The disc brake system is the chief failsafe installed on every Mercedes Benz. Retarding the motion of the car in a step on the brakes, the Mercedes disc brake puts engine power at the driver's feet. A typical Mercedes Benz brake assembly operates on the principle of a hydraulics caliper tightening on a rotating disc. It is composed of a brake disc and a caliper-mounted brake pad set. Called friction brakes, these Mercedes brake components take the brunt of brake operations and are chronically exposed to high heat conditions. Because heat is almost always inseparable from friction, the Mercedes Benz brakes are regularly at risk of deterioration due to the chronic heat buildup in the system.



Heat, when allowed to build up in the assembly, exposes the friction brake parts to meltdown. It can warp even the heat-treated steel finish of the Mercedes brake disc, a condition wherein the disc gets reshaped so that the Mercedes brake pads can't get a grip of it firmly. If not checked immediately a warped brake disc can lead to uneven brake pad wear and it will similarly reshape the pads. The wearing out of the Mercedes brakes parts often result in brake fade, characterized by a considerable decrease on the car's braking power. And in most cases the reshaped brake disc makes the car tug and nosedive during brake operations, making Mercedes Benz driving uncomfortable and unsafe.

One way the Mercedes Benz brake system gets rid of heat in the friction brakes assembly is through the engineering features of its components. Designed to exhaust heat as fast as it can build up in the system, the Mercedes brake disc comes with heat vents in the form of cross-drilled, slotted, and finned surface finishes. These heat vents are aimed at outgassing the system regularly, sparing the rotor and the brake pads from the additional encumbrance that heat adds up to friction.

With heat buildup removed, there is only the friction that affect the performance of the Mercedes brake pads and disc. As mentioned earlier, the Mercedes Benz brake disc is made from a heat-treated steel. It is substantially tough to withstand friction. Brake pads, on the other hand, are made of materials that are both soft not to puncture the brake disc and tough to resist disintegration from disc contact. The Mercedes Benz brake pads are considered maintenance items. They are prone to wear out because they are made to do so, and not cleave on the brake disc and cause abrasion. In order that drivers are informed on the status of the pads, the assembly is fitted with a Mercedes Benz brake pad sensor that monitors the condition of the pads.

The Mercedes Benz brake pad sensor is part of the network of gauges on the car's dashboard computer. Typically mounted on one of the rivets where the brake pads are attached to the caliper, the Mercedes Benz brake pad sensors are classified according to the electronic circuit they follow: the continuous and point level types. Continuous Mercedes sensors measure pad wear within a specified range and give output of a continuous reading of pad condition. A point level Mercedes sensor, on the other hand, marks a specific level that it generally uses as high alarm or switch to catch attention toward the need for a brake pad replacement. Even before a brake fade occurs the Mercedes dashboard reports on a potentially defective brake system part.