The rear brakes on my 1989 190E 2.6 are not making full contact with the rotor ( as evidenced by the rusty area on the rotor surface ). It looks like the pads are coming in contact with the first 1.5 inches of the rotor and that is it. They are new rotors, new pads, and, it did this with the old ones as well. Calipers bad??

Thanks.

Jeff

Sounds like you have the wrong pad for the application. It is possible to have different pads that will interchange. When you have a smaller pad than original it won't wear over as much of the rotor. Seen it a few times in the shop, you need to make sure your application is correct. Seems probable that the 2.6 has larger pads than a 2.3, you may have the 4cyl pads installed. note: Not at work so I can't confirm this

They are the correct pads. The old ones wore very strangely.

If you are convinced the application is correct, then what brand pad are you using?

Cheapo pads sometimes cut corners and you end up with less friction material than a quality pad. Although most of the time when this happens in the shop it is the wrong pad installed. (9 out of 10 times it's on a 201 chassis) It's not a 1 size fits all scenario with the 201 chassis, sometimes you have to match pads to your vin and not trust what a salesman tells you.

A picture would really help describe your situation here. It sounds as if either the rotor is warped (badly), you have the wrong pads, or they were installed incorrectly.

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Daily Driver: 02 E430 4MATIC
In the family: '03 E500 // '04 ML500 // 64 220SE

On the rear brakes, the piston has a " step " on the face.
If the piston was turned while retracting it, the angle of this " step " has to be set, to get the correct ( square ) contact patch on the pads.
Have a very close look at the picture & you will see the " step ".
http://img.eautopartscatalog.com/live/N104018100ATE.JPG

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2007 C 230 Sport.