Hi everyone!

I just came from the MB dealership and they have informed me that I will need new front brake pads soon (in the next 1,000 miles or so). I only have about 8,000 miles on my car right now (its a 2005 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan), and I only drive about 10 miles a day. Is it possible that I'll already need new pads? Seemed fishy to me. Any thoughts?

Thanks!!
-Sarah

 

Depending on the roads you drive on, you may need new pads more or less often. I think a general rule is that you change your pads every 3 oil changes, on flat roads, like city streets. Since you change oil every 3,000 miles, that's around 9,000 miles for a set of brake pads. If you drive on mountainous roads, you need to change your pads almost with every oil change.

 

i'm going to disagree...brake pads should not go that quickly. I'm at 47xxx miles, and i'm still on stock pads and rotors (i have a 2001 c240 though). I think that either you brake a lot, or something is mechanically wrong with your braking system.

 

WHAT A BOAT-LOAD OF CRAPS!! EVEN THE SOFTEST BRAKE PADS LAST 30K TO 60K, unless the car or the driver is defective.

Whoever's talking about 3,000 mile oil-change should NOT be opening his mouth in MB forum. Dude, read up. Go to school and drive a modern good car like a BMW, Benz, or Lexus. Then you will know it is 10,000 miles, not 3K. Also add "Mobil-1" to your vocabulary.

 

Thanks for all of the input...I actually called another MB dealership and they are going to take a look at the brakes this weekend at no charge. The new service consultant did say that is highly improbable that I need new brakes so soon, he was actually very helpful. He did say that I may need new brakes if I was an EXTREMELY hard braker (which I am not), or if there is actually something wrong with my brake system. Although I am a city driver, a lot of stop and go, I shouldn't need new brakes.
I would hate to think that my regular MB dealership would try to screw me out of my money (he quoted me about $7-$800) so I am going to get a second opinion.

Thanks again for all of your input!!!
-Sarah

 

Hard-braking does not shorten the brake pad's longevity extraordinarily. Long-braking, riding on the brakes, and taping the brakes kill the brakes!

One thing I see frequently is -- women drivers tap on the brakes a lot. (I am not saying every woman does. But most women and bad male drivers do.) Such behavior will not only shorten the life of the brake pads, but it will also shorten the life of timing belt and the drive-train. What I really hate most is a bad bad driving where the driver presses the gas(accelerator) for about three second, lets go, evaluate the scene, presses the gas again....! This is the best way to kill a car. Yes, I have a few dumb *** friends who do that.

FYI: I brake hard and I brake short. My OEM brake pads are lasting more than 40K now.

 

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the input on this topic. So, I went to a new MB dealership this weekend to have them check my brakes (they did this at no charge which I was grateful, and they were extremely nice), and they informed me that I do need new brakes! They did say I have about 500 miles or so before my brake warning light comes on, but they did recommend that I replace my front brakes. The service consultant drives the exact same car as I do and he said that he replaced his at appx. 10,000 miles (I have a little over 8,000 miles on my car now). He said there wasn't anything wrong with my brake system, it's just wear and tear of city driving and that the brakes on this car are "softer".

I guess I have no choice but to replace the pads, but this dealership quoted me a price that was $250.00 less than what my regular dealership has quoted me...

Thanks again everyone for the input!

Sarah

 

yup you probably need brakes. i see it all the time cars come to my dealer needing pads at 9000 miles. my person record was an s class with 3400 miles on it need front pads. it all depends on you braking habits. i drive an e class last set of pads i got 24k out of my girlfriend drives the same car she gets 18k out of a set of pads all depends how you drive. but yes i do see it at least once a week a car needs pads after 9-10k miles

 

My 02 CL230 coupe had new pads at 16,300km (10,000 m) along with resurfaced discs. At 27,600km (23,400 m) the Front discs had to be replaced but not the pads. This car currently has 30,000km (18,600 m) but is usually driven only 5 m a few times a week, driven only in the city in heavy traffic and sits outside in all types of weather. The problem with a car like this is corrosion. The disc surfaces rust over and cause severe wear on pads the first time they are used after the car has been sitting. The driver is not a factor for this car.
I have owned a number of MBs over the years. Usually one car is used a lot and the other is used infrequently. The car that is used all the time has always had better brake wear longevity than the one that sits and slowly rusts away.
From your driving habits your car is a low use one like mine so the brakes could very well be shot. Wait til the brake indicators lite up in any case. Usually they have to be replaced anyway.

 

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