Dealer is telling me that I need new brake pads after only 20,000 miles. Does that make sense? Thanks!

 

Normally no, but it depends on how you drive. If the pads are worn, they're worn.

Get a second opinion if you don't trust them.

 

Thanks. Dealer said given the engineering of the car (the way brakes are used) the pad life is shorter than normal (20-30k miles vs. 40-50k for other cars). Doesn't feel right but not sure (they are expensive to replace). In any case, thanks for the feedback!

 

I had new front pads at 23k miles and all four at 43K miles which was about a month ago. Mercedes pads are soft to start off with, and if you do a lot of stop and go, or hard braking, 20K is within normal ranges for front pads at least. I was told Mercedes brake distribution is 60/40 front/rear

 

Thanks for all the feedback. Just got the car back. Dealer took a good look at them this time and it turns out they are about 70% worn at 24K. So the problem I am having must be something else, as I originally suspected (a kind of abnormal jerking when I stop, happens infrequently, but has been noticable since ~18K). Thanks again!

 

It sounds like it has warped front rotors.

 

Thanks for the reply. The problem is there is a kind of grinding noise and sensation when using the brakes. It happens irregularly,and there are no other apparent problems(like the brake pedal or steering wheel shifting about). The car had sat for awhile (around the 18K mark when the problem first started). Is it possible that the brake pad has made an impression on the rotor (rust imprint) that the pad is now grinding up against? Thanks!

 

A decent mechanic can measure the "run out" (warp) on the rotors. If it's just a rough spot, they should be able to "turn" the rotors to flatten it out.

With the pads 70% worn, I'd get new pads and get the rotors turned, if they're not too thin or too rough.

 

Thanks. I misspoke earlier. They have 70% left. Said differently, only 30% worn. In any case, thanks for the advice.

 

Nonetheless, if the rotors are turned or replaced, you want to replace the pads at he same time, even if they were only 5% worn.