np888

Not sure what happened to my other thread but the rotars were indeed warped. They replaced both front ones and the car is fine now.

I noticed on the form, under multi point inspection, they wrote "Indicators of aggressive driving habits on tires and brakes. wear on tire sidewall".

Why did they write this?

fld

I probably would ask them for explanation as to why they did so, especially if you did not do what they assumed you had done so. I would not like this as their "assumption" on your driving habit would be on their system, which I don't know is on a database acessible from any MB dealers. If it happens next time, they could use this as the ground to reject your warranty claim. I would stop using them, too, since this would not be a reflection of gesture of good will.

ronsc1985

Because track days give your tires and brakes a real workout?

Used2be

I'll assume this is the same dealer who is installing the RENNtech ECU later this month? They obviously condone performance driving and if there is some sort of unwillingness in the future to honor the warranty regarding brakes, I'd remind them of their advertising, "Engineered to meet the requirements of even more demanding drivers" regarding the dynamic handling suspension, and "perforated and internally ventilated front brake discs help to better dissipate the hot gasses generated during hard or repeated braking, helping resist brake fade in order to maintain maximum braking performance."

If the wear was on the outside sidewall of the tires, and you think that might have been from your track day, a couple of thoughts come to mind. Perhaps more tire pressure for track use, and maybe a little more negative camber in the front to cope with the cornering loads? Just a guess of course, and maybe the tires aren't the best for track use anyway. I'd have a conversation with the service manager to get a feel for his attitude toward customers who like to actually use the performance of these cars which Mercedes builds with comfort and sport modes. What is the 'sport' mode there for if not to use? Is he aware of your track use of the car (which is NOT racing) and is OK with that?

np888

Thanks for the response. This is not the dealer doing my Renntech tune, but is the dealer who put on the track day event and sold me my car. I don't intend to track the car again, I'm just confused as to why the feel the need to write this on my invoice. I'm more worried they are being slimey and going to use this to try and get out of (which I'm not concerned about after you've posted your first paragraph - would pretty much embaress them if they tried to refuse after reading that. )

ronsc1985

Usually new car dealers are happy to do warranty repairs since they aren't paying for it, the factory is. The only thing they care about is if the factory doesn't pay them, which may be the case if the repair is caused by running on a race track and the factory rep happens to check up on the cause. This is a touchy subject with a lot of manufacturers. People claim track days are not racing but the effect is the same on car parts.

BTW wear on tire sidewalls is usually a sure fire way to recognize that a car has been on a racetrack as it is very difficult to roll tires onto the sidewalls on public roads.

The stock tires are not built for good cornering but rather a better ride with half decent straight line traction. They have a fairly flexible sidewall which allows the roll over during hard cornering. IMHO they are a good choice for what the main market for these cars prefers. If you want to go around corners rapidly a set of rubber band tires are a better choice although the ride quality and usually the straight line traction will be worse.

fld

I'd like to add my experience as I work for an engine manufacturer and have had some dealing with dealers, which of course were not MB. If MB employs the same process, then dealers have to provide some kind of evidence to support the warranty claim otherwise they would not get paid for the job. So, if you get a dealer or a supervisor, who is unwilling to help you, and your case seems to be in the grey area, then they'd push the responsibility to the customers. However, we know there are dealers who are "helpful," too.

np888

Like clockwork 4,000 miles later and the rotors have warped again. This time its so bad that every time I brake the entire car feels like its going to fall apart.

I can't even describe to you guys how well i treat this car, since the first two times this has happened I barely use the brake, I just let it roll to a stop and even if at a light i avoid using the brake pedal.

Not sure what to do at this point, still got 6 months on the lease, aftermarket rotors are 1k+?

Can this be caused by anything else? I can't understand why my car in particular is having these problems, I've never had a car do this to me, let alone with such regular frequency....3 times in 1 year!? There must be something else going on.

Dueclaws

Sorry to see the rotor issues continue for you.
We have about 13,000 miles on ours without any brake or other problems.

grane

If the car was not on lease I'd consider switching your rotors to the 2 piece Racing Brake rotors.They are much harder and uniform than the MB or AMG rotors.

At 50 k miles I was getting tired of bad braking and noise on my CL55. When I removed my stock AMG rotors they were worn unevenly all over the surface laterally and warped longitudinally. This rotor wear occurs not matter how meticulous you are about bedding the pads, changing the brake fluid, doing alignments, etc. The pads were marked Pagid Brembo and were falling apart. I had no brake wear indicator message. The pads too had been installed improperly with the torques running all over the map.

New AMG pads are made by TRW to a much higher standard and work well with the RB after break in according to the excellent instructs on the RB website. The car handles better and the braking is prodigious. I can stop in 1/3 the distance I could before.

*****
Since the car is on lease they are writing this stuff in so you have to pay for "extraordinary wear and tear" when you turn it in. As far as the note goes about "aggressive driving" the MB dealers are noting everything today. What I do is refuse to sign the service document when I pay the bill. There is also a place on the MB followup survey form where you can write in your opinion.

On one car they wanted me to replace all 4 springs even though the tech said I just needed the front pair (I knew one front one was broken when I took it in for an estimate.) They wrote "customer refuses to perform recommended services"!

I had an indie replace the front springs with new MB springs from Sponsor www.mymercedesparts.com. BTW the rear springs were less than a year old and had been replaced by MB under warranty.

grane

I thought the MB warranty for repairs was 1 year parts and labor. Guess it doesn't apply to wear parts or "excessive drivers" but you might try to see if the repair warranty covers it. Frankly I think MB rotors and pads are all over the board as far as quality goes. I never had to replace disks and pads on any other car I owned before 100k miles.ar as user error the only thing I can think of is that you did bed them in properly but you sound experienced so we can rule that out.

drey63

Same happened to me. After 5000 miles, they started to shake, fade and look weiered. If i was braking from 100 mph to 60 mph, the car was shaking and the pedal felt like a stone. I couldn't feel it at all.
Do you wash your car often? I used to wash mine every time after going out for a ride. And because they were hot and the water was cold, i may have ruined their properties. I don't know if this is true, but many people told me this...

TopGun32

brake issues on new cars are covered on the first 12 months or 12k.. I checked with my service advisor last month..

I have the shudder under hard braking.. and I noticed my drivers side rotor has a different color and finish then my passenger side rotor. The drivers side is uneven in color and its wearing unevenly.

The passenger side its color is consistent and seems to wearing at even grooves....

it could be just 1 rotor issue for me...

I have a feelign the ABS system is very intrusive in this car.. and the vibration i'm feeling is a combinatio of a bad rotor and ABS system.

first step.. replace rotor and pads..

grane

TopGun32, if you have any sort of pulsing or uneven wear make sure they check for sticking calipers. Both of my front disks were worn unevenly but the drivers side front was worse because of sticking calipers. At least I got this replaced under warranty but they would not pop for new pads and rotors even though this caused the problem at least on this one wheel. Then I went to a full Racing Brake treatment with new AMG/TRW pads all around. Since you are going to replace rotors and pads, since you are in Cali I would definitely give Sponsor RB a call. The benefits are enormous. The dealer may not install them for you but I have an indie.

BTW I was referring to the warranty on replacement parts. If you just had the brakes done and have problems, I was told they warranty everything for 12 months but I'm used to hearing blanket statements that don't seem to apply if you have a problem.

To drey63 re "brake" washing. It is fine to wash wheels when they are cool, not after they are hot such as after the car has been run. Mend your evil ways!

RacingBrake

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All our brake system products are sold with a performance improvement guarantee. Check us out:

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2010_E550

How are you going to post an advertisement for a replacement when you don't even provide one for our model?

We have a 2010 and started to get the shudder at 50k.

grane

Several months ago there was no solution for the 02-06 CL55/S55/CL600 models in the RB range. Since I have had earlier RBs on 2 other cars from the late 90s and knew their quality, I was the first to ask Warren to develop them and the first to get them. Generally, takes RB 6-8 weeks to do the R&D for a particular model. I received my 2 piece brakes exactly when RB stated I would get them. They build in quantity since they are a real manufacturer so they do production runs, not one off when someone orders them. They have accounting, shipping and customer service departments staffed by real people so Warren can concentrate on R&D.

From what I understand, since in many cases the rotors interchange with other models, the R&D work can concentrate on the hats since they are a two piece design. Fortunately, if Warren researches the dimensions of your brakes for your model he may already have a solution that overlaps with another model that is currently in the RB range so you will be able to order from stock and RB can update their list. Since the E class is a very popular model it makes economic sense to offer a solution, IMHO.

I am very happy with the RB results. As the tech said who did the install, "This the way brakes should be designed." Lousy "inexpensive" brakes and tires are false economy. If you look at the RB's MB lineup now versus several months ago, the number of solutions have increased substantially. All one has to do is specify the model, ask, and order since there is a group buy going on.

TopGun32

I took my car to my mechanic.. we measured the front rotors and there is discrepancy on the width.

The Drivers Front rotor measured 35.90 and the Passenger measured 36.05.

Both are OEM rotors “same part numbers” and both have no wear “lip or dish” on the rotor.

The rotor with thinner measurement has different colors and pads are not making full contact based on the discoloration.

I'm emailing my Service Advisor later today.

theraven333

I really do not think you can expect both rotors to be the same width after use as these cars operate with intelligent systems which manage how each individual brake operates on each wheel under different conditions and circumstance.
It is fair comment if the pad is not touching the rotor across its face. You need to check both sides of the rotor to understand what has been going on!!!
I live in a town that probably has more roundabouts than any other place in the world, and as we drive on the right, my nearside tyres wear faster on the shoulders than the offside, the same goes for the brakes as there is always more dust on the nearside wheels!!!!

TopGun32

its a issue..

there is TSB about width of rotors.. my service advisor is checking if my vin applies

He said he probably won't be able to apply 100% repair but he is checking on it since it only applies to W212 for now.

if they don't I can get the rotors for about $120 a piece plus the pads.

grane

theraven333 makes sense.

Also have them check them the calipers for problems or a TSB. These are more likely to be replaced under a warranty than the rotors or pads if your VIN doesn't apply.

If you could let us know the models and years for the rotor TSB that would be helpful, thanks. The new MB TRW pads are very good indeed, BTW.

TopGun32

taking the car in Friday morning...

Fletcher Jones Ontario Ca Service manager wants to see the car.. i'm sure they want to see if its driven hard or shows signs of excessive use.

I just bought the car in April (used) and the pads and rotors have no sign of excessive wear.

Even my stock tires don't have alot of wear.. specially in the front.

TirednAchy

Hi,
I just drove my new 2013 e550 cab home last week--haven't had time to drive it since (work). I noticed some brake judder with some moderately aggressive braking shortly before I got back to my house. I looked at the rotors in the daylight the next day and my rotors still had rust--not overnight condensation rust.

I didn't do much braking on the way home--95% interstate, but I would normally expect rust to be gone fairly quickly. I've posted in the brake technical forum asking if it is possible the rust penetrated further into the rotor surface than normal, given the car had been at the dealership for 6 months. (The GM drove it for a while, and it had 900 miles on it.)

I had to stop by the dealership a couple of days later, and I mentioned the judder to the Service Manager, who agreed it was probably rust, but didn't think it a problem at this point. I haven't driven the car since bringing it home, so I was in no position to disagree, and I'm not convinced myself that the problem won't go away with some more braking.

Anyway, I'll report in when I'm able to put some significant miles on the car. I'm thrilled to have it--my first Merc.

TnA

TopGun32

that happened to me with my E55 whenn shipped to from Florida to Ca... but the color and shape of the rotor was evident it was layer of rust.

I drive my coupe everyday and i can see one rotor not working like it should.. uneven signs of wear.

Your rust should be gone in few days of normal stop and go driving.. after that.. take it in.

TirednAchy

Thanks for the reply. I assume you're advising to take it in only if I'm still experiencing the judder after the rust is gone?