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GLC43 rear brake pads worn at 19K miles?

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Old 12-06-2018, 10:17 PM
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2017 GLC43, 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
GLC43 rear brake pads worn at 19K miles?

I'm new to this forum and just came back from a service visit where the dealer told me the rear pads are down to 2mm and 3mm, respectively, and will set off the wear sensor soon. I saw the wear warning as I drove home...hmm. They suggest replace rear rotors, pads, etc for over $800.

Been driving high-performance vehicles for 20years. My GLC43 has only been driven on the street - never tracked. 19K seems like half the brake wear life I'm used to, not to mention these are the rears.

Anyone else seeing brake wear like this? Last thing I want to do is spend $800 on crappy brakes that will only last 19K. Are there aftermarket pads that work better? I can't imagine the rotors actually need replacing...

Anyone have any advice?
Old 12-07-2018, 11:55 AM
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I forget where I saw it on the forums here, but I believe it's been said the rears wear faster than the fronts...cant remember why. 19k does seem like quick wear, esp for just street driving and I'd be shocked if you actually need new rotors...are you hard on your brakes?

The pads produce a lot of dust, so it's possible they wear fairly quickly. Someone else in the GLC43/63 thread just put Disc Italia Hyper Ceramic pads on their 43 and said it's a world of difference in dust...perhaps they will last longer.

Do you have a trusted indy mechanic near you? Maybe have them check the brakes to confirm and get an estimate. MB dealer prices are prob gonna be double anywhere else. Hope that helps.
Old 12-08-2018, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Chrisk03
I forget where I saw it on the forums here, but I believe it's been said the rears wear faster than the fronts...cant remember why. 19k does seem like quick wear, esp for just street driving and I'd be shocked if you actually need new rotors...are you hard on your brakes?

The pads produce a lot of dust, so it's possible they wear fairly quickly. Someone else in the GLC43/63 thread just put Disc Italia Hyper Ceramic pads on their 43 and said it's a world of difference in dust...perhaps they will last longer.

Do you have a trusted indy mechanic near you? Maybe have them check the brakes to confirm and get an estimate. MB dealer prices are prob gonna be double anywhere else. Hope that helps.
I haven't been particularly hard on the brakes, so this caught me completely by surprise. I will check with some local European car mechanics -- I agree a new set of aftermarket pads will be much cheaper with better durability. Thanks for the advice.

For better or worse, this pretty much saps my confidence in MB service & parts (I let my service advisor know too). Maybe I'll be back for warranty work only...
Old 12-09-2018, 10:59 PM
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GLC 43. 2018
SUVs and trucks drag their *** to stop. Helps management of what end stays in front.
Old 12-09-2018, 11:12 PM
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AMG. SUV AMG. I hope my GLC43 won’t need pads at 20k, sounds like it is time to start my GLC maint saving account. I had to special order all season 20s to avoid new summer tires every 20k. Breaks however need to to be SUV AMG worthy. I expect the same -G from 130 as from 60.
Old 12-10-2018, 04:00 AM
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Do you have distronic and do you use it a lot? If yes to both, that might be the source of your excessive wear...
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Chrisk03
The pads produce a lot of dust, so it's possible they wear fairly quickly. Someone else in the GLC43/63 thread just put Disc Italia Hyper Ceramic pads on their 43 and said it's a world of difference in dust...perhaps they will last longer.
~ this is the route simply because of the excess dust. this didn’t work well for the perfectionist in me.

the front and rear pads (Disc Italia Hyper Ceramic Pads) cost $300 shipped. www.brakeworld.com is where i purchased them.

i have been running ceramic dust pads on all of my cars and they still have lots of depth to the pad even at 70,000 miles. strongly suggested.

rotors would not be needed at this low of mileage...it is simply the protocol for the dealer to always replace pads and rotor as a pair. big profit for the dealer. trust me pads is all you need.
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Old 12-10-2018, 06:16 PM
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Good thought - but no distronic, so can't be that.
Old 12-10-2018, 06:21 PM
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Originally Posted by andrew e coupe
~ this is the route simply because of the excess dust. this didn’t work well for the perfectionist in me.

the front and rear pads (Disc Italia Hyper Ceramic Pads) cost $300 shipped. www.brakeworld.com is where i purchased them.

i have been running ceramic dust pads on all of my cars and they still have lots of depth to the pad even at 70,000 miles. strongly suggested.

rotors would not be needed at this low of mileage...it is simply the protocol for the dealer to always replace pads and rotor as a pair. big profit for the dealer. trust me pads is all you need.
Gotcha -- dealer told me replacing pads might result in brake squeal, but they're out to maximize service costs.

Is it me, or are the rear pads pretty small?
Old 12-10-2018, 06:22 PM
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Originally Posted by GLC43NV
Last thing I want to do is spend $800 on crappy brakes that will only last 19K. Are there aftermarket pads that work better? I can't imagine the rotors actually need replacing...
~ As mentioned, I’ve gone to dust-free ceramic pads on all 4 corners of my GLC43 ... so I have a set of stock rear pads with only 200 miles on them available for a great low price should you want to keep the cost down. A very easy install.
Old 12-10-2018, 06:38 PM
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Originally Posted by andrew e coupe
~ As mentioned, I’ve gone to dust-free ceramic pads on all 4 corners of my GLC43 ... so I have a set of stock rear pads with only 200 miles on them available for a great low price should you want to keep the cost down. A very easy install.
What's the price? I'd consider, but I'm also thinking I need something better than stock..
Old 12-10-2018, 09:57 PM
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Originally Posted by GLC43NV
What's the price? I'd consider, but I'm also thinking I need something better than stock..
$75 plus shipping
Old 12-10-2018, 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted by GLC43NV
Gotcha -- dealer told me replacing pads might result in brake squeal, but they're out to maximize service costs.

Is it me, or are the rear pads pretty small?
Pretty funny for the dealer to say that as it’s a known issue for the stock pads to produce a brake squeal at times. MB has played with the brake compound a bit to try to fix that is the word.

Yeah, rears seem pretty small especially compared to the monsters on the front.
Old 12-12-2018, 08:34 AM
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Has anyone had a check brake pad wear at 3k miles? Seems like maybe its a sensor malfunction. I cannot imagine the brake pads are worn down after 3k miles.
Old 12-14-2018, 06:26 PM
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Wink

Originally Posted by andrew e coupe

$75 plus shipping
I reached a resolution with my dealer. Everyone came around to agreeing the wear seemed premature -- so won't be able to take you up on your offer, but thanks.
Old 12-14-2018, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by GLC43NV
I reached a resolution with my dealer. Everyone came around to agreeing the wear seemed premature -- so won't be able to take you up on your offer, but thanks.
~ no worries... I’m just glad you got it sorted out. Cheers!
Old 12-11-2019, 11:44 AM
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I realize this thread is exactly a year old, but I thought it might be time to register an account and start participating with other MB owners.

The "check brake wear" light just came on at 24,900 miles on my 2018 GLC43 SUV. Since purchased new in January 2018, I've driven it pretty gently on a few 1,000 mile interstate round trips, and the rest is weekday commuting between work and home. The service tech said nothing about brake pad wear at my 20,000 mile service just a couple of months ago.

I presume it is the rear brake pads that set off the warning light based on the other posts here discussing the low mileage life on the rear pads in particular. I found Akebono EUR1872 ceramic pads at RockAuto for about $51 including wear sensors. I'm going to give 'em a try.

Question for the more experienced: Is there any inherent problem mixing brands between front and rear if both brands are the same kind of compound (ceramic or semi metallic)? It seems few companies manufacture both front and rear pads for this vehicle, the DiscItalia being a rare exception, and I don't want to spend $300+ dollars on brake pads for the type of driving I do.
Old 12-11-2019, 12:25 PM
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I have used the Akebono ceramic pads for the last 15 years on multiple cars and love them. A change I make a soon as I purchase a new car. These pads will truly last 70k along with nearly zero dust at a great price!

There will not be any issues with different material pads front to rear.

If you need a dyi let me know, I generated one years ago. Simple job.
Old 12-11-2019, 03:16 PM
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I am interested in the DIY if you could provide the link or URL -- I'll gladly take a trail that has already been blazed by someone else whenever possible.

One final question: is it correct to presume the ABS is sophisticated enough to modulate brake caliper pressure in response to different pad compositions between front and rear?

Thanks again!
Old 04-22-2020, 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by andrew e coupe
I have used the Akebono ceramic pads for the last 15 years on multiple cars and love them. A change I make a soon as I purchase a new car. These pads will truly last 70k along with nearly zero dust at a great price!

There will not be any issues with different material pads front to rear.

If you need a dyi let me know, I generated one years ago. Simple job.

When you replace the pads, do you keep the stock rotors? Do they last the 70K? Thanks.
Old 04-23-2020, 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by TKramer
When you replace the pads, do you keep the stock rotors? Do they last the 70K? Thanks.
typically the rear rotors would still be just fine to simply replace the pads. you can have the thickness of the rotor checked and be certain the rotor surface is smooth without grooves.
Old 04-23-2020, 09:31 AM
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Just spotted this thread, nobody really covered why the rear pads wear so fast.... in short all the nanny devices....

Distronic uses rear brakes to slow you down
Lane Active Assist
Steering Active Assist

I shut Steering off...

Distronic in traffic is a pad killer....

Watch all the brake dust on the rears after using Distronic on a trip...

Old 04-23-2020, 10:37 AM
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GLC43 Brake Rotor and Pad Alternatives

Originally Posted by Clevis Woodruff
I am interested in the DIY if you could provide the link or URL -- I'll gladly take a trail that has already been blazed by someone else whenever possible.

One final question: is it correct to presume the ABS is sophisticated enough to modulate brake caliper pressure in response to different pad compositions between front and rear?

Thanks again!
Well, I answered my own question. I found a tutorial on YouTube and replace the rear pads with ceramics, and everything worked just fine. My front rotors were worn down to the 34mm minimum serviceable thickness with the soft organic OEM pads in less than 30,000 miles of pretty tame commuter and highway driving. Last Saturday I installed a pair of Fremax rotors and Centric ceramic pads on the front. I bedded the pads using the widely prescribed accellerate-and-slowly-brake process. The car slows and stops like it should, and the brake pedal feel seems unchanged. I've been teleworking due to the compulsory social distancing thing, so it might be some time before I can provide a follow-up review of the durability. I will say the ceramic pads on the back produced noticeably less dust than the organic pads on the front.
Old 04-23-2020, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Clevis Woodruff
Well, I answered my own question. I found a tutorial on YouTube and replace the rear pads with ceramics, and everything worked just fine. My front rotors were worn down to the 34mm minimum serviceable thickness with the soft organic OEM pads in less than 30,000 miles of pretty tame commuter and highway driving. Last Saturday I installed a pair of Fremax rotors and Centric ceramic pads on the front. I bedded the pads using the widely prescribed accellerate-and-slowly-brake process. The car slows and stops like it should, and the brake pedal feel seems unchanged. I've been teleworking due to the compulsory social distancing thing, so it might be some time before I can provide a follow-up review of the durability. I will say the ceramic pads on the back produced noticeably less dust than the organic pads on the front.
Clevis would you mind posting the link to YouTube tutorial?
Thanks.
Old 04-23-2020, 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Clevis Woodruff
Well, I answered my own question. I found a tutorial on YouTube and replace the rear pads with ceramics, and everything worked just fine. My front rotors were worn down to the 34mm minimum serviceable thickness with the soft organic OEM pads in less than 30,000 miles of pretty tame commuter and highway driving. Last Saturday I installed a pair of Fremax rotors and Centric ceramic pads on the front. I bedded the pads using the widely prescribed accellerate-and-slowly-brake process. The car slows and stops like it should, and the brake pedal feel seems unchanged. I've been teleworking due to the compulsory social distancing thing, so it might be some time before I can provide a follow-up review of the durability. I will say the ceramic pads on the back produced noticeably less dust than the organic pads on the front.
Do you still have the link on youtube ?


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