My E320 squeeks when the brake is applied lightly, either warm or cold. Hard braking produces no noise.

It has 30,000 miles on it and it is a Mercedes certified used car. Good brake pads and straight rotors. My BMW did the same thing and they installed some kind of metal pad behind the brake pad to quiet them down.

Any ideas here?

Marc

I think it has something to do with the pads. My car doesn't have that noise 'til recently when I have my pads changed(and I have the same situation as you have. Noise only heard when light braking). My guess is that MB uses Metallic Pads, which produces more noise then normal pad.

Andy Kuo

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<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>1992 Mercedes-Benz 400SE
<LI>Pearl Grey/Black Leather
</UL>
ICQ#26950002
Mercedes Owners ICQ ActiveList ID#61730549
Mercedes S-Class Page
http://akry.homestead.com
http://akry.homestead.com/files/mercedes_benz_2.gif

AHA,,, resin glazing on the pad surface. You can fool around with this forever. Possible workarounds. Get them hot at the beginning of the day. Something just short of a panic stop. This will burn off the glaze and for the most part, they'll be quiet until a new layer of glaze builds up. Also, this tends to increase wear and tear on the pads and rotors. There is a spray out there that you can spray on the the pad surfaces to quiet them down. Probably doesn't last too long. You can sand them with the same short term result. Best bet!!! Buy a new set. Factory OEM are semi metallic (I believe). On the down side, these little squeaks sometimes never seem to go away. BTW the little steel plate that they put in has a rubberized backing on it designed to keep the pads from shifting around. Will get rid of clicking and snapping noises, but will not do diddily for squeaking pad material. On the wrong side of the pad.

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Jeff L
1987 300e
1989 300e
1987 BMW 325

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 05-22-2000).]

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 05-22-2000).]

Second Jeff's recommendations. Our '87 300E had the same squeaking problems a few years back; tech told us to give it some good hard stops, and the squeaking went away. Haven't had a problem with it since.

anthony

Thanks for the help. I just talked to the guy who maintained my BMW who also does MB's and he suggested another brake pad called the Repco Delux. It is a bit softer, uses less carbon, and causes less brake dust on the wheels. Any comments here?
I'll try the hard stop today to see if the noise stops but I am interested in pads that cause less dust so I don't have to polish the wheels all the time.

And shorter use time, too?? Though the noise is annoying, I am willing to get more performance out of a pad rather then quiet ride..JMHO... :)

Anyways, I will try the hard stop method... :)

Andy Kuo

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<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>1992 Mercedes-Benz 400SE
<LI>Pearl Grey/Black Leather
</UL>
ICQ#26950002
Mercedes Owners ICQ ActiveList ID#61730549
Mercedes S-Class Page
http://akry.homestead.com
http://akry.homestead.com/files/mercedes_benz_2.gif

Soft organic pads are the answer. They give greater braking with less pedal pressure and decrease the wear on the rotors.

MB doesn't use and specifically warns against using metallic pads. They will definitely squeek, groan, grind or crouch depending on vibration frequency. Varying significantly with temperature.

Most manufacturers of pads make a variety of compositions includin MB. It seems that different driving styles affects the overall proper composition. We have had greta luck with Repco Delux. Also OE suppliers Textar and Jurid have good organic.

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Steve Brotherton
Owner 24 bay BSC
Bosch Master, ASE master L1
26 years MB technician

OK, Thanks for the post. I tried several hard stops yesterday and it changed the pitch of the squeek but it did not eliminate it completely. I'll try again today. The mechanic quoted me about $125 to change the pads and about $300-$350 if the rotars need work. Sound in the ball park.

Marc

I thought Mercedes rotors should be replaced not worked on. You can have the rusted egde ground away but you should not have them cut.
Am I right or wrong on this?

Yal
88 230E (W124)

Listen up boys and girls-
For a start,mercedes-benz have been using metal sintered brake pads for many years as they are more invironmentaly friendly than asbestos.Just another technological inovation by the worlds leader.
Replacing these pads with aftermarket items is not needed as this problem is common,worldwide and easy to fix.-
Just remember that a squeek is merely a very high frequency rattle.
1. remove the pads
2.place in vice and using a hack saw,cut a grove ACROSS the width of the pad.you only need to cut about 1/2 way through.
3.take a rough file and chamfer the two leading edges of the pad,this removes the square edge which produces the squeel.
4.finaly just roughen the surface of the pad to produce a fresh surface.

In answer to the disc question,benz discs can be machined as long as the minimum thickness is not comprimised,this is stamped into the hub surface of the disc where the wheel bolt holes are.

happy repairs
carl benz

Carl,
I have used pads on my 114 that actually came with
a slot as you described and they never did sqeek.
Interesting.
Arthur

Carl, Thanks for the post. This should be a good weekend to try this out. I'll post an update when finished.

Marc

Thank You Thank You Carl!

I have had a squeak for 8 months now after replacing front rotors and pads (from MB dealer). Tried everything, Hard braking, the goo, grease and 2 sets of pads. Finally I did what you posted and the noise is gone. Thanks for your experience and time to post here. Don't think I will buy MB pads next time.

Jack