apricotscrub

Hi, just got my slk230 1998 with 11,500 exact. Quick question on the brakes.. when i go under 5 mph and i brake, it feels normal and slows down.. however if i go faster and brake, it feels like a tire is under my foot, like my foot itself is trying to slow down the car instead of brake pads?? im 18 so dont know much about what that means. Ive had 2 cars before and none of them feel like that, is it possible there is no brake pads there?? I looked thru the rims of the cars, and it all has the brake mechanism thingie which is this black piece inside the rims (about 1/5 of the rim size). Brake pads I assume go in between that and the tire??

xyzpl

i doubt that you have no pads, maybe very worn 1's...

check your brake fluid, make sure there is some in there.

and if all else fails, take it to a mechanic, just to be sure, brakeis the only thing you got between you and the other cars!!! I would take it to a mechanic asap just to be safe.

AJChenMPH

Heh...like xyzpl said, there are no cars without brake pads these days. If you don't have pads, you ain't stopping!

Do two things:

1. Look at the actual brakes themselves.

Check the rotor, which is the big shiny disc that's right behind the wheel. Run your thumb on the rotor from the hub (i.e., towards the center of the wheel) towards the outer edge. You should feel a little "lip" as you near the edge. As long as the lip isn't more than a couple of MILLIMETERS thick, your rotors should be okay.

Next, look at the caliper setup (the mass of metal stuff sitting right over the rotor). Look closely at the part that's actually in contact with the rotor. That's your brake pad. You should also see the part that the pad is connected to -- that's the backing. Check to make sure that the pad itself is at least as thick or thicker than the backing.

Here's a good pic (albeit of a Volkswagen) of everything I was talking about:


Here's another good pic (albeit of a Porsche caliper). If you look closely, you'll see the pad that's gripping the rotor. You can also clearly see that the pad is thicker than the backing (the black, plasticky-looking thing right next to the pad).


2. Check the brake fluid level under the hood.

I don't have any pics of that, but your owner's manual should provide enough information on the location of the reservoir tank and how full it should be.

Hope that helps...

apricotscrub

thanks for all the help, it seems as i wont be needing new rims or brake pads( i had brake pads, just felt weird with the Anti-lock brakes when u were on icy road). the slk230 at 12,500 is dead. The tread on the tires went in about a thousand miles b/c i live in CT where its horrible road conditions, and it went into snowbank after losing control, flipped, richoeted some trees and ended up upside down on a driveway off the main road. the car is pretty much over with, im fine, the top didnt even cave in that much, the roll bars wouldve been there if it did, but anyways, i think i am going to get a S430 now.

Nektopoli

Got pics of the wreck ? Post them.

NP

xyzpl

WOW, that's horrible.... i hope it was not because of your brakes...

S430..movin on up, you don't waste anytime...and so young...

apricotscrub

yeah the dude who i woke up in the mid of the nite telling them that a benz was flipped in driveway took some pics with his camera of the poor little thing. 12,000 miles and its dead, bad, bad bad.. I will post pics of it, i'll go visit him today after high school is over, also i have to go check out a 2001 c320 with 30K for 30K$. But i would rather get the 2000 S430 with 42K and a water damaged title for 37.5K$. Anyways i gotta check those out. I brought the car only once to high school, drove it around for a week and a few hours, so sad!

AJChenMPH

I hate to say it, but it sounds like you probably were driving a little too fast for the road conditions...slow down, young man.

WHATNXT

The problem may not be a problem but the normal working of the ABS. I know in my Subaru, the ABS is turned off at a speed below about 8 MPH. Below that speed, you can control the breaking better than ABS. It feels the same as you described.

Call the dealer and ask 'em.