replacing full brake line? how bad?
 

I was trying to get a few more months out of our 2000 MB ML320 with 180k miles before I got a new ride but the drivers side rear hard brake line blew from corrosion on the line. Its leaking right under the drivers side door but I haven't yet been able to get a good look at it.

Question is how hard is it to buy a 25' coil and bend it in and flare the ends to replace? I see guys on Youtube splicing in secions of hard line to get a way with a quick fix but I'm not so sure on that method.

The car is almost junk anyway but I would like to drive it for a few weeks while trying to purchase a new one.

I have rebuilt brakes on my 911 and BMW but never had to run an entire line from front to back.

Any info (MB specific) would be great.

Get serious tubing benders. It is not difficult, really. I re-did the lines on several 914's. The best thing is to use coat hangers to model the run, then build it with the real line.

thnaks James. How did you bend around suspension etc with one long section? just fed it through and bend as needed?

I'd follow the route of the existing line.

Bending brake lines is cake.

Pull the old line and use it as a template.

Is a replacement OEM hard line really that expensive? Brake lines are simple, but if there's one system on a car that you don't want to mess up....

Not hard to do.

I would look at ordering a replacement line from MB that is already bent and flared and has hardware on it. If you do it yourself, get the right flaring tool and practice making the flares. There are 45* and 37.5* flare tools, most cars use 37.5*. There is an art to flaring correctly. Cheap flaring tools (HF) don't hold the tube firmly enough and let it slip when you push the die on it. Rigid makes a good one, expect to pay $100-150 for good tool. Finally, when flaring the end, make sure you have the nut already in the tube in the right orientation. It's very frustrating to finally make the perfect flare and then realize you left the damn nut off it. :D