I recently took delivery of my 2018 C43 sedan. Bought the car off the lot for several reasons: 1) my prior lease was ending; 2) I was getting a great deal; 3) the car was very, very nicely equipped (leather with ventilated and heated seats, AMG HUD, Performance Exhaust, Black Ash wood trim, etc.).
The only thing that appeared a bit off was the fact that the brake rotors had quite a bit of rust on them. Furthermore, the rust wasn't just your typical orange rust, it was black rust that almost looked like baked on pad deposits mixed with rust.
Now, rotors and rust go hand-in-hand, so I thought that all the rust would get knocked off the rotors during my first drive home. I was wrong. It ended up taking nearly 200 miles to start to knock the baked-on rust deposits off the rotors. 200 miles of hard braking.
Once the rust started to diminish somewhat, I noticed that I could feel some ridges along the faces of both of my rear rotors. I feared that the rust deposits interfered with the ability for the pads and rotors to interface/wear smoothly over the course of that 200 miles. In addition, I would hear some strange noises and feel some mild vibrations when fully applying the brakes at parking/reversing speeds. I'm guessing this was the result of the ridges on the rotors.
I explained the situation to my local dealer and both the Service Manager and my Service Adviser absolutely knocked it out of the park for me. They were able to make a warranty claim that covered brand new rotors, pads, and hardware for every corner of the car.
I had all of the new brake hardware installed yesterday and when the technician pulled the old rotors off, we noticed moderate corrosion on the inner portions of the rotors (which was not visible with the brakes installed). After seeing the corrosion, I am beyond thrilled that I pursued new brakes. I was super impressed by how Mercedes-Benz, and more specifically, my dealer, handled this entire process. Some of the best customer service I've ever received.
Will have more updates when I pick up the car later this morning.
Moral of the story: If you're buying a car off the lot that has sat in a hot, humid, and moist environment, keep a close eye on your brakes. On these cars, full braking performance is a huge part of the experience.
Photos of the old, factory-installed rotors + 1 photo of a freshly-installed, NIB rotor:
I thought you were just experiencing normal brake grind at first... but, yeah... those are pretty bad. I’d have them replaced and covered by warranty too, if they looked like that even after 200mi of driving.
Wow... I did not know they coat the new rotot to that kind of color shade....nice
Same. Definitely a nice touch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mo11
Two of the (before)pics are for the rear rotors...
Yes sir.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mo11
I thought you were just experiencing normal brake grind at first... but, yeah... those are pretty bad. I’d have them replaced and covered by warranty too, if they looked like that even after 200mi of driving.
Me too. I really, really tried to give them a chance. But I kept driving and they kept staying relatively the same. It was taking away from my enjoyment of the new car because I was constantly looking over the rotors to see if I could notice improvement.
And when the rust finally started to diminish, I started feeling the ridges on the rears.
I finally just said, this is nuts, I'm not accepting anything less than a full replacement of all this hardware.
I am absolutely amazed by how much better the pedal feel is now.
Before, when using my old, factory-installed rotors/pads, the brakes were almost like an on/off switch. The stopping power was there initially, but they started to let go a bit the deeper I got into the pedal.
With the new setup, the brake pedal feel is much more linear and progressive. Initial bite is good and I can precisely dial up more bite with additional travel. The pedal feel is stronger and more confidence-inspiring the deeper I get into the pedal.
In short, these brakes feel much more analogous to the setup on my old W204 C63. That is a huge compliment to this braking system, as the C63's brakes were among the best and most consistent I've ever used on a road car.
I'm glad your service center took good care of you. You what's the name and location? You should give them a shout out, it sounds like they deserve it.
I'm glad your service center took good care of you. You what's the name and location? You should give them a shout out, it sounds like they deserve it.
They crushed it for me. That said, the old rotors were pretty trashed, which is unacceptable on a new car. Was shocked to see the corrosion on the inside portions of the old rotors (which I couldn't see when they were installed).
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
