bad brakes
 

is it just me or do the brakes on the new class suck? i mean i am trying to brake and yes at first they are a bit sensitive, but as you dig further, the car takes longer to brake? maybe its just me, but my wife said the same thing? what are your opinions on this issue

08' c300 sport
i think i am going to put stainless steel lines and better brake fluid:nix:

I feel exactly the same as you.
I find it hard to press the brakes. (Takes a lot more push than I would think it will need to do hard braking)

I believe the braking system of C learns and adjust the braking response based on your braking habit. I might be wrong, but it happen to me also. When I got my C first time. The brake worked wonder. then my wife drove, and I had to brake harder to stop for a day or two. After that, the brake works great again.

really? i thought the braking power was great.

it seems like whenever i push the breaks, the computer takes over a little bit and brings it to a stop very quickly.. depending on how suddenly/quickly i push on the pad.

There is nothing wrong with the brakes.
Even in wet terrain they work perfectly.

Same here. My C300 stops on a dime with 9.5 cents change.

Actually, it can bring you to a stop so rapidly when needed, that the concern turns to whether or not the vehicle behind you can also stop that quickly.


As for the original poster's question, I can't help but wonder if the brakes might have burnished due to multiple heavy/rapid stops.

In any event, I'd get it checked out. If my car is any comparison, there is something wrong.

My break is great!! Excellent initial bite.

I'll assume the two posters above are either new to MB or this is their first MB in a few years. The brakes on all new MB take some time to get used to, ride along with someone who has never driven a Benz and prepare to test the seatbelt locks.

i can totally feel the computer stopping the brakes. it's pretty cool. it kinda gives you that sensation when you are on a roller coaster, and it's brought to a stop very suddenly... but on a lesser scale, of course.

It is, in fact, pretty much the first MB I've driven.

I guess I'm just way more used to my car, but I end up getting used to the C class brakes in no time every time I drive it.

hyukki,

This is my first MB too, but what I see is that the brake pedel takes less pressure than say my previous Buick LeSabra, not more. If anything, I have to be careful not to apply too much foot pressure.

If you're finding that it takes a lot of pressure, then there is something wrong. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the brakes were also "wire", not hydraulic/vacuum from the pedel. So brake pedel resistance could mean something else is amiss.

As another poster hit on, it may be learning your driving habits and as such, switch drivers could keep it in a state of reprogramming from the previous driver(s). Does someone else drive your vehicle (someone with a heavy foot.lol)?

Big + for the brakes performance:y

Big - for the brake dust:mad:

So far so good:zoom:

Best brakes of any car we've had, and that's saying something.

Yes, they seem to have a lot of initial "bite", but I don't find that terribly hard to get used to.

As an aside, I'll observe that the "issues" that seem to come up about the W204 seem pretty small compared to any other new MB in recent memory....we seem to be reaching, sometimes, to find "defects".

Very non-linear. If you really stand on them they work well, but sometimes I notice them needing more pressure than what I was expecting and it's almost caught me out a few times.

They are very easy to drive with in heavy traffic though ... which I enjoy.

It's just that the brakes on my car and my sisters C are different. My brakes are very light(or it feels like to me.) and the C class brakes take a bit more strength to press.

I've driven my sisters car most of the time and she's probably driven maybe 200 miles out of the 1000 she has on the car. If it is learning, it should be learning my style. :p:


Not a biggie, the brakes work very well nonetheless.

Brake dust. :mercy:

Since I have to take care/wash the car... it's hell.:mercy::mercy::mercy:

it is my first MB, i guess i am comapring it to my M3 which has loads of bite... also, my wife and i both drive it on and off weekly, so maybe the computer is constantly getting reset if you will.. i drove it 2 days in a row i can honestly say that the brakes have now behaved themselves. they are now predictable to my driving habiits... next week thought they will be reset again (the wifes turn)haha

dunno about learning brakes
 

THe brochure says the w204 has brake assist, which it states is some sort of monitoring/assistance issue where it measures speed and velocity trend, cornering, loads, and "immediateness" of braking, etc. (my words, not theirs)to assist in braking. So, it is a smart braking system that can figure out if you're doing a panic stop while coming down a hill making a right hand turn. But I don't think its an overall learning system that adjusts on a more permanent basis. Without memory seat type function, this would be bad for vehicles with more than one driver, as is often the case. But whadda I know, anyone read the manual?

Brakes
 

<<then my wife drove, and I had to brake harder to stop for a day or two. After that, the brake works great again.>>

Does she brake with her left foot?

Learning brakes
 

<<brochure says the w204 has brake assist, which it states is some sort of monitoring/assistance issue where it measures speed and velocity trend, cornering, loads, and "immediateness" of braking, etc. (my words, not theirs)to assist in braking. So, it is a smart braking system that can figure out if you're doing a panic stop while coming down a hill making a right hand turn.....>>

No. It does not learn anything. What it does do is measure the time between when you lift off the throttle and the rate at which you start to depress the brake pedal which tells the system that you are making a panic stop, at which time full brake pressure is applied. The moment you back off on the brake pedal, the brakes release normally.

All this is because it was found that drivers do not brake hard enough in an emergency, thus striking whatever was in front of them. BAS has been around for awhile. All W203s have it plus earlier S-Classes.

It is a good thing.

....sounds like somebody's riding their brakes.

Brakes
 

<<....sounds like somebody's riding their brakes.>>

That was my thought, obviously, thus glazing the pads which takes a few miles to wear through. The dealers call left foot brakers "two-footed drivers."