My brakes feel weird like when im braking there is a while where no braking happens and then suddenly it hooks up and i get a ton of brake pressure i drove my friends c200 but its normal is this an issue or is it normal

 

Get them inspected and don't drive the car until they're repaired!

 

Scary stuff, stop driving and get it checked as mentioned, safety issue.

 

ive been driving like this for 2 years so i dont think its a major issue

 

I see, you are not worried? You never thought of bringing it in but what made you decided to post about it on the forums today, just curious to be honest.

 

I decided to make this post after all this time is because i thought i could get used to it but its terrible in traffic so i wanted a solution also i dont have the time to take it in also i wanted to see if its normal or im just worried

 

I see, you kind of do have to take it in. I mean, to answer your question, no, no reported cases on this vehicle on this forum.

 

That said, it might be the regen switching, did you have a chance to test another W206 and have similar experiences? If so, that might be normal for this vehicle because of regen doing its job then physical brakes take over.

 

Alright thanks

 

You're welcome.

 

Normal, it's the regen. Happens on the 2025 C300 I just got.

Slightly pressing on the brake pedal seems to do nothing but you can see the regen gauge on the display light up, then brakes come down when pressing deeper on the brake pedal. The brake pedal feeling also changes in freeway driving as regen automatically engages when approaching a car in front to slow down automatically.

Weird at first, but I quickly got used to it. I also I knew about it before going for a test drive as it was mentioned in some Youtube videos I watched beforehand, it was called a "deal breaker" by Throttle House or Straight Pipes (can't remember which).

 

Mystery solved! Since it is normal behaviour, no wonder it wasn't at all talked about for this model on this forums.

 

It was the latter.

 

Yep found it, mentioned at beginning of video.

 

They don't realize many vehicles with the regen does this right, with the 48V mild hybrid? It is part of the package.

 

Actually not many do it the way MB did.
In vast majority of cars regen is activated in parallel with normal brakes. In C-class it's first regen, than normal breaks.
It feels weird at the beginning, but i got used to it very quickly and now it's very natural for me. I think it was a good design choice by them, even if it's being picked-on by reviewers. In a way i can't blame them for picking on it, however if they would be totally honest, they would just say it's something that requires some getting used to. I'm sure they know it works well once driver got used to it...
I often find myself using regen only on purpose. Helps to improve fuel economy and brakes wear.

 

fully agree on the part about improving fuel economy and reducing brake wear, especially when we often just need to slow down a little which uses only the regen braking

 

It doesn't save that much on brake wear: https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...rake-wear.html

 

Perhaps it does help enough on a W206 C Class opposed to the heavy W223 S Class on the other thread.

 

Given the cost, complexity and reliability of MH systems, I'm skeptical that they yield a positive ROI in fuel economy either. However this is only my opinion, based entirely on my observation that car manufacturers are not fiercly promoting the virtues of MH equipped vehicles.

 

The MH system also adds weight so I wonder if it would had saved more fuel if that system wasn't added in the first place?

 

I'm also skeptical that each and every car brand and model gets dynamometer tested for its MH fuel economy. I suspect a car manufacturer just scores points that get applied across the entire fleet toward meeting regulatory requirements.

 

Probably the case.

 

Well, i don't know about S-class, but i know for sure it can save on brake wear.
But this heavily depends on driving style. I'm trying to look ahead and adjust my driving to situation on the road. If i see lights changing to red, i'm starting to break earlier, not wait till last moment. If i'm on the highway and see someone ahead of me changing lane to mine, i start braking. By doing this and using regen braking, i can drive long distance and barely use normal brake, whilst still not driving slow.
If someone is braking last moment (which i used to do when i was younger ), MHEV/regen braking will not help for brakes wear.
So i can say for myself - i got used to it and for me it works ok and help to reduce brake wear. Not saying it will always help. Hope this is clear now

So far i haven't heard about reliability problems.
As for the ROI, it depends how the price is calculated. We will never know in case of Mercedes, as all new cars are MHEV or PHEV now, so cannot really compare one with or without MHEV.
However i know for a fact, that in VAG (Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat) MHEV is in a way... for free What i mean by that, is that they do have same cars with manual transmission without MHEV and automated transmission with MHEV. Price difference is exactly the same, as in previous models, that didn't have MHEV at all. So in some way you are still paying same ~2k€ for automated transmission, as you would pay before, just this time you're getting MHEV. So in a way "for free"...
Of course, it is additonal cost for manufacturer, but not always reflecting in sales price of the car.
Depends on how MHEV is done, but usually they do save some fuel, despite added weight.
Used to drive MHEV Skoda Octavia. It was consuming about 0,5-1l/100km less than previous model with same engine, but without MHEV.
But fuel consumption is not only thing that MHEV gives. It also gives (if properly done) additional boost, mostly in torque. And it clearly works, as at least in my C200 i cannot really feel turbo lag, and there's no way that this car would be accelerating to 100km/h in 7.1 seconds, having only 204HP from 1.5 engine in 1750kg car...
It also gives Start&stop, which finally is not annoying and can be used in a way that you practically don't feel it. And yes, it does save fuel in traffic jams...
Lastly, new generation of Audi MHEVs are actually working kind of as a HEV, allowing for slow spped driving only on electrical motor. You can look up the videos with tests on YT, but it works very well. I was actually shocked when i saw fuel consumption of new Audi S5 in city driving.
6.5 l/100km in the city, with average speed of 22km/h. Coming from 3.0L V6 367HP engine!

And you are right on this one, this is to meet regulatory requirements. Or more to limit the losses.
Remember that these cars are from Europe. In EU there are crazy emissions restrictions. This year each car is allowed to emit only 93,6g of CO2 per one kilometer. Each gram over this is 95€ of penalty for manufacturer.
So they do different crazy things to lower the fleet emmissions. Of course having EV's is one measure to limit fleet emissions, but they are still focusing on limiting real emissions from ICE.
If they are able to make MHEV to consume 1l/100km less (which is possible, and this Audi case shows even more is possible) using EU emissions tests, it means it's 23g/km less of CO2, so equivalent of almost 2200€.
So all about politics here...
But i don't really mind that, if it doesn't make cars much more expensive. Having MHEV i actually like it and prefer to have car with it, than without it. However if i would have to pay for example 2k€ JUST to have MHEV, probably wouldn't get it

 

Thanks for the video, yes I agree it depends on driving style as well.

I usually look ahead as well (not as easy through a sedan through a sea of SUVs) but possible to see the vehicles in front if they start braking, my foot is ready to brake and the moment the vehicle right in front of me brake, it is time to brake.