How many miles are you getting out of your pads? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

G-Benz · #1 08-31-2001, 09:17 AM

My pad wear indicator light on the dash on my 300E is starting to flicker, and if I tromp on the brakes, it comes on solid.

Just had the dealer install a new OEM set in February. That was about 5K miles ago.

Before then, I don't think I remember ever getting the brakes done since I purchased the car (at 72K), so I guess that would qualify for about 32K before pad replacement.

What is everyone else getting for pad mileage? 5K seems a bit premature...

#2 08-31-2001, 09:29 AM

Pad mileage is like fuel mileage, it will vary WIDELY from one driver to the next.

One thing I would mention though is that disk brakes unlike drum brakes will wear out pads in NO TIME if you even BARELY touch the brake pedal while driving. The pads retract only a hair from the rotors when removing your foot from the pedal. Barely touching the pedal will cause pad to rotor contact and they will be gone almost immediately.

Another thing to consider might be the condition of the bores and seals. If they were really dirty and gritty, it could be that the pads do not retract thus causing premature wear. this would most likely happen with only one pad. It only takes one pad to wear down and make contact with the wear sensor to illuminate the lamp.

If you pull both wheels and inspect all four pads it will tell you if you have a bad piston/bore or if maybe your toe rests sometimes on the brake pedal. IF the toe on the brake pedal is the problem, most likely you brake with your left foot. You can correct this habit by using your right foot only for braking and throttling both.

Good luck,

G-Benz · #3 08-31-2001, 09:42 AM

Interesting analysis Larry.

I'm not a left foot/right foot driver, but I did forget to add that the first couple of years I've owned the car, my daily commute was almost all highway driving. Now that my daughter is older, she is school-bound, and my commute route has taken me from pure interstate, to three communities and eight school districts. In other words, lots of stop-and-go.

I will pull the wheels off this weekend and check on the condition of all brake components...I will have to make a run to the Fastlane shop either way it goes...

Dan · #4 08-31-2001, 10:13 AM

The other possibility, G-Benz, is that you may have a defective pad sensor. I've replaced just the sensor before on a BMW when it prematurely indicated pad replacement.

G-Benz · #5 08-31-2001, 11:05 AM

Good point Dan...I like cheap alternatives! Sensors were replaced with the last pad change, but I will look into that.

the_good_fellow · #6 08-31-2001, 11:16 AM

yes! sensors could be a problem.

I think that has something to do with what brand and what kind. I prefer semi-metallic over organic. my rear wheels' pads trend to wear 2-3 times faster than the front pads and I can't find any semi-metallic pads for the rear wheels...why? any idea?

organic ~10k miles

-fad · #7 08-31-2001, 12:15 PM

to add to your pad longevity history:

'94 E320 Coupe Starmark: factory replaced front pads & front rotors at ~63K, currently vehicle has 93K (combined city/highway weekend use), and I'd estimate front pads at 35% w/ maybe 6Kmiles left on them (front rotos still look new)

'72 280SE 4.5: OEM front pads went ~2yrs/30K city/hiway miles

'67 250SE: OEM front pads went 2-3yrs/30K+ city/hiway miles

'73 450SEL: OEM front pads went ~2yrs/20K city/hiway miles

'67 250S: OEM front pads went ~2-3yrs/30K+ city/highway miles

'94 E500 Starmark: currently vehicle has 35.5K and front and rear pads look new all around/ curious to see how long the SL600's last...

-fad

Ali Al-Chalabi · #8 08-31-2001, 12:22 PM

ON my C280, I will probably get at least 60k miles out of a set of OEM pads.

If i'm driving a stick, i'm sure it would amount to more than 100k miles per set of front pads.

David C Klasse · #9 08-31-2001, 02:49 PM

Well I got just over 17k miles out of my front pads, but I'm sure you know this... Rear pads are still 65% good.
And as most of you know, I sometimes drive hard, but not all the times, when I'm not driving hard, I always time lights, let of the gas a long ways before a stop, etc.
But what I think really killed my pads was my trip to San Francisco... there's nothing like going 120 and then having to abruptly slow down to 60... I think that really sheered the crap out of them, made a few stops like that on the way up and back (1000 miles roundtrip).

MBenzNL · #10 09-03-2001, 07:01 PM

My pads last about 35.000km and another 5.000km once the light starts to flicker. I change pads after the (pad sensor) light is out again.
For those who drive in a more descend way there is no need to change the pads when the light comes on. It is possible to drive another 10.000km with the light on and it is even possible to drive a while after the light is out again although I would never recommend that.

greetingz,

G-Benz · #11 09-04-2001, 10:16 AM

I don't get many opportunities to "blow the carbon out of the engine", so to speak, so I would consider my braking technique "conservative". In addition, I keep in mind that I have to CLEAN those wheels at the end of the day, so the easier the braking, the less effort I have to spend wiping brake dust off at night.

Thought I would be pulling of the wheels and inspecting last weekend, but it was the Labor Day holiday weekend, so I stayed out of the garage, except for getting the bag of charcoal for the grill...

jsmith · #12 09-04-2001, 12:01 PM

when you you replace the pads do you resurface or just outright replace the rotors? i have about 18k on my front rotors & pads and i'm considering switching everything to mintex pads (or maybe just the fronts). i have had good experience with this brand and it really helps with the brake dust. the crud is baked into my existing factory alloys ('93) and have already had an extended "simple green" cleaning session with them

. i am about to get new wheels and tires and really want to minimize the dust factor.

Ali Al-Chalabi · #13 09-04-2001, 02:52 PM

I stick with the OEM stuff.

I do not machine the rotors when I change pads, but I will replace the rotors every 2nd set of pads.

I am usually very easy on my brakes and have gotten in the habit of checking brake temp with my fingers every time I get out of the car to see how hard I was on the brakes.

G-Benz · #14 09-19-2001, 03:21 PM

After pulling off the wheels to rotate, I inspected the pads and found that indeed, I do need to replace the fronts (already??).

This time I have the Haynes manual, so I won't be disassembling any calipers like the LAST time.

I was thinking of just picking up an OEM set at the dealer since I am taking the ML in for some warranty service anyway...unless anyone here knows of a better set of pads to shoe on my car???

mplafleur · #15 09-19-2001, 09:34 PM

I found my brakes were running hotter than I though they should and went through my pads a bit quick on my 190E 2.6. I thought it was the pads not releasing. When I replaced the pads, I found it quite difficult to get the piston back into the caliper. I got caliper rebuild kits, cleaned the bore and pistons and replaced the o-rings and boots.

The next set of pads were gone in two weeks. I found my problem was the master cylinder. The master was not allowing the fluid back into the cylinder. I had to actually get out of the car and release the pressure in the brake line by cracking open the brake fluid line on the side of the master cylinder. It would come squirting out and all would be fine for a little while. I would have to do this 4-5 times each way from work. Once I had to release the pressure twice in less than 100 yds of driving.

I finally got the new master cylinder and all is well. Of course, I never had to replace the rear pads the whole time. It shows you how much braking is done back there.

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