SLK 230 front brake pads

I need to replace the front brake pads on my wife's 1998 SLK 230, and I have 3 and 1/2 questions.
1) Where can I get a repair manual? Auto parts stores don't carry them, and the dealer charges a fortune for access to their repair manual.
2) What is the minimum allowable thickness for the front rotors? If I leave rotors with less than the minimum thickness on, is it really a safety issue or just a performance/wear and tear issue?
3) Replacing the pads looks pretty straight foward, similar to american and japanese cars I've worked on before. Is there any special trick or suprises I should know about?   

the thickness is stamped on the rotor. sometimes hard to see but it is there if it is a MB rotor. will have part # then spec in mm's yes the brake job is straight forward. if you dont see a huge lip around the edge of the rotor you prob ok then. the worst that usually will happen is brake squeel or vibration when braking.

Check Ebay for the repair manual.  Way cheaper than the dealer.

Thanks for the info. Actually there is a moderate lip around the edge of the rotor, probably a little more than 1/32 inch, definitely less than 1/16 of an inch. I'm fairly sure the front pads were replaced once before by the previous owner. One more question--do the OE pads from mercedes contain asbestos?
 
Thanks! 

not sure on that, but im sure that they probably do.