I have a 2006 C230 with 15,000 miles. I hardly use the brakes in my daily highway commute (there is virtually no traffic even though I drive quite a long distance and, the car is less than 1-year old). The front rotors are wearing badly. There are several deep grooves from uneven rotor/pad wear. The rear pads/rotors still look new. I took the car to MB Service Dept. I was told that the front pads should be changed every 10k miles and the front rotors every 20k miles. I can't believe this. I think they are BS-ing me. Has anyone had the same experience? Thanks!!!
Pads every 10K miles is not normal. My stepdaughter goes through pads in 12K miles on her Mustang, but she has an automatic trans, does a lot of stop and go driving, and drives on the street like she's at the track. So it does happen, but that doesn't sound like you. More commonly, brake pads last 40K miles or more on cars with manual transmissions, often 30K miles or more on cars with automatics, as a gross generalization.
One possibility... you have corrosion in the front calipers that's keeping the pistons from completely retracting, so that you have more than normal constant pressure of the pads on the rotors. This would wear the brakes even in highway use. I'd have someone check those calipers.
Deep grooving is almost certanly going to require rotor replacement.
I'd recommend finding an independent shop for this work. The dealer is going to be hugely expensive and this is simple enough any competent shop can do it. Brakes are pretty simple.
Since this is a relatively brand new car, I am expecting the dealer to assume some responsibility for this. If the pads or calipers are defective in any way, MB should assume the cost and repair them under warranty. I think they are trying to avoid the work in telling me that this is normal and simply charge me for replacing the rotors and pads. Is there anything I can do?
The best way and cheapest to fix this is get some NAPA pads. You will probably only spend 25 bucks for the front pads. Take the car to a good reliable shop. Not the dealer... Have them take off the rotors and have them cut. It will probably cost 15 bucks per rotor. Have them put the new pad in... done.
You can try the dealer but usually they will not cover brake pads and rough rotors.
Usually warped rotors is caused by slamming on the brakes to a stop. The heat is what does it. Rotors like to be warmed up. Just my experiences...
I suspect that with the deep grooving he's talking about cutting the rotors (sometimes called "turning the rotors") will make them thinner than spec allows, and they'll have to be replaced.
Since this is a relatively brand new car, I am expecting the dealer to assume some responsibility for this. If the pads or calipers are defective in any way, MB should assume the cost and repair them under warranty. I think they are trying to avoid the work in telling me that this is normal and simply charge me for replacing the rotors and pads. Is there anything I can do?
Only one thing I can think of... have the dealer do the work and take the risk they'll find a problem that they will consider covered by the warranty. I'd get a price estimate from them assuming no warranty coverage first, because I wouldn't be one bit surprised if new pads and rotors are $300-500 PER WHEEL from an MB dealer. I was once pleasantly surprised by a San Diego dealer charging us only $110 to replace the front pads on our old '01 C320, but you may not be so lucky. You might find that an indie shop will do the work so much cheaper that the risk/reward trade-off with a dealer just isn't worth it. I understand your emotional position, but IMO you'll likely lose.
I suspect that with the deep grooving he's talking about cutting the rotors (sometimes called "turning the rotors") will make them thinner than spec allows, and they'll have to be replaced.
The dealer will never take warranty on brakes and rotors unless there was a recall. It's one of those things like a battery or tires, they just won't do it.
Get a good name brand rotor and pad from your local parts store, I used the brutestop rotors and (I forget the name) ceramic mix pads, before I went to wilwood brakes. Then take it over to the local brake guys and drop off the parts and have them replace them if you don't want to do it yourself.
If you do end up buying the local shop's parts, you usually get the lowest quality pads and rotors for TWO times the price of what it is at Kragen / Auto Zone / Pep Boys, so never buy from the shop, always buy your own, or get OEM (which I ended up replacing too - soft steel, I think)
So, it pretty much looks like i'm screwed. I guess I'll do it myself, but i still feel like there is something wrong. it's not worth the price if the dealer ends up charging me. Thanks for all the great info, especially the instructions on changing them myself.
Murray, is it just your self driving the car? You never really told of your conditions. I've seen brakes gone at 600 miles, that is, 600 track miles by journalists. Rotors heat stressed, pads cracked..... There is a few reasons your brakes can end up in the condition yours are in. Are the grooves only on one side of the rotors or both? A good tech can easily determine what has gone wrong...Problem is, alot of techs are now just parts replacers and don't feel its worth going out of their way to see what was the root cause and if they can claim warranty or even goodwill on that....MB USA should be able to do something for you. I wouldn't roll over on this one...
I commute to work from San Clemente, CA to San Deigo, CA every day (M-F). My drive is 80 miles round trip. 75 miles are on the freeway with ZERO traffic. The only time I use the brakes is the 5 short miles a day when I am not on the freeway. This is why I have so many miles on the car already, but it doesn't explain the massive grooves in my discs. I haven't removed them to look at both sides, but the outside is really bad. Basically, it looks like the edges of the pads are hitting the disc, and the middle is not. The grooves are at the inside and outside edges of the discs. This is why I am so baffled. Shouldn't the pads/discs wear evenly? Both front wheels are the same. Are the brakes on these cars just crappy? Has anyone else had the same experience? Thanks!
Only one thing I can think of... have the dealer do the work and take the risk they'll find a problem that they will consider covered by the warranty. I'd get a price estimate from them assuming no warranty coverage first, because I wouldn't be one bit surprised if new pads and rotors are $300-500 PER WHEEL from an MB dealer. I was once pleasantly surprised by a San Diego dealer charging us only $110 to replace the front pads on our old '01 C320, but you may not be so lucky. You might find that an indie shop will do the work so much cheaper that the risk/reward trade-off with a dealer just isn't worth it. I understand your emotional position, but IMO you'll likely lose.
My 02 C320 had a full dealer brake job done right before I bought it at 24,500 miles - $760.00! Rotors were turned, I can't even imagine what new rotors cost....
I can honestly say that I am not 100% happy with the quality of either material or manufacture on the braking in my w203 – the system design looks flawless – but I am not sure if that contains my issues with the brakes…aesthetically they are very nice…but …
They moan and groan and I tore them apart in the above post to re lube and inspect them…I lubed them when I brought the car home and noticed that the factory had put slide paste of a bronze color on the guides and pad backs…then at 10,000 miles I re lubed it and took it all part to clean (I check the front brakes on the cars in my “fleet” every 10,000) – but then I had to redo it all at around 16,000 because it started pulsating grinding and making horrid noise – so I tore it all apart – it is smoother now, no pulsating and the stop is pretty good – but they are LOUD for a $30k+ Mercedes-Benz…Also I will point out that my factory Michelin tires are loud and noisy too…a lot more than the Kumhos I had on my w123 and a lot louder than the Coopers that are in the w123 now…it is almost embarrassing to me…
The brakes on my 2005 W203 C230 are louder and rougher than….
My girlfriends 2005 Toyota Corolla
Her brothers 2005 Chevy Cobalt
My moms 2004 Ford Escape
My grandmothers 2003 Chevy Malibu
My 1980 Mercedes-Benz w123 (with Textar pads, Goodridge stainless lines and slotted solid rotors)
The car sounds like my old 1994 Mustang – I debate taking it to the dealer – but I am pretty sure they will not do anything, I am not positive – as this is my assumption they will claim brakes as a wearable item and not do anything…there is a lot of pad left, it is babied and I truly feel it is a manufacturer defect in quality…
Jake
Is there any way I can prove that this is a manufacturer defect? Is there an agency that I can contact to get more information? There must be some official rating on the brake pads that list how many miles they should last given average braking. Obviously, if they are rated to last 30k miles, I have a legitimate issue. Why would MB put brakes on a car that have to be changed every 9 months? That seems ridiculous. Has every C230 owner had to change their brake pads in the first year of ownership?
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