Pits stopper

I recently purchased an 11,000 mile 2007/57 Mercedes CL63 AMG from a private seller. After taking it to the main dealer for a service and reporting a judder under braking, I was told that due to pitting of the brake discs I would need to replace all four at a cost of £3,500 + new pads I have asked them to look at this as a warranty claim but they put it down to driving style. Obviously I can’t comment on the driving style of the previous owner but just needed some independent advice on what would cause pitting of this nature. I did point out to the Senior Customer Service representative at MB Maastricht that the sales literature relating to this car claims this vehicle would be ”at home on a race track” and it was clearly never meant to be driven like ‘Miss Daisy’ on a Sunday afternoon but that seemed to fall on deaf ears. I have searched the net on this subject and it seems debatable whether the pitting is caused by hard driving style or by lack of use?

Asked on 2 January 2010 by T.F., via e-mail

Answered by Honest John
The pitting would be caused by rust from the car having been left for extended periods without being used. Brake discs are bare metal so surface rust occurs almost immediately the car is left standing in damp conditions. It is normally cleaned off as soon as the car is driven and braked. But if it isn't the corrosion can eat into the discs, especially if the car has been driven in winter road salt, then left for an extended period. The harder and more regularly a car is driven the less likely this is to occur.
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