Brake judder - 2001CLK55
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 36
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From: Dubai
2001 CLK55 AMG
Brake judder - 2001 CLK55
Hi All,
I'm experiencing a strange brake problem on my 2001 CLK55.
I have been experiencing bad brake judder on and off for the last year.
I had new genuine AMG rotors and pads installed all round, about 18 months ago, and have only done around 5-6,000km since then. After coming back from a trip, I started to experience judder and vibration. I thought this was due to the car being washed twice a week, and rust forming on the rotors. After driving it for a while, it never went away. Last summer, I came back from 3 weeks away, and the judder was very bad. I sent the car to the mechanic, and he skimmed the discs, and all was fine for a few weeks, then it came back. He advised me to tell the car wash guy not to wash the wheels (to prevent rust forming on the rotors. Again, after a while the judder was back. Back to the mechanic, where he replaced the hubs, and cleaned the rotors and pads again. Everything was great for a couple of months.
I just got back from a week away, and the judder is back again!. Quite bad this time. There seems to be a faint outline of the pads on the rotors, so I presume that this is causing the juddering, so I drove it for around 20km to see if it would disappear, but it hasn't improved at all.
Anyone any ideas? Could this be due to the pads not being bedded in properly? Could it be due to overheating (I live in a hot climate, so maybe this is a factor too)? I also notice that my front wings get very hot, after I've been driving it, so possibly this would suggest overheating??
I've added photos, where the pad imprint can be seen, as well as the rotor surface. The rotor surface is smooth, and the imprint feels like matte.
Any comments would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
I'm experiencing a strange brake problem on my 2001 CLK55.
I have been experiencing bad brake judder on and off for the last year.
I had new genuine AMG rotors and pads installed all round, about 18 months ago, and have only done around 5-6,000km since then. After coming back from a trip, I started to experience judder and vibration. I thought this was due to the car being washed twice a week, and rust forming on the rotors. After driving it for a while, it never went away. Last summer, I came back from 3 weeks away, and the judder was very bad. I sent the car to the mechanic, and he skimmed the discs, and all was fine for a few weeks, then it came back. He advised me to tell the car wash guy not to wash the wheels (to prevent rust forming on the rotors. Again, after a while the judder was back. Back to the mechanic, where he replaced the hubs, and cleaned the rotors and pads again. Everything was great for a couple of months.
I just got back from a week away, and the judder is back again!. Quite bad this time. There seems to be a faint outline of the pads on the rotors, so I presume that this is causing the juddering, so I drove it for around 20km to see if it would disappear, but it hasn't improved at all.
Anyone any ideas? Could this be due to the pads not being bedded in properly? Could it be due to overheating (I live in a hot climate, so maybe this is a factor too)? I also notice that my front wings get very hot, after I've been driving it, so possibly this would suggest overheating??
I've added photos, where the pad imprint can be seen, as well as the rotor surface. The rotor surface is smooth, and the imprint feels like matte.
Any comments would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Last edited by DxbStew; Jul 13, 2015 at 03:55 AM. Reason: Photos added
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Joined: Feb 2006
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on rotor surface i see you have sticky pads which leaves rust surface marks.
maybe your calipers are sticky not reliesing your brakepads properly?
calipers might need a repair with new gasket kit?
your brakepads might sit to close to rotor surface and causing overheat?
after you had your car washed, you have to dry your brakes by keeping your foot on the brake while driving, you can also do some stop n go braking.
watch out for traffic from behind!
how many km's on your car?
maybe a caliper repair might help you?
are you in Dubai with lots of sand flying around?
you might have dried gaskets inside calipers?
maybe your calipers are sticky not reliesing your brakepads properly?
calipers might need a repair with new gasket kit?
your brakepads might sit to close to rotor surface and causing overheat?
after you had your car washed, you have to dry your brakes by keeping your foot on the brake while driving, you can also do some stop n go braking.
watch out for traffic from behind!
how many km's on your car?
maybe a caliper repair might help you?
are you in Dubai with lots of sand flying around?
you might have dried gaskets inside calipers?
Last edited by KJI3jflarryfe93; Jul 14, 2015 at 04:47 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,784
Likes: 84
From: SCV SoCal
2002 CLK430
Check the runout and don't have it done by the same shop that did the brakes. You may also want to check the lugs. If the last person to mount the wheels used an impact, that may be the problem.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 36
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From: Dubai
2001 CLK55 AMG
Thanks for your replies MarcusF and Kowalski.
I got the discs resurfaced and everything was fine again. I was away for a few days and there was some slight rust on the discs (after it being washed while I was away), but no shuddering, and the rust was gone after a few KM. I used a different company for the resurfacing, and after seeing the discs afterwards, I'm not so sure if the last guy who did it bedded in the discs after the resurfacing, so it's possible that was the problem.
I got the discs resurfaced and everything was fine again. I was away for a few days and there was some slight rust on the discs (after it being washed while I was away), but no shuddering, and the rust was gone after a few KM. I used a different company for the resurfacing, and after seeing the discs afterwards, I'm not so sure if the last guy who did it bedded in the discs after the resurfacing, so it's possible that was the problem.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 391
Likes: 14
From: Orlando, FL
05 CLK55 AMG (1 of 247) Cubanitsilber designo series
Looks to me like you might have metallic pads that are rusting and leaving the outline of the pads on the rotors. I would change pads to a non-metallic pad and see if it goes away.
