11 months old genuine discs and pads worn out?

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guydewdney

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 14, 2004
Messages
2,911
Location
Porlock, Zomerzet
Car
906 Sprinter 313cdi
Cant believe my genuine discs and pads have lasted 11 months and 9000 miles.

No errors on sbc module.

do I have any form of recourse?

fitted by non mb specialist indy (but is a personal enthusiast with a 215 cl500)

no, i dont drive like a tw@t. But a lot of B roads.
 
According to the MB website: 'Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts come with a minimum 2 year unlimited mileage warranty'. Quote is copied and pasted from the site itself (Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts - Overview). So it looks like you have a good case for seeking replacements.:thumb:
 
The front brake pads on my Mercs tend to wear beyond 75% around 12,000 miles. I usually get prompted to get them changed at this stage because it may not last until the next service.

As a rough rule of thumb, I find that the MB brake discs will require replacing every second set of pads. Another rule of thumb is that my rear brake pads will last twice as long as the front brake pads.

So rough rule of thumb

2x brake pad replacement = 1x disc replacement
2x front brake pad replacement = 1x rear brake pad replacement

Your mileage may vary significantly from this.
 
According to the MB website: 'Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts come with a minimum 2 year unlimited mileage warranty'. Quote is copied and pasted from the site itself (Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts - Overview). So it looks like you have a good case for seeking replacements.:thumb:

Unfortunately not for 'consumable' items when I tried to claim for new set of wiper blades after the replacement set lasting only 6 months!
 
What do you guys do to brakes? My Volvo has nearly 70k on it and it's still only on its second set of pads. The W208 has done 30k with me and I only changed the pads because I did a brake upgrade. I would expect at least 40k from pads and double that for discs

That said MB pads and discs are complete carp hence my brake upgrade
 
That seems incredibly short brake life from a couple of you. OK, my mileage is probably 75% motorway, but I still have to brake now and again and there's plently of other use.

My discs were noted as pitted at 40K, but the dealer said they couldn't change them under the service contract as the pads were new. They were the originals!
 
What do you guys do to brakes? My Volvo has nearly 70k on it and it's still only on its second set of pads. The W208 has done 30k with me and I only changed the pads because I did a brake upgrade. I would expect at least 40k from pads and double that for discs

That said MB pads and discs are complete carp hence my brake upgrade

I blame the excessive brake wear on the London start-stop traffic coupled with the numerous speed bumps and speed cameras! Although I have never owned a manual MB, I got a distinct feeling that the automatics eat the brake pads/discs more quickly than manuals - possibly due to lack of engine braking?

40K? Never in my lifetime have I owned a car that came close to this let alone 70K. The best mileage I have achieved on a Peugeot 305 manual was around 25K before the front brake pads needed replacement. So you are doing extremely well.
 
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With SBC brakes in addition to braking they also perform a vehicle stability function.
When the driver presses the brake pedal - or when ESP intervenes to stabilize the vehicle - the SBC control unit calculates the desired target brake pressures on each individual wheel. Through the use of independent pressure modulators the system regulates the hydraulic pressure at each wheel. These four pressure modulators consist of one inlet and one outlet valve, controlled by electronic output stages.
The system employs a travel sensor and a pressure sensor at the pedal to measure the speed and force of the driver's command. The control unit processes this information and generates the control signals for the wheel pressure modulators. Normally, the master brake cylinder is detached from the brake circuit. A pedal travel simulator creates normal pedal feedback. If ESP intervenes, the high-pressure reservoir supplies the required brake pressure quickly and precisely to selected wheels, without any driver involvement.

You drive a heavy-ish high torque saloon car on B roads. Might I suggest that " spirited driving" might be placing a lot more stress on the brakes than you are aware of without you actually touching the brake pedal??
I suppose its possible there's a fault with the ESP circuitry?

http://www.micro-tronik.com/Support/Info/Benz-ESP-211.htm
 
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Its a seven seater estate not a saloon ;)

yes, theres some spirited driving, and yes, its hilly here, but since moving here 8 years ago, i cant remember having replaced a set of pads on any car. It went in for a service with a friend / mechanic who noted that i had "probably less than 1000 miles left" on the pads. Discs ok, but showing significant wear.

thinking about it, the last brake i had to do was about 6 or 7 years ago on a volvo 940 turbo estate. Thats 'cos it was siezed.
 
When I exchanged my W204 in November it had 42500 miles on the clock from new and was still on original disks and pads from the factory. The only preventative maintenance recommended by the dealership was to get the ventilation holes cleared out on the B service, as they had become blocked with crud. Apparently this can lead to premature disk wear if not corrected. Like you, I would not be happy with that mileage/time for disks and pads.
 
Its a seven seater estate not a saloon ;)

yes, theres some spirited driving, and yes, its hilly here, but since moving here 8 years ago, i cant remember having replaced a set of pads on any car.
thinking about it, the last brake i had to do was about 6 or 7 years ago on a volvo 940 turbo estate. Thats 'cos it was siezed.

Did any of the other cars have sensotronic brakes is the question I would have to ask. :dk:
maybe a web search might yield some info? e.g. http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/whee...3-s211-rear-brakes-always-slightly-sbc-2.html

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/wheels-tyres-brakes-suspension/16852-warning-e211-s211-owners.html

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
Mercedes-Benz Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC)

I guess what I am saying is that complex systems like SBC are excellent when a car is new and all the brake components are shiny and clean but SBC may require that top level of performance from all brake components to be maintained throughout the life of the car. In other words a conventional system may have a wide enough operating window to continue to function effectively at 75% efficiency. SBC may be less tolerant and start acting up???
 
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You should speak to the guy that fitted them.

A couple of years ago when I had Volvo v70 I had a drop link fitted. 6 months I had a similar knocking and assumed other side needed done. I took it back to the indy specialist and it turned out to be the one he had fitted. He replaced FOC and said that he would speak to the supplier about him being reimbursed. I wasn't going to complain at that and went away quite happy! Point is though he obviously had some recourse through the supplier for what he deemed a sub standard part.

I realise this is of no benefit but my C250 had 60k on it with original pads and discs when it went. The pads were in desperate need of being replaced but I would normally expect that sort of mileage out of a set of discs unless you spend half you life on the race track.

Either way there is something clearly amiss. I'm no mechanic but I would have thought you would have noticed decreased fuel consumption etc of your brakes were binding or the stability control was constantly interfering.

Andy
 
You drive a heavy-ish high torque saloon car on B roads. Might I suggest that " spirited driving" might be placing a lot more stress on the brakes than you are aware of without you actually touching the brake pedal??

I've certainly seen this mentioned on the latest 5 Series - but that was about them eating rear brakes as the ESP is intervening even in fairly normal driving.
 
I blame the excessive brake wear on the London start-stop traffic coupled with the numerous speed bumps and speed cameras! Although I have never owned a manual MB, I got a distinct feeling that the automatics eat the brake pads/discs more quickly than manuals - possibly due to lack of engine braking?

40K? Never in my lifetime have I owned a car that came close to this let alone 70K. The best mileage I have achieved on a Peugeot 305 manual was around 25K before the front brake pads needed replacement. So you are doing extremely well.

I don't wish to offend but maybe your reference to speed cameras explains your heavy brake use.
If you drove within the speed limit you wouldn't have to brake for the cameras. And just lift off a little when approaching the speed bumps???
 
What do you guys do to brakes? My Volvo has nearly 70k on it and it's still only on its second set of pads. The W208 has done 30k with me and I only changed the pads because I did a brake upgrade. I would expect at least 40k from pads and double that for discs

That said MB pads and discs are complete carp hence my brake upgrade

Just out of interest I checked the S-Class

From New F/Pads 32,968 Miles
R/Pads 64,268 "
F/Pads 79,595 "

Front+ Rear Pads + Discs 110,205 Miles :bannana: :thumb:

CL since we owned it

Changed F/R Pads + Discs 75,162 Miles. Now 105,640 Miles
 
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I don't wish to offend but maybe your reference to speed cameras explains your heavy brake use.
If you drove within the speed limit you wouldn't have to brake for the cameras. And just lift off a little when approaching the speed bumps???

No offence taken, but the W169 is notorious for its low height and in ability to circumvent speed bumps. Speed bumps on a 30mph street can barely be taken at 15mph without scraping the under tray unit if travelling directly over them. Alternatively they can be often be taken at 20mph if straddling across two speed bumps. Either way, it require a degree of braking and I happened to live in a residential area full of speed bumps!

Regarding the speed cameras, the one round the corner happens to be at the bottom of the hill where the speed limit drops from 30mph to 20mph just before the camera - again with traffic travelling down the hill at 30mph and then slowing to 20mph require a degree of braking.

The bottom line is that it is really hard to speed in London, but it would be a hell of a lot easier for motorists if the local councils were to erect speed bumps that motorists could actually travel over at the legal speed limit instead of having to slow down to circa 10mph below the speed limit in place.
 

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