Vibration when braking
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 43
Likes: 4
From: Palos Verdes Peninsula (Los Angeles)
13' E350, Model 3 Per., 997.1 GT3
Vibration when braking
Hey all,
I have a 2013 mercedes benz e350 4matic (~70k miles, original owner), and I've recently been noticing that when slowing down for a stop, lets say red light from 45mph, the steering wheel and the pedal has a vibrating feel. Do you guys think that the brake rotors are warped? This vibration feeling is especially noticeable when slowing down when going downhill, as I live in a place where I have to drive downhill to work everyday.
Thanks in advance!
*also another weird thing is that a couple weeks ago, there was a vibration (more severe), so I pulled over and checked the wheels. Apparently, the nuts (all 5) on the front left wheel were loosened a bit. Do you know if this had to do with my case?*
I have a 2013 mercedes benz e350 4matic (~70k miles, original owner), and I've recently been noticing that when slowing down for a stop, lets say red light from 45mph, the steering wheel and the pedal has a vibrating feel. Do you guys think that the brake rotors are warped? This vibration feeling is especially noticeable when slowing down when going downhill, as I live in a place where I have to drive downhill to work everyday.
Thanks in advance!
*also another weird thing is that a couple weeks ago, there was a vibration (more severe), so I pulled over and checked the wheels. Apparently, the nuts (all 5) on the front left wheel were loosened a bit. Do you know if this had to do with my case?*
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 461
Likes: 158
From: Phoenix, AZ
2016 E350 Sport 2WD
PV, one of the nicest places on earth to live and to enjoy in a heavily populated area, such as the Los Angeles basin. Plenty of roads for a nice motorcycle ride or a top down ride in the car after the fog clears. I just loved living in Redondo Beach and experienced PV many, many times.
Now on to the problem. The only way to know what is going on with your car would be to jack it up, rotate your wheels, one by one, and see if the rotor runs true or if it has lateral runout. My preferred method would be to use a dial caliper to see what the runout is, but that might not be necessary if it is quite large. Another method would be to just buy a new rotor, install it, and see if the vibration goes away or changes substantially. If little change, remove it and install on another wheel, see what happens there. Start on the front. If you find that the new rotor makes a substantial difference, buy another rotor for the other side.
Now on to the problem. The only way to know what is going on with your car would be to jack it up, rotate your wheels, one by one, and see if the rotor runs true or if it has lateral runout. My preferred method would be to use a dial caliper to see what the runout is, but that might not be necessary if it is quite large. Another method would be to just buy a new rotor, install it, and see if the vibration goes away or changes substantially. If little change, remove it and install on another wheel, see what happens there. Start on the front. If you find that the new rotor makes a substantial difference, buy another rotor for the other side.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 43
Likes: 4
From: Palos Verdes Peninsula (Los Angeles)
13' E350, Model 3 Per., 997.1 GT3
I checked my Mercedes service records last night, and found that I made a similar complaint when the car was around 34,000 miles, and told the dealer during the 40,000 service. The dealer found warped front rotors and they were replaced under warranty. But I find it strange for the rotors to keep on getting warped, as isn't warped rotors not that common?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 43
Likes: 4
From: Palos Verdes Peninsula (Los Angeles)
13' E350, Model 3 Per., 997.1 GT3
PV, one of the nicest places on earth to live and to enjoy in a heavily populated area, such as the Los Angeles basin. Plenty of roads for a nice motorcycle ride or a top down ride in the car after the fog clears. I just loved living in Redondo Beach and experienced PV many, many times.
Now on to the problem. The only way to know what is going on with your car would be to jack it up, rotate your wheels, one by one, and see if the rotor runs true or if it has lateral runout. My preferred method would be to use a dial caliper to see what the runout is, but that might not be necessary if it is quite large. Another method would be to just buy a new rotor, install it, and see if the vibration goes away or changes substantially. If little change, remove it and install on another wheel, see what happens there. Start on the front. If you find that the new rotor makes a substantial difference, buy another rotor for the other side.
Now on to the problem. The only way to know what is going on with your car would be to jack it up, rotate your wheels, one by one, and see if the rotor runs true or if it has lateral runout. My preferred method would be to use a dial caliper to see what the runout is, but that might not be necessary if it is quite large. Another method would be to just buy a new rotor, install it, and see if the vibration goes away or changes substantially. If little change, remove it and install on another wheel, see what happens there. Start on the front. If you find that the new rotor makes a substantial difference, buy another rotor for the other side.
I will check the brake discs and wheels for play later today, thanks.
