Common problems

Mercedes-Benz SLK brake problems

How often MOT testers find brake faults on the Mercedes-Benz SLK at each age, against all cars of the same age, and which items come up most. From 227,766 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 10 years, the most tested age

Brakes fails per 100 MOTs (n=20,060)3.6

All cars at 10 years (n=9,049,507)6.5

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=20,060)16.9

All cars, same age (n=9,049,507)21.6

What stands out

At 10 years, 3.6 of every 100 MOTs of the Mercedes-Benz SLK found a brake fail (n=20,060), against 6.5 for all cars of that age (n=9,049,507).
It is level with or below the all-car rate at every age with at least 1,000 tests.
The gap is widest at 20 years: 8.0 per 100 MOTs against 13.5 for all cars.
The brake fail item recorded most often at 10 years: anti-lock braking system: warning lamp indicates an ABS fault, on 1.3 per 100 MOTs.
The most common brake advisory or minor defect: brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened, on 8.0 per 100 MOTs.

Brakes fails by age

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Mercedes-Benz SLK: brakes fails and advisories per 100 MOTs, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
6 years	1,253	1.1	3.5	7.0	16.9
7 years	6,178	1.6	4.1	9.1	17.9
8 years	11,010	2.0	4.8	11.8	19.1
9 years	15,740	2.7	5.6	13.8	20.3
10 years	20,060	3.6	6.5	16.9	21.6
11 years	17,549	4.3	7.3	19.7	22.8
12 years	14,761	5.1	8.2	22.7	24.0
13 years	12,711	5.8	9.1	25.8	25.0
14 years	10,401	7.0	9.9	26.2	26.4
15 years	11,496	7.6	10.7	26.4	27.8
16 years	13,133	7.8	11.6	27.0	29.5
17 years	15,710	8.0	12.3	27.5	31.1
18 years	15,597	8.2	12.9	27.7	32.3
19 years	13,649	8.0	13.3	28.9	33.3
20 years	11,760	8.0	13.5	29.2	33.7
21 years	9,253	7.9	13.3	29.8	33.7
22 years	8,197	7.8	13.1	29.9	33.2
23 years	7,658	7.9	12.7	31.1	32.2
24 years	6,664	7.2	12.2	31.0	30.7
25 years	4,986	7.1	11.8	30.2	29.2

Brakes fail items at 10 years

Brakes fail items on the Mercedes-Benz SLK at 10 years (n=20,060), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,049,507).
Item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Anti-lock braking system: warning lamp indicates an ABS fault	1.3	0.3	diagnosis from £59 (rough guide)
Electronic stability control: warning lamp indicates a fault	0.8	0.2
Brake pads under 1.5 mm	0.7	2.1	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded	0.5	0.5	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn	0.5	0.7	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)

Brakes advisories and minor defects at 10 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Brakes advisories and minor defects on the Mercedes-Benz SLK at 10 years (n=20,060), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,049,507).
Item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	8.0	9.6	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Brake pads: wearing thin	4.8	8.1	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	4.0	2.8	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	3.3	2.7	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Service brake performance: fluctuating, but not excessively	0.6	0.8	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

What to check on a viewing

On the Mercedes-Benz SLK, the brake items testers fail most are anti-lock braking system: warning lamp indicates an ABS fault; electronic stability control: warning lamp indicates a fault; brake pads under 1.5 mm.

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Ask for the car's MOT history: a brake advisory that repeats from year to year has not been fixed. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the common brake problems on the Mercedes-Benz SLK?

At 10 years (20,060 MOTs), the brake fail items testers record most often are anti-lock braking system: warning lamp indicates an ABS fault (1.3 per 100 MOTs), electronic stability control: warning lamp indicates a fault (0.8 per 100 MOTs), brake pads under 1.5 mm (0.7 per 100 MOTs). The most common brake advisories or minor defects are brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (8.0) and brake pads: wearing thin (4.8).

Does the Mercedes-Benz SLK have more brake problems than other cars?

At 10 years it has 3.6 brake fails per 100 MOTs against 6.5 for all cars of the same age (2.9 fewer). It is level with or below the all-car rate at every age with enough tests.

What does a brake repair cost on the Mercedes-Benz SLK?

For anti-lock braking system: warning lamp indicates an ABS fault, an independent garage estimate is diagnosis from £59 (rough guide). This is a guide built from the national median garage labour rate and estimated labour hours, not a quote.

Brake problems on other Mercedes-Benz models

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Mercedes-Benz SLK?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources