Im going to buy a car and i wanted to buy a 1980‘s Merceds Benz becuase I like the way they look. My dad said that he knows some year for Mercedes had a different braking system or something and its very expensive for a mechanic to change the brake pads because of the configuration and how you have to get to it. Does any one know what this is reffering to or if any of this is true? Or just any details on a 1980‘s Merceds Benz. Thanks.
If your talking about fixing holes in motorcycle tires. You shouldn't. It's not recommended by any manufacturer and there are few dealers that will do it because of the liability in case the plug comes out while riding. If you must fix it yourself, go to the auto parts store and buy a tire plug kit. It's cheap and it will have detailed instructions on how to use it.
Yes REPLACE THEM. Here is a clearer answer why: As a tire rolls along the road, the sidewall rubber is actually continually moving/flexing. This, along with friction from contact with the road, generates heat. Heat slowly (and sometimes quickly!) breaks down the tire compound. A cracked sidewall is therefore much more susceptible to catastrophic failure. On a two-wheeled machine, its a serious safety issue.
You can't fix dry rot. Your tires need to be replaced as soon as possible. Dry rot means the rubber has begun to deteriorate, no matter how good the tread looks. Not only do you risk a blow-out, but old tires have less traction due to the hardening of the rubber. Your life is worth more than the price of a couple tires.
If it is the big sedan (4 door) then it is a W126 body style. That would be a simple job to change the brakes, and the cars are extremely reliable.
All of the 80's Benz models had pretty simple brakes with pads rotors all the way around and shoes on the rear for the e-braking system that work within a drum built into the rear rotors. In the mid 80's Benz models had ABS added as standard equipment but that does not affect the brake pads and rotors directly. The biggest difficulty is if you need to change the pins and clips for the pads. Benz used off-the-shelf calipers from 3 different manufacturers back in those days: Teves, Bendix, and Girling. While the pads and rotors are always the same, the pins and clips used in the calipers are unique to each manufacturer so you have to know which make is on the vehicle. That is not difficult as the name is written right on the caliper (after you sand off the rust) but it's really the only hiccup you may encounter when changing the brakes.
