Brakes/pads recommendations

vtarider

New member
Hello ,
I'm fairly new here, looking forward to learning .I have a 2017 144 2wd ,I bought it new and did a combo build ; Campo (Santa Barbara) van outfitter with some RB components completely done. I have had free maintenance up until 40k with the warranty . I was wondering your experiences /recommendations on brake pads(brands to buy), rotors replacements and servicing ? I have 52k miles on the van ,mostly highway miles. Any other wisdom you have I'd be very grateful .
I live in Ventura ,California (don't hold that against me) which is between Santa Barbara and La and also wondering any recommendations on decent mechanics.

Thank you in advance
Dave
 

vtarider

New member
Zimmerman rotors. Any high quality ceramic pad. DIY service on the disk brakes is the same as a car, just that everything is bigger.
Great thanks for the product names , what’s everyone’s experience in how soon the rotors need replaced , VS. just turned ??
 

sailquik

Well-known member
vtarider,
Since ALL of your Sprinter's safety systems were carefully calibrated,
based on extensive testing by the Sprinter engineering folks in Germany,
to use a specific pad (very hard) and rotor (quite soft cast iron) combination
to give you the best overall braking performance, in all conditions, both
atmospheric and geographic, why would you want to replace the OEM
pad and rotor combination with something else?
The "something else" pad/rotor combination may or may not provide
any improvement in overall braking performance, and might not provide the
specific performance characteristics needed for optimum response from your safety
systems (ESP/ASR/ABS/Cross Wind Assist/Trailer Stability Assist).
Another factor is the longevity...... The OEM Sprinter brake pad/brake rotor
combination has been carefully selected so that the pads wear out at the
same time as the soft rotors carefully tested and proven to give the best
performance over the longest mileage .
I surprises me that you are even considering doing anything with the original
OEM brakes @ 52k mileage.
I have normally gone ~ 100K miles on the original front pads and rotors,
and ~ 200K miles on the rears.
YMMV, but at only 52k miles needing new brake pads/rotors seems quite odd.
The nearest authorized Mercedes Benz Sprinter dealer has replacement
OEM pads and rotors, traceable part numbers to your VIN # to restore
your braking system and safety systems to original specifications and
performance.
Hope this helps,
Roger
 
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Inertiaman

Well-known member
@vtarider, there is a brake pad sensor light on your dash which illuminates when pads reach a specific thickness. If you haven't gotten that light yet, there is no reason to consider doing the brakes, unless a visual inspection has indicated they are bady worn. I agree w/ Roger that brakes would typically be fine at 52k miles.
 

Wrinkledpants

2017 144WB 4x4
Hello ,
I'm fairly new here, looking forward to learning .I have a 2017 144 2wd ,I bought it new and did a combo build ; Campo (Santa Barbara) van outfitter with some RB components completely done. I have had free maintenance up until 40k with the warranty . I was wondering your experiences /recommendations on brake pads(brands to buy), rotors replacements and servicing ? I have 52k miles on the van ,mostly highway miles. Any other wisdom you have I'd be very grateful .
I live in Ventura ,California (don't hold that against me) which is between Santa Barbara and La and also wondering any recommendations on decent mechanics.

Thank you in advance
Dave
Pretty hard to beat OEM pad compounds as they are going to be the most consistent across wet, hot, cold, conditions. Pads are like tires, nothing is perfect. So, unless you're trying to improve something in one area and willing to sacrifice somewhere else, I'd stick with OEM. Zimmerman or Brembo will be the maker of the rotors for MB. You can save a lot of money buying from these companies directly. Pagid, Brembo, and a few other suppliers make the pads, but it's really hard to find the exact compound the OEM uses. For this reason, I've typically gone aftermarket on the rotors, and OEM on the pads (broadly speaking about German vehicles).

Sprinter pads last long enough that you'll want to replace the rotors with the pads. The rotors mass is what contributes to heat dissipation. As the rotor thins, it holds less heat. So, even if it does not have uneven pad deposits, it'll probably have a lip indicating you've shaved off some solid mass. If you're buying from Zimmerman, rotors are cheap enough that it's silly to not change them when doing the pads.
 

edfrompa

2008 ROADTREK on F/L 2500
vtarider,
Since ALL of your Sprinter's safety systems were carefully calibrated,
based on extensive testing by the Sprinter engineering folks in Germany,
to use a specific pad (very hard) and rotor (quite soft cast iron) combination
to give you the best overall braking performance, in all conditions, both
atmospheric and geographic, why would you want to replace the OEM
pad and rotor combination with something else?
The "something else" pad/rotor combination may or may not provide
any improvement in overall braking performance, and might not provide the
specific performance characteristics needed for optimum response from your safety
systems (ESP/ASR/ABS/Cross Wind Assist/Trailer Stability Assist).
Another factor is the longevity...... The OEM Sprinter brake pad/brake rotor
combination has been carefully selected so that the pads wear out at the
same time as the soft rotors carefully tested and proven to give the best
performance over the longest mileage .
I surprises me that you are even considering doing anything with the original
OEM brakes @ 52k mileage.
I have normally gone ~ 100K miles on the original front pads and rotors,
and ~ 200K miles on the rears.
YMMV, but at only 52k miles needing new brake pads/rotors seems quite odd.
The nearest authorized Mercedes Benz Sprinter dealer has replacement
OEM pads and rotors, traceable part numbers to your VIN # to restore
your braking system and safety systems to original specifications and
performance.
Hope this helps,
Roger
Thanks Roger!! You are ,of course, spot on and saved me a lot of typing. Maybe this should be a "sticky"!
 

Island Jim

Active member
My brake pad sensor light just came on at 55,000 miles on my 2014 144" 7200 lb camper. The pads and rotors in the front are definitely worn and I will be replacing them this week. I got my parts from Euro parts of San Diego, good price and fast service. Time will tell on how they hold up. My driving is about half highway miles and half short trips.
 

vtarider

New member
Thank you all for the replies , Sailquik I wasn’t going to go against the idea of OEM pads / rotors , I just wanted to make sure there was nothing better than OEM .
My brakes are fine at this point ?
I was wondering what your experiences in replacing everything your self ?
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
I can only echo the sentiment to fit the dealer brake parts if you want the best longevity and quality. I get around 150,000 out of a set of front pads, the discs go longer. The van is always heavy and / or towing.

That’s not to say other brands won’t do well of course, but they won’t better the genuine parts.
 

Deancm

Member
Brian Termond is an excellent Mercedes mechanic in Santa Barbara. He replace a fuel pump on a 2008 Sprinter for me. Here is his Yelp review.

 

edfrompa

2008 ROADTREK on F/L 2500
Thank you all for the replies , Sailquik I wasn’t going to go against the idea of OEM pads / rotors , I just wanted to make sure there was nothing better than OEM .
My brakes are fine at this point ?
I was wondering what your experiences in replacing everything your self ?
I've done pads/rotors twice in 140K/MI. All OEM parts. Kits from EuropartsSD contain all of the "little" pieces that are ESSENTIAL to reliable performance. Many threads this site this subj. OBW, how long pads/rotors last is highly variable. I'm usually at/near max gross with a 60/40mix of freeway/city miles. I cruise Interstates at 70-75. So, I avg 40-50 K/MI. Best of luck//EdM
 
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hoosierrun

Active member
2016 Motorhome LTV on Sprinter 3500.... 55,000 miles. Had it in for service today and dealer says I need brakes. About $950 just for the front. I refused, but when I got the vehicle home I did my own inspection. Rotors are pretty grooved and pads look to be worn down, depending on if these are riveted or bonded pads. If they are riveted, they could already be cutting into the rotors. The picture below was taken from a flex endoscope camera looking directly at the side or edge of a front pad. You can really see how the rotor is grooved. Does this seem to be an urgent replacement job, or do you think I can wait until after the next 2000 mile trip? On these Sprinter motorhomes, do the rear brakes typically wear out after the fronts... or do they coincide with wear fairly evenly. They want another $1200 to do the rears. I appreciate any opinions.

20210428192736[1].jpg
 

turbo911

Well-known member
they have a variety of pads. i like the green for feel and stopping power. use with factory zimmerman rotors. under $100 for fronts, same with backs
 

Mein Sprinter

Known member
I hasten to agree with Roger regarding OEM. While Mercedes OEMs are Jurid, Pagid, and Textar, however MBenz does use Brembo and Meyle products for their brake pads and rotors.

I used Europarts of San Diego for my pad and rotor replacement at 91,000 miles. The front are: $ 179 and $ 277 for the rears.

Cheers...
 
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sailquik

Well-known member
Hoosierrun,
Could not tell much from your photo.
Too close up.
Have a look at the outer (peripheral) edge of the brake rotors.
There may be a knife edge that's just outside the area swept by the brake pads.
That will indicate how much the rotor has worn down.
The pads are all bonded (no rivets) and have the wear indicators bonded right
in the pad so when you get the brake warning, it's time to change out the brakes.
You may be able to do it cheaper yourself, or you can buy OEM quality pads and rotors
from a business like EuroParts SD but in any case the parts need to be traceable to your
Sprinters VIN #.
I don't have an RV, but would suspect that the rear brakes would last considerably longer
than the front brakes.
A good smart phone camera shot showing the outside diameter of the rotor, looking down
at the pads (wheel probably needs to be removed for this) will show both the rotor and the
bad wear.
Hope this helps,
Roger
 

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