DBA Brakes for the Mercedes-Benz C300: Which Parts Fit

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

For the 2016 and newer Mercedes-Benz C300 (W205 sedan, C205 coupe, A205 cabriolet), the DBA part we carry is the DBA Street Series T2 slotted rear brake rotor DBA3357HOES. That is a rear-axle rotor only. For the front axle and for the pads, the C300 parts we stock come from EBC, and the right choice depends on your model year, body code and whether the car has the AMG Sport Package.

This guide explains what DBA's Street Series T2 rotor actually is, how to confirm it fits your C300, what to pair it with, and what the car will tell you when the brakes need attention.

Which C300 Brake Parts Fit, by Generation

The C300 name has covered two different platforms in the years we list parts for, and their brakes do not interchange. The 2013-2014 cars are the W204 generation; the 2015-and-newer cars are the W205 generation. Always match the part to the chassis code first, then to the axle.

Two points matter here. First, Mercedes offered more than one brake package on the W205, and AMG Sport Package cars use different rear pads from base cars, which is why the EBC pad listings call it out. Second, the DBA rotor is sold for the rear axle, so if your front rotors are also worn you will be sourcing them separately. You can browse every rotor we carry in our brake rotor collection and every pad compound in our brake pad collection.

What the DBA Street Series T2 Rotor Is

Disc Brakes Australia (DBA) splits its rotors into lines. The Street Series is its direct-replacement line for daily-driven cars, the 4000 Series is its heat-treated performance line, and the 5000 Series is its two-piece line. The DBA3357HOES belongs to the Street Series, in the T2 slotted version.

• T2 slot pattern. DBA describes the T2 as CNC-machined bi-symmetrical slots. The slots give friction dust and gases more exit points, which DBA says improves pad bite and gives a quieter, more responsive pedal. DBA states that T2 is denoted by the suffix (S) in Street Series part numbers.
• Symmetrical design. Because the slots are symmetrical, Street Series slotted rotors are made for universal left/right use rather than being handed.
• Kangaroo Paw vanes. Instead of straight cooling fins between the two friction faces, DBA uses pillar-shaped vanes it calls Kangaroo Paw, which it rates at up to 20% better heat dissipation than a conventional straight-vane design.
• Corrosion protection. Street Series rotors come with painted non-friction areas or a full En-Shield coating, which DBA says protects the rotor and removes the need for pre-installation cleaning.
• ECE-R90. DBA lists full R90 certification for the Street Series. R90 is the European regulation for replacement brake rotors, pads and drums. It requires the replacement part to perform within plus or minus 15% of the genuine OE part in testing, and DBA marks R90-approved rotors with an R90 stamp.

In plain terms, the T2 is an OE-replacement rotor with a slot pattern and a better-cooling vane, not a track rotor. On a C300 that sees commuting and highway use, that is the right level. If you track the car, DBA's own documentation points to the heat-treated 4000 Series with the T3 slot as its high-performance option.

Symptoms That Your C300 Needs Brakes

The W205 C-Class watches its own brakes, so the first sign is often a message in the instrument cluster rather than a noise.

• "Check Brake Pads." The W205 owner's manual says this message means the pads have reached the wear limit, and tells the driver to drive on carefully and have the brake system checked. The trigger is an electrical wear sensor clipped into the pad.
• "Check Brake Fluid Level." The manual treats this one as serious: pull over safely, do not continue driving, consult a workshop, and do not add brake fluid. Low fluid can mean a leak, and it can also be what happens as pads wear and caliper pistons move out, so the cause needs to be found, not topped off.
• Pulsation through the pedal or steering wheel under braking usually points to rotor thickness variation. On the rear axle it tends to show up as a vibration through the seat rather than the wheel.
• Grinding or scraping means the friction material may be gone and the backing plate is contacting the rotor. At that point the rotor is almost always scored beyond reuse.
• A raised lip at the rotor's outer edge and a blue or heat-checked friction surface are signs the rotor has worn or overheated.

Any time the red brake warning lamp or an ABS/ESP brake-system message appears, stop treating it as routine wear and have the hydraulic and electronic side of the system checked.

Doing the Rear Brake Job on a W205

A rear rotor and pad job on the C300 is within reach of a careful home mechanic, with a few Mercedes-specific cautions.

1. Deal with the electric parking brake first. The W205 has an electric parking brake that applies automatically in some situations, including when the transmission is in P and the engine is switched off. Before you work on the rear calipers, follow the factory service procedure for putting the parking brake into its service position, which may require a scan tool. Do not force rear caliper pistons back against an applied parking brake.
2. Replace the wear sensor. DBA's guidance is that pad wear sensors belong in the regular maintenance schedule. A sensor that has already triggered has done its job and should be replaced with the pads, or the warning will stay on or stop working.
3. Clean the hub face. Rust or scale between the hub and the new rotor causes runout, which becomes pulsation within a few thousand miles. Clean it to bare metal.
4. Torque to spec. Tighten the caliper bracket bolts and wheel bolts to the values in the Mercedes-Benz factory service information, using a torque wrench, not an impact gun.
5. Bed in the new pads and rotors using the pad maker's procedure so an even transfer layer forms on the new rotor faces.

New hardware such as abutment clips is worth fitting at the same time; see our brake hardware kits. When the job is finished, check the fluid level against the reservoir markings, and have the fluid itself serviced at the interval in your Mercedes-Benz maintenance booklet.

Pads and Rotors as a Matched Set

Fitting new rotors with old pads, or new pads on worn rotors, gives an uneven contact patch and usually brings the noise or vibration straight back. Replace the axle as a set: both rotors, a full pad set, and the wear sensor.

For a W205 C300 with the AMG Sport Package, the pairings in our catalog are the DBA rear rotor with either the EBC Redstuff ceramic rear pads, a low-dust compound suited to a daily driver, or the EBC Yellowstuff rear pads, a higher-friction compound for spirited street and occasional track use. Before ordering, confirm that your car's options match the fitment in the listing, since non-Sport cars use different pads. If your car is a 2013-2014 W204 C300, the EBC Ultimax front rotor set is the direct-replacement option we stock for the front axle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a DBA front rotor for the W205 C300 in our catalog?

The DBA part we currently carry for the C300 is the rear DBA3357HOES Street Series T2 rotor. For other positions, check our rotor collection by vehicle, and confirm the axle and body code in each listing before ordering.

Will a slotted rotor make my C300 louder?

DBA designs the T2 slot to give a quieter, more responsive pedal by letting pad dust and gas escape. Slotted rotors can produce a faint hum at low speed on some cars, and the pad compound you choose usually has a larger effect on noise than the rotor does.

Do I need to replace the brake pad wear sensor?

Yes, if the "Check Brake Pads" message has appeared or the sensor has worn through. The W205 relies on the sensor to warn you, so a new one should go in with every pad change.

Can I just top up the brake fluid when the warning comes on?

No. The W205 owner's manual tells the driver not to add brake fluid when the "Check Brake Fluid Level" message appears, and to stop driving and have the car checked. The low level may be a leak or the result of worn pads.

Are there brake recalls on the 2016 C300?

When we checked the NHTSA recall database for this article, the recalls listed for the 2016 C300 were for other systems, not brake components. Recalls are added over time, so run your own VIN through the NHTSA lookup before a brake job.

Is the rear brake job hard on this car?

It is a moderate job. The extra steps compared with an older car are the electric parking brake service procedure and the wear sensor. If you do not have a scan tool that supports the parking brake, a shop can handle that step.

Sources

1. DBA Street Series brake rotors - T2 slot design, suffix (S) meaning, Kangaroo Paw vanes, En-Shield coating, R90 certification
2. DBA 4000 Series brake rotors - heat-treated performance line and T3 slot recommendation for high-performance use
3. DBA: product range to comply with ECE-R90 - what ECE-R90 requires (+/- 15% of OE performance) and how R90 parts are marked
4. DBA: Street Series Hybrid Composite rotor range - DBA rotor lines and one-piece vs two-piece construction
5. DBA: brake pad wear sensors - wear sensors belong in routine brake maintenance
6. Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W205) Owner's Manual - Safety systems display messages - Check Brake Pads and Check Brake Fluid Level messages and required actions
7. Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W205) Owner's Manual - Electric parking brake - W205 electric parking brake operation and automatic application
8. NHTSA recall database - 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 - recall lookup for the C300 by model year