Ferryman65

Mercedes ML 250 - 2014. Disc pad warning light YELLOW. Then turned RED. Took to nearest garage and was told front brake pads were very low and needed replacing. They replaced the front pads and wear sensor. Did not clear the RED warning light. Also the care now when braking has a slight vibration in the brake pedal. Also it sounds like the ABS system is operating in when I brake now unless brake very lightly. Any comments - advice other than get them to fix it.

MJ50

moved to W166 forum...

ChrisHimself

Rotors need to be replaced with the pads most of the time. Metally pads cut the rotors real deep, could you send a picture of what they look like? They get grooves in them and you're trying to stop with flat pads. I'd change the fluid too.

The brake fault code has to be cleared once the sensors are tripped

Leetom

Make sure you check rears also. They wear out WAY more often than fronts on ML (dont know why). The sensor is on the right side for the rear. Rotors can be turned at least once to straighten and smooth without replacement. I have my drilled rotors turned at OReilly Auto Parts...(is about $10ea.). The shaking/vibration when hitting brakes is mosy likely warped rotors, which replacement or turning (lathe) will take care of. 85% of the time, it is the rears that are the ones responsible.

W205C43PFL

ESC likes to brake the rears more often.

W205C43PFL

Here is a more detailed explanation... Way better explanation than I ever could: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ml#post8451439

Diabolis

Starting with the W212 E63 and W205 C63, during spirited driving the ESC brakes the inside rear wheel in the corners to help the car rotate even when you're not over-driving it to the point you see the yellow ESC triangle flashing. I remember driving a number of F1 track support cars including an E63S at the Montreal F1 Grand Prix back in 2015, and when I came back to the pits, the rear brakes were literally on fire (as in flames were coming out). That's why you may be seeing more wear on the rears on those cars - but that is almost definitely *NOT* the issue here.

The front rotors are likely warped from the worn pad(s) and need to be replaced. I literally had the same thing happen on my ML350 last month... the slide pins on one of the floating front calipers were jammed and the caliper wasn't moving freely when the brakes were applied, wearing out the inside pad down to the backing plate while the outside pad was still 80% new. Having (almost) no pad material overheated and destroyed the rotor, which resulted in vibration under braking even with new pads until I changed the rotors (I did both). It is very likely that what you're feeling is not the ABS but the damaged rotor that now has a runoff (warping) when it gets hot even under under moderate braking.

W205C43PFL

Thanks for chiming in.