Warning to E211/S211 owners

[marcos]

We are not alone!

My brother in law came round this afternoon after picking his Z4 up from BMW after servicing. New pads all round and discs needed too, rear discs due to no sensor, now guess how manymiles? ................................13,000 Apparently the BMW chap reckons BMW pads are designed to do this He was also told that both his rear suspension mounts have cracks and will have to be fixed but he didn't think warranty covered it.
I feel better now that another German manufacturer has issues with pads wearing out quickly and with no warning on the rear.

 

[jgevers]

We are not alone!

My brother in law came round this afternoon after picking his Z4 up from BMW after servicing. New pads all round and discs needed too, rear discs due to no sensor, now guess how manymiles? ................................13,000 Apparently the BMW chap reckons BMW pads are designed to do this He was also told that both his rear suspension mounts have cracks and will have to be fixed but he didn't think warranty covered it.
I feel better now that another German manufacturer has issues with pads wearing out quickly and with no warning on the rear.

Hi,

You're right! The rear brake wear problem is not just related to MB. Most manufacturers have brake wear problems. I think in part that it has to do with the much longer service intervals and the reduction of service items. As I've mentioned before, in franchised dealers brakes do not get cleaned and greased any more as part of a service. Hence the appearance of new tools in the form of a pin, to check brake pad thickness without taking brakes apart.

In fact, brake wear in general has changed over the last few years. Front pads still seem to last ok but discs seem to wear much quicker than before. It seems that the quality of discs has gone down. We used to order ATE, Textar or OE discs and they used to have a 'ground' finish. Nowadays, they are just 'cut'.

Lexus brakes seem to still last ok. When we order Diamond or OE discs for these they normally still have a 'ground' finish.

I must reitterate again. For brakes to function correctly over a long period, they need to be freed off, cleaned and greased! Hot brake dust and metal will result in corrosion on brake pad sliding areas. This can make the brake pads stick which will normally result in accelerated wear and extra heat which in turn results in localised boiling of brake fluid.

If you get a decent independent garage to spend 1 hour every 10K miles, freeing and lubricating brakes, you should last a lot longer and should avoid the corroded disc problem. The MB dealer will wonder why your brakes are lasting properly.

I'll get of my box now.

regards,

Job (that is my first name, I can't help that I am Dutch)

 

[sym]

We are not alone!

My brother in law came round this afternoon after picking his Z4 up from BMW after servicing. New pads all round and discs needed too, rear discs due to no sensor, now guess how manymiles? ................................13,000 Apparently the BMW chap reckons BMW pads are designed to do this He was also told that both his rear suspension mounts have cracks and will have to be fixed but he didn't think warranty covered it.
I feel better now that another German manufacturer has issues with pads wearing out quickly and with no warning on the rear.

Hmmm ... interesting. I needed new rear pads at the last service, as was told that there was less than 1000 miles left before the warning light came on ... implying that the rears do have sensors ! As it happens, the wheels were off as they were doing the brake fluid anyway, so didn't cost me any more than the actual parts. Can't believe that there are no sensors ????

S.

 

[jgevers]

Hmmm ... interesting. I needed new rear pads at the last service, as was told that there was less than 1000 miles left before the warning light came on ... implying that the rears do have sensors ! As it happens, the wheels were off as they were doing the brake fluid anyway, so didn't cost me any more than the actual parts. Can't believe that there are no sensors ????

S.

BMW E39 does have a rear brakepad wear sensor

 

[glojo]

Hi,

You're right! The rear brake wear problem is not just related to MB. Most manufacturers have brake wear problems.

Job (that is my first name, I can't help that I am Dutch)

Hi Job,
I now have in my possession a copy of the US Mercedes-Benz Technical Service Bullentin issued to all US dealerships warning them about 'premature, or excessive brake pad wear'

They have defined premature wear as:

*****Note: Premature brake wear is defined by the rear brake pads wearing out quicker than the front axle brake pads.******

I will willingly send a copy of this TSB to either Brian or Job.

It also states that there is one rear wear brake sensor (That rattles the old false teeth)

These are US vehicles so they may well be different.