Buellwinkle

I had the MB dealer install the Porterfield R4-S pads in my car and they are so loud people stare at you at stop lights. They squeal once they heat up a bit. I took it back to the dealer but they swear they put MB antisqueal compound on the pads. Has anyone had any positive experience with the Pagid brake pads, that's probably what I'll try next.

mleskovar

My Porterfield pads (front and rear) just started to slightly squeel and it's very intermittent. Why use MB antisqueal, it doesn't work on stock pads? I ordered some ceramic based high temp grease that I will be trying if the noise gets any worse. Also, there are antisqueal compounds that sort of loosely attach the pads to the piston and caliper housing. It goes on real thick and is supposed to dampen the vibration that causes the noise. When I picked up my pads at Porterfield they said it is OK to file a chamfer on the leading and trailing edges of the pads to help reduce vibration. I dislike the dust more than the noise.

Buellwinkle

I spoke to Porterfield and they said it's normal for the pads to squeal in the first few weeks. This will go away after a month. I'll hold on for a month before I try plan 'B'. If you do try something that works let me know. They don't always squeal. They squeal the loudest when good and hot, then it's consistant and loud. A minor squeak here and there would not bother me but this is really loud.

Kar don

your OEM pads wore out already?

Buellwinkle

Already! The car has 6,000 miles on it! Better safe than sorry. How many miles do you get out of you MB pads?

Actually I couldn't bear to live with the MB pads one more day. The dust was driving me crazy. I actually drove with a very light foot on the brake to avoid dust after getting a car wash. The Porterfield pads produce very little dust, comperable to the dust you get on the rear wheels. I'm hoping the squeal goes away and actually it has subsided somewhat today over the last few days. Another forum member, SoCal240/6 also had squeal problems with his Porterfield pads but they went away after a while although he tried different things to make it stop squealing it might have been time that did the trick. Or maybe if you hear the squeal long enough you get used to it or it's like a fart, you blame it on someone elses car.

jay

Maybe it's because my miles are all freeway, but I have 15K miles on my stock MB pads. Then again, it's LA freeway miles, so I'm probably up there with every other city driver. MB tells me they should last around 20K miles. I looked at them last weekend, and compared to my neighbor's new C240, the pads don't look all that worn. Then again, my MFD say's I still have 2300 miles until Service A!

mleskovar

I replaced my stock pads at 22K miles and they were worn only about 10% when I compared them to the new Porterfield pads. I bet they would go 100K miles at that rate. But, like Buellwinkle, I can't stand the dust. The stock ones started squeeling at 21K miles!

Buellwinkle

People have been getting as high as 30K miles on the factory pads. I have a slightly used set for sale. Guarantteed to keep wheels coated with a safety shield of dust. Actually the dealer told me to wax the wheels because the dust is corrosive. I wonder if the carbon kevlar dust from the Porterfields are corrosive.

SoCal240/6

I would champher the edges a bit more with a file,
and use a different brand of anti-squeal, liberally applied.

The MB dealer probably didn't do these things, because they are used to only installing OE pads, which need little or no anti-squeal.

The PFields do have a propensity to squeak, but you can get rid of it with champhering and the right kind of anti-squeal, applied in the right way.

Buellwinkle

What is the right brand of anti-squeal. I bought Permatex brand at Pep-Boys but haven't tried it yet. Is that any good? The MB mechanic said they put a very thin coat of anti-squeal compound so that it doesn't get on the rotors and cause problems. How liberally do you put the stuff on?