Lat2182

According to your experience in flat or mountainous areas, every how many km or miles have you changed the front and rear brake pads of a W206?

I took it to the shop, mine has 20,000 km and they already asked for the rear brake pads to be changed.
What do you think about this wear for 20,000 kms?

streborx

Brake pads are about 12mm thick when new and should be replaced when they reach 2-3mm. Were you told the measurements, or checked them yourself?

818benz

I recently had service B done one my w206 at 30,000 km and both my rear brakes were 7mm. Rotor looks fine to me. Might need to be cleaned a little

superswiss

There is no set mileage for when brake pads need to be replaced. It comes down to how much they are being used. Somebody who mainly cruises on the highway, rarely finds themselves in stop&go traffic or doesn't use the brakes much in general will get much more out of them. As far as the rear pads are concerned, their life also largely depends on how light you brake. During light/moderate braking, mainly the rear brakes engage. This is to avoid/minimize the typical nose dive that occurs when the front brakes engage. So today's brake system that control the bias electronically first engage the rear brakes and then if you are braking hard enough, the fronts kick in, but because the rears have already started to slow the car, the nose dive is minimized. DISTRONIC also notoriously wears the rear pads as it mostly does moderate braking. So the more you use DISTRONIC and it has to moderately slow you down regularly, that will eventually wear down the rear pads. As a result, it's very common on modern cars that the rear pads are worn first.

Lat2182

this are the measurements of the pads. Thickness 4.5mm and how it looks from the sensor

streborx

IMO your pads are still OK, and your wear sensors have not yet triggered. Still, to be at 4.5mm after 20KM seems excessive wear. Are you doing substantial mountain driving and braking rather than down-shifting?

Lat2182

yes I live in Quito Ecuador. We are in Andean region, so the is a lot of hills, lots of traffic too.

streborx

I live in Colorado and drive the Rocky Mountains frequently. Many drivers unfamiliar with mountain driving use their brakes to control their downhill descents, rather than dropping their transmissions into a lower gear (engine braking). Excessive brake wear is one consequence of this practice, but the more problematic issue is brake fade. Many drivers don't appreciate that braking action is all about converting kinetic energy into heat energy. Brakes work by dissipating this heat, but are limited. When brakes become so hot that further heat dissipation is not possible, they become useless and will not stop a vehicle. Disaster ensues.

Lat2182

I agree with you I always try to brake as much as I can with the gear change. But still have this consequences with the breaks