Rear Brakes - Help!

[midas]

I recently had the car (C180 Estate 1998) serviced by Andy gayle who remarked that the rear brake pads needed replacement. Was not too bothered as the pads had only been changed 20,000 miles ago, and with genuine MB parts.

I was therefore surprised to find they are on the minimum thickness!!!

The orginal pads lasted 60 000 miles, so .... do I have a problem??? Any ideas gratefully received.

P.S> I did not last time change the fitting pins or retaining springs. The MB garage says they never change them unless they are broken, but my Haynes annual suggests they should be replaced every time you change the pads - could this be the cause?

 

[tom7035]

Firstly, not fitting new pins/springs with the new pads would have no effect on the wear rate of the brake pads if the existing pins were still in good condition and cleaned up on reassembly, although renewing these at the same time IS good practice. Many manufacturers include them with the pad set. Secondly, you will never get the same life from brake service parts that you would from the originals, simply because with use over extended mileages the discs/drums themselves become worn and therefore more abrasive than when brand new. As they become more seriously scored with use they should be reground or replaced, but I'm sure this is not the case here, as someone like Andy Gayle would have noticed this and advised accordingly.
This may seem harsh and I certainly mean no disrespect, but the main cause of rapid brake wear is quite simply the manner in which the vehicle is driven. However if you have driven the car since new I congratulate you on achieving 60,000 miles on one set of pads, even on the rear! On the other hand, if you acquired the car shortly before you replaced the pads 20,000 miles ago, then I leave you to ponder this paragraph.
I must confess I am very inexperienced with the Mercedes marque so I don't really know what mileages can reasonably be expected from brake parts, but I personally don't think you have a problem with the car.

 

[stwat]

Just to ad my 2 peneth.

60000 miles on one set of pads(front or rear)is imposible IMHO

Stu

 

[davidsl500]

My old Passat, bought new in 1988 and sold in 1991 had 132,000 miles on the clock, still on the original brakes and clutch. It is possible if the car does lots of motorway miles like mine did.

There are so many different factors that can affect brake pad life including driving style, state of brake discs, how the new pads are bedded in, town driving versus motorway miles.

Whilst the pads were MB Parts the actual friction material may be different to the original spec. I am sure an experienced technician like Mr Gayle would have commented if anything was amiss like sticking cailpers or worn discs.

Does anyone remember the early days of non asbestos brake pads and shoes? - it was in the early 80's and the pads lasted forever but they ate their way through discs like you wouldnt believe !

 

[tom7035]

Davidsl500, on the subject of asbestos pads/shoes, can you believe in my early days manuals actually recommended an AIR-LINE be used to BLOW the brake dust from drums and hubs!! Wow!

 

[bigt]

synthetic brake linings

You may find this hard to beleive, but the main ingredient of many of the the new sythetic brake linings is a material called CNSL or to translate Cashew nut shell liquid. About a year ago I was lucky enough in the course of my business to visit a factory where the liquid is converted into a material known as friction dust. From there it is shipped to the likes of Textar, ferodo , mintex etc and they then make the linings from it. I was talking to the technical sales guy there and he said that this stuff is about the best substitute there is for asbestos but no substitute for asbestos when it comes to longevity. Also modern brake linings tend to be more abrasive than asbestos as well, so do tend to wear discs out more quickly.

Sobering thought that your car is stopped by peanuts, isnt it ?

 

[flyingtech55]

Re davidsl500s comment.

I too remember the early non asbestos brake pads. I used to have to renew the discs on my Mk2 Fiesta every other time I renewed the pads.

Before that I had a Maxi (a good one) and I had a stock of old style pads for it and had never had to renew the discs. However when I left the trade and started buying the non asbestos pads for it I had to renew the discs after the third set. That was a bit of a nightmare because the discs were bolted to the inside of the hub and they had never been off before.

Ho-hum...happy days.

 

[OlafMaxwell]

Am on 91k and only on the second set of pads, originals replaced at 56k.

Depends a lot on if its city or motorway driving. I expect to replace them again before summer. Disks are original though and still in good order. I know they often don't last.

 

[HRNichol]

Many thanks, for the replies gents - for Tom, I've owned and driven the car since new, so I guess it must be the pads rather than my driving! Furthermore, the type of driving has not changed either.

I was not able to change the pins or springs - neither my local Merc garages had them in stock - both service departments emphasised they were replaced only if damaged.