BOOMBOZZ

I own a 2002 E55 with 34,000 miles. I took it to the local MB dealer to have the schedule A maintenence. I also told them about the "wobble" the car had. They informed me today that i needed new front brakes and then called 20 minutes later to tell me i also needed rotors?. Is this possible. I do not drive the car hard. Please advise.

CarlssonCRS

they said my rotors were warped after 20k miles.... i think you should just go for brembos!

tjcMBE55AMG

From what I know of the reputation for 'soft' factory rotors (contributes to braking) 34,000 miles on your first set is excellent. From what I've seen on message boards, many find typical wear-out around 25,000 miles. This speaks to the more expensive nature of the maintenance of these vehicles. The rotors are pricey too.

Be very, very careful about washing. Rotors should be cool - good rules include (a) never take your car through a car wash (yes, REALLY) and (b) when you wash manually wait at least 40 minutes for cool down or until you can touch the rotor comfortably (careful!). Did you know that rotors routinely reach temperatures of 400-500 degrees or more.

That $5 teenage charity car wash doesn't look so good when you are facing possible damage to $300 rotors, does it?


TJC

DFW01E55

One school of thought says that rotors don't warp. They believe that a layer of brake lining builds up unevenly on the rotor surface, causing the vibration.

When I've been to a track day (not E55) and had severe vibrations after from heavy brake use, I apply water to rotors and let them sit overnight. The water causes the build up to begin oxidizing. A hard application or two when the car first goes out, scrapes the surface pretty well. It takes 3 or 4 nights but my "warped rotors" return to normal - no vibration. YMMV

JAYCL600

you can get rotors online for 210.00 a pop...I let mine go way beyond "spec" to 60K miles befor changing rotors...no problems..although not recommended