Judder Rear Brakes - W210

[MeanRedSpider]

I'm getting judder from the rear brakes under heavy braking . The anti-chatter springs don't look great. Will new ones likely do the trick or should I be fitting new discs?

 

[johnsco]

It's possibly worn discs.
Check for corrosion areas on both surfaces.

Obviously look at the condition of your pads.

Check that all pistons are moving freely in the calipers.
They sometimes sieze, and this can cause juddering under heavy braking.

 

[MeanRedSpider]

Thanks. Are the discs as easy to change as they look? I do all my own work on my race car so I'm "competent" just need to know I'm not going to get any nasty surprises when I come to pull it to bits. Pads are reasonably new. Will check for movement in the pistons too.

 

[MeanRedSpider]

Are there any good sources of the pins and springs? I'm struggling to find a supplier other than (I assume) the local M-B place. They're only ATE so I'd have thought they're pretty generic (if not identical to those that my Alfa used to have)

 

[MeanRedSpider]

Well, given the lack of replies, I just pressed ahead. Here's what I learned:

- The discs had spalled (surface come away) badly on the inner faces only. No idea why only the inner faces but it was clearly the issue.
- The disc change job was relatively easy: remove wheel, remove pads, remove caliper, back off the parking brake shoes (adjuster accessed through wheel bolt hole at the forward 1/8th position), remove disc. Replacing disc is reverse procedure, adjusting up parking brake as you go. The parking brake is exactly the same as my 40 year-old Alfa Giulia. Road test - all good.
- Eventually bought pins and springs from M-B dealer - 25 quid! Even the parts guy looked embarassed when he told me.

The only tricky bit for a capable diyer would be figuring out the brake shoe adjuster. The disc on my car refused to come off until I'd backed the shoes off.