General brake question
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General brake question
This is my first MB so I'm a little confused right now. My neighbor is a long time MB owner. His wife has a C230 (i think) about 2 years old/32k on the odo. He just bought new pads AND rotors for the vehicle. I asked what had happened to get the new rotors. He said, "that's about all they're good for, these cross-drilled rotors and then they need replaced". WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I've owned 15 different cars in my short car buying life and I've NEVER had to replace rotors on a single car.....EVER. Brake pads sure but ROTORS!!!!! Granted I've never owned a car passed 85K miles but still, 32K and your buying rotors and think it's normal?!?!?!?!?! Is this consistent with anyone elses MB experiences? I wasn't going to argue with him as, first that's a lost cause regardless and two I really don't know. Just curious about anyones comments. I know this has nothing to do with E55/E63's but this is where I hang. BTW......SMOKED a new Shelby GT500 mustang the other day. It really was almost sad 
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From: Boston
'01 E55
Yes, this is normal. Front rotors will last you around 30k, the rears will last around 50k depending on your driving style of course.
MBZ's theory is to have the pads and rotors wear together in order to get the best stopping performance.
MBZ's theory is to have the pads and rotors wear together in order to get the best stopping performance.
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Okay that's fine, but agreed that this is not the norm for a lot of cars. My honda never even needed pads in 75k, no sh*t. Nor did my truck ever need rotors. My point is that most cars don't need rotors regularly or am I nuts.
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2003 SL500
I have noticed significant ware on all my MB rotors. I've owned quite a few different late models. I've been told that the rotors are made of a softer metal than other vehicles. This contributes to the faster wear. The reasons for the softer metal has been explained to make for better pad to rotor contact as wear occurs and to reduce brake noise. True or not I can't say. I have continued to use rotors that the dealership said should be replaced with no problems. Just a pad change instead. Because there is just a lip forming on the outer egde of the rotor is no reason to change it if it is wearing evenly acorss the surface and is well within wear spec.
Glenn
Glenn
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CLS55
you must never have owned a bmw either then. They are all the same. the way i've always seen it is the more rotating weight, the harder it is to speed up/slow down. these cars are luxury/performance vehicles and are built to perform which means they make the rotors to be lighter and replaced more often.
honda is made for reliability and low cost maintainence which means thicker rotors at the expense of performance.
honda is made for reliability and low cost maintainence which means thicker rotors at the expense of performance.
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From: socal
European cars in general need rotor replacement with brake pad replacement. It has always been the norm. For those of us that have had many different brands of cars or worked on them you do notice a difference in braking quality. The Asian cars in the past warp rotors very easily even thought the rotors claim to be able to be resurfaced over and over before being too thin. The European rotors tend not to warp as easily but get thin as quickly as the pads wear (whether they last 10k or 60k miles). The big plus is in general the soft European rotors are less expensive than the Asian rotors, (at least for us do DIYers) too bad dealers and the shops tend to charge more for European brake jobs.
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Actually have a new brake question
Before I say anything bear in mind that this car has about 600 miles on it. One thing I've noticed that may be normal the more I learn about these finicky vehicles (makes me really appreciate my American z06, beat on it all day, no issues!) is that when I'm at a stoplight and ease up on the brakes to drift forward the car shudders as if its running over tiny rumble strips or like brakes that pulsate. It's a tiny but VERY noticable thing. No issues under regular braking (other than the squeaking at low speeds I assume from brake dust) just when I'm drifting forward from a standstill. It's really weird.
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From: Calabasas
2005 Flint Grey E55
Before I say anything bear in mind that this car has about 600 miles on it. One thing I've noticed that may be normal the more I learn about these finicky vehicles (makes me really appreciate my American z06, beat on it all day, no issues!) is that when I'm at a stoplight and ease up on the brakes to drift forward the car shudders as if its running over tiny rumble strips or like brakes that pulsate. It's a tiny but VERY noticable thing. No issues under regular braking (other than the squeaking at low speeds I assume from brake dust) just when I'm drifting forward from a standstill. It's really weird.
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Not to change the subject here but I really like the wheels on your ride. Look like HRE's but I'm no expert. Series and size if you could please? That photo of your car is great!
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From: Calabasas
2005 Flint Grey E55
They are Kinesis K19R's in a 19x8.5F and 19x10R. The finish is the standard anodized shot peened finish from Kinesis.
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1967 Morris Cooper "S", 1983 911SC, 1997 Toyota Tacoma, 1999 HD FXSTB, 1998 C43
Brake Rotors
My original rotors were shot at 72K - I recently replaced my rotors with OEM AMG Rotors treated by www.frozenrotors.com at a cost of $618. Check out LINK
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From: Miami, FL
2013 E63 AMG
I also have a 01 E55 so our front rotors only last to 30k? I have 38k on my car that I just purchased in Nov. 06 and the pads on front and back look new. Do you think they changed rotors? What is the spec so I can check them? Thanks
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From: New York
old daily driver '07 E63(gone); new dd '14 750xi; 2013 Viper GTS
pads and rotors aside..I see myself going thru tires at a rapid pace with this car. Thanfully they are fairly cheap being non run-flat and only 18 inchers.(compared to the rear monsters on my Viper)
