[Geeky1]

My 560 is going through brake rotors much faster than I think it should. I've had it for 2 years, put about 25000 miles on it, and been through like 5 sets of front rotors.

Yes, 1 set of rotors every 5000 miles. I don't drive the car THAT hard, I try to avoid panic stops, but the rotors always end up getting warped after a few thousand miles.

How do I know that they're warped? If I step on the brakes at 60-70mph or so, the whole steering wheel vibrates. It starts off as a slight vibration, but the older the rotors get the worse it gets. Replace the rotors and the problem is solved.

This isn't normal. It can't be. Any idea what's going on? There's gotta be something causing this- something else that's wrong with the suspension or something.

 

[harescrambles]

are you doing the work yourself? (changing the rotors)

 

[Geeky1]

Nope. Only thing I do on my car is the occasional oil change/plug & wire changeout. And I've stopped doing those too. The 560 is just too much of a pain in the ass to work on for me to want to do it myself. I have the mechanic do it.

 

[harescrambles]

I have seen this problem befor . thats why i had asked if you done the work.sorry to tell you this but it's a machanic error.

 

[Geeky1]

Any idea what the error is exactly?

 

[harescrambles]

darn,i knew you'd ask me that .it's kinda hard to explain but here it goes. ok actually what causes it is pushing the brake fluid back up in the brake line. insted of bleeding it from tire caliper.(shouldn't do that because it is a pressure release line). when this happens (without bleeding) it keeps a slight pressure on the brake pads which transfers to the rotors which in turn wear out brakes and rotors.

 

[cyberdrakon]

sounds possible, but another thing to check, how fast do you get through brake pads? if you use metal pads (like i do) you need harder rotors as well. For example, if you get those 'life time warranty pads' they'll eat right through your OEM rotors. Midas for example, uses those pads, which is why they guarantee the pads for life, they know as long as you use them, you'll keep on going back to change the rotors.

 

[blue420sel]

go back to total oem brake rotors and most importantly pads. your break pads might be the newer type material pads which are harsher on your rotors

 

[Geeky1]

As far as I know, both the pads and the rotors are OEM. God knows there's enough brake dust buildup on the front wheels for them to be OEM pads.

There seems to be a dust shield installed behind the rotors. (at least that's what it looks like looking at it from under the car). Is that supposed to be there?

 

[AxelWulff]

Dust shield?

Ugh, may be part of your problem. They trap heat and mess up your brakes.

As part of your "restore to normal" process I suggest you get rid of those. Dust shields are supposed to help keep the wheels clean and reduce brake dust build-up.
However, they are not very effective at that, but they heat up your brakes very well.

 

[mramay]

Should it spin "completely free" or with the pad lightly against the rotor and spin with a slight "hissing" sound of the pads rubbing on the rotors?

Does the system wear out both rotors at approximately the same time or mainly one side first? I've seen this problem on a non-Mercedes and the master cylinder wasn't releasing the line pressure after using the brakes and the front pads on both sides were worn out quickly.

 

[jhodg5ck]

I agree w/ deathrattle..I'm going to wager you have sticky pistons that are not retracting fully and thus you should check for excessive drag. Your mechanic hasn't noticed your car's increased appetite for brake discs? Find out what brand disc and pad he is using.

BTW, changing brake discs and pads Really is not a bad job.

Lastly, I have Never had an issue w/ pushing brake fluid back in to the system.. I've done it more then once on my cars w/o issue.

Jonathan

 

[IceBlue_1980_300TD]

The problem with disc brakes is that they (brake pads) are ALWAYS going to be in some contact with the brake rotor. That is the design of this particular system.

A solution as I have done, for my race car, is get slotted chryogenicly treated rotors. They will NEVER warp. They cost about 3-5 times more that the oem rotor, but you will never replace it,. They are warrentied for life which is a good thing to know.

It is important to bleed the brakes every 2 years from the bleeder valves, something that most nickle and dime shops won't do because they are lazy.

With regard to the caliper piston, I have NEVER been able to retract it into its sleeve by hand, I have always had to use a C-clamp.

Cheers

 

[Mohammed the Prophet]

u need something like..brake pedal service.. or master cylinder service.. older braking systems might have loose master cylinder or pedals which once vehicle gets heated enough in the engine compartments, may push the rotors lil bit...i dont know how exactly to explain it but i hope u get the idea..

thats my understanding abt ur problem..

 

[TheRazz]

Try using organic brake shoes. They're softer, may no last as long but deffantly won't eat disks. Also quite a few shops don't re-serface the rotors after changeing the pads, Glazed rotors can also cause more heat since you have to press harder to make the same friction. But since you've been needing new rotors, make sure your mechanic is cleaning the oil resedue off them. All manufactures place a heavy oil like substance on their rotors, so they don't rust while waiting for sale in a damp whairhouse. That oil gets onto the brake shoes and cause even more heat ( thus posably warping the rotors ). That oil doesn't just go away after braking a few times. It lInGeRs around.
All the seggestions everyone made are good posabilitys. Since the braking system is a combonation of the sum of it's parts. Anything can be causeing it.
Just spend the extra cash, have them replaced at a MB dealership and sue the other shop for the repairs. That would be about the best way of cureing your problem.

Tho you do live in the second worse trafic area in the country. More stop than go.. But that shouldn't do it anyway[][]

 

[Geeky1]

Ok, I'll have to look into this further when I'm out of school...

For now, I just crawled under the 560 (well, as far as I could get anyhow... head's too big to fit under the car [8)]and took these pics. Also took one of my dad's 6.9 for comparison purposes. It looks to me like both cars have dust shields behind the front brakes, but the 6.9 has never had issues the way the 560 has to the best of my knowledge.

560:

6.9:

 

[jhodg5ck]

nono[] we're talking dust shields, I.E Kleen Wheels.. cheap pieces of metal stuck in your wheel to keep the dust from making it's way out.. Every MB has the shields in the back.. They are actually designed to help duct air to the rotors.

Jonathan

 

[mbjasond]

Remove the dust shields from the wheels, I call them rotor eaters. Replace brake hoses at each caliper.Flush brake fluid sytem,and always use OEM parts! I think a noticeable improvement will be seen.

 

[elroythekid]

I have the same problem right now. I had someone do the last brake job on the front of my car instead of doing it my self. He used what he calls "oem" rotors but they rust over night if it is wet outside. So now 5000kms later the rotors feel warped. If it is wet over night you can hear the grinding in the morning for the first 2-3 applications of the brakes then they sound fine. I think he used cheap rotors so I am going to do another brake job with the parts from the stealer and see what happens.

 

[IceBlue_1980_300TD]

deathrattle - 5/4/2005 4:18 PM

ICEBLUE
Quote

With regard to the caliper piston, I have NEVER been able to retract it into its sleeve by hand, I have always had to use a C-clamp.
Uquote

My fingers are like a G-cramp-heavy clutch on my Moto Guzzi!
[]

Ahhhh..you can snap people necks like a chicken too..?..just like me...[]

Never heard of a "G-cramp"....is that a Grampa kinda think...[]