General Q's

[amolak]

Hi,
Some general Q’s

1, I’ve just upgraded my wheels to 18”x 8.5” with 255x45x18 tyres.
The steering now feels a little “twitchy”, is this because of the tyres being so wide that they are following the groves of the road.

2, Brakes – Last week I changed my front discs + pads at a local Merc garage.
I now get a faint squeak when I brake or when I turn the car. Is this due to the new discs?

3, Boot sensor – I have an electric boot release on my remote, however it does not appear to be as effective as my c/l activation button. Is there a particular area on the car where I need to point the remote for the boot release?

4, Fuel gauge – When the needle goes into the red and the light comes on, the needle gets very temperamental. Some times it shows flat bottom of the gauge, and some times it shows at the top of the red part. Is this normal for it to swing so much in the red area?

Cheers

Amo
1998 S280 UK W140

[Kestas]

Tires ..... When you say twitchy, does that mean they handle squirrely?..... and when you say grooves, do you mean the natural ruts in the road, or the longitudinal texture cut into the road?

Brakes ..... Many manufacturers make a product generically called "anti-squeal paste". At every brake change this product should be applied to the backside of each brake pad to prevent the very noise you describe. Either the garage omitted that step, or the paste they put on isn't very effective. This noise does NOT mean you have poor pads; it's just an annoyance.

[blackmercedes]

Low profile tires drive like crap. Most follow every rut and groove in the road. Get used to it, or change tires/wheels.

Does your car have the SmartKey? Early (98-00 or so) ones don't have great range, and the trunk (boot) release must be held down to avoid accidental opening. The longer signal pulse required means a greater chance for interference from other RF signals, and usually shorter range than the other functions on the key.