mbtech208

I can't stress enough to make sure when you have a flat tire, that the standard lug bolts are NOT used to attach the spare tire. Use only the short bolts that are located in the spare tire well. Using the standard long lug bolts to attach the spare tire will destroy the wheel hub, bearing, and parking brake assembly, not to mention make the car immovable. The repairs are NOT covered by warranty. About once a month I see this happen.

C32Andy

My C32 is not equipped with a spare tire....I always wonder what should I do in case I get a flat tire??

FrankW

SOS buttom, roadside assistance, call the dealer, call your local AAA.

jay

Funny...well, sad actually, that people would overlook those shorter bolts, and use the standard ones with no thought as to why they were put in there in the first place.....? It seems an owner wouldn't do this, but rather a AAA type road side service. They're just plain lazy!!

Lockbuster

If people don't read the owners manual about tire change, and they damage the vehicle by using the wrong lug nuts, I have no sympathy for them. I spent a Saturday with my wife going over the vehicle together learning about all the do's and don't right after we took possession of the vehicle. Mercedes are not your average vehicle.

jay

Yes but, the bolts are RIGHT THERE!!! You can't get the tire out without picking up that little baggie (the other baggie ) It just seems sort of odd that a person could change the tire, and completely disregard that little bag of bolts without a thought of "Hmmmm, what are these for?" Maybe that's just me....

Lockbuster

Maybe some people think it is extra lug nuts so if you loose one you have an extra???

KWiK

once a month seems like a lot, are people really that bad?

MarkL

OK, first I did RTFM, but that was about 18 months ago, so I'll have to check again. But, here's my question. I've got a C240, and my spare is full size mounted on the same alloy wheel as my original wheels. When I looked in the jack and tool area, I did see a bag with shorter bolts. Are you saying even if you need to mount the full size spare with a like wheel, you still need to use the "special" bolts? Why?

BruNo

of course not, u only use the shorter bolts for a "steel" spare wheel.

Matt230K

I'm more surprised that there is one MB owner per month that actually changes their own spare. Unless this is done incorrectly by AAA or someone like that. Most people just call roadside assistance. I would rather do the work myself than have to sit and wait for roadside.

evian

I can't see any diference between the spare tire and the original wheels. What is the difference?I have the exact same rims and everything on my spare tires

mbtech208

Sorry, I should have specified. If your spare wheel is the same as the other 4 wheels, it's okay to use the standard bolts. The steel wheel requires the shorter bolts.

avlis

The compact spare in the C-coupe has a black alloy wheel. Not steel.

lars

...but it still comes with the bag of short bolts.

Thanks for the post MBTech208. It would be easy to miss spotting the bag of bolts at night.

SilverStar

Okay be gentle, I feel like an A$$ for asking but where's the jack?
I don't think mine came with the lugs either...maybe they forgot to include these?

Lynn

Pages 321 and 322.

viper

This seems like a really dumb engineering decision by MB. They should make the spare tire rim the same depth as the regular wheel so that they would not have to include different bolts. Having different bolt lengths is just asking for trouble.

jay

... just add that to the list of dumb, over-engineered features of these cars.. or any german made car for that matter..... I'm not going to start another complaint thread here (I really do love my car), but come on!!

young

i agree w/ this statement in general. it should be designed so that a person under stress doesn't have to remember something crucial like using different bolts.

it's not that complex but mbtech's warning just reiterates that a lot of drivers' are having problems w/ this system.

Jim Banville

I helped someone with a newer Volvo change a tire the other day. Their jack is the epitome of counter-intuitive over-engineering!

Lynn

I don't see why the manufacturers can't use a scissors jack. They are fairly small and light, easy to use, and sturdy.

MB-BOB

I agree with you, young. Especially here in the US where car owners are used to re-using the bolts, rather than searching for "special" ones. My bet is the average AAA service tech, or most tow truck operators do NOT know about this quirk, and in an effort to do the right thing wind up damaging the car.

MB needs to take these observations into account and do something proactive. My car has a full-size wheel like the other four, but ALSO has a bag of short bolts. Why?

At least the MB has jacking blocks on the bottom of the car, instead of those fruitcake side holes on other German cars.

And, about those bottom jacking pads... Someone posted several months ago that you can use a Hockey Puck in the jacking pad as an adapter for a standard floor jack. I bought a Hockey Puck for this purpose, but it's too big in diameter to fit into the jacking pad, as earlier described. What's up with that? Has anyone else run into this?

tommy

In case you being a southerner makes you immune to knowing this, pucks are solid - you can shave it down until it fits. Improvise, McFly.

avlis

What you need is handy jack adapter. Now available in stainless steel (1 lucky member has an alloy one ). I have one left and I have material to make more if there is interest. I was going to post in the classified forum but this came up...