Hey Guys:

I own a silver 2000 w210 e55 with about 144k on the clock. I purchased the car form the original owner whom of which I know. The car has basically been pampered and serviced at the dealer its whole life.

My close friend/boss loved my car so much, I convinced him to purchase one. I found him a 2002 e55 designo edition (dark brown/camel interior) with about 105k. After a dealer inspection, i flew to Kansas to pick up the car and drove it back to KY.

One huge difference that I noticed right away was the brakes. The 2002 brakes felt amazing and were a lot more sensitive/powerful than mine. My 2000 has a inch or two of dead space (in the pedal) before the brakes engage and when they do, it is gradual and does not feel very strong. I will also mention that I feel as if I have to use extra force when pressing the pedal and the 2002, I did not.

When I first purchased my car (2000), I questioned the braking power. But I had them checked (everything normal) and I eventually just got use to them. After driving 2002, It raised questions. As far as I know, there are zero differences in the braking systems in the facelifted e55's.

I will give you a little info on each car as I compared them:

2000 e55with weaker brakes)
-Brake system stock/OEM- has been serviced by dealer
-Brake fluid good
-Front pads-need to be replaced soon. 20+% left? Sensors have not gone off.
-Rear pads good...maybe 40+%?
-Rotors OK all around. Meets thickness requirements. No vibration.Tiny lip on fronts but still ok.

2002 Designo e55
-Brake system stock/OEM (mechanic's words)
-Brake fluid was really dirty
-Front pads very low. Sensor has not gone off. Mechanic said recommends pads/rotors.
-Rear pads are good. Not sure of the percetage but i would imagine over 50%. My mechanic said they are not as worn as mine*


What had me scratching my head is that the 2002 had dirty fluid, worn front pads, and still felt a lot better than mine?? What could this be?

-Maybe that I have moisture in my lines?
-Maybe that my rear pads are more worn down than his? We both have low fronts. Is it possible since all four of mine are worn, the pedal has to travel more?
-I guess it could be possible that the 2002 has updated brake lines but I doubt it.

I am having trouble figuring it out. Not only is there a difference in the pedal travel. But there is also a vast difference in braking power and sensitivity.

Is there a differences in the '00 and '02 braking systems?

Recommendations? Where to start? How is your braking performance?

I know that I could flush the fluid, change all four pads and rotors, add SS lines, etc, etc to investigate the issue but I wanted to get your opinions and obviously didn't want to dump tons of money into the brakes without asking first. Thanks a lot for reading and giving your opinions.



BTW: It has been awesome driving the two and comparing little things. A couple of differences I noticed and or was aware of:


-MPH read out on screen
-One touch Sun roof
-2002 Alarm siren is MUCH louder than mine???
-2002 beeps when you lock and unlock the car?? (Norway setting?)

Thanks again for the help!

 

I'd start with flushing/bleeding the brakes. See if that makes any difference.

 

Maybe there is air ( a compressible gas) or moisture (some what compressible) in the brake system. Hydraulic (brake) fluid is considered non compressible. Anything else in the closed system, will compress and the brake pedal will travel some distance prior the brake fluid moving the caliper puck.
Try bleeding your brakes. Also, maybe you have master cylinder leak? Brake booster diaphragm internal tear?


"serviced by the dealer" Sorry to say, but that does not mean much to me these days.....


One touch sunroof = Have you tried to reset your sunroof switch?

 

My 2002 doesn't beep when I lock/unlock the doors. I'm not familiar with the Norway settings. What are they?

Is the beep annoyingly loud? I wouldn't mind an audible confirmation to go along with the flashing lights.

Does anyone know if this is a user, switchable feature? Is it something that a dealer has to program?

Thanks,

ddb

 

Apparently it can be turned on by a STAR system. Also, the volume of the beep can be adjusted. The beep on his is not terribly loud but I like it to confirm by doors locking. If you do some searching, you can find some information. I think it is something like the "Norway setting", but I'm not sure. Ill see if I can find a link. It was also interesting that his alarm was much louder than mine.

 

"serviced by dealer" doesn't mean much to me either, I just that I have records and that it wasn't serviced by a quick lube place.

As for the sunroof, I can't remember if I tried to reset it or not. But I was under the impression that this was a feature that was added after 2000.

 

I can attest to the fact that the "one touch" sunroof feature was added AFTER the 2000 models, so resetting the switch won't help a bit. This was discussed quite a bit in a forum discussion several months ago, when I had the same question.

 

My 2001 had the MPH read out and a one touch sun roof. It never beeped when locking/unlocking it. I never heard the siren go off on it.