ML320 Brake Pedal feel???
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 311
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From: Atlanta suburbs
2008 Aspen, 1970 Corvette, 2000 Corvette and 2009 Legacy Limited
ML320 Brake Pedal feel???
HI all,
I replaced the rotors and pads on wife's 02 ML320. The rotors are Zimmerman crossed drilled with Mintex pads. Everything went on rather easy and appeared to be in working order. I did have to back the caliper pistons back with a C-Clamp to make room for new rotors and pads but that is typical...
Now to my question. I went for a ride and bedded the pads. Got up to 60mph and got on the brakes without locking up and not completely stopping. Did this about 6 times... then drove without really hitting brakes for about 10mins... to let them cool. The pedal felt REALLY low to stop... almost hitting the floor. I parked it once I felt they were cool enough to not have the pads stick to the hot rotor...
Drove it again today and did same bedding process... Pedal felt low but not as low. Still feels mushing and soft. Fluid level is good. My daily driver is a 2006 E350 and even with the SBC the pedal is MUCH MUCH firmer. Is this typically of the ML? My wife drove it afterwards and noted the pedal does feel kind of low. Below 40mph she states is feel better that before... but 60mph or higher it seems to require more pressure than usual... ANYONE have any suggestions? Is this normal? Did I glaze over and not break everything in? The rotors look clean and nice... not glazed at all... THANKS. Anthony
I replaced the rotors and pads on wife's 02 ML320. The rotors are Zimmerman crossed drilled with Mintex pads. Everything went on rather easy and appeared to be in working order. I did have to back the caliper pistons back with a C-Clamp to make room for new rotors and pads but that is typical...
Now to my question. I went for a ride and bedded the pads. Got up to 60mph and got on the brakes without locking up and not completely stopping. Did this about 6 times... then drove without really hitting brakes for about 10mins... to let them cool. The pedal felt REALLY low to stop... almost hitting the floor. I parked it once I felt they were cool enough to not have the pads stick to the hot rotor...
Drove it again today and did same bedding process... Pedal felt low but not as low. Still feels mushing and soft. Fluid level is good. My daily driver is a 2006 E350 and even with the SBC the pedal is MUCH MUCH firmer. Is this typically of the ML? My wife drove it afterwards and noted the pedal does feel kind of low. Below 40mph she states is feel better that before... but 60mph or higher it seems to require more pressure than usual... ANYONE have any suggestions? Is this normal? Did I glaze over and not break everything in? The rotors look clean and nice... not glazed at all... THANKS. Anthony
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From: Arizona
BMW FTW
Generally the pedal is very soft, but after doing some hard braking it would tense up a little. You may be having a problem with the brake assist, the only thing I can suggest is going to get it pressure tested. Or if you can find a local member here that can meet up with you and you can compare brake feel and swap cars for a bit.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 62
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From: UK
2002 ML270
Generally the pedal is very soft, but after doing some hard braking it would tense up a little. You may be having a problem with the brake assist, the only thing I can suggest is going to get it pressure tested. Or if you can find a local member here that can meet up with you and you can compare brake feel and swap cars for a bit.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta suburbs
2008 Aspen, 1970 Corvette, 2000 Corvette and 2009 Legacy Limited
Pedal is much better today. Drove it to work to be sure and the pedal feels much firmer. I did have them Zinc plated to prohibit rust... wonder if that need to burn off first.
At 75mph and hitting brakes "spirited"... it stops just fine. Thanks for all the good suggestions. Unfortunately I can't say the cross drilled stops it better than stock as it is not my daily driver, but they look nice even if they stopping power is like stock version. All four rotors and respective pads with two sensors cost $335 shipped. Not bad at all and saved the shop cash for other upgrades. Looking to get a wood wheel now...
At 75mph and hitting brakes "spirited"... it stops just fine. Thanks for all the good suggestions. Unfortunately I can't say the cross drilled stops it better than stock as it is not my daily driver, but they look nice even if they stopping power is like stock version. All four rotors and respective pads with two sensors cost $335 shipped. Not bad at all and saved the shop cash for other upgrades. Looking to get a wood wheel now...
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 292
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From: Houston, TX
Q & R
Pedal is much better today. Drove it to work to be sure and the pedal feels much firmer. I did have them Zinc plated to prohibit rust... wonder if that need to burn off first.
At 75mph and hitting brakes "spirited"... it stops just fine. Thanks for all the good suggestions. Unfortunately I can't say the cross drilled stops it better than stock as it is not my daily driver, but they look nice even if they stopping power is like stock version. All four rotors and respective pads with two sensors cost $335 shipped. Not bad at all and saved the shop cash for other upgrades. Looking to get a wood wheel now...
At 75mph and hitting brakes "spirited"... it stops just fine. Thanks for all the good suggestions. Unfortunately I can't say the cross drilled stops it better than stock as it is not my daily driver, but they look nice even if they stopping power is like stock version. All four rotors and respective pads with two sensors cost $335 shipped. Not bad at all and saved the shop cash for other upgrades. Looking to get a wood wheel now...
As for the soft pedal, I replaced pads and found the same problem. I did bleed the brakes but that only helped slightly. So I would recommend the brake bleeding too. I did not bleed at the master cylinder and ABS pump as some recommend, so will do that too.
I do have a "low" pedal too and suspect that is being caused by my rotors being down to half life (1 mm from min thickness). Does anyone know if these rotors should be replaced?
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,767
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From: Arizona
BMW FTW
Pedal is much better today. Drove it to work to be sure and the pedal feels much firmer. I did have them Zinc plated to prohibit rust... wonder if that need to burn off first.
At 75mph and hitting brakes "spirited"... it stops just fine. Thanks for all the good suggestions. Unfortunately I can't say the cross drilled stops it better than stock as it is not my daily driver, but they look nice even if they stopping power is like stock version. All four rotors and respective pads with two sensors cost $335 shipped. Not bad at all and saved the shop cash for other upgrades. Looking to get a wood wheel now...
At 75mph and hitting brakes "spirited"... it stops just fine. Thanks for all the good suggestions. Unfortunately I can't say the cross drilled stops it better than stock as it is not my daily driver, but they look nice even if they stopping power is like stock version. All four rotors and respective pads with two sensors cost $335 shipped. Not bad at all and saved the shop cash for other upgrades. Looking to get a wood wheel now...
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Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta suburbs
2008 Aspen, 1970 Corvette, 2000 Corvette and 2009 Legacy Limited
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am considering the same mod. Have seen those cheap CD rotors on ebay for half that amount and really prefer the route you chose. Where did you buy from?
As for the soft pedal, I replaced pads and found the same problem. I did bleed the brakes but that only helped slightly. So I would recommend the brake bleeding too. I did not bleed at the master cylinder and ABS pump as some recommend, so will do that too.
I do have a "low" pedal too and suspect that is being caused by my rotors being down to half life (1 mm from min thickness). Does anyone know if these rotors should be replaced?
As for the soft pedal, I replaced pads and found the same problem. I did bleed the brakes but that only helped slightly. So I would recommend the brake bleeding too. I did not bleed at the master cylinder and ABS pump as some recommend, so will do that too.
I do have a "low" pedal too and suspect that is being caused by my rotors being down to half life (1 mm from min thickness). Does anyone know if these rotors should be replaced?
This is the place where I purchased them. Shipping is free to lower 48.. so not a bad deal. They are on EBAY, just search ML320 rotors. EBAY name is brakepros... Here is web addy... http://www.designrt.net/. Shipping was fast and product is top notch. Good luck.
Also... one of the easiest brake R&R I have ever completed. The rotors are a little tight to get off... but I just hit the back of the rotor with a rubber mallet a few times... The rears need to be "wiggled" due to the integral emergency brake drum... On a scale from 1-10 and 10 being difficult.. this job was 3...
Last edited by Mr.Gearhead; Mar 7, 2007 at 08:50 AM.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 292
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From: Houston, TX
Q & R
BTW - where is the ABS Pump? Is it the pump in front behind the drivers headlight? It is marked "ESP".
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 13
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1995 MB c220 elegance
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am considering the same mod. Have seen those cheap CD rotors on ebay for half that amount and really prefer the route you chose. Where did you buy from?
As for the soft pedal, I replaced pads and found the same problem. I did bleed the brakes but that only helped slightly. So I would recommend the brake bleeding too. I did not bleed at the master cylinder and ABS pump as some recommend, so will do that too.
I do have a "low" pedal too and suspect that is being caused by my rotors being down to half life (1 mm from min thickness). Does anyone know if these rotors should be replaced?
As for the soft pedal, I replaced pads and found the same problem. I did bleed the brakes but that only helped slightly. So I would recommend the brake bleeding too. I did not bleed at the master cylinder and ABS pump as some recommend, so will do that too.
I do have a "low" pedal too and suspect that is being caused by my rotors being down to half life (1 mm from min thickness). Does anyone know if these rotors should be replaced?
