I took my 2016 S212 to the MB dealer here in Toronto for its "B9" service, at 66,000 km. I decided to go to dealer rather than an independent mechanic since the car is still within its 6 year "star certified" warranty.

The dealer charged me $874 for the B service, which was predictable since I was give that estimate in advance. It is a lot of money for what amounts to a glorified oil and filter change.

The other work recommended and performed was replacement of the OE rear brake pads and rotors, at a cost of $874 ($606 parts and $268 labor). Brake fluid change added another $160. The total bill came to over $2100 including taxes. These prices are in Canadian dollars.

I was surprised that the rear brakes needed to be changed, since the front brakes are also original to the car and do not require replacement at this time. In almost five decades of car ownership my experience has always been that front brakes wear out first - usually well before rear brakes. According to the dealer, the front pads still have 4 mm thickness remaining. The service advisor stated the following to me:

• Mercedes designed the brake system so that the rear brakes are used more than the fronts in typical operation for "smooth braking performance";
• the rear brake pads had only 1 mm thickness and likely would have triggered the wear sensors soon after the service was completed;
• it is almost always necessary to change the rotors at the same time as the pads because of rotor wear.
• the front pads will probably wear out soon (next 6-12 months) because of the 4 mm thickness. He said the wear sensor should trigger a warning on the dash giving sufficient time to get the pads/rotors replaced.

I'm interested in comments from those more knowledgable about these cars' braking system than I am.

 

I’ll take some of what he is smoking.

 

I would consider that pretty even wear. Maybe the difference in the size of the pads and rotors helps them wear evenly? I replaced both front and rears on my 2015 E350 wagon with 56,000 miles in February and, like yours, the front and rear were within a few mm of each other. I was happy to have actually worn out the pads as in my region the roads are heavily salted so I'm usually replacing brakes due to rusted rotors.

 

a B service is a little more than a gorified oil change... Its a whole lot of detailed inspections

Every 10k miles or year (A and B)

• Read service data, reset ASSYST PLUS display (A,B)
  
• Oil and filter change (A,B)
  
• Check brake fluid level (A,B)
  
• Check coolant level (A,B)
  
• Inspect tires (A,B)
  
• Inspect brake pads, rotors (A,B)
  
• Check/correct tire pressure (A,B)
  
• Check/correct spare pressure (A,B)
  
• Check warning/function lights (A,B)
  
• Check interior and instrument lighting (A,B)
  
• Check horn (A,B)
  
• Check washer fluid (A,B)
  
• Check exterior for visible damage (A,B)
  
• Check windshield for damage (A,B)
  
• Check wiper blades (A,B)
  
• Check first aid kit expiration (A,B)
  
• Clean visible area of water deflector (A,B)
  
• Check parking brake (A,B)
  

Every “B” (20k miles or 2 years)

• Check exterior lighting (B)
  
• Check wipers, washers (B)
  
• Replace charcoal interior dust filter (B)
  
• Check poly V belt for wear (B)
  
• Check vehicle underside for leaks, damage (B)
  
• Check tires for damage/cracks (B)
  
• Check condition of steering, tie rods (B)
  
• Check front axle and ball joints (B)
  
• Check rear axle and ball joints (B)
  
• Check spring/strut/shocks (B)
  
• Check drive shaft flexible couplings (B)
  
• Check power steering fluid (B)
  

 

Perhaps I am spoiled driving in Florida, or negligent with my brakes. The car still has original front/rear pads @83k miles, which is @133k km.. So something is off with your rear brakes or the service guy got his commission for the week. Perhaps you drive your wagon considerably loaded most of the time.? But that would not explain the front still with some live left.

Even with the salt road in Toronto, and I lived/drove in Ontario for 16 years, I would have probably taken my car elsewhere.

Update
======
I am not the only one with same opinion
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post8615954

 

On my Audi SQ5, the rear brake wore out first because Audi programmed the rear brake to activate as part of roll stability control. Basically, the car will apply the rear inside corner brake to keep the car handling predictable through fast turns. So even though I wasn't applying the brake, the car was indeed braking.

I don't think this applies on the W212 so seems a bit strange for the rear to wear out first.

 

Rear brake wearout first is common with MB. Smaller brake pad volume/weight from the factory, plus rear brake usage for control systems such as lane keeping and cruise control, both Distronic and base cruise.

 

Thanks for all the comments. It looks like there is no consensus on rear brakes wearing out before front brakes.

A few responses to some of the other comments made:

• my car is rarely fully loaded and thus this cannot be a factor;
• The car spent the winter of 2016-2017 and Nov-Dec 2017 in New Brunswick which has salty roads, until I bought it in Dec 2018. Since then, very rarely exposed to salt;
• On the components of the "B" service listed by LCG (thanks for that list), most of these items are not specifically listed on my invoice. The Invoice does list "Major Service - Service B with Plus Package Perform", and certain specific items in the list - oil and filter, air filter, cabin filter and the mysterious "WWF additive and Fuel Additive". Invoice also reflects the brake inspection and tread reading (on the new tires I installed), but none of the other items on the list is mentioned. Hopefully the other items on the list were done.
• The engine oil was changed, which I could verify because of the oil color on the dipstick. However, the oil was overfilled because the level is showing well over the top of the hashmarks on the dipstick. I'll have to use my oil extractor to extract some oil until the dipstick reads correctly. This is annoying and causes me to wonder whether the other work was done correctly.

 

What can I tell you about dealerships? There are two MB dealerships here in Tampa: the one I bought the car from is 24 miles from the current house, and the other is just two miles away. I took it to the closest one for service A in 2017, and the "service advisor" was trying to dupe me with some additional services. I did not take car from their hands because it was on the lift w/o tires when he started his play with: "your vehicle needs throttle body cleaning and service, it shows signs of carbon already". Not a chance my car would need such service at 30k miles, and I told him not to worry that I will do that kind of work anyways later. Once done, and at home, I really had to check, so I removed the intake to the throttle body and it was clean as new, and it has been like that until my last check at 60k miles. Was I really pissed? I have tried to never set foot on that dealership again, and I take business away from them anytime anyone asks for a recommendation. It belongs to a nationwide chain here in the US that seems to behave consistently in other cities as well. I still drive the 24 miles if I have no choice, but to go to an MB dealer.

My advice: invest some time finding a reputable independent mechanic with knowledge about MB cars. Likely someone who already worked at a dealership and got tired of them. As the car gets older, the more important to know someone honest you can rely on. Some shops seem to see MB drivers as dumb walking open money bags they can grab from

 

fwiw, the indie I brought our car to for its B7 service, the bill itemized he major things, but attached to it was a 3 or 4 page checklist of inspection items, with all the apprporiate ones checked off.