Brake Shimmy

You're experincing the effects of cheap replacement rotors - one has warped. The shop may be able to reduce the warp with a lathe but it ought to be replaced so you don't go home with a compromised (thin) rotor.

The two front rotors and pads cost me $600. Is that a lot?

Rotors can be bought on line for $65 each x 2 = $130. Front brake pads, $40, grease seals about $40, $210 for parts so far. Add labor at say, $100/hr shop rate. If they renewed the brake fluid add another $50.

The deck is always stacked against the car owner for shops use a "flat rate" book that THEY buy. So there's this BOOK that becomes THE "truth" beyond our challenge as owners. Its labor schedules are generous in my opinion and are NOT the upper limit; a problem beyond the standard job - like a broken bolt etc. - is added as additional work.

Should this job require about 4 hours labor?

More like 2 hours for a professional using professional tools and shop facilities, IMHO. It would take me, as an inexperienced owner, working on my garage floor 4 to 6 hours, not to just change pads, but to change the rotors, repack the wheel bearings with grease and install grease seals etc.

Always, always ask for an estimate before authorizing repair work for the estimate puts a cap on the bill.

Suggest you say nothing about their bill; just take it back to have the warped rotor(s) replaced at no charge.

Say YOU don't want to waste YOUR time with redos, after all, you paid a lot for the job and expect it to be OK.

I just had the rear brakes serviced on my 2001 ML-320 at 47K miles. Total cost of the replacement rotors and pads, including labor and taxes, was $517. By the way, the shop manager told me that MB makes the rotors so soft that they need to be replaced every time the pads are renewed. I witnessed the job from beginning to end and the rotors were indeed worn out to the point that turning them was not an option.

By the way, the shop manager told me that MB makes the | rotors so soft that they need to be replaced every time the pads are | renewed. I witnessed the job from beginning to end and the rotors were | indeed worn out to the point that turning them was not an option.

since asbestos is deadly and being phased out in the production of brake pads, disks must be made softer to accommodate the modern metal brake pads. This isn't something that only Mercedes have done.

Perhaps the shop manager would prefer breathing in asbestos dust all day and go back to the good old days.