2014 E250 - New Brake Discs needed (according to dealer)

[Hass77]

Interested to know if this is usual, or I've just been unlucky. I bought a Mercedes (used approved 2014 e250 CDi) about 7 months ago - coming back to Merc after a long time!

I took it for a service at my local dealer last week and they say that all 4 brake discs need replacing (pads are all at 80% but the brake discs are below minimum). I've contacted the dealer that I bought the car from and they have provided me the measurements for when they inspected the car. If both dealers are to be believed, the rears have gone from 9.5mm to 7.9mm and fronts from 30.5mm to 29.6mm in around 5000 miles of driving.

I'm thinking of taking the car to an independent specialist to have the brakes checked, since the dealer also quoted just over a grand for the work, which seems excessive. Interestingly enough the dealer I bought from said maybe they were trying to just drive up their numbers - that's one Mercedes dealer about another! Or maybe I should buy a micrometer and measure them myself.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[EmilysDad]

Welcome to the forum.
Dealers often quote for new discs when they see an unworn lip a the edge of a disc. Obviously I've not seen your brakes, but I'd doubt you need new discs. Even if you did, over a £grand is excessive.
I'd take it to my MOT tester & get his opinion.

 

[AMGeed]

Follow your instinct and take it to your indy for a second opinion. The dealers are well known for scaring owners into premature disc and pad replacement. I wouldn't use them to replace discs either. indy every time.

 

[Hass77]

Thanks for the welcome and the quick responses!

I'll be giving gem-tech in Romford a call shortly - they seem to have been recommended on these forums and aren't too far from me.

 

[KennyN]

Don't trust the dealers measurements , my front pads were measured at 7.5mm at the last service but 1500 miles later the warning light came on .

Bottom line , they never bothered checking them even though the VHC had all the boxes filled.

There is normally around 3mm of available wear on discs , which normally equates to two sets of pads.

Depending on what wheels you have fitted it may be possible to check the disc thickness without even removing the wheel.

Kenny

 

[A.J.]

Hi Hass77, welcome to the forum

Quite frankly I wouldn't have thought it would need disc's at only three years old, what sort of mileage has it done ? I know that you said you have only done 5,000 but what is it's total mileage ?

 

[Hass77]

Hey AJD, thanks!

It's done 41,000 in total, and I bought it with 36,000.

 

[EmilysDad]

Hey AJD, thanks!

It's done 41,000 in total, and I bought it with 36,000.

It's not gone far enough for new discs. My last car had 180k on when I sold it, and only needed new discs at the front once in that time & still on the original rears.

 

[LostKiwi]

It's not gone far enough for new discs. My last car had 180k on when I sold it, and only needed new discs at the front once in that time & still on the original rears.

Depends on usage and conditions though Andy. I replaced disks very regularly on my Volvo T5 when I had it.....

 

[A.J.]

It's not inconceivable that the disc's will want replacing after 41,000 miles IMO. I guess the determining factor is the driving style of the previous owner. I do think however that the rears are showing quite a lot of wear in 5000 miles assuming the supplying dealers measurements are accurate.

 

[EmilysDad]

Depends on usage and conditions though Andy. I replaced disks very regularly on my Volvo T5 when I had it.....

Agreed. But you'd have to go some to wear disCs (we're British ... not American) out in 41000 miles

 

[Droverunner]

You could buy all the parts (quality brands from ECP) to do front/rear for around £250 plus labour... and brake discs/pads are quite a straightforward job. So on cost alone I'd be looking at other than dealers to do this.

Re wear rates it seems a bit odd as from what I can see the fronts start at 32mm so they are saying they lost 1.5mmm over 36k but you've managed to take off a further 0.9mm in just 5k. Also the rears lost just 0.5mm in 36k but you've taken off another 1.6mm in 5k.

Yep further investigation needed.

 

[JBell]

You could buy all the parts (quality brands from ECP) to do front/rear for around £250 plus labour... and brake discs/pads are quite a straightforward job. So on cost alone I'd be looking at other than dealers to do this.

You can buy genuine from Grangemouth MB for nearly the same price

 

[Droverunner]

That's good. ECP was just a quick online resource inc the disk new/min thickness etc.

 

[carnut13]

Don't trust your dealer on this one. I once asked my dealer to check my brakes as I was about to go on holiday in the Alps. All ok! Except when I returned home from the dealer the brake wear warning light came on!!! Needless to say I was furious

Use a good indie for this. Won't affect any mb warranty or mobilo and is better value

 

[Steve@Avantgarde]

Most discs are only good for 40k miles now... the drilled sport ones ridge and grove terribly.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I'm on 27k with my 212 discs and I expect to change them with the next pads in c15k miles so 40 ish to me seems about right?

 

[Droverunner]

As a matter of interest I have the full history with invoices for our 10yr old CLK at 114k mls.

Front pads and discs (drilled sport type) were changed by dealer at 3ys and 40,200mls. Those discs are still on it at 114k and will last until or beyond the next MOT in 2018. Over that time those discs had further pads at 76k & 106k.

To me that is an exceptional life for the front discs and the previous owners must have been easy on the brakes which fits in with the whole impression the car has been cherished not thrashed.

 

[LostKiwi]

The type of driving makes a huge difference. Long motorway runs with minimal traffic will allow huge distances per set. Low speed city driving will similarly not have a huge impact on longevity. A roads and B roads will have an impact on longevity as you speed up and slow down from higher speeds.

 

[Droverunner]

Yes indeed... our use is heavy on brakes but does keep them nicely polished... even the rear discs on my own BMW 5-series look like polished chrome.

The CLK travels daily on B-roads with often no more than 1/2 mile between corners or village limits than need braking for... which also is proving far heavier on fuel with the autobox than we'd expected but that's a different story.