Brake Line Replacement - C Class - W204 - Mercedes-Benz

Brake Line Replacement Time: 4 hours Tab: $13 to $200 Talent: 2 Tools: 14mm, 11mm flare-nut wrench Applicable Models: Mercedes-Benz C250 (2012-14) Mercedes-Benz C300 (2008-14) Mercedes-Benz C350 (2008-14) Parts Required: New rubber or stainless steel brake lines Hot Tip: Make sure that corroded rubber from old lines didn't end up in your caliper Performance Gain: Better braking performance Complementary Modification: Bleed brake system There are flexible brake lines or hoses that connect the hard lines from the ABS control to the brake calipers. These lines are designed to be flexible to allow movement of the suspension and steering. The lines are made out of rubber and have a tendency to break down and corrode over many years. The rubber lines should be carefully inspected every 10,000 miles or so. They can exhibit signs of failure, such as damage from road debris, bubbling and expanding prior to actually bursting. Needless to say, failure of these lines is a very bad thing, as you will instantly lose pressure in one half of your brake system. The lines can also fail from the inside where broken down rubber can end up getting into the calipers. Faulty brake lines in the front of your W204 can cause all sorts of steering problems when braking including causing a car to dart from side to side. Bad hoses allow pressure to build up in the caliper, but sometimes do not release this pressure properly when the pedal is released. This can lead to uneven wear of the pads and unsafe operating temperatures as the pad never comes off the rotor. The first step in replacing your lines is to elevate the car. Please see our article on safely jacking up and supporting your vehicle. Remove the wheels from the car. To prevent a large amount of brake fluid from leaking out, I recommend pushing the brake pedal down just to the point of engagement and block it there. If you do this, you will lose less brake fluid, and also less air will enter into the system. The brake lines themselves can be very difficult to remove. The goal of this job is to remove the lines without damaging anything else. In this case, the easiest thing to damage (besides your paint) is the hard steel brake lines that connect to the flexible rubber lines. These lines have relatively soft fittings on each end and often become deformed and stripped when removed. The key to success is to use a flare-nut wrench. This wrench is designed for jobs like this one where the fittings are soft and might be heavily corroded. The flared end of the wrench hugs the fitting and prevents it from stripping. It is very important to use only one of these wrenches, as it is very easy to damage the fittings using a regular crescent wrench. NEVER put any sort of Teflon tape or Loctite on the threads or fitting. You must properly bleed the entire brake system after replacing your brake lines. Do NOT attempt to drive the vehicle until you have properly bled the system. Check your flexible brake lines or hoses ever 10,000 miles and use this article to help replace them Applies to: C350 (2007-14), C180 (2007-14), C200 (2007-14), C230 (2007-14), C250 (2007-14), C280 (2007-14), C300 (2007-14), C320 (2007-14)