hiker007

Sadly, the right front wheel slid to the curb on the black ice (police close the road after. Damn, why they didn't do it early)
I was at less than 20 mile but the rim was scratched. Tire looks fine no leaking. But I think I lost the alignment, I had to hold the steering wheel to keep it straight.
I am going to take it to check at the dealership tomorrow. I searched online, the alignment alone will cost $200+ (some people said the first time is free? mine is new) Probably the rim need to be replaced too ($400+ for a 19in?). Is there anything else I should be aware and asking when I talk to the mechanic?

BTW, it's first time I drove the GLK on the snow(actually ice), I felt it was so hard to maneuver this car. I thought 4-matic will help but not. Is it because this car is rear-wheel based?

After this, I decide to get the winter tires and wheels with downsizing to 17in. I found most people went with 235/60/R17, is 225/65/R17 good too? I think the narrow contact the better traction in the snow? not sure it's good idea to get the used rims?

MBKLUE

Some part or parts of the steering mechanism/suspension are probably bent/damaged so plan on that, from a cost point of view. Hopefully nothing major.

You could have "6-matic" but if you're driving on ice, as you mention, things are not going to go well. The model/brand of the vehicle is not relevant.

17-inch wheels for winter WITH dedicated snow tires would definitely be a step in the right direction. Narrower wheels/tires for snow are generally better but I would stick with whatever Mercedes offers size-wise. Make sure the tire pressure is correct.

Absolutely nothing wrong with used wheels if they have no structural damage/defects.

bop11

You probably only need a front wheel alignment. Don't forget that there are also some very good wheel repair shops that are much cheaper than new. Also people tend to only wreck the front or back of a car and not both. Try a junk yard or the internet for a good used wheel.

LesF

you should also price what it would cost to refinish your scratched wheel.

Mmr1

Ice is ice , but the factory Continentals rate only around "good" in most respects. Many winter tires rate excellent in most aspects. I switched to Michelin Premier LTX, they are much better than factory Continentals, but still a step below dedicated snows. My point is , I don't think much of the factory tires. Read test results.

hiker007

Happy Holidays and thanks everyone for the replies

My car was down at the dealership for couple days before the Christmas.
Firstly they did the alignment and didn't work out. then performed the steering rack calibration next day. Now the car can drive straightly
Fortunately the rims and tires are all in working condition. But had them re-balanced any way. the alloy rims need to be repaired.
After I took the car back, I noticed the repeating noise from the wheels when the speed is over 35 mile. On the highway, it gets louder, like wuh wuh...
I jacked up the car and shake the wheels to check if the wheel bearing is bad, but they all felt solid. Any thing else could possibly cause this annoy noise? TIA.

MBKLUE

If you had to hold the steering wheel after hitting the curb to keep it going straight I would think something had to have been bent or otherwise "displaced." Then it's a question of degree. If it's quite minor, then a wheel alignment should allow for compensation - depending on the part damaged. A bent/damaged rim certainly would cause vibration but I don't really see it causing the vehicle to pull to one side.

Since you wrote that you had the "steering rack calibration" done I guess you have a newer GLK with electric steering. I suppose, with adjustment, forces the electric motor provide could some how be adjusted to provide for what you were doing (holding the steering wheel to keep going straight) but that would not address the real problem and I can't imagine any legitimate shop/dealer doing something like that.

No idea what is causing the new noise.

Blue'03SVT

Sounds like you may have a separated belt in that tire.

hiker007

Do you mean the belt inside the tire? But the dealer said tire is ok after the inspection..
I searched online the likelihood is on wheel bearing.

hiker007

Wow, that fix is scary...and yes it is new model with the electrical steering assistance. You are very knowledgable.
The tech said the camber is not right and unable to adjust could be related to bent spindle or hub that will cost a big ouch...but really the curb hit was at very low speed. The tire and rim are not bent after the dealer inspection.

Mmr1

The guy balancing the tire most likely would have noticed a broken belt. I don't know where you live but in Chicago and some near suburbs the citys pay you back for pothole damage, google your citys street laws, find a city , find a pot hole. Follow their rules of documentation. It's possibly a spindle. Maybe try a different tire pro.

MBKLUE

That type of "fix" is pure conjecture on my part. I don't know if it can be done. I hope you're able to figure out what the new noise is.

bop11

You probably have comprehensive insurance. I high centered my GLK on a curb and did some similar damage. Unfortunately I did $4000 damage to the tie rods and two tires and one wheel including labor, alignment etc. Even with this damage, after replacing the tire, the car still drove straight when I took it back to the dealer right after the accident.
Use your insurance, that is what it is for. I had $1000 deductible so it cost me for my error. However, I have put on 65000 miles since without a single problem. Who knows what problems I would have had, had I tried to go the cheap way out. It was fixed by the dealers repair shop and guaranteed by both the dealer, 1 year, and Insurance company, lifetime.
Get it repaired correctly all at once by an experienced Mercedes repair facility.

LesF

bop11 did your insurance company charge you with an accident?

bop11

yes and no. My insurance bill did not go up because I can have one accident every 5 years without increase. However, I changed insurance to USAA from Nationwide and my USAA bill is $10/month higher due to that accident. However, my total bill went down $65/month with higher insured amounts and $0 comprehensive to cover glass. The extra $10 per month adds to only $120 per year which, for the $3k they would pay should it happen again, would require 25 years of premiums to equate. And the $10 goes down in 5 years from the accident. So I am way ahead. Being a vet, I don't know why I waited so long to change to USAA.

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hiker007

Well, back to this topic again.
The noise is confirmed coming from the wheel bearing (2 of them). My dealer wanted to charge me since I had the curb hit
Wondering this can be covered by the manufacture warranty. Searched online, most of people said it should while a couple got charged but they suspected the dealer may claim it to manufacture to get money from both side (non MB car though).
The curb hit may contribute to this issue, but how bearing got damaged when the rims are still good? And those fix covered by warranty after few years use, who knows what impact was done to the wheels/cars, like common pothole, etc.

hiker007

Thanks for the reminder. In my case the issuance company will charge this more back by increasing the premium in the next servreal years. More importantly, repair will come up the carfax record that will eventually hit the car resell value for few grands easily.

bop11

What did the dealer want to charge in dollars? Seems that only the one side bearing should have gone bad if the accident was the cause. As stated above, I had some tie rod etc. damage and yet I have over 65k miles after the accident and the bearings are fine. With the caged press-in front wheel bearings they put in front drive/ AWD cars, noise at speed or turning corners is the only way you can really diagnose bearing failure. However, if the boot is not broken, only the impact side bearing may have been damaged, so at least 1 should be under warranty.
One other bad thought is that the front differential may be generating the noise.

hiker007

My case is close to 2 grands that is why it is not worth to go through the insurances with the deductible, etc.
The dealer confirmed it is bearing damage. Took the car back yesterday. Haven't had chance to test it on the highway. But the noise seems to be gone now, however I just feel the handling is not quite as good as before