the new bolts.

 

[W1ghty]

The replacement caliper carrier arrived today, along with a spare caliper. The previous owner had painted them green, so that was quickly dealt with using a nylon cleaning disc on my drill.

My new pads now fit correctly but, I'm having to replace the bolts (I know you're meant to anyway, because of the thread lock), as they are not winding back in very well. I had noticed they were hard work to remove, so I'm wondering whether somebody has previously over-torqued them.

Here's hoping that I might finally be able to finish the job this afternoon with the new bolts.

The caliper bolts are high torque anyway and often hard to remove . You could clean the bolt thread with a wire brush and then insert and remove a couple of times , scrubbing the thread in between to clean them . This may remove some of the old thread lock

 

[pmcgsmurf]

I always run a tap in and out the thread a few times and clean this out with some fluid.

 

[ChrisEdu]

I always run a tap in and out the thread a few times and clean this out with some fluid.

I have thought about this, but I don't have the correct pitch. I assume that they are M12? My M12 tap and die is a 1.75mm pitch, which I believe by comparing side-by-side greater than the removed bolts.

I'm just hoping the female threads aren't wrecked, hence contributing to this issues I had removing them.

Desperate to get the job finished, successfully, and move on to doing the fluid change, which ought to be easier - I hope!

Once all of that is done, I'm considering a DIY refurb of the wheels, as they're looking a bit rough, with peeling lacquer and signs of bubbling.

I'd also be tempted to paint the calipers, but I don't want to have to remove everything again to do the job. Anyone know if it is possible to do a 'good enough' job with the brake assembly in situ?

 

[ChrisEdu]

It's finished, bar a fluid change. Gave it a longer run today and am happy with the results.
The ceramic pads certainly seem to have good bite and I've noticed that the brakes seem to be throwing out more heat than they did with the old pads and discs, although it might just be my imagination.
The brakes seem quite in use for town driving speeds, but I have noticed, on occasions, under heavy load, slowing from higher speeds, there's a noise that's hard to describe, maybe like a rubbing. I don't know if that's just the new pads and discs bedding, or something to do with going to ceramic pads? Either way, at least the car stops, which is nice!