Vito Front Discs

[Punjabi]

heh, heh....me iz also SCEPTICAL about that ownership.....140 vans, all MERCS, now who in his right mind would run a business with that.......profits going down to the MERCDADS for all that maintenance! The good ole transits would halve the running cost of such a fleet....maybe The Guru would enlighten us with the FACTS! Or maybe they are all leased to MERC.....the service vans driving around all day ripping off the MERC car owner breakdowns! Now that makes sense.....they charge £180 minimum just for the callout!

[rufus]

I will take the dealer bashing comment on the nose, but what cant be argued against is (assuming the facts are being presented correctly, a safe assumption to make since he came to ask for help), the point about autos being harder on discs is questionable.

As a mechanical engineer with a keen interest in my vehicle, and as somebody with a very long fuse, you will appreciate that by the time I do indulge in dealer bashing, it is not without merit. I paid what amounts to a years salary for my van, I look after it pretty well and I cant not tolerate shelling out more cash to have my inteligence insulted by the service personell when they suggest that my van has five cylinders and that my engine is in limp mode because the alternator bearings are gone or that the oil they said they put in, they did not! and I get equally pissed when a felow van driver gets spoken such shit too. It destroys the reputation of the product as can be evidenced by some of the sentinment on this site.

The point is not personal, its facts being debated and experiences being shared, choose to contribute of choose to spectate.

[RHKVito]

I have just cracked 120K (on 112) and my original discs are now down to bringing up the wear warning.

Dealer has indicated that the discs are softer on most vehicles and with the non asbestos pads the wear is virtually reversed - discs get chewed out along with pad wear. Chuck out the lot and replace. My discs probably not worth machining.

If your discs are shot at 7k - your fuel economy must be rat'hit!! The noise would be unbearable as the heated doughnuts ooze off the rims as they settle into the bitumen...

On a more serious note - you may want to check that the rear units are actually functioning and perhaps get a real mechnic to check it out.

Best of luck.

[brains]

Hi all, thought I would add my 2c

I've recently bought a CDI 115 Auto. This is my first auto ever.
Before I drove the 115, I had read this post and then got thinking about what the dealer had said about auto's being harder on the brakes.

I'm going to give the dealer the benefit of the doubt for these reasons -

When coming to a stop in the auto, it wants to push forward continuously, so the brakes have to work against the engine.

Compared to any other car\van (manual box) I have owned, when going down hill and I take my foot off the gas, I slow down. with the auto, I pick up speed, properly for the same reason the auto pushes when coming to a stop. I have to ride the brake to keep from speeding up.

I am by no means saying that would lead to warped disc's. The auto box may lead to 5% more wear on the braking system?

Hope this gives a different point of view.

[adamuk]

That's right.. Auto's are more likely to wear discs out. When designing brake systems the engineer will work out how much heat input is likely to occur for a series of worst case scenarios (e.g. continuous slow braking downhill) and subsequently will size the disc and design the venting arrangements to suit to ensure that the heat will be able to dissipate itself effectively enough to ensure the temperature of the disc, etc. will not cause warping. Hence if they are warped it means that too much heat has gone in to the disc for some reason.

[rufus]

Brains - glad you got your van, how is it going?

What year model is it?

Post some pics please

[Sarge786]

OK, Who sent over the flippin Paramedic then eh?.....

Somehow I missed this thread .

Anyhow Welcome to our V Class Brotherhood Jez.
This man has had 4 sets of discs and now due a 5th. AT 23,000 MILES?

THIS is totally unacceptable as it cannot be possible to wear these disc's doing only this small amount of mileage without other factors involved.
Warped disc's usually indicate some kind of heat/mechanical problem, saying that, you have to be able to generate tremendous amounts of heat to warp them? Has the braking system been fully checked? has the vehicle been involved in a frontal accident at some stage? do the tyres wear excessively? IS the Vehicle run fully/overloaded all the time? are the rear brakes working?

Your Mercdads (Mercedes dealers are Donkeys) say this is down to the Vehicle being Automatic?...I suggest that after you have executed the recommendations of Rufus, you take a rest, then, ....... SLAP HIM SOME MORE!...

Once you have completed your physical exercise, tell them to put in writing that the vehicle being an Auto is the cause of several disc replacements, This way U have actual proof of their stupidity, also get the old discs, and get them checked, they will give clues to the problem in the inspection, aswell to see what type of part is being/had been fitted to your vehicle, your entitled to your old parts, they are YOUR property!
What is this work costing you everytime you go in?

It is logic that as its an auto, there is going to be a little more wear on the braking system, but NEVER enough to warrant several disc's in that short space of use...thats rediculous.

Let me tell you from experience on another make of car, if the disc's were warped, then YOU WOULD KNOW, how?, well when you applied the brakes the front of the vehicle would shudder, also you would feel the 'warp' through the foot pedal!...is this happening? if not then your disc's are not warped!

Guru, Maybe I missed something but, you say that its 23k Kms not Miles, Yet I have re-read and it states MILES?!...and what is ur point?
you re-state the vehicle is 3.5 years old...and again, UR point is?
Brakes are a 'wear item', but not WARPED disc's, ... AND... FIVE TIMES ..Guru, THAT is WHAT the MERCDADS tell him!!


Or is it that they simply have overstocked the Disc's and want to target your vehicle everytime Jez?.. In my experience I wouldn't put it past them to do something like this ...after all it makes them money!..and we are all just 'owners' and we are not supposed to know how our vehicles work are we?..we are expected to pay the Mercdads their demanded charges, without asking any questions at all....I think the 'Start Error' also applies to the Mercdads dealerships...LOL


Maybe we all should arrange a synchronised Mercdad, Donkey slapping session around the world, maybe this might get some sense into them..


SARGE