Joe, recommend buying rotors from a MB dealer. By the way MB advises against turning down rotors. If you prefer not to buy brake pads from a MB dealer, recommend using Textar brake pads which are the same soft material as genuine MB brake pads. Granted they produce considerable brake dust, but the brake system performs to design standards.

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Fred Hoelzle

Ferdman

Rotors from the dealer are the next step I am considering. I am just afraid that whatever is causing this to happen will also do the same to the new rotors.

I did a lot of research on the Meyle (not sure how it is spelled) and found almost non if any, negatives about them.

I am fairly certain the rotors are the issue we are feeling, because replacing them and turning them did solve the problem for a bit. It may be the "Symptom" of another issue.

As I understand it most of your stopping action comes from the front brakes. Could it be that the back rotors (instead of the front) are warped and that you only feel the pulsating on hard stops when a lot of the stopping action is also handled by the back brakes?

Far out guess.

Tyl604

The problem goes away if I turn only the front rotors. I did turn the rears once just to be able to say "I did all of them".

Right now I appreciate any and all far out guesses.

Well, just stumped. Still thinking maybe two sets of inferior front rotors - but what are the odds?

Not so much far out as uncomfortable:
Persistent use of the brake pedal as a foot rest.

Even a small amount of brake dragging, like a sticky caliper, can, and often will, raise rotor temperature enough to cause distortion. Because clamping force is greater at the front, the distortion shows up there first.

Yeah, one common denominator is the calipers. Kind of a "hail Mary" though.

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

is the caliper working correctly? a binding caliper can do this.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)