marksl

My 05 SL's brakes squeak when I brake at low speeds. Any ideas where I should start to look?

Mark

armic777

same thing. same car

m4xm1l10n

Akebono brake pads all around !!!!! 0 NOISE 0 DUST Better stopping

Rook3300

Like m4xm1l10n said, if you want to get rid of the squeaking (and dust) you'll have to switch to aftermarket brake pads. The OEM ones do squeak during slower braking and when they are "cold" (cold relative to pads that are "hot" after several hard brake periods).

Though others with the Akebonos say that they have better braking with the aftermarket pads, without actual evidence I would guess that the OEM ones actually end up stopping the car quicker. Almost all German vehicles are known for using brake pads that dust and sometimes squeak because they are the best pads to use for high-speed braking and end up stopping the car quicker. Other brake pads may give a better pedal feel, but that doesn't necessarily translate into better stopping distances.

Rook

mlandis

I feel another physics exercise coming up.... but given that it is almost impossible to not lock the brakes on this 2-metric-ton monster when coming to a hard stop, unless the aftermarket pads are slick enough that they never activate the ABS, what is being gained by having stickier pads?

Michael

kustom2k1

Squeal Medic, heard it works my passenger side rear driving me nuts going to pick some up tomorrow or a similar product. Benz just did my brakes 800 miles ago too.

Rook3300

I'm not sure what exactly the question is referring to (OEM or aftermarket pads) but I do know that the German manufacturers tend to use pads that allow for multiple hard stops without getting heat-soaked as quickly as less expensive (or less dusty) pads. In a single stop, yes, having stickier pads won't do much. It is in cases when you may need to stop quickly multiple times before the heat has left the braking system (pads, rotors, fluid) and achieving heat-soak where the brakes are not as effective. The OEM pads sacrifice themselves a little to achieve this (dusting).

Rook

mlandis

Gotcha! So, basically, this could be an issue in, say, driving the Alps, not so much in, say, the basins of Arizona or the stop-and-go of Los Angeles.

Rook3300

Alps? Pshaw. They got nothin on the Rockies over here. Or the Appliachians... though I'd stay outta them... *distant banjo pluckin'*

The real brain bender is that the tires have more to do with stopping distances than the pads, excluding heat-soak.

Rook

mlandis

Exactly why I hung onto my Mini -- if I ever want to drive across the country through any tiny towns, it doesn't look like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous begging to get shot at.

Yup -- it's nice to be able to stop the wheels, but it's even better if the wheels stop the car.

mikefili

I would try to "Bed" the pads to the rotors, make 5 or 6 stops from 60 MPH to 10 MPH without stoping while braking as hard as you can without engaging the anti lock, the idea is to get the brakes rather hot in order to transfer a coating of pad material to the rotors, the most important thing in this procedure is to not come to a stop, just brake to 10 MPH or so and then speed up to 60 and do it again, if you brake to a stop you can "imprint" the rotors, once you do this just drive around for 15 mins or so to cool the brakes down, do not worry that they are getting too hot, you want them to get as hot as you can. I think that you will find that the brakes will work great and the squeal will go away.

sl55amg ohyeah

"I would try to "Bed" the pads to the rotors, make 5 or 6 stops from 60 MPH to 10 MPH without stoping while braking as hard as you can without engaging the anti lock, the idea is to get the brakes rather hot in order to transfer a coating of pad material to the rotors, the most important thing in this procedure is to not come to a stop, just brake to 10 MPH or so and then speed up to 60 and do it again, if you brake to a stop you can "imprint" the rotors, once you do this just drive around for 15 mins or so to cool the brakes down, do not worry that they are getting too hot, you want them to get as hot as you can. I think that you will find that the brakes will work great and the squeal will go away."

Thanks mikefili for your advise. The squeaking noise on my brakes is gone...it was driving me nutty (In about 1 minute or so, I made 6 slow downs ranging from 40-50 mph to 10-20 mph). Saved me a lot of money because I was thinking of changing the brakes, which are relatively new, with Akebono. Thanks again.

garybc230

If the squeal comes back, bite the bullet and change your front and rear pads to Akebono's. I did and I don't have to wipe the wheels clean every other day. There is ZERO squealing and it stops just fine. The critics are just that, I've talked to my Benz mechanic and he is impressed with the Akebono's and feels that the benefits outweigh the so called issues.