C270 CDI Brakes

[rpe2]

Morining,

Have had the 2002 car for about 4 months now, and just before we bought it it failed the MOT on brakes, and pads/ discs were replaced.

The brakes have no bite to them, the pedal feels a little spongey, I took the pads out yesterday to replace with a decent brand (Textar) only to find that I was replacing like with like.

I suppose my questions are:

1. ARe brakes on the W203 spongy/ vague as a characteristic of the car?

2. Are discs discs, or could a cheap disc cause this feel

3. Anyone else experienced this?

Thanks

Richard

 

[psmart]

Hi,

Textar are the OEM manufacturer for Mercedes brake pads.

My C is starting to feel spongy and vibrates heavily on the nearside front! There are a few problems with these cars, 1 is that the disks can be etched by the pads which cause vibration but also reduce braking efficiency. My C has had all disks replaced at around 10k due to this problem and now at 36K Im noticing the same problem again.

If you leave the car stood for a while such as at an airport, dont apply the parking brake, leave the car in gear (and chock it, try not to put loading on the transmission) as its a sure way to etch the rear disks. Also, if the car is left standing, the tyres take on flat spots and youll get a noisy ride with possible vibration.

Also, check the service history, when was the brake fluid replaced? The fluid absorbs water over time which reduces braking efficiency.

 

[television]

Hi Richard,,any spongy feeling would be air in the system

 

[rpe2]

Hi Richard,,any spongy feeling would be air in the system

Thanks Malcolm,

I think that a throrough bleed of the system would do no harm.

Will have a go at the weekend.

Richard