ahost

I previously posted a thread about my care vibrating at high speed. Now I went to the dealer, and he said it's because the tires are worn down. Does that make sense? The car has 26,000 miles, and he said that you usually needs to change tires after 20,000 miles. Is that correct? Sorry for my ignorance here, but I never owned a car more than 3 years before.

Next question, do you have any recommendations for new tires? I live in Hawaii, so the chance of snow is, well, pretty slim. I always felt it was stupid that the car came with all-year tires. There must be better pure summer tires. The dealer recommends Michelin 205/55 R16, and wants $1450 for the installation. Is that reasonable (choice of tires/price)? Thanks.

SeanSBA

some tires only last 20000 miles depending on the type of tire and your driving style. As for the 1450 for installation at the dealer, you can find it cheaper somewhere else. just keep in mind that the softer the compound (like in summer tires), the shorter it's going to last.

rtking

To have your dealer make a blanket statement like "a car should change its tires every 20K miles" is absurd and misguided.

On most tires, there are wear bars across the tread. This looks like a raised area in between the tread. On the sidewall (near the edge of the tread) there are usually arrows that indicate where those wear bars should be.

If you are down to 3/32nds of an inch, then you are at the wear bars and should replace the tires. This should be visible because the tread and the wear bars should be at the same level.

If you're experiencing vibration, I suggest you go to a reputable tire shop and have them re-balance your tires. See if they have a "road force variation" balancer - that gives the best balance. Go to tirerack.com to see if they have a recommended installer on Oahu, or ask around some of the high-end dealerships to see what tire shop they recommend.

As for tires - yes, the more performance oriented the tire, the shorter it will last. A treadwear rating of 200 is supposed to indicate that it will last 2 times the government benchmark standard. Unfortunately, based upon the type of driving you do, real world driving could mean that it wears out in 12K miles or 20K miles. All season and standard passenger car tires tend to be of a harder compound and last longer.

Bob

KIRA

my coupe stock tires ran for about 30k miles till i get "NEW RIMS" for only $1400 with tires.... is a freaking deal, my dealer told me i should change the stock tires once it hit 20k, but i just go for 30k till i feel my tires isn't for rain anymore

ahost

Actually, the wear bars are at the level of the thread, so I think he is correct that the tires need replacement. I'm just surprised they didn't last longer.

Do you have any recommendation for tires?

rtking

Well, tell me more about what kind-of driving you do (aggressive, sporty, normal, slow?) and the types of weather conditions you typically drive in.

My guess, since you live on Oahu, is that you'll want a tire that offers good wet performance since you get rain off-and-on in Hawaii. A good all-around tire and one that I'm looking into is the Goodyear F1 GS-D3. I'm not a big fan of Goodyear, but these tires have received good reviews.

BF Goodrich has been a pretty good tire for me. The KDW2 is supposed to be good, but noisy. I have the G-Force Sports and they're acceptable, but I find forward traction a little bit of a problem in the rain in my '02 C230 Coupe, esp. around corners.

The Pirelli P-Zero Neros did fine in a recent magazine test (I think it was Road and Track), but I've heard too many tramlining stories (where the tire wants to follow the grooves in the road.) I don't know how many concrete highways exist in Oahu that have grooves cut into them for drainage. If you don't have a lot of those, maybe the P-Zero Nero might work for you.

I have to admit that I like the Avon tyres that Tire Rack is offering. I had them on my former '97 Audi A4 and they were quiet and comfortable. The sidewalls aren't as stiff as some of the sports-oriented tires so there's a bit more roll and lag on turn-in, and ultimate grip isn't as high as the BFG G-Force KDWs, but for a compromise tire at a good price, they work great. I have a set of Avon S/Ts on my 2004 Nissan Murano and couldn't be happier.

Hope that helps.

Bob

ahost

What do you think about Toyo Proxes tires? One shop recommended those. They are $140 per tire + $45 mounting etc. Total of $740. But the dealer wants $1450 for installing Michellin tires. That does seem like a complete rip-off.

MB-BOB

At 2.5 times the price I paid just today for tires, I would say $1450 is definitely a ripoff. It's common knowledge that buying tires at any car dealer is asking to get bent forward over the rail and abused.

I just bought some Yokohama YK520 91H tires at $107 per tire plus $11 per tire for installation. 205/55 R16. It's a "performance All Season" with a 60,000 treadwear warranty. Free 6,000 mile rotations, lifetime balance and flat repair. All in, with taxes = $515. I got them at Discount Tire Co. It's a national chain so I'd be surprised if you don't have a Discount Tire store in the Islands. Check your yellow pages or on-line Super Pages.

See this other thread for additional comparisons... https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/180881-pirelli-p3000-kuhmo-yokohama.html

PsssTkiD

i got the pirelli zero nero M+S... rtking is right about the tire wants to follow the grooves of the road. Other than that, i'm more than satisfied and will get them for again.

ahost

I went to Sears, and they would install Michellin Pilot tires for around $800. That's about half of what the dealer wanted, presumably for the same tires! Truely a rip-off.

Yesterday the dealer called and said the rear break pads need to be replaced -- for $400. Probably that's also a rip-off, but what can you do, you have to go with them if you, like me, do not have much mechanical car knowledge.

SeanSBA

you can also find a good third party mechanic in your area that can work on mercedes...it will be much cheaper

ahost

Yes, I have thought about. But how do you find a good mechanic? The problem is that if you are not too knowledgeable, the mechanic may say X needs to be replaced, and you have no idea if that is just to rip you off.

I had a dentist like that. He was a so-called 'preventive dentist'. First time I visited, he find all kind of faults with my teeth (although I never had any problems with the previous dentist), and wanted to do thousands of dollars worth of repairs not covered by insurance. I quickly found another dentist, and never had any problems. Unfortunately, I know more about teeths than cars (after all, I had the same teeth for 35 years), so I'm not sure I can spot a rip-off mechanic quite as easily.

SeanSBA

Do you know anybody else in your area that has a mercedes or that knows a good mechanic that you can check out? One of my friends with a mercedes referred me to her mechanic, who used to be a master engineer at mercedes and is a very nice and honest guy. You can ask some of your friends if they know any mechanics that are good.

rtking

Rear brake pads are remarkably easy to change, but you do have to have the right tools. You can use a C-clamp or large channel-lock pliers to compress the piston into the caliper, an Allen wrench (or a blunt nail) to push the pin out, inverted-torx bit socket to remove the caliper bolts, and a pair of pliers to push on the flat steel spring to release the spring presssure on the pin. I replaced mine in under an hour, and I was taking my time and cleaning the inside of my wheels too.

Brake pads should be around $40-50. I got mine from Duval Motors in Florida, but you can go most anywhere for a good quality brake pad. Figure that any shop should be able to change your rear brakes for about $120 parts and labor - add another $50 if you need to resurface your rear rotors, or add another $150 if you need to replace your rear rotors. YMMV on prices though - best to check online for approximate pricing on parts, or check your local Kragen, Pep Boys, etc.

As for the Toyo Proxes - depends on which model. I have heard good things about the Toyo Proxes. The T1-R is supposed to be very sticky and a rival to the Goodyear F1 GS-D3. I understand the T1-S has a softer sidewall and is less precise, but that's only what I've read from the internet when researching tires.

Bob

Buellwinkle

My tires were pretty much gone after 26K miles and the weather doesn't vary in So Cal as much as Hawaii I replaced them with Riken Raptors and they are quieter and smoother riding than the stock Conti's I had and for the 17" 2003 C7 wheels on my kid's car it was just under $400 and on my 2004.5 with staggered 17" wheels it was just over $400 (that's out the door, balanced, installed, new valve stems, fees and taxes). I realize that things cost more in Hawaii because of shipping (although you would think that since many tires come from Asia it would be cheaper to ship). 16" tires usually run about 10-20% cheaper than 17" tires so I would guess those tires would have set me back $350 or so for 16's. For example, on my wife's last car with 15" tires, we used to pay under $300 for Pirellis. So to me, $1,450 sounds like typical MB stealership theivery. You can try Costco but they seem expensive to me.