DIY How to Change Rear Brake Pads W208 CLK320 CLK430

Last updated: October 29, 2026

This guide gives step by step instructions for replacing the rear brake pads on a Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class W208. The job is a short one, because the pads come out past a single retaining pin instead of requiring the caliper to be unbolted, so most of the time goes on getting the wheel off and back on. Short is not the same as casual. Brakes are the one system where a mistake announces itself the first time you need them, so the checks at the end of this guide count as part of the job. These instructions apply to the following Mercedes-Benz W208 CLK models.

• 208.465 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 2000-2002
• 208.365 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 2000-2002
• Mercedes-Benz CLK320 W208 Convertible
• 208.370 Mercedes-Benz CLK430 2000-2003

Tools Required

View on Amazon →	Jack Stands: Best Selling Jack Stands List
View on Amazon →	Hammer. Yes, you will need one.
View on Amazon →	Pin Remover Removal Extractor Tool

Parts Required

• W208 Rear Brake pads. Ceramic Recommended 003 420 27 20 0034202720
• W208 Rear Brake Pad Wear sensors.
• Confirm the pad set against your VIN before you buy. The same pad number is quoted on guides for more than one Mercedes chassis, and a dealer parts desk will check it for your car in a couple of minutes.
• Brake pad anti-squeal grease.
• Rotors (if you plan on replacing them).

How to change/replace rear brake pads on your CLK320 W208

1. Loosen the rear lug bolts before the car comes off the ground. Then jack it up at the proper lifting point, let it down onto stands, and block the front wheels. Release the parking brake and keep it released. It grips the rear wheels, so with it applied the hub will not turn and the caliper is harder to get at, which is the opposite of what you want on this job.

   Watch: Mercedes-Benz Rear Brake Pad Replacement Guide

   

   

2. Open the hood and remove the cap from the brake fluid reservoir. This will allow the brake fluid to return to the reservoir when you press the pistons into the brake caliper. Note the location on the right top corner marked with “Brake Fluid”.

   

3. Remove the rear wheels from your Mercedes-Benz C-Class (C320, C230, C350).
4. Remove the brake pad wear sensor from the right brake pad.View on Amazon →
5. Use a hammer to remove the pin that holds the brake pads in place. As you extract the retaining pin, be careful not to hit the brake heat shield. If you hit the shield, you may bend it and cause it to make noise when you drive.
6. Work the caliper piston back into its bore. A piston press is the right tool and a broad flat bar is a fair substitute, since both push the piston squarely. A screwdriver should only ever push against the old pad, and it has to stay off the rubber boot around the piston: a cut there leaves water sitting in the bore and the caliper binds later.
7. Remove the old brake pads and clean the area where the brake pads make contact with the caliper.
8. Install the new brake pads. Put brake grease only on the back of the pad and where it touches the caliper. The friction surface and the rotor get none. Install the retaining pin. Make sure to align the brake pads and install the pin by hammering it in.
9. Install the wheel and lower the car. Make sure to tighten the brake fluid reservoir cap.

Three checks between the last bolt and the first mile

Restore the pedal before anything else. The pistons were pushed back to make room for thicker pads, which leaves the pads sitting off the rotors, and the pedal has to close that gap before the brakes do anything at all. With the ignition off, pump the pedal until it stops feeling soft and holds firm under your foot. Start the engine, check it once more, and only then put the car in gear.

Fluid, then bolts. Refit the reservoir cap and look at the level, since driving the pistons home pushes fluid back up the system and can leave the reservoir over its mark. Thread the lug bolts by hand, tighten them in a diagonal sequence rather than working one after another around the hub, and set them with a torque wrench to the value in your manual or from the dealer.

Let the pads bed in. A new pad has to lay down a thin film of its own material on the rotor before it grips like the set you took off, which takes a few miles of ordinary driving. Leave extra stopping distance, keep the first stops light, and do not test them with one hard stop from speed. If the pedal still goes further than it used to after that, find out why before you drive any further on it.