Grettings all,

I took my 2001 C320 (56K miles) to a mechanic for some maintenance. He told me that the harmonic balancer needs replaced and that there may have been a recall on this item. How do I find this out? He showed it to me and it appeared that a rubber lip was coming up just a little bit (less than 1/8"). Does this really need to be replaced?

Also, how long does your rotors / pads last? I do mostly freeway driving, although I do drive quick around town. I'm being told that the rotors and pads need replaced and it's only been about $25K miles? Is this something I could do? I am familiar with brakes and just replaced all pads on my 2002 Ford Explorer.

Lastly, do you only use MBZ parts? I'd love to save $ on the parts.

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

The harmonic balancer recall doesn't apply to 203 body's like your vehicle. There's only two part numbers for the harmonic balancers that have had the biggest problems of coming apart (112 035 00 00, and 112 035 06 00). I guess it's possible for the other ones to come apart. If it is though, MB will not pay for it, since your car sounds like it's out of warranty. You say the rubber is protruding only 1/8", that doesn't really seem excessive to me. Alot of them come out of the box like that.

As far as your brakes are concerned, 25k miles certainly isn't much, unless your really hammering on them. I've seen them last on average about 50k on your car. You have wear sensor on your car to let you know when the pads have reached about 5-10%. As far as replacing them yourself, it's very much like any other car. Just be sure to use DOT 4 brake fluid.

Thanks so much for your help. The guy I know may just be fishing for more business. I didn't know there were sensors on the pads, that's a relief as well. I'm confident now that I can do the job myself. Will aftermarket pads come with the sensor? Will I have to turn / replace rotors? I'll keep and eye on the balancer just in case.

Take care,
Jeff

Jeff, the sensors do not come with the pads. You have to purchase them separately. Also, do not turn the rotors on a Mercedes. You should replace them with new rotors. The good news is that the cost of the rotors is not bad for your car. As far as the brake pads, you may want to stay with OEM pads and there are several brands that are OEM for Mercedes. You can compare prices for the different brands. Also, the genuine MBZ anti-squeal paste is good to use. Check out the parts we offer on our online parts catalog at www.importpartsonline.com We sponsor BenzForum and offer a discount to BenzForum members.