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Effect of wat er and road salt
In certain situations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, afte r ove rnight con -
densation or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
dried first w ith a few careful brake applications.
At higher speeds and with the windshie ld wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake
rotors for a short amount of time. This occurs at
regular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better brake response time under
wet conditions .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes are not used. Likewise, you clean
off accumulated salt coat ing from brake discs
and pads with a few cautious applications of the
brake ¢ _&. .
Due to their surface character istics, ceramic
brake roto rs* absorb mo isture in such condit ions.
This can cause a temporary reduc t ion in braking
force compared to dry brakes. You can compe n-
sate fo r th is by press ing t he brake peda l harder.
Corrosion
There may be a tende ncy for d irt to bu ild up on
the brake pads and corros ion to form on the discs
if the car is not dr iven regularly or only fo r sho rt
tr ips with little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corro-
sion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable to
clean off the pads and discs by brak ing firmly a
few t imes from a mode rately high speed ¢ ,& .
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake circuits
may have failed
¢
,& .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunct ions can occur in the brake system if the
brake fl uid level is too low. The brake fluid level
is monitored electronically .
Intellig
e nt Technology
Brake booster
The brake boos t er works w ith vacuum press ure
which is crea t ed on ly when the engine is running
¢
& .
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wea r may be chec ked by visua l in-
spe ct ion of the condition of the brake pads
t hrough the openings in t he wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
¢
page 243, Replacing wheels .
_8
WARNING
"'---
-
- New brake pads don't have the best stop-
ping power and must be "broken-in" d uring
the initial 250 miles (400 km). The break-in
period can be considerably longer for
veh icles with ceramic brake roto rs*. You can
compensate for this by pressing the brake
pedal mo re firmly. This also applies late r
when new pads ar e inst al led.
- You shou ld pe rform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system
only if road condit io ns pe rmit. Ot her road
users m ust not be put at risk - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep g rade, reduce
speed and shift t ransmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. This cou ld cause t he brakes to get
hot and dimin ish braking effic iency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by rest ing your foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over-
heat, premature wear and increased stop-
ping distance .
- Unde r certain climatic and ope rating condi-
tions such as passing t hrough water, d riving
in heavy rain or afte r wash ing the veh icle,
the effectiveness of the brakes ca n be re-
duce d . In winter, ice can accum ula te on the
brake pads, linings, di scs and dr ums. Care-
fu lly apply brakes for a test. Brakes will d ry
an d ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few carefu l brake applications.
183
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