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Buying Brakes - Part Number Confusion

Started by carzilike, 05 August 2021, 10:07 PM

carzilike

Hey all, I am looking into ordering front and back brakes for my 1978 280SE and the websites show brakes pads and rotors with the following description:

From Chassis # 149599
From Chassis Serial # 150400
From Chassis # 150380
To Chassis # 149599

My Chassis # ends with 1215XX so I assume I would fall into the "To Chassis # 149599" category? Mine is a German Import if that makes a difference?
Some of the parts don't say anything at all about chassis #

I don't want to order these brakes and pay for shipping just to find out they don't fit when the mechanic tries to install them - shipping is quite expensive

Can someone please guide me?

Thank you


daantjie

Hopefully Aaron (UTn_boy) or other learned members will chime in here for you.  Where are you buying the parts from?
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

UTn_boy

Oh man.....I hate having to touch on this subject......because it's unnecessarily confusing and usually leaves most readers even more confused.  However, I'll try my best to keep it relative to a 280se only. I will only make mention of what applies to your 280se ending in chassis number 1215xx.  The rest of the VIN brakes and part number supersessions would require me to write a short novel. 

For front pads, UP TO CHASSIS NUMBER 150379 FEDERAL, EXCEPT FOR 136679,  147134,  147738,  148936,  149332, AND 150399,
CALIFORNIA, EXCEPT FOR: 147834,150376, you would order 001-420-78-20 for front pads.

For rear pads, up to chassis number 149598, use part number 001-420-06-20. 

The front rotors, UP TO CHASSIS NUMBER 150379 FEDERAL, EXCEPT FOR 136679,  147134,  147738,  148936,  AND 149332.
    And up to chassis number 150399, CALIFORNIA, EXCEPT FOR: 147834,150376, you would use part number 116-420-02-05.

The rear rotors are the same for all W116 cars.  Part number 126-423-00-12.

Footnotes on VIN breaks on parts websites are wrong 99% of the time.  Never go by what they say.  Do yourself a favor and order the Mercedes pads.  They're really cheap. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

carzilike

Thank you for clarifying this. Where should I order the OEM parts from? The local dealer quoted me nearly $300 just for one rotor I believe because it ships from Germany...

I was looking on Rock Auto and the parts seem to be cheap enough but its difficult to understand what parts will work with my chassis.
Why is there such a long list of issues with what fits and what doesn't by chassis number? Usually brakes are straight forward!

daantjie

What about calipers, or will this make it even more confusing ;D
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

daantjie

Quote from: carzilike on 06 August 2021, 11:43 AM
Thank you for clarifying this. Where should I order the OEM parts from? The local dealer quoted me nearly $300 just for one rotor I believe because it ships from Germany...

I was looking on Rock Auto and the parts seem to be cheap enough but its difficult to understand what parts will work with my chassis.
Why is there such a long list of issues with what fits and what doesn't by chassis number? Usually brakes are straight forward!

I order from autopartsway.ca in Canada for more "bread and butter" type stuff.  I think they stock the Zimmerman rotors on there, not sure what the collective feeling on the forum is on these, but I run them on the 6.9 and they seem great to me.  They also stock the Textar pads, as well not sure what folks here will say about them but they have worked nice on the 6.9.  Akebono is also highly regarded, and they are less dusty.
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

rumb

'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

UTn_boy

Quote from: carzilike on 06 August 2021, 11:43 AM
Thank you for clarifying this. Where should I order the OEM parts from? The local dealer quoted me nearly $300 just for one rotor I believe because it ships from Germany...

I was looking on Rock Auto and the parts seem to be cheap enough but its difficult to understand what parts will work with my chassis.
Why is there such a long list of issues with what fits and what doesn't by chassis number? Usually brakes are straight forward!

No.....these rotors are just that expensive.  You either bite the bullet and do it the right way or put up with less braking with aftermarket parts, as well as wearing the rotors faster if hard pads are used.  I've no ill will towards anyone that uses cheap parts....everyone likes to save money.  I just can't stand how much worse they perform compared to what we'd get from Mercedes.

I agree the rotors are stupid expensive, but they'll also last two to three times longer than other rotors.....provided you the soft Mercedes pads.  If brake dust is a concern, then install the dust shields on the insides of the wheels.  And no, they won't warp the rotors.  I've been using them for 15 years on all of my cars.  I've never had a problem. 

One of the reasons I replied to your post was to give you part numbers to use so you wouldn't have to rely on incorrect footnotes/VIN breaks on the websites.  You simply type the part number into the search box on the website and the part will either come up or it won't. 

Rock Auto will not have genuine Mercedes pads.  You get genuine Mercedes parts from the dealer or from an online dealer like RUMB posted. 

Daantjie, yes, the calipers are just as much of a mess as the pads are, if not worse.  Even more confusing, some had Bendix calipers, and some had ATE.  Mercedes never noted as such.  They used what was available at the time.  Reseal kits are different, pistons are different......but even after nearly 30 years of working on these cars I still don't know if pads are interchangeable with the different brands of calipers.  Sometimes they'll fit, and sometimes they won't.  So I always get the pads that are supposed to go with what brand of caliper I have.  It's very hit or miss. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

Max-NL

We've always gone with ATE parts for our cars, OE quality for a great price.

Disc front (you need 2 of these) : 24.0122-0106.1
Disc rear (you need 2 of these) : 24.0110-0185.1
Front pads : 13.0460-9028.2
Rear pads  : 13.0460-4036.2
wear sensor (You need 4 of these) : 24.8190-0401.2

In total about 280 euro's.
1971 R107 350 SL
1972 W108 280 SEL 3.5
1975 W116 280 S
1975 W116 450 SEL 6.9 #140
1977 W123 230
1992 W124 230 CE
2001 Ducati Monster S4

carzilike

#9
Thank you guys for your replies. Here are the parts available to me. I dont mind short brake life given im going to drive the car less than 2000km/year
Attached are my options that are aftermarket. Please advise what to order that will fit?
Car is sitting at the mechanics waiting for parts.


daantjie

#10
This looks like Rockauto ordering screen to me.  I have to say that RockAuto definitely caters to the bargain basement unfortunately.  They used to have good brands but that was a while ago, and now they seem to only stock really suspect quality parts IMHO.  As I've said above, I would rather aim for a bit better quality in brands like Textar/Zimmerman/Akebono which you should be able to find at autopartsway.  They have free delivery to your door if you buy more than 100 CAD.

Here is the link for rotors:

https://www.autopartsway.ca/partlist.cfm?mercedes~benz/1978/280se/base/2.8l-l6/allb/brake/drums-and-rotors/disc-brake-rotor/pagenum1/tabs

Pads:

https://www.autopartsway.ca/partlist.cfm?mercedes~benz/1978/280se/base/2.8l-l6/allb/brake/disc-pads-and-brake-shoes/disc-brake-pad/pagenum1/tabs
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

carzilike

Quote from: daantjie on 11 August 2021, 03:25 PM
This looks like Rockauto ordering screen to me.  I have to say that RockAuto definitely caters to the bargain basement unfortunately.  They used to have good brands but that was a while ago, and now they seem to only stock really suspect quality parts IMHO.  As I've said above, I would rather aim for a bit better quality in brands like Textar/Zimmerman/Akebono which you should be able to find at autopartsway.  They have free delivery to your door if you buy more than 100 CAD.

Here is the link for rotors:

https://www.autopartsway.ca/partlist.cfm?mercedes~benz/1978/280se/base/2.8l-l6/allb/brake/drums-and-rotors/disc-brake-rotor/pagenum1/tabs

Pads:

https://www.autopartsway.ca/partlist.cfm?mercedes~benz/1978/280se/base/2.8l-l6/allb/brake/disc-pads-and-brake-shoes/disc-brake-pad/pagenum1/tabs

Thanks for sharing, it'll cost me about $340 buying these parts (Zimmerman rotors and PAGID pads). If I buy from Rockauto, It'll cost me $225 with shipping and taxes. (Bosch/PAGID pads and Centric/Raybestos rotors).
I just don't care as much to be honest given the car is barely being driven and I'm not sure if I will keep it too long either... Just wondering which parts to order from ROCKAUTO that will 100% fit my chassis #

carzilike

Here's what I am  planning on ordering, hoping it will fit?

hamidagha

While you are doing that you might also want to check/change the brake hoses. I just did all my brakes (but I also had to refurbish the calipers). On the front rotors you will need to remove the wheel hub and bearings: check your bearings for wear and tear and clean them and then regrease. It's a long but straight forward job and worth the effort.

carzilike

The mechanic will be changing the brakes. I assume given the age it will likely need new bearings or at least some grease. The brakes were worn to the point where I could hear metal on metal from one side!

How many of these should I order? I assume 2x bearings for each side - one outer and one inner?

Front Inner
Front Outer
Rear Inner
Rear Outer