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Mercedes-Benz E-Class brake pipe replacement: MOT fails on these items more often than other cars of the same age

At MOT, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class fails on items fixed by brake pipe replacement at least 2.1 times as often as cars of the same ages and fuel. From 964,062 MOT tests at 23 ages (3 to 25 years), DVSA data 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

Mercedes-Benz E-Class, at least, per 100 MOTs (n=964,062)1.36
Cars of the same ages and fuel, per 100 MOTs0.62
Times as often≥ 2.1
Ages compared23

What this shows

These are MOT fail items that brake pipe replacement fixes, as testers found them on the day of the test. Repairs done between MOTs never show up in MOT data, and mileage is not taken into account, so this is not how often owners pay for the repair.

By age

Fail items fixed by brake pipe replacement, per 100 MOT tests, against cars of the same age and the same fuel mix. The model figure is a floor: DVSA data lists each model’s 25 most recorded items per age, and an item outside that list is counted as zero. The comparison figure is a ceiling: an item too rare to be listed for a fuel is counted at its highest possible value.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class: ages with at least 1,000 tests.
AgeMercedes-Benz E-Class per 100Same age and fuel per 100Tests (n)
3 years00.00143,819
4 years00.01062,842
5 years00.04577,953
6 years00.1188,280
7 years00.1887,925
8 years00.2786,678
9 years0.960.3783,152
10 years1.790.4976,966
11 years2.690.6569,026
12 years3.270.8160,494
13 years3.380.9347,985
14 years3.291.1237,094
15 years3.301.3529,281
16 years3.111.7321,842
17 years2.882.0419,543
18 years3.042.3519,574
19 years3.052.6416,928
20 years2.902.7012,942
21 years2.692.678,833
22 years2.502.505,245
23 years2.402.233,000
24 years2.022.002,581
25 years1.591.912,079

How we decide: a page exists only when the main generation’s rate, weighted to its own mix of ages and fuels, is at least 1.5 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, from at least 50,000 tests at 3 or more ages, with at least 100 expected items.

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

What garages charge

Prices are national. They are not specific to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78
Local garage, middle half£70 to £96
Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156
Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

Brake pipe replacement: garage rates and all models

MOT defects this repair fixes

More on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Other models that fail on these items more often

ModelTimes as oftenTests (n)
Chevrolet Sparkat least 9.559,796
Mercedes-Benz Citanat least 9.280,122
Isuzu D-Maxat least 7.5134,777
Ford Tourneoat least 6.955,404
Suzuki Celerioat least 6.4110,627
Dacia Dusterat least 6.0274,804
Ford Transit Customat least 5.3499,881
Ford Transitat least 5.31,227,954
Nissan Pulsarat least 4.884,984
Mitsubishi L200at least 4.7356,000

Looking at a Mercedes-Benz E-Class?

These figures describe all cars, not any one car. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report would tell you.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated . Prices updated .

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources