Need help regarding a MB quote
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C63s
Need help regarding a MB quote
Hi Folks,
My wife drives a 2020 C63s AMG and she loves the car. She's been driving for less than 2 years and keeps the mileage pretty low (<10K). Last week, a couple of small issues popped up that she wanted MB to help her fix. The two issues are: 1/ the sunglass holder doesn't close and 2/ there's a slight brake squeal that she'd like to get fixed. After getting the MB service to take a look at her car, she was given a repair quote of $10,253! The quote states these items:
1 - Replace 3 of the tires (2 front, 1 year) - we have the tire protection insurance and had one rear tire replaced when one of her rear tires got a nail in it.
2 - Replace rear ear pads and rotors - pads at 4mm rotors have heat soak glazing and slight grooves
3 - Tire alignment ($760)
4 - Replace front pads and rotors - pads at 7mm have slight heat soak and and glazing
I'm not a car expert and neither is my wife but do the brake problems described here make sense given how long she's been driving the car and the fact she rarely uses the emergency (rear) brakes? Also, would you recommend that we get the tires and alignment done somewhere else because, it seems, the MB service team is charging a lot for the tires/alignment.
Any advice on this would be great and, quite honestly, I wasn't ready to drop $10K like this.
Thank you,
Alex
My wife drives a 2020 C63s AMG and she loves the car. She's been driving for less than 2 years and keeps the mileage pretty low (<10K). Last week, a couple of small issues popped up that she wanted MB to help her fix. The two issues are: 1/ the sunglass holder doesn't close and 2/ there's a slight brake squeal that she'd like to get fixed. After getting the MB service to take a look at her car, she was given a repair quote of $10,253! The quote states these items:
1 - Replace 3 of the tires (2 front, 1 year) - we have the tire protection insurance and had one rear tire replaced when one of her rear tires got a nail in it.
2 - Replace rear ear pads and rotors - pads at 4mm rotors have heat soak glazing and slight grooves
3 - Tire alignment ($760)
4 - Replace front pads and rotors - pads at 7mm have slight heat soak and and glazing
I'm not a car expert and neither is my wife but do the brake problems described here make sense given how long she's been driving the car and the fact she rarely uses the emergency (rear) brakes? Also, would you recommend that we get the tires and alignment done somewhere else because, it seems, the MB service team is charging a lot for the tires/alignment.
Any advice on this would be great and, quite honestly, I wasn't ready to drop $10K like this.
Thank you,
Alex
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2021
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C63s
Hi Folks,
My wife drives a 2020 C63s AMG and she loves the car. She's been driving for less than 2 years and keeps the mileage pretty low (<10K). Last week, a couple of small issues popped up that she wanted MB to help her fix. The two issues are: 1/ the sunglass holder doesn't close and 2/ there's a slight brake squeal that she'd like to get fixed. After getting the MB service to take a look at her car, she was given a repair quote of $10,253! The quote states these items:
1 - Replace 3 of the tires (2 front, 1 year) - we have the tire protection insurance and had one rear tire replaced when one of her rear tires got a nail in it.
2 - Replace rear ear pads and rotors - pads at 4mm rotors have heat soak glazing and slight grooves
3 - Tire alignment ($760)
4 - Replace front pads and rotors - pads at 7mm have slight heat soak and and glazing
I'm not a car expert and neither is my wife but do the brake problems described here make sense given how long she's been driving the car and the fact she rarely uses the emergency (rear) brakes? Also, would you recommend that we get the tires and alignment done somewhere else because, it seems, the MB service team is charging a lot for the tires/alignment.
Any advice on this would be great and, quite honestly, I wasn't ready to drop $10K like this.
Thank you,
Alex
My wife drives a 2020 C63s AMG and she loves the car. She's been driving for less than 2 years and keeps the mileage pretty low (<10K). Last week, a couple of small issues popped up that she wanted MB to help her fix. The two issues are: 1/ the sunglass holder doesn't close and 2/ there's a slight brake squeal that she'd like to get fixed. After getting the MB service to take a look at her car, she was given a repair quote of $10,253! The quote states these items:
1 - Replace 3 of the tires (2 front, 1 year) - we have the tire protection insurance and had one rear tire replaced when one of her rear tires got a nail in it.
2 - Replace rear ear pads and rotors - pads at 4mm rotors have heat soak glazing and slight grooves
3 - Tire alignment ($760)
4 - Replace front pads and rotors - pads at 7mm have slight heat soak and and glazing
I'm not a car expert and neither is my wife but do the brake problems described here make sense given how long she's been driving the car and the fact she rarely uses the emergency (rear) brakes? Also, would you recommend that we get the tires and alignment done somewhere else because, it seems, the MB service team is charging a lot for the tires/alignment.
Any advice on this would be great and, quite honestly, I wasn't ready to drop $10K like this.
Thank you,
Alex
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C63s
She has the regular (red) brakes, not the ceramic ones. That was me trying to save some cash. Would this make a difference on the longevity or quality of the braking system?
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2019 C63CS
LOL! Sorry, I'm laughing at that quote. First off if the glazing is true, then she unfortunately doesn't use the brakes enough and hard enough. She needs to properly step into the irons more often. I'm assuming you have standard brakes and not the CCBs. Try bedding the brakes properly first. Regardless, if you are getting your brakes done at the dealership, be prepared to get raped. You can source better rotors elsewhere and have an indy install them. Check out FCP Euro for example. Do a search and find my thread and others regarding brakes. There have been several discussions. I replaced my front rotors and pads at 18k miles, with parts and labor it was less than $2000. For the rear I only replaced the pads a little earlier, but kept the rotors, because they normally should last for two sets of pads unless they truly have some issues. I'm using OEM pads, but not sourced from the dealer. The rear brake job with parts and labor was about $600. Rear OEM replacement rotors can be found for as little as $70. There's a recent thread. Check out RockAuto. FCP Euro also has a rear brake kit for our cars now with everything you need, along with the Brembo front brake kit. Alignment for $760...LOL!. Maximum a $250 job. Tires, well that's what it is. They don't last very long on this car, but again you'll get raped at the dealership. Source your own tires from Tire Rack or elsewhere and again take it to an indy to mount them, or go to a tire store that does everything.
So just kinda roughly over the cuff in terms of cost you should be expecting if you really gonna do all this.
Save a bunch by properly bedding the brakes and using them as they are intended to be used.
So just kinda roughly over the cuff in terms of cost you should be expecting if you really gonna do all this.
- Front brakes: ~$1600
- Rear brakes: ~$800 with rotors
- A set of tires about $1100 + $200 for mounting with road force balancing
- Alignment: $250
Save a bunch by properly bedding the brakes and using them as they are intended to be used.
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C63s
LOL! Sorry, I'm laughing at that quote. First off if the glazing is true, then she unfortunately doesn't use the brakes enough and hard enough. She needs to properly step into the irons more often. I'm assuming you have standard brakes and not the CCBs. Try bedding the brakes properly first. Regardless, if you are getting your brakes done at the dealership, be prepared to get raped. You can source better rotors elsewhere and have an indy install them. Check out FCP Euro for example. Do a search and find my thread and others regarding brakes. There have been several discussions. I replaced my front rotors and pads at 18k miles, with parts and labor it was less than $2000. For the rear I only replaced the pads a little earlier, but kept the rotors, because they normally should last for two sets of pads unless they truly have some issues. I'm using OEM pads, but not sourced from the dealer. The rear brake job with parts and labor was about $600. Rear OEM replacement rotors can be found for as little as $70. There's a recent thread. Check out RockAuto. FCP Euro also has a rear brake kit for our cars now with everything you need, along with the Brembo front brake kit. Alignment for $760...LOL!. Maximum a $250 job. Tires, well that's what it is. They don't last very long on this car, but again you'll get raped at the dealership. Source your own tires from Tire Rack or elsewhere and again take it to an indy to mount them, or go to a tire store that does everything.
So just kinda roughly over the cuff in terms of cost you should be expecting if you really gonna do all this.
Save a bunch by properly bedding the brakes and using them as they are intended to be used.
So just kinda roughly over the cuff in terms of cost you should be expecting if you really gonna do all this.
- Front brakes: ~$1600
- Rear brakes: ~$800 with rotors
- A set of tires about $1100 + $200 for mounting with road force balancing
- Alignment: $250
Save a bunch by properly bedding the brakes and using them as they are intended to be used.
I'm going to go down this path you mentioned because I don't have a money tree growing in my backyard. I am glad you responded because I wouldn't know really what to do. If you're ever in San Francisco, hit me up sometime
Alex
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Out Of Control!!
Joined: Nov 2018
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From: San Francisco Bay Area
2019 C63CS
Thank you for the sanity check, I probably will not be taking the C63s back to that dealership again! You mentioned to have an "indy" install these parts, what is an "indy" exactly?
I'm going to go down this path you mentioned because I don't have a money tree growing in my backyard. I am glad you responded because I wouldn't know really what to do. If you're ever in San Francisco, hit me up sometime
Alex
I'm going to go down this path you mentioned because I don't have a money tree growing in my backyard. I am glad you responded because I wouldn't know really what to do. If you're ever in San Francisco, hit me up sometime
Alex
Last edited by superswiss; May 24, 2021 at 08:59 PM.
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Thank you Marcel, I will do just that! You're a life (and wallet) saver!
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+1 on superswiss’ recommendation to bed in the brakes.
Especially on these cars with more serious brake hardware. You’ll get better bite/performance, better pedal feel, and you’ll likely avoid high-pitched squealing later on down the line. For me, good brakes are just as important as good tires or a healthy engine.
There are some great tutorials out there on bedding-in procedures. Just remember the 3 most fundamental rules: 1) bring the brake temps up gradually until you begin your intense series of braking events, 2) try to avoid coming to a complete stop so that you’re not parking those hot pads on the stationary rotors (uneven pad deposits are the enemy), and 3) when you’re finished, make sure you’ve got a nice 20-minute drive home that has minimal stoplights and stop signs (lots of coasting) so you can cool the brakes before parking.
Especially on these cars with more serious brake hardware. You’ll get better bite/performance, better pedal feel, and you’ll likely avoid high-pitched squealing later on down the line. For me, good brakes are just as important as good tires or a healthy engine.
There are some great tutorials out there on bedding-in procedures. Just remember the 3 most fundamental rules: 1) bring the brake temps up gradually until you begin your intense series of braking events, 2) try to avoid coming to a complete stop so that you’re not parking those hot pads on the stationary rotors (uneven pad deposits are the enemy), and 3) when you’re finished, make sure you’ve got a nice 20-minute drive home that has minimal stoplights and stop signs (lots of coasting) so you can cool the brakes before parking.
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$10k tell them to get f*cked mate.
Agree with @superswiss this is exactly how much it would cost.
Superswiss's post sums everything up. And never set foot in that dealership again.
Agree with @superswiss this is exactly how much it would cost.
Superswiss's post sums everything up. And never set foot in that dealership again.
Out Of Control!!
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2019 C63CS
Just to set the correct expectations. The standard brakes should not squeal around here in our climate until the pads are close to their wear limit. Which at 4 mm the rear pads are. At about 3 mm the brake sensor will trip. My guess is that the squeal is coming from the close to worn rear pads and all it needs for now is a new set of rear pads. Both my rear and fronts started to squeal at low speeds near their wear limits and after putting on new pads and taking it for a romp in the canyons to bed them in, they are silent again for normal driving.
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+1 on superswiss’ recommendation to bed in the brakes.
Especially on these cars with more serious brake hardware. You’ll get better bite/performance, better pedal feel, and you’ll likely avoid high-pitched squealing later on down the line. For me, good brakes are just as important as good tires or a healthy engine.
There are some great tutorials out there on bedding-in procedures. Just remember the 3 most fundamental rules: 1) bring the brake temps up gradually until you begin your intense series of braking events, 2) try to avoid coming to a complete stop so that you’re not parking those hot pads on the stationary rotors (uneven pad deposits are the enemy), and 3) when you’re finished, make sure you’ve got a nice 20-minute drive home that has minimal stoplights and stop signs (lots of coasting) so you can cool the brakes before parking.
Especially on these cars with more serious brake hardware. You’ll get better bite/performance, better pedal feel, and you’ll likely avoid high-pitched squealing later on down the line. For me, good brakes are just as important as good tires or a healthy engine.
There are some great tutorials out there on bedding-in procedures. Just remember the 3 most fundamental rules: 1) bring the brake temps up gradually until you begin your intense series of braking events, 2) try to avoid coming to a complete stop so that you’re not parking those hot pads on the stationary rotors (uneven pad deposits are the enemy), and 3) when you’re finished, make sure you’ve got a nice 20-minute drive home that has minimal stoplights and stop signs (lots of coasting) so you can cool the brakes before parking.
I spoke to my wife about these bedding procedures and she looked at me funny
I have a feeling she really doesn't want to do it but I will make an concerted effort that she does since this is a costly thing not to do. For item 2, is there a trick to not coming to a full stop? When I was in high school and very unaware how cars worked in general, I used to put the car in neutral to avoid stepping on the brakes at a light. It was mostly for me to move my foot around but it did avoid me from using the brakes. Is this something you'd recommend here?In general, we don't go to to the track and she tends to drive in a semi-aggressive way - meaning, she accelerates to over take people on the highway and, quite honestly, she never really hits the brakes hard. My wife uses that "g-force" monitoring feature on the car and tries to keep that dot in the center but perhaps I should just tell her to do the opposite, make that dot move
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Based on my observation, you can hear the squeel with all the windows closed coming to a stop at a stop light. Assuming there isn't some insane loud car or motorcycle next to you, you can hear the squeal. In our parking garage, it's highly noticeable to the point where my wife does get a little embarrassed by the sound because of the garage echo (I live in a condo w/ an underground all-cement garage). I can't imagine how much louder your brakes but I can totally empathize with you on the noise.
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2019 C63CS
Hey Zibby,
I spoke to my wife about these bedding procedures and she looked at me funny I have a feeling she really doesn't want to do it but I will make an concerted effort that she does since this is a costly thing not to do. For item 2, is there a trick to not coming to a full stop? When I was in high school and very unaware how cars worked in general, I used to put the car in neutral to avoid stepping on the brakes at a light. It was mostly for me to move my foot around but it did avoid me from using the brakes. Is this something you'd recommend here?
In general, we don't go to to the track and she tends to drive in a semi-aggressive way - meaning, she accelerates to over take people on the highway and, quite honestly, she never really hits the brakes hard. My wife uses that "g-force" monitoring feature on the car and tries to keep that dot in the center but perhaps I should just tell her to do the opposite, make that dot move
I spoke to my wife about these bedding procedures and she looked at me funny
I have a feeling she really doesn't want to do it but I will make an concerted effort that she does since this is a costly thing not to do. For item 2, is there a trick to not coming to a full stop? When I was in high school and very unaware how cars worked in general, I used to put the car in neutral to avoid stepping on the brakes at a light. It was mostly for me to move my foot around but it did avoid me from using the brakes. Is this something you'd recommend here?In general, we don't go to to the track and she tends to drive in a semi-aggressive way - meaning, she accelerates to over take people on the highway and, quite honestly, she never really hits the brakes hard. My wife uses that "g-force" monitoring feature on the car and tries to keep that dot in the center but perhaps I should just tell her to do the opposite, make that dot move
Last edited by superswiss; May 26, 2021 at 01:40 PM.
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'20 GLC300 SUV
Hey Zibby,
I spoke to my wife about these bedding procedures and she looked at me funny I have a feeling she really doesn't want to do it but I will make an concerted effort that she does since this is a costly thing not to do. For item 2, is there a trick to not coming to a full stop? When I was in high school and very unaware how cars worked in general, I used to put the car in neutral to avoid stepping on the brakes at a light. It was mostly for me to move my foot around but it did avoid me from using the brakes. Is this something you'd recommend here?
In general, we don't go to to the track and she tends to drive in a semi-aggressive way - meaning, she accelerates to over take people on the highway and, quite honestly, she never really hits the brakes hard. My wife uses that "g-force" monitoring feature on the car and tries to keep that dot in the center but perhaps I should just tell her to do the opposite, make that dot move
I spoke to my wife about these bedding procedures and she looked at me funny
I have a feeling she really doesn't want to do it but I will make an concerted effort that she does since this is a costly thing not to do. For item 2, is there a trick to not coming to a full stop? When I was in high school and very unaware how cars worked in general, I used to put the car in neutral to avoid stepping on the brakes at a light. It was mostly for me to move my foot around but it did avoid me from using the brakes. Is this something you'd recommend here?In general, we don't go to to the track and she tends to drive in a semi-aggressive way - meaning, she accelerates to over take people on the highway and, quite honestly, she never really hits the brakes hard. My wife uses that "g-force" monitoring feature on the car and tries to keep that dot in the center but perhaps I should just tell her to do the opposite, make that dot move
I ended up doing the procedure for her. Superswiss does a great job addressing the full procedures above, but I'll echo what he says: You want to do this on an open stretch of road at a time of day (or night) where there's not much traffic, as that'll be both easier and safer. You won't really be speeding at all, but obviously you don't want other traffic around when you're stopping like a madman all over the place haha.The hardest stops you'll be doing are like 50 or 60 mph to 5 mph (so not a dead stop). And it'll be threshold braking that makes the seatbelt tensioner grab you, but not so hard as to trigger the ABS.
If you do run into a stoplight, you can definitely drop it in neutral if it's flat ground. That's something I've done before when I was doing a bedding-in and hit the lone stoplight on the long country highway I was using.
