Guilty

Hey guys,

Has anyone actually done it? My dealership is looking to help me do the carbon ceramic upgrade but since they've never done it, they asked for Mercedes help.

Mercedes said the axles have to be replaced? The service manager told me it didn't make any sense to him. He asked that I try and ask here to see if anyone can put us on the right path.

Any help would be highly appreciated. Mainly, which parts need to be replaced.

Thank you

kfehling

Forgive the question but I assume you mean brake conversion. If so, my dealer's AMG rep said that it cannot (or should not I guess) be done as an original steel rotored car has the brake drying feature that during rain or snow events, has the brakes "drag" a bit to dry the moisture off the rotors. This is done to make sure one always has the maximum braking force available as a dry rotor stops more effectively than a wet one. When converting to a carbon ceramic rotor, this brake drying would result in a noticeable stopping action as the ceramics have quite substantial initial bite. I was told this feature could not be defeated. However, replacing the axles may result in the removal of this feature. I would be curious to know for sure. The brake vendor on this forum has a ceramic kit that they claim has been used effectively on steel rotored cars with no issue. I was suspicious of their claim and they offered me a refund if I converted and it did not work because of the drying feature. For the price, I can go through a lot of steel rotors at track events and be sure of not having any issues with the drying feature so I did not take them up on their offer. Search this forum and you will find them and if you give it a go, let us know how it turns out.

Kurt

Andyroo

As an aside, I wonder if this 'self drying feature' has any link to the accelerated brake wear some owners have been experiencing?

Guilty

Hi Kurt,

This is the first time I hear about this drying feature. My car has actually been eating pads every 5 miles which is why we're looking into the conversion.

My dealership is offering me 50% off the parts + free labor. Mercedes-AMG will cover 25% off the parts as well. My share is about 25% of the parts cost.

The AMG rep told my service manager that the rear axles had to be replaced so it doesn't interfere with the ESP. This didn't make sense to my service manager since the carbon ceramic conversion is only happening in the front. We're keeping the steel rotors in the back.

I'd like to go ahead and do it but it's an unknown territory for everyone involved.

I just replaced my pads last month (2nd time, at 11k miles, out of pocket both times) so it's going to take another 2-3 months before we do the conversion. I'll make sure to update and let everyone know how it goes. If anyone has done this before and can provide a parts list, that'd be awesome.

Thanks!

OrientBlue3

Do you know why your car has been eating pads? I'm having a "shudder/stutter" or "grabbing" issue at low speed braking where it feels like the brakes are rapidly (but lightly) grabbing as I start to apply the brakes. I've seen someone else complain of this on a 2015, but I'm wondering if it's a larger issue I should take up with my dealer because I don't want to be eating pads as well.

Guilty

Not sure why. But I do know someone else that have the same issue. We tend to drive our cars aggressively.

To answer your questions: I have 0 issues with my braking, it's perfect. I just switch pads as soon as the light comes on. But even with the light on, my braking is s till near optimal.

My only issue is that this car eats pads like if they were free. On my previous vehicles, including a heavier CL63 that I abused 365 days a year, the pads lasted about 20-25k miles. This is why I'm raising hell with MB and asking for a CCB conversion. I'm not willing to play this game for much longer, nor should anyone.

BMW offers pads replacement under warranty, usually no questions asked. MBZ slogan is "The Best or Nothing"

So far, it's been nothing but headaches.

From BMW's Website:

I expect the same or better from MB. My brand loyalty has been as its lowest since a very long time.

kfehling

Going through pads that fast seems very strange. I will admit that I toasted my front pads after 20 minutes on the track so I suppose if you are very hard stopper on the street, it could happen. How do your other cars do? Do you drive them the same and go through pads as often? I also wonder if there could be a malfunction in the brake dry feature? Do you ever drive in the eco mode and if so, does the sailing feature seem to work well such that once the transmission decouples, does the car roll freely? Or does if feel like the brakes are being applied? If the latter, I wonder if the pads are dragging too much and thus, causing the extreme wear?

Back to the main issue: I cannot see any reason why the rear axle would need to be changed for this conversion as you are right, the ceramics are only going on the front.

What dealership are you working with? Do you have the ability to visit another?

Guilty

This is the only car I ever had this problem on. As I said previously, I always drove the way I drive and my pads lasted 20 to 25k miles on different vehicles.

I sill don't know what the brake dry feature is so I can't make any assumption on that. I just know the basics. I'm not too technical.

In regards to the sailing feature, well I never experienced it. My car always set to S+. No sail boat for me.

Also, traction control is disabled 95% of the time. I don't think that it's eating the rear pads.

I do have the ability to visit another dealership but my current dealership is awesome and they're offering me a very nice gesture that no other dealership can match. It's just a matter of getting the right parts list at this point. The service manager himself showed me the emails with the AMG rep. I will ask him for the part list AMG gave us and post it here for your feedback.

SBH-

never heard of someone who had this done.. good luck with that and keep us updated.

jkob5

how much does it cost for new brake pads?

Guilty

If at dealer, about $1100 all corners. If outside, more like $700.

kfehling

Keep us posted as I am curious how this turns out. Good luck.

Guilty

Take a look at this thread. https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...onversion.html

How different you think the W205 is?

mr747

get onto racebrakes bud

there a sponsor here

Guilty

No, MB is paying.

AMG_Eric

This is what my service adviser said at my dealer

"Hi Eric-

I spoke with our shop foreman, and unfortunately we cannot do a ceramic disc replacement on our cars. It’s far more complicated than just removing and replacing parts. Control modules and sensors are involved, and the car’s central wiring harness cannot be replaced. Sorry for the delay with my answer, I wanted to be certain. "

AMG_Eric

I would also argue the axles don't need to be replaced since the c63s only comes with CCB up front and spindles are used in the FRONT.

However i would bet it needs changes in the ECU for ESP and ABS at the minimum since the braking distances are different and the CCB have more grab.

Biggiie

i had to change them at 19,000 kms, the hissing was just unbearable.. oh and the cost was around 700 euros for upfront and back are still fresh; APPARENTLY!!

Vipershade

Here is another CCB thread that has a steel to ceramic brake discussion (including additional info on the "brake dry system" - that might be helpful): https://mbworld.org/forums/c43-amg-c...ic-brakes.html

Guilty

Thanks guys.

I've read all the threads here. When time comes to replace the brakes again, I will give MB 2 options:

Either do the full CCB upgrade or warranty the brakes and pads until the end of my factory warranty. I think that's only fair.

OrientBlue3

Amazing you've got that kind of pull with your dealer. Wish they'd listen to me when I complained about all the issues I've had with my 3 AMG's!

Guilty

My service manager is really nice. He will go above and beyond to make his customers happy. I don't have any special pull with him, he's just a car nut like us and understands where I come from. We love to talk cars.

zipzap

Are they going to supply you a parts list of everything they use? Be good info for others wanting to go down this path

Andyroo

Do have the S or non-S?

Biggiie

Hello there again, it is a Regular C63..