[six-rs]

We recently purchased a used 2016 GLC 300 4MATIC. We test drove it in mild weather and all was good. As has been discussed here before, when the temperature falls below a certain point, 25 deg.F in our case. The brakes begin to squeal in both forward and reverse; the squeal is worse in reverse. Below about 10 deg.F, the squeal becomes a SHREEK, a wake up the neighbors shreek.

The dealer now tells us this issue is well known to Mercedes and that a fix is under development. They say an earlier attempt at a fix by replacing brake pads was not successful. We were also told that a permanent fix could be released as early as May, 2018. Sure, the month of May is a great time of year to test a fix for a cold weather problem. Further, they claim Mercedes continues to produce vehicles with this brake noise problem. Hard to believe. So, it would be great to hear from owners of 2018 model year cars. Are your brakes quiet in very cold weather? Are they noisy? Your input here would be appreciated.

My hunch is that, by now (2 years plus?), Mercedes knows exactly what the problem is but hesitates to bring forward a real fix because it would involve replacing expensive parts such as brake calipers or brake mounting points. In any case, the Mercedes engineers are not putting in any overtime on this issue. I don't understand why Mercedes is dragging its feet on this issue. It can't be good marketing.

 

[schroedinger]

Had my 2016 in for 24-month service this month. Dealer did another fix (second one) for squealing brakes, but since they only squealed when it was cold and it's been very mild here, I don't know if this one worked.

 

[six-rs]

Thanks for this data point, Schroedinger. It will be interesting to learn about your results come next January. (Was the second fix also a brake pad swap?)

I repeat that it would be incredibly helpful to have owners of the 2018 GLC300 chime in about how their brakes perform in very cold weather. Maybe there are just not many such 2018 folk yet reading this forum.

All 2016 GLC owners should keep an eye on their warranty expiration date. It could be that Mercedes is hoping to run out the warranty clock before having to fix all these noisy brakes properly.

 

[schroedinger]

Yes, and some kind of paste (not really sure what that meant).

 

[plinker17722]

Had this over in the uk on a few members cars . They changed the discs to stop it .

 

[six-rs]

For a brake squeal fix to apply effectively in the northern US, it would need to be tested at -20deg.C or below. So the UK fix of swapping out rotors may or may not help us over here on the west side of the pond. Seems like we would have heard about such fix by now.

Additional info from the dealer's service manager -- yes, we slowly work our way up the food chain -- as follows: The 2018 GLC has a redesigned brake system. The 2018 brake components cannot be retrofitted to 2016 and 2017 cars. Rats. So the blighters have managed a fix but no help for owners of the early cars. This person went on to claim that an early car brake squeal fix is rilly rilly and truly in the works and that we should check back with the dealer every so often.

 

[fabbrisd1]

Please clarify a bit and I will try to direct you in the proper direction:

1. Is your 2016 GLC300 Mercedes Certified Pre-Owned or did you buy it used from a private party or non-MB dealer ?

2. How many miles on your GLC right now ?

4. What happens at temperatures over 25F - do you have a squeal noise - or is the squeal low temperature only ?

5. What has your dealer physically done to correct the problem - or what have they suggested to be done ?

A bit more info and I will try to get you down a better road..

 

[six-rs]

Good questions.
1. The car was purchased this February from our local Mercedes Benz dealership as used, as is, not as "Certified Pre-Owned." The dealer offered no warranty beyond the remaining factory warranty. The previous owner had sold the car in November of last year. The dealer claims the car received a "B service" in December.

2. The GLC has just over 18,000 miles on the clock. It's a 4MATIC.

4. The temperature at which brake squeal occurs seems to be a moving target. Initially, the brakes were essentially quiet until the temperature fell into the mid-20s. When the temperature dropped further, below about 10 degreesF, the squeal turned into an incredibly embarrassing shriek! Braking noise while backing up is considerably worse than braking during forward motion. Now some squealing occurs when the temperature is simply cool, say below about 50F. Warming up the brakes with a firm stop or two quiets them down for awhile. But this doesn't work when its very cold.

5. After we brought this to the dealer's attention, they pointed out that the previous owner must have replaced the front brake pads as an attempted fix. The front pads are virtually brand new. This probably was done where the previous owner purchased the car which would have been a different dealership than ours. The disks show minimal wear and are free of gouges or other visual imperfections. The dealers suggestion is to wait for Mercedes to publish a solution, strongly implying that this should happen this year.

 

[six-rs]

Here is another data point regarding my GLC 300's brake noises. When the brakes have gotten wet such as at a car wash, the first couple of brake applications present a juddering or vibration to the brake pedal accompanied by a low frequency moaning sound. This goes away quickly after the pads have presumably dried out. I don't know how this might vary by temperature; we don't wash the car when it's freezing.

In my experience, wet brakes can temporarily reduce the effectiveness of the brakes but I've not before had this pedal vibration/moaning happen.

 

[plinker17722]

six yoiur right the disc replacement was for the saloon cars of 2016 in the uk not the 4 matic 300 glc

 

[Jack B.]

We recently purchased a used 2016 GLC 300 4MATIC. We test drove it in mild weather and all was good. As has been discussed here before, when the temperature falls below a certain point, 25 deg.F in our case. The brakes begin to squeal in both forward and reverse; the squeal is worse in reverse. Below about 10 deg.F, the squeal becomes a SHREEK, a wake up the neighbors shreek.

The dealer now tells us this issue is well known to Mercedes and that a fix is under development. They say an earlier attempt at a fix by replacing brake pads was not successful. We were also told that a permanent fix could be released as early as May, 2018. Sure, the month of May is a great time of year to test a fix for a cold weather problem. Further, they claim Mercedes continues to produce vehicles with this brake noise problem. Hard to believe. So, it would be great to hear from owners of 2018 model year cars. Are your brakes quiet in very cold weather? Are they noisy? Your input here would be appreciated.

My hunch is that, by now (2 years plus?), Mercedes knows exactly what the problem is but hesitates to bring forward a real fix because it would involve replacing expensive parts such as brake calipers or brake mounting points. In any case, the Mercedes engineers are not putting in any overtime on this issue. I don't understand why Mercedes is dragging its feet on this issue. It can't be good marketing.

We recently purchased a used 2016 GLC 300 4MATIC. We test drove it in mild weather and all was good. As has been discussed here before, when the temperature falls below a certain point, 25 deg.F in our case. The brakes begin to squeal in both forward and reverse; the squeal is worse in reverse. Below about 10 deg.F, the squeal becomes a SHREEK, a wake up the neighbors shreek.

The dealer now tells us this issue is well known to Mercedes and that a fix is under development. They say an earlier attempt at a fix by replacing brake pads was not successful. We were also told that a permanent fix could be released as early as May, 2018. Sure, the month of May is a great time of year to test a fix for a cold weather problem. Further, they claim Mercedes continues to produce vehicles with this brake noise problem. Hard to believe. So, it would be great to hear from owners of 2018 model year cars. Are your brakes quiet in very cold weather? Are they noisy? Your input here would be appreciated.

My hunch is that, by now (2 years plus?), Mercedes knows exactly what the problem is but hesitates to bring forward a real fix because it would involve replacing expensive parts such as brake calipers or brake mounting points. In any case, the Mercedes engineers are not putting in any overtime on this issue. I don't understand why Mercedes is dragging its feet on this issue. It can't be good marketing.

This is happening wit our 2019 GLC 300, it is annoying to the fact I may want to trade it in.....

 

[503865]

Maybe there are just not many such 2018 folk yet reading this forum.

All 2016 GLC owners should keep an eye on their warranty expiration date. It could be that Mercedes is hoping to run out the warranty clock before having to fix all these noisy brakes properly.

Believe me when I say there are some VERY rich people hanging out on these pages. Sadly not me.

The old trick to stop brake squeal is to put grease on the back (non friction) sides of the pads. The grease basically soaks up the vibrations that cause the squeals. Maybe in your very low temperatures the grease has just gone hard and you should try some special low temperature grease (if such a thing exists) or switch to copper grease instead of regular black grease.

 

[DKB]

Thanks for this data point, Schroedinger. It will be interesting to learn about your results come next January. (Was the second fix also a brake pad swap?)

I repeat that it would be incredibly helpful to have owners of the 2018 GLC300 chime in about how their brakes perform in very cold weather. Maybe there are just not many such 2018 folk yet reading this forum.

All 2016 GLC owners should keep an eye on their warranty expiration date. It could be that Mercedes is hoping to run out the warranty clock before having to fix all these noisy brakes properly.

I have a 2018 GLC and the brakes really screech when it is cold. Took it into a Brakes Plus dealer and they checked them and said the brakes were fine and it's just Mercedes brakes.

 

[ianrandom]

I have a 2018 GLC and the brakes really screech when it is cold. Took it into a Brakes Plus dealer and they checked them and said the brakes were fine and it's just Mercedes brakes.

Welcome to the forum. Can I recommend putting your car model and year in your profile for us please? Complete your Profile

What is a brakes plus dealer? Not something I've heard of.

 

[DKB]

Welcome to the forum. Can I recommend putting your car model and year in your profile for us please? Complete your Profile

What is a brakes plus dealer? Not something I've heard of.

Brakes Plus is part of a chain that specializes in brakes, it was closer than the dealership, so I took my car in to check it out because they were so loud, I thought the car my not be safe to drive any further. Again, Break Plus is to brakes what Jiffy Lube is to oil changes. They said everything look fine with the brakes - it was "...a Mercedes brake thing"