R-Class (W251) Produced 2006-2013: R320CDI, R350, R420CDI, R500

should this have happened in my r500?

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Old Oct 4, 2009 | 09:50 PM
  #1  
Zoweee's Avatar
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r500
should this have happened in my r500?

our r500 is awesome, it is a 2006 and we have had it for a year.....this past week, there was a terrible grinding noise every time we applied the brakes.......took it to the dealer and he said that we had actually worn through the pads and that what we were hearing was metal to metal and that we needed pads and rotors........my question is......shouldn't we have had some type of warning that our pads were so thin to avoid ruining the rotors?????? don't mind having to pay for the pads, but the rotors may have been avoided had some warning popped up on our display......45000 miles on the car, and do not know if this is the first new set of pads and rotors installed....thanks for any input.
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Old Oct 5, 2009 | 08:40 AM
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avlis's Avatar
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It's good practice to replace the rotors at the same time as the pads. With 45,000 miles, you'd end up replacing those rotors soon anyway.
Not sure if the R class has brake wear sensors. My experience with those sensors has been...I've replaced worn pads even though the sensor never tripped.
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Old Oct 5, 2009 | 10:59 AM
  #3  
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From: Woodbridge, VA
2007 R-500
Z,
I recently replaced the rear pads on my 07 R500. The mileage was around 45,000. The technician (not an MB dealership) recommended I replace the rotors at the next major service. The dealer had recommended I replace all rotors and pads ASAP. I went to a reputable local shop (Don Allen Service Center, Alexandria, VA) and was advised that all I needed now was new pads in the rear. The cost savingwas over $800.

It is possible that a previous owner of your vehicle rode the brakes or liked to drag race with other vehicles from stoplight to stoplight.

JR

JR
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Old Oct 5, 2009 | 05:09 PM
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There is a brake warning light as explained in the owners manual.

This light will light up every time you start the car so you can verify the bulb works.

It COULD be possible that the car was run in the worn condition so long that the sensor was destroyed. It's also possible the sensor was disconnected or not there since the last brake service.

Typically, Mercedes specifications allow no more than 1 mm wear on each side of a rotor, meaning more often than not they are replaced every pad change. This allows for the fact that the rotors might not last the life of replacement pads.

Last edited by lkchris; Oct 5, 2009 at 05:11 PM.
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Old Oct 13, 2009 | 11:38 PM
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05 w463 G55, 08 W251 R500, 03 996 turbo
there are only 2 wear sensors on the car, one in front and one in the rear. so for whatever reason if the left is wearing quicker than the right, you may be in trouble.... but that usually doesnt happen.
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Old Oct 27, 2009 | 02:40 AM
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R500 -06 & Corvette -98 Indy PC
Looks like not too many are reading the owner's manual Me neither too often. First thing for me to do is to shred the manual of the shredder to test how it works But if you check the owner's manual of your MB, it tells about brake pads wear warning note on multifunction display. I guess page 160 or something. I just checked few days ago before taking my R back to dealership for last minute warranty fixes (warranty due in two weeks... ).

I know the brake pads are gone, have been already some time. But I want to hear dealership's explanation why it doesn't give me any note. I would guess bad sensor or something like that. Hope they'll give me new sensors so I don't need to buy them with new pads & rotors You know, you should renew the sensors every time you change the pads...

Just waiting for my R coming back tomorrow...

Last edited by veppe; Oct 27, 2009 at 02:45 AM.
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