Dealership quoted me 2800 for pads – is that normal or am I being robbed?

[keithmarsden]

I nearly fell off my chair when the service advisor at the dealership told me 2800 AED for front and rear pad replacement on my 2019 Mercedes C300. I get that it's a German car but come on, it's just pads and sensors, not a whole engine rebuild. A friend suggested I check out some independent specialists and I stumbled across https://brakepadreplacementdubai.ae/ while searching last night – seems like they focus on exactly this kind of work without the fancy dealership coffee markup. Has anyone here actually gone the independent route for a Mercedes and regretted it? I'm not trying to be cheap, but 2800 feels excessive when the pads themselves cost maybe 500-600 wholesale. I just don't want to end up with warning lights on the dash because some shop didn't reset the service indicator properly or used the wrong compound that squeals. Any real experiences would really help me decide.

[yllekzan]

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[haydeewicking]

2800 for all four corners with sensors is high but not crazy for a Mercedes dealer, since they usually bundle labour, wear sensors, and sometimes rotors. Ask for the quote itemised. If rotors are in there, that's most of the gap.

[hayfawiddicombe]

Ditched the dealer on my E-Class years ago and never looked back. A decent independent used OE-spec pads and the job came to roughly a third of the dealer price. Just ask what brand they're fitting before you agree to anything.

[hazelwightman]

Warning lights aren't really the risk if the shop has a proper scan tool, because the sensor reset and electronic parking brake service mode are standard steps. Cheap shops that skip the EPB retract procedure are the ones that end up wrecking caliper pistons. Ask them straight if they have Xentry or an equivalent.

[hazelynwigfall]

Pads at 500 to 600 wholesale sounds about right for genuine, so the rest is labour and markup. I'd still check whether the dealer is quoting rotors too, because on a C300 they often push those every second pad change. Pad thickness and rotor lip are worth looking at yourself first.

[hediawigfull]

Squealing is mostly down to pad compound and whether they cleaned and greased the contact points, not the shop's size. Did the dealer say the pads are actually worn out, or just that they're near the limit? And how many km are on the car?