Bought a 1 yr old A210 a year ago from dealer. 2 months later went on holiday for 3 weeks and left it outside (in London). Came back to find brake discs rusted so badly had to be replaced. No one could explain why they had got so bad so dealer replaced them free of charge. Guess what???? 1 year on an exact repeat of the situation. Car left for 21 days exactly and came back to find it was undrivable due to brake rust. Discs only 1 year old and done 6,000 miles. Dealer saying this is normal if you leave it outside undriven in winter!!!!!! Is there anyone out there that has had a similar probelm? Is there an expert who knows if this is abnormal??? I can'y believe it is not possible to leave a 2 year old car for 3 weeks... HELP

 

It's normal for the rotors to rust if they have moisture on them and you leave it parked. Mine rust after a rain storm and before I drive it. They don't rust to point of being undriveable, though. They shouldn't rust that bad in 2-3 weeks.

Don't yours just look normal after you move the car? If not, describe what happens when you move it. Why is it undriveable?

 

I don't know what it is but seems like new car's brake pads and rotors rust quick. Ever went to a dealership and seen a "brand new" car with rust on the rotors? My 1987 BMW sat outside for a year and some days without being driven and no rust formed. Just as I saw a pair of 1975 MBZ 450SELs that's been sitting five years straight with no rust on the rotors.
Last time I asked a pro mechanice about that he told me it was basically due to the low quality brake pads. Some pads form a layer overnight but it just rubs off during normal driving. Now leave there for the time period you did, you have problems.
My solution that I used to solve that problem was to go order higher quality brake pads. Or a pair that's rust resistant

 

mb rotors rust very fast i haved replaced rotors on a rain day and the old rotors would rust withing 10 minutes of removing them just drive it.

 

When the car was first moved there was a kind of clunking sound and when it was driven the car itself kind of shook which turned to a major juddering when braking. Merc sent someone out to see if it was drivable to the garage and they said no. Its the front brakes that have gone.

Surely Merc fit reasonable quality brake pads that shouldn't rust in 3 weeks?????

 

The clunk was likely the pads releasing from the rotors when you moved it. Could also have been the parking brake shoes on the rear releasing.

The "juddering" never stops if you drive it?

Did the guy tell you why the car was undriveable?

How many miles are on the car?

 

The car has only done 12,500 miles and has ready had new brake discs - done 6,000 since discs replaced. Only drove car for 5 mins and it juddered all the time. Sorry but don't know why the mechanic Merc sent out said it was undrivable except he drove it to the end of the road and wasn't happy!

 

All I could suggest is to buy a different brand of rotors. There might be a bad batch out there. I doubt that the pads are a problem. You do mean the rotors (discs) rust, right? You'd have to do some dismantling to see the pad surfaces.