c350_vancouver

I went in for service A yesterday and they pointed out that I had a small bulge in the tire (front right). They said $400CAN at mercedes to replace it, but they said shop around for a better price.

Obviously I have to change this eventually, do you think it will last me until next October (Approx 3,000 miles/ 5,000 km) in time for better tires for the winter ?

I was planning on getting some serious All Seasons because these stock tires have sucked since day 1. Any recommendations for something that will last through winter as well ? In Vancouver we only have snow for like 10 days of the winter but tons of rain.

Please recommend the best brands you have experience with and how serious you think this issue is.

I currently have 8,000 miles or 13,000 km on them right now.

spoolIT85

Any kind of bulging in your tires is NOT good and highly unsafe...

Time to upgrade

TB5...

i mean i've driven on similar... you will notice it enlarge slowly
the only reason i would advise you to change it soon is that once you drive on it... you will think you can... and forget about it.

cause after about 3 months... mine blew out on the express lane on the hwy and i had to pull it over... not a fun time... very very stressful.

:\

it's not super serious to change it today... but i think a month or two max.

Derspeed

Don't these tires have some sort of a warranty or road hazaerd protection? My car came with the documents. I think the dealership or Continental should pro-rate the price on a new tire. That one is clearly defective.

spoolIT85

depends on the cause... if you tell them that you hit a pothole and then got a bump, its unlikely theyll pick up the bill

c350_vancouver

Looks like i'm going to have to upgrade all 4 tires to :Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus . I'll do it in about 1 month.

Let me know if anyone disagrees strongly Key factor is Winter / Rain. Don't care about gas milage because I rarely drive this car.


The reviews on stock Continentals are really bad.

spoolIT85

Depends on where you live... If you get plenty of snow or cold winter, a dedicated winter/snow tires is the way to go.

Yeah, stock contis are garbage in snow

tanktube67

Avoid pot holes, it really hard to tell how deep the separation wall is, my suggestion is buy a use tire that can last you until October.

c350_vancouver

I'm pretty sure i never hit a pothole or a curb. I've lowered my car 2 weeks after I got it, so i drive ultra careful. Mercedes most likely installed a sub par tire. It really should be covered under warranty, but i've now had the car for 1 year and 2 weeks.

In anycase, if you read the reviews on the continentals *many* have had the same bulge issue.

tanktube67

did you had to pay for tire warranty?

08w204

I used to sell tires for a few years... A bulge in the sidewall is a very bad and dangerous thing to have. Since you only have 8k miles on the car it will be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, but the coverage is usually prorated based on the tread remaining (measured in 32nds of an inch). Based on the original tread depth and what you have now, a new tire's price should be discounted accordingly based upon most tire manufacturer's warranties. (i.e. If you used 15% of the tread, you would have to pay 15% of the cost of a new tire, plus mounting and balancing.) I received paperwork with my car when I bought it that states as such.

My suggestion is to press the dealership into acting upon the warranty offered from the original tire manufacturer. Mercedes is a premium brand and doesn't like disappointment from their customers so press the issue and I'm sure it will be resolved, albeit with a small amount of cash to cover the wear that you incurred on the tire already and service fees.

You might also get lucky and find an aftermarket tire dealer (Sears, Big Boy Tire, etc.) that will extend to you the original warranty in order to get the mounting and balancing fees, which will be lower than the dealerships.

Good luck, I'd be interested to know how this turns out!

c350_vancouver

Got a call back from mercedes, they said on page X (i think he said 7) of the book, tires are not covered under warranty.

He said to contact the manufacturer of the tire, if they replace it or i get another brand, they charge $50CAN per tire to install.

mfncl63

i would check with another dealer. the dealer should go back to the manufacturer and get you a prorated credit as 08w204 stated. i did this years ago on a porsche and the dealer got a credit from pirelli.

c350_vancouver

I have given up on this. Contintental's ContiSportContact3 suck period. I'm just going to shell out the extra 1200 (+ installation) for peace of mind (use the 3 remaining tires as spares) and go with Michelin's . I haven't felt safe on the Continentals since last winter.

http://www.michelinman.ca/plus/
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus

FrankW

if you don't even drive it that much during winter don't bother wasting money on the A/S. Just get the PS2 if you are going to spent $1200. Although they're summer tires they work great in rain except in freezing condition which I doubt you'll drive the car out in those condition.

Glyn M Ruck

Get that Conti POS off the car immediately - They are awful & that one looks as though you hit something. Go Michelin PS2 fabulous PE A/S wonderful for what they are.

white46

i have bulge in my tire too.
very good excuse to get new rims as well.

Azn_C300

don't drive around on those tires. don't cheap out on safety issue. Just buy a couple new (and better) tires.

Sportstick

When the failure in that tire does occur, it won't be slowly. It will fail suddenly, likely at speed. Get it off the car asap.

I did the Pilot Sport A/S Plus ($780 USD delivered from Tire Rack), and they are excellent, and allow me some leeway in when I change to my Blizzak WS60s....here in Michigan, winter can sneak up and it made most sense to balance great performance with some good capability for the early winter until I can make the annual tire swap. I think Vancouver may be similar?

Derspeed

That would be a road hazard.

Distalero

How bad is it? Ever see the movie Final Destination?

RLE

1200? Dollars? That is waaaay too much money. You can drive down to Seattle and pay Tire Rack prices and still come out way ahead of that ridiculous price.

c350_vancouver

Bought them already from TireRack.com . Canada has some crazy *** taxes .

225/40ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
for 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport Sedan In Stock 2 $201.00 $402.00

255/35ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
for 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport Sedan In Stock 2 $251.00 $502.00

Shipping Sub-Total: $119.10
Excise Tax: $0.00
GST: $47.70
PST: $75.12
Duty: $0.00

Provincial Tire Fee: $20.00
Brokerage Fee: $30.00

Order Total (USD): $1,195.92

We're looking at about $1,375 US installed ... but I was going to get rid of the continentals anyway because last winter sucked really bad.

C'est la vie.

Azn_C300

damn that's expensive. thank goodness for tire sponsorship

Onizuka

The sales at Richmond Mercedes told me there's a tire/wheel warranty but it's another extra 1500 CAD or something. Try Minitune in Richmond beside Parker Place, they have good price and services. 1375 USD seems very $$$$$$$$...