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Check Brake Pads warning & red BRAKE warning light on dash
I was driving home from Sarasota and I received a warning “check brake pads, see operator’s manual” and the red BRAKE light showed up on the driver display while I was driving on the highway. Pics attached for reference. When I got off the highway, I pulled into Crown Eurocars because I happened to be there so I could check the manual to see what it says. The manual said to stop driving, however it was 11:30 at night and had no other way to get home, so I drove home carefully for 40ish minutes. I did not notice anything different when braking and I did not hear any brake squealing/screeching. Also I did not hear anything weird and my GLE drove like normal. I only have just under 26K miles on my GLE and when I got new tires a few weeks ago the SA said everything looked fine which makes me think I do not need new brake pads yet.
Anyone else have this experience? I was worried driving home because red warnings usually mean stop driving but this was red and amber colored. Also is the car still safe to drive? The dealership is supposed to pick up my GLE on the 30th to fix one of the tires they installed incorrectly and do some warranty work that I was going to have done either during my next service appointment in a few months or sooner. I am worried they won’t pick up my car now because of this and force me to drive all the way to Tampa to drop off my car (an hour away from me).
do you have pictures of the rotors to show what they look like? If you can get a close-in so I could see the pad thickness in relation to the backing plate it's attached to I can pretty much diagnose it from here.
You can drive the car down to the wear sensors and it might not squeal depending on how hard you brake, ironically if you skim the rotors barely itll squeal since there isn't enough material on the rotor to grab onto with along with other factors.
I am not able to get to the pads and it's hard to get to the rotors. I am kind of surprised my GLE needs brakes so soon because I don't slam on the brakes often and I drive pretty smoothly. Is it common to need brakes on the GLE around 26K miles?
yeah i mean without photos you just gotta listen to the car. if you can see the pad it should be as thick as it's backing plate at the minimum, that warning means you have about 30% pad left
I am not able to get to the pads and it's hard to get to the rotors. I am kind of surprised my GLE needs brakes so soon because I don't slam on the brakes often and I drive pretty smoothly. Is it common to need brakes on the GLE around 26K miles?
I have over 40K on my 2022, and no isses yet. Perhaps it has something to do with one of the tires that was incorrrectly installed - not sure how a dealership does that. Good luck, and please let us know the outcome.
I have over 40K on my 2022, and no isses yet. Perhaps it has something to do with one of the tires that was incorrrectly installed - not sure how a dealership does that. Good luck, and please let us know the outcome.
Yeah one of my tires they put the inside of the tire on the outside. The tires are all the same size but I was told the offset is different. I just don't want something to happen to the tire and then when I try to put a claim with the road/hazard they tell me it's not covered because it was installed incorrectly.
Update: It ended up being the front brake pad and rotors needed to be changed. The rotors were not warped, but I am still surprised I needed this at 26K miles.
Update: It ended up being the front brake pad and rotors needed to be changed. The rotors were not warped, but I am still surprised I needed this at 26K miles.
if you have and use Active Lane Keeping Assist on the highway a lot, it uses the brakes. Otherwise, yes, that is very soon to have them worn to that degree.
Update: It ended up being the front brake pad and rotors needed to be changed. The rotors were not warped, but I am still surprised I needed this at 26K miles.
I've noticed huge differences between Mercedes models, when it comes to how long I can go on brake pads. My W222 just needed new pads after approx 25k, but my last W166 was still running factory pads at 90k.
I just take it in, when the "Check Brake Pads" message comes on. Sometimes the dealership replaces only the pads (not rotors), and sometimes they do both.
I agree with your earlier comment about anxiety with a RED warning light, as those of us who've driven Mercedes for decades are trained that a YELLOW light/message means you can keep driving, but a RED light/message is more urgent. My hunch as to why the red "BRAKE" dash light remains constantly illuminated (until the pads are changed) is that Mercedes knows we will clear the "Check Brake Pads" message from our display, and they really don't want us to forget.
I don't have the active lane keeping assist on this GLE. Yeah I was always taught that red means stop immediately and yellow means proceed with caution.
But yeah I was very surprised the front brakes and rotors needed to be changed so soon. I was not thrilled about spending money on this GLE because the lease is coming due soon and my GLE 53 AMG Coupe should be arriving soon.
Update: It ended up being the front brake pad and rotors needed to be changed. The rotors were not warped, but I am still surprised I needed this at 26K miles.
thats just how it is
metallic pads are brutal
switch to ceramic on the next set. however you have the best kit for the job, there are tradeoffs with ceramics
My sister goes through brakes on her E class. She claims she drives smoothly, but in reality, the only time her foot isn't pressing the gas pedal, is when it is on the brakes.
When I had my E300 I did not have to get brakes for that car and I had it for 4 years and 32K miles (it was a lease). If I end up getting the GLE 53 AMG Coupe I ordered, I wonder how often that will need brakes
My sister goes through brakes on her E class. She claims she drives smoothly, but in reality, the only time her foot isn't pressing the gas pedal, is when it is on the brakes.
LOL. I'm guessing her Eco Driving Score would have no green bars whatsoever. And maybe even a negative bonus!
You could try telling her that those green bars actually tell her how much money she'll be spending on brakes. But if she's anything like my sister, you'll just hear her cackling laugh as she peels out down the driveway...
I am not able to get to the pads and it's hard to get to the rotors. I am kind of surprised my GLE needs brakes so soon because I don't slam on the brakes often and I drive pretty smoothly. Is it common to need brakes on the GLE around 26K miles?
I just changed my front brakes on my 2019 GLS450 for the first time at 120,417 miles; there is no way you needed brakes and rotors at 26,000 miles; I would have asked for the manager of the Maint. shop to take me back before he does any work to show me the pads and rotors on my car. I would have also asked them to give me the parts they took off the car. Something is not right if you need brakes at 26,000 miles. Just saying...
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Check Brake Pads warning & red BRAKE warning light on dash
