Unpleasant experience with MBUSA. I communicated the below to customer relations and even had a call. They refuse to take responsibility for what they are are warped rotors.

Request for Warranty Exception / Goodwill Brake Rotor Replacement

• Vehicle: 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580
• Mileage: 21K miles
• Age: 2.5 years
• Condition: Front brakes 30% worn, rear brakes 40% worn — extremely minimal wear, vehicle driven gently.

Core Issue

• Dealer diagnosed warped rotors, not due to wear or abuse, but premature material degradation.
• This is a manufacturer quality defect, not normal wear-and-tear — rotors should not warp at 21k miles and low brake usage.
• Brake pad wear is inconsistent with rotor warping, further proving this is not due to aggressive driving or overheating.

Why This Should Be Covered

• Warranty Exclusion Clause for brakes refers to "normal wear and tear" — this is not normal.
• Rotor warping at this stage implies either defective metallurgy, improper machining, or shipping/storage issue prior to delivery.
• Vehicle has been maintained impeccably and stored/operated under normal conditions.
• No signs of abuse, aggressive braking, or environmental stressors — clearly a product fault.

Customer Loyalty and Brand Expectations

• I have owned eight new Mercedes-Benz vehicles over the years:
  • Four S-Class models
  • Two GLEs
  • One GL
  • One E-Class
• None have ever experienced this kind of premature brake rotor failure — especially not at 21k miles.
• My continued loyalty and history with the brand speaks to my expectations of premium-level quality and post-sale care.

Cost and Resolution Ask

• Quoted $3,300 for full rotor and brake replacement — despite vehicle being:
  • Essentially unused
  • Gently driven
  • Still under factory warranty
• I’m not asking for a gift — I’m requesting a reasonable, goodwill warranty exception for a clearly premature and unusual defect.
• I'm confident Mercedes-Benz stands behind its engineering and customer relationships — and will do what’s right.

 

I agree 100%. This should be covered under the 4 year/50,000 mile warranty.

Failing that another option you might consider: Independent shop: as your pads are in excellent shape, all that has to be done is replace the rotors and the brake sensor pads. If it done outside of Mercedes it should cost less than $1,000.

I have a 2019 E450: because of the electronic parking on the rear, both my rotors and pads had to be replaced at 30,000 miles. (The front pads and rotors with 53,000 miles are fine and original) With OEM parts from my local dealer, the cost of the rotors, new pads and brake sensors was less than $1100. The front rotors are drilled so it might be more expensive, but you will not be replacing the pads which is a savings.

Hope this helps.

 

They might not be warped. You may simply have uneven pad deposits which feel the same. Did you bed the pad/rotors in?

 

I think they should have covered as well.... especially given the fact that I owned 4 S-classes in the past and that never happened to me... MBUSA does not seem to care about customer loyalty lately. The manager I spoke with did not offer a resolution. Service insists I pay 3300 to replace ALL. breaks.

 

Not sure what that means... dealer service told me that there is NOTHING they can do other than change all breaks... 3300...

 

Try a different MB dealership if not, since they are not claiming any warranty, get a second opinion at an independent shop.

 

Dealership has not control over warranty... it's MBUSA corporate that's refusing to step up and take responsibility for defective COVID era built parts.

 

Rotors are not that expensive, nor are they hard to replace. 3g is ridiculous

 

They are charging 3.3K for rotors and pads. 2/3rd of that is parts. I don't want aftermarket parts on my S-class... seriously... they need to step up and fix their defect.. I'm hoping there are others with the same issue and we can go class action on this.... I can't be the only one.

 

Here is what I would suggest:

• Go to another dealer to confirm that the rotors are actually warped. If they are, the second dealer may replace them under warranty.
• If the second dealer determines that the rotors are warped and refuses to replace them go to an Independent shop for their analysis and their cost, using OEM rotors from Mercedes. It may turn out it is something else other than warped rotors.
• Write your dealer by certified mail - return receipt requested, documenting everything and if they refuse to replace the rotors under warranty that you sue them for the cost of replacement.

If you want to pursue go to small claims court, which cost virtually nothing and sue the dealer. You do not need a lawyer, However, the dealer being a corporation will be required to hire an attorney which will cost them.

Once you have attorney on the other side, you should be able to negotiate a settlement.

If not go to small claims court. Your story will be heard sympathetically by the judge and/or magistrate.

The class action will take years, assuming you find a lawyer willing to take the case, and in the meantime you will have to replace your rotors.


Just my $.02

 

From my sophisticated education, via Judge Judy, you will need a 'brake expert' with you in court. Not a letter but the person

 

how do you know parts defective?
send them out for metallurgy and compare MB specs?



Could it be the way you drive?

 

having same issue at 19k miles. Warped rotors and pads are good. Mine auto hand brakes gets stuck since brand new. I informed the dealer about this issue and asked him at that time, about future issues with brakes or rotors and was told not to worry about it.
now 2 years later they also wanna charge me $$$ to replace.
haven’t done anything yet. Glad more people are sharing this issue, that we maybe Mbusa wil take notice.

 

What was the basis for your dealer's diagnosis "premature material degradation"? Is the service manager a brake expert? Has he seen this rotor defect before? Do you have this opinion in writing? The pad wear seems high (to me) for 21K miles. Pads and rotors are wear items that depend on individual driving style. Proving defective material will be an expensive and time consuming endeavor. I'd just negotiate a brake job with this dealer and pay for it. Your pads and rotors will be completely gone before any legal recourse yields a result.

 

We bought a 11 month old, about 10K mile, 2019 E450 Wagon from a BMW dealer, because at the time, they were no longer available to order new and this wagon was virtually exactly what we were looking for. All of the bright window trim had dulled, even though the rest of the car was pristine.

I took it to “my” MB dealer, MB Laguna Niguel, where I had leased several higher end models and had all of my servicing done. I had been a customer there since 2004. They absolutely refused to replace the trim under warranty. I drove the wagon to Fletcher Jones MB and they replaced all the trim, no questions asked.

I truly believe that some dealers look at the MBUSA Warranty Program as a “Cash Cow” and do whatever they can to make money off of it, while other dealers look at it as an annoyance. I would definitely try other dealers with the OP’s brake issue. By the way, I never returned to MB Laguna Niguel.

 

This wagon still looks good till this day, ngl.

 

Is this the same bmw dealership you bought the i7 from? As technically you can be considered a returning customer and they should had gave you even more discounts.

 

No, different dealer. But, with my “motorcycle shenanigans,” I ended up with an exceptionally good deal on my I7.

 

Different ways to transportation

 

Although also different types of fun. Motorcycle vs car, not the same type of enjoyment.

 

Sure, the GLE you can option "curve" mode mimicking the lean of a motorcycle but not quite the same fun.

 

OP, any chance you tried a different dealership? I understand you mentioned mbusa isn't approving the work but maybe a second dealership is more willing to negotiate on your behalf with them?

 

I "purchased" a used BMW motorcycle to get the $5K "previous BMW ownership" discount. I did not own the bike long and never rode it.

 

I guess you didn't like the bike like a bit?

 

Speaking of which this popped up on my feeds: