German Car Zone

It's being reported today that Mercedes is dropping their Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) from some of their models, starting with the E-Class.

The SBC system has been a chronic thorn in Mercedes' side. Manufactured by the Robert Bosch Group, the SBC system has led to the recall of over 2 million Mercedes models (namely the E-Class), and has played an integral part in the widespread "Mercedes quality problems" you hear about so often.

So what exactly is the SBC Braking system? For a detailed description, you can click here, otherwise, I'll try to sum it up in a nutshell. The SBC braking system uses a microcomputer to monitor the car and driver actions. In the event it's needed, such as emergency braking, the system monitors brake pressure, and applies the appropriate stopping power necessary, even if the driver doesn't exert enough power.

SBC features a host of other features as well, including distributing brake force to different wheels during cornering, to ensure greater stability in the vehicle as well as maximum stopping power; the SBC system even dries the brake discs if a film of water forms on them.

In other words, the system sounds like a milestone achievement in braking technology, and it would be, assuming it worked properly. Unfortunately, although the intent was good, the execution was not.

As you can probably tell, the entire system relied on electronics, and as I'm sure everyone can attest to, nothing is more prone to malfunctioning than electronics. And that is exactly what happened. Before long, wiring in the SBC braking system deteriorated, and suddenly the SBC system no longer functioned.

Of course, Mercedes had a backup hydraulic-only braking system in place, but the feeling of suddenly not having the same stopping power was enough to send Mercedes' owners everywhere heading for the hills - and we haven't stopped hearing about Mercedes' quality problems since.

Apparently, Mercedes is finally getting tired of trying to convince consumers of the benefits of the SBC system. Although the system is, in my opinion, a definite advancement in braking technology, poor implementation and poor design are ultimately leading to its downfall.

That's not to say Mercedes will entirely scrap the SBC system. I'm sure Mercedes will continue to develop and improve the braking system in the future; I just have a feeling the next generation of SBC will be slightly less prone to malfunctioning.

emercedesbenz.com

This is quite sad for MB but that's life. Having certain thing handled by electronics is superb but it is a pain in the neck to keep the system bullet proof and when it comes to cars everything has to be bullet proof. Beacuse if it isn't it can end up causing an accident and the manufacturer will be sued big time.

I guess being the first to introduce new and unproven systems to the automobile industry has it's disadvantages.

Sad but true. Comes with the territory of being new and innovative. Gotta take you lose's sometimes.

I think the problems of the SBC brake are slightly overrated. We received a recall letter for our E320 and the SBC brake worked just fine (we were there during the inspection and the guy servicing the car was a long time mechanic of the dealer whom we knew very well). Some of our friends also own E-Classes and mentioned that the SBC brake on their E-Classes was fine. Come to think of it, our E320 hasn't been in the shop at all for an unscheduled visit: unless you count the time the front windshield got smashed and dumbass Golf drive plunged into the front of the car on an icy winters day because he couldn't resist speeding through inches of snow on a curve. What a dumbass...

The problem seemed to be confined to E-Classes which "drove alot", so mostly diesels and taxis.

This is all true, but in order to get some people who can't seem to forget about the recall and Mercedes' recent bad press about reliability Mercedes is forced to back away from this technology. The thing about Mercedes' problems has been such a hot favorite for MB detracters and even parnoid owners alike to the point that Mercedes must now take drastic steps to correct each and every little thing - though the overwhelming majority of privately owned E-Classes never had a problem with their brakes. A shame really.

M

MB is cancelling it for a reason. Im sure there are people outhtere with SBC without any problems and its obvious there are people with problems. Its not bulletproof. If they cancel SBC then they are doing it for a reason. Sometimes there are no need for excuses, just accept it. SBC isnt that good. 2 millions, thats a lot.

Who's giving an excuse? Of course they're doing it for a reason - it isn't perfect. My point was that most have not had problems with it, especially on the CLS, but they have back away from it to stifle all the hype spinners out there that find everything under the sun to complain about with Mercedes. By removing SBC MB is making it a non-issue for 2007, a good thing.

M

So.......I guess the SBC brake system on the McLaren Mercedes SLR will also be dropped?
Guess that would be good thing, there were some critics about the brakepedal feel in the SLR.

Im glad enough to say that my brother never had any sbc problems in his X-E55 nor the CLS55 but hey .... You gotta dod what you gotta do ...