Brake hose: Nerve line of Mercedes brakes

The brake system is the chief failsafe fitted on Mercedes-Benz cars. It retards the motion of the car when the brake pedal is depressed. Chief part of the Mercedes-Benz brake system is the friction brake assembly, composed of a disc and a pair of brake pads on a disc brake assembly, or a drum and brake shoes on a drum brake assembly. The Mercedes-Benz friction brakes use the traditional clamp-style method of stopping the vehicle, and take the brunt of the Mercedes-Benz brake operation.

As in most assemblies, it is kept well oiled to maintain the parts up to specs. The Mercedes-Benz friction brakes are supplemented by a hydraulic brake assembly. Composed of a brake master cylinder, brake wheel cylinders, metering valve, proportioning valve, pressure differential switch, brake fluid tank, and a network of brakes hoses, the Mercedes-Benz hydraulic brakes convert brake pedal input hydraulically, which is then used to operate the brake system.

At the center of the Mercedes-Benz hydraulic brakes assembly is the master cylinder. It is a piston-operated pump that facilitates the flow of brake fluid from the brake fluid tank to the brake hoses, and into the wheels. The tank is fitted with a sensor that light up a warning when brake fluid runs low. The system has provision parts like the proportioning and metering valves and pressure differential switch that streamlines the pressure in the brake fluid flow.

When the brake pedal is depressed, the master cylinder pistons push to a linkage and draw in ambient air, pressuring the cylinder. The amount of pressure that the master cylinder draws in is proportional to the foot pressure applied on the brake pedal. The pressure accumulated is used to pump the hydraulic fluid into the supply line of brake hoses. The pressurized hydraulic fluid, when it reaches the friction brake assembly fitted on each wheel, then streamlines the friction brake operation.

As a safeguard against supply interruption, the hydraulic brakes assembly of the Mercedes-Benz has two independent circuits, each circuit composed of a brake hose network supplying the wheels in pairs. If one circuit leaks out hydraulic fluid, the car unavoidably loses braking power. In such eventuality, the two-circuit setup of the Mercedes-Benz hydraulic brakes isolates one circuit from the leak of the other so that the brake system still has supply of hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic fluid leak happens when the brake hose gets brittle from the pressurized fluid it carries within the brake system. Since the brake hose is the nerve line of the hydraulic brake assembly, brake hoses are often replaced regularly.

Made up of flexible, heavy-duty rubber and fitted with a metal mounting end, the Mercedes brake hose runs from under the hood to all four corners of the car. On the average, the hydraulic brake assembly of a Mercedes-Benz delivers up to 1,000 pounds per square inch of pressure so that, operationally, brake hoses are exposed to high-pressure fluid flow. They are considered maintenance items in the Mercedes-Benz brake system, not unlike the brake pads and brake shoes that necessitates regular replacement.