Dodge Sprinter Brakes
I have 8,500.00 miles on my 2006 2500 Sprinter.After a few stops at stop signs closes together my brakes start a grinding noise like the brakes are metal to metal. I see no evidence of scoring on the rotors.
Does everyone experience this.
Does everyone experience this.
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Comments
It does not seem like a serious grind, but it can't be great for a vehicle to make sounds/vibrations like that...
KenB :confuse:
How much literal damage to your Sprinter? Obviously a beer company has insurance or an office/owner you can get the repairs paid for by, but ouch... Thank goodness it was not the Post Office... it takes forever to get repairs paid for by a government-like entity.
KenB (crying with you)
Sprinter brakes to me seem to have soft pedal feel, easily feathered/modulated by driver input and feed-back from driving experience. I also have played with pedal ballistics (speed of pedal application) and can attest to the effectiveness of the brake boost that is supposed to happen when you get off the accelerator and onto the brakes quickly... it should provide stronger, faster, earlier braking.
To conclude:
easy braking seems a little soft, but should be effective as you press further/harder
rapid pedal movement should be more "boosted" and the feeling of being captured and slowed by a hook can be there. The pedal may also feel harder and/or more resitant to movement at a higher pedal position... but with the additional boost, it might not.
Do NOT accept poor braking under easy pedal pressure... that is NOT as designed. Insist on a ride with the technician/service writer. If all they do is rapid stops and rapid pedal movements, then they are using the enhanced boost mode and the test drive is not a good indicator of Sprinter braking performance.
Thanks,
KenB :confuse:
I have the original front brake pads and rotors on my 06 sprinter. I have 28k on them. I had a dealer check my brakes and he told me I have about 2k left on the front pads and about 5k left on the rears. The front rotors have never been cut and the pads still have life and have not gone metal to metal, however, the dealer tells me I need new front rotors! I have never heard of this before. Is it possible to need new front rotors even if they have never been cut or the pads have never worn down to metal to metal? The dealer further states that if I choose not to replace the rotors but only the pads, that he can't guarantee that the brakes would not pulse and that they probably would not have the expected life. Am I being scammed. I hear the dealers get more training on scams then they do on vehicle maintenance!
It is reported that the pads and rotors have a similar lifespan on some Mercedes products. Not surprised that they (Dodge) would recommend this as it is easy (and expensive)...
Also, you should know that the brake job should be very simple for you to do yourself if you are handy with wrenches... the rotors are not a part of the hub, so the hub stays intact/in-place and the pads and rotors are pretty simple to change out together...(no new sensor required if you have not worn down too far. If you are concerned about dealer prices, look into a change by Midas, Meineke, or similar and get estimates (this should be very easy apple-to-apples as you are asking for the same exact service at all places).
SHOULD YOU DO THE JOB, REMEMBER TO OBSERVE TORQUE SPECS ON ALL HUB/BRAKE FASTENERS... Also, at this low mileage/age, you don't yet need new brake fluid or even a flush unless something drastic has gone wrong. :shades:
If your rotors can't be turned, but they are very flatly worn, it could still be just a matter of pad replacement anyway, I have done it this way... and it was OK, but it will not always be so. I have also been told that I needed new rotors (rotors were part of hub, GMC) and still just did the job myself at a far lower price (parts change-out, plus new bearings/hubs/races, etc. is still quite simple).
Do you NOT downshift to slow down? Do you run alot of stop and go? Do you run heavy in your Sprinter? If none of the above, I am very surprised that you need brakes anytime soon, at this low mileage.
Personally my first guess would be to change the pads myself, inspect the rotors closely, and then, if the brakes pulse I would change rotors too. This is, however, not perfect and your mileage may vary... brakes can be easy to work on, or fool even a professional. For example, I had a friend with a first generation 300Z (Nissan) that had lots of brake problems (pulsing, bad wear, overheated brakes, warpage, etc.) and the technician had a horrible time getting his ride straightened out. I think he finally got better running out of ventilated disc rotors, but he probably also had problems with the car using only the front brakes...
KenB
I think it's just something in the brake material or something.
Add it to the LIST of strange things on Sprinters.
Did you have to replace pads and rotors as pairs?
KenB :shades:
I got 100,000 miles out of my original set. But the brakes were totally gone at that time. Rotors were destroyed (cracked, broken- literally) and everything. But I knew there were going to do a complete brakejob anyway so I ran the original brakes into the ground. LOL
I am told that it's best to just replace pads, rotors, sensors, brake fluid all at the same time. I rarely "turn" rotors. Heck, it usually costs almost the same to just put new rotors on most vehicles I have owned.
Brake Fluid replacement at 100K is OK by me too... DOT4 is so much dryer than DOT3 that it lasts longer and fades less under hard braking.
I need to replace my box of nitrile gloves so the chemicals/grime don't trash out my hands...
KenB
Just like everything else on the SPR. $$$$$$$$$$
Yet another reason why I'm getting out.
PS-got a fantastic complete service manual on CD from secondnaturedesign on eBay.
In what order do you bleed?
I usually do left front, right front, then each rear (closest to MC, then progress to farthest from MC... and bleed a lot of fluid at each wheel, at least a cup in the bleeder bottle/bag each time). Certainly must keep the reservoir full, and use DOT4 (highest temp traditional fluid)...
I have heard that Mercedes and BMW favor a pressure method bleeding system, but I have never seen/used one.
Thanks,
Kenneth
Any ideas?
First of all these vans don't have any de-acceleration at speed. The trick is to coast as much as possible and accelerate as slowly as possible. I know it's hard when you let off the gas at 60mph and after a half mile you're still going 40mph. But, if you watch your trip computer, you'll see the mpg go up quite a bit and that means less brake wear, also. I've seen mileage from 16 to 23.9mpg so far and my average for 8500 miles is 18.8. The trip computer is a little off as I am getting18.2 by the fuel tickets.
Sprinter Cargo?
its time for me to change, and theres so many different brands, and everyone is "the best" ..