Brake judder

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cb1965

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Drove my SL a week ago and it was perfect. Jumped in it today and the brakes are juddering every time I use them with it most noticeable when braking from high speeds. You feel it through the pedal and through the floor but not really through the steering wheel.

Car has just had new discs and pads (Mercedes genuine parts) about 500 miles ago.

Car was last driven in the dry and parked in my garage for the last week so no rust on discs etc. juddering feels more than that anyway. I think the lack of movement of the steering wheel indicates an issue with the rears rather than the fronts, but I'm open to advice on that. A brief visual inspection reveals no issues although I really need to get the wheels off and gave a proper look,

Anyone any ideas before I take it to be looked at?

Is it worth trying a bed in procedure (2 lots of 10 60mph to 10 mph stops with a cool down procedure in between?
 
most noticeable when braking from high speeds. You feel it through the pedal and through the floor but not really through the steering wheel.

Are you sure you are not feeling the ABS pulsing when braking from high speed? Juddering usually points to warped discs in my experience.

Removing the wheels and seeing if the discs spin true is where I would start.
I'd also check the pads are correctly positioned in the calipers and the caliper holding bolts are securely tightened.
 
My car had horribly "warped" discs. Upon removal we found the hubs were badly corroded. I suspect this was part of the issue that the PO didnt clean off the hubs before slapping on a new set. Clean them up first, and asap, before they get unevenly worn.
 
Are you sure you are not feeling the ABS pulsing when braking from high speed? Juddering usually points to warped discs in my experience.

Removing the wheels and seeing if the discs spin true is where I would start.
I'd also check the pads are correctly positioned in the calipers and the caliper holding bolts are securely tightened.

No it's not the ABS, but good point about checking everything. It's just weird that it drove perfectly last week and yet today as soon as I get in it I notice the issue.
 
My car had horribly "warped" discs. Upon removal we found the hubs were badly corroded. I suspect this was part of the issue that the PO didnt clean off the hubs before slapping on a new set. Clean them up first, and asap, before they get unevenly worn.

Might be worth a look too, thanks.
 
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Same as mine, was great until last week, now I really feel it through the pedal. New OEM discs and pads fitted 2000 miles ago! Will get them stripped next week and see if discs have warped :(
 
Same as mine, was great until last week, now I really feel it through the pedal. New OEM discs and pads fitted 2000 miles ago! Will get them stripped next week and see if discs have warped :(

Given I bought OEM genuine discs I will be we'll hacked off if they have warped in 500 miles!!!!!:(
 
They leave uneven deposits on the face if not bedded properly. Can happen very quickly, like your 500 miles. Or it can be worn suspension bushes. Cant hurt to take off the calipers snd clean off the hubs with a flat scraper.... Assuming you bont have Stupid Braking Circuit (SBC)
 
They leave uneven deposits on the face if not bedded properly. Can happen very quickly, like your 500 miles. Or it can be worn suspension bushes. Cant hurt to take off the calipers snd clean off the hubs with a flat scraper.... Assuming you bont have Stupid Braking Circuit (SBC)

Yep got SBC but also have tool to turn it off! I do suspect deposits on the disc so how do I sort that if that's the case?
 
First thing is definitely to make sure that everything is seated correctly and secured correctly.
Excessively-severe braking could cause discs to warp due to uneven heating.
Unlikely - Unless you have really hammered the brakes.
Also make sure that the pistons in your calipers are moving freely.
I once had brake judder on a 126 due to a seized piston.
 
Are you sure you are not feeling the ABS pulsing when braking from high speed? Juddering usually points to warped discs in my experience.

Removing the wheels and seeing if the discs spin true is where I would start.
I'd also check the pads are correctly positioned in the calipers and the caliper holding bolts are securely tightened.

I would be very concerned if the O/p was feeling ABS at high speed.

The most likely cause is friction material deposition onto the disk causing uneven braking force as the disk spins.
 
Car has been to Whitefiled Mercedes yesterday who have looked at the brakes and concluded that there is some corrosion on the front discs where the pads have been sitting close to them and the car has been stood for over a week and this is causing the vibration.

They suggest using the vehicle and performing some repeated hard braking to clear the corrosion off the surface of the disc.

I will pick it up and try this this aftenoon, but the jury is out as the car was last used in the dry and parked up and then when used the next time this problem was evident. If it had been wet when I put it away I could concur more with the diagnosis.

Since having the new discs/pads I have driven it in the rain and this problem wasn't evident the next time I drove it then.

Anyway I will see how it is this afternoon!

Wht I will say is Whitefield Mercedes have been exellent with listening to my issue, with their communication and on fixing a couple of other niggles. The bill is extremely reasonable too and they have fully checked the remainder of the braking system including the caliper bolts etc. so fair play to them!
 
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OK picked the car up and did some repeated hard braking and the brakes feel a lot better now so seems that Whitefield Mercedes were spot on.

Will have to watch for this in the future now.
 
You shouldn't be driving fast enough to need the brakes in earnest. It sounds like you are driving too fast for the distance you can see in.
 
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Oh yes they do!

I asked my 40 years in the trade garage owner friend about this the other day and he agrees with you that they can indeed warp and therefore the myth that's it's a myth is definitely a myth :D
 
Just had the "juddering" in my new addition (ML500) to the family - now two V8's :)
Turned out that the front discs were warped - OEM fitted and now super smooth braking as you would expect.
 

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