bezbozhnik

I recently picked up a 2001 C320, and it runs great, aside from an occasional high-pitched squeal at low speeds. I've taken it to the dealer twice (it's still under warranty) and both times they've claimed to have fixed it, only to have it come back soon afterwards.

Once upon a time, mbtech208 posted a list of service bulletins for the W203, and among them was "Brake squeal, updated pads". However, he didn't post any bulletin numbers, and he abruptly stopped posted back in May. I searched on www.startekinfo.com and www.alldata.com, to no avail. Does anyone know about this SB, or have any thoughts as to what might be causing this noise?

Buellwinkle

MB pads can and will will squeal. What you need to do is remove them, sand the edges to bevel them. Then spread anti-squeel compound on the backing where it contacts the caliper and let it dry for about 20 minutes and put them back in, that should stop it. Some people swear by the anti-squeal spray but I never used it. Also, the factory pads on that model dust like crazy, you want to try another brand. I've had good sucess with Porterfields.

elchinocache

do u still have to apply the anti-squeel compound even if you use porterfields? be cause mine squeak a lot and its embarassing to be in a benz and when you come to a stop u sounds like a dying pig

Buellwinkle

Yes, all brake pads in our car need some sort of anti-squeel paste or spray. What happens when you step on the brake lightly is that the pad vibrates, sort of like fingernails on a chalk board. The anti-squeel paste acts like a glue/cushion to prevent that from happening. On some cars like my daughter's Ford, it uses an anti-squeel plastic shim to do the same thing but I still use the anti-squeel paste. I did brake pads at the same time as my buddy side by side and he didn't want to use the anti-squeel compound because it's messy but did everything else the same, same pads, same new rotors. His squeeled like crazy, mine were fine. So he ended up having to the brake job over again to put the paste on.