Texas Hugh

I just agreed to buy a beautiful 2010 C300 Sport. It's has some kind of a grille that the saleman says is factory, that was included with one of the sports upgrades. OK, fine, maybe, but he is not a MB dealer and I'm not sure he knows. The shiny 18" rims that I'll call "chrome" look... wow, really pop out, and I love the look now, but it might be a bit too much. He said they were factory rims too, but I need somebody that knows to let me know if these are REAL OEM rims, or just some after market stuff that will void the warranty. They do say AMG in one place around the outer edge of the rim.

Here's what it says on the "window sticker" they taped to the window:
(looks official to me)

(952) Sportline Package
(955) Elegance Edition
18 AMG 5-Twin-Spoke Aluminum-Alloy Wheels
Includes: (486) Sport Suspension
(772) AMG Sportline
(954) Avant Garde Package (Sport)
(R48) 17 5-Twin Spoke Alloy Wheels
Includes: (485) Comfort Suspension For Elegance

I am aware it lists both 17 and 18 inch rims. I am also aware that it has no option number next to the 18 AMG alloy wheels.

1. Is that grille a factory option as the salesman says or an after market add-on?
2. Are those rims a factory option as I was told, or are they after market?

and ...
3. Will the use of after market rims void my warranty?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

OK, now there's a 4...

4. Does this turn heads and get thumbs up (OEM!) or does it make MB owners in the know lower their heads in shame? (assuming all after market)

Thanks guys/ladies!

- Texas Hugh

Richard2011

That is an sl-style grille that you would buy off of ebay, and those rims are chrome replicas of the optional 18" rims that come on C300/C350. Neither of those items are OEM.

The grille is nice, and many people have that style grille. Those wheels, on the other hand, are generally looked down upon on these forums because they are chrome.

Wheels will not void warranty.

Texas Hugh

Thanks for the quick reply!

This car is by far the cleanest we have seen inside and out, and it beats the other C300's we were looking at by $800-$1700. It probably didn't sell because of the rims. As long as the rims don't void warranty, and that's very important, I think it still would be a good buy.

It's a car for the wife so, we will see what she says.

Thanks again, the quick response was appreciated.

-Texas Hugh

Sportstick

The rims and grille void the warranty only to the extent that if the rims cracked (for example), or the grille fell out, they would not be covered. If some other problem developed elsewhere with the car, the wheels and rim could would not void the warranty for the entire car unless they could be demonstrated to be the cause of the failure. Again, just to make the point, the grille cracks, a piece punctures the radiator... that becomes your problem.

Chrome wheels are a bit overdone for my taste, but my taste should not matter...drive what you like.

JasonHu

Grats on the car! Grille and Wheels are non-OEM.

Also, it looks like the previous owner changed the front sidemarkers to white/clear ones.

LandSeaAir

I could be wrong, but I'm almost 100% sure those are OEM wheels, they have just been dipped in chrome. I've never seen replicas of those wheels chrome or not that have looked that much like the OEM ones. All you have to do is take one wheel off and look behind the spokes to see if their is a Mercedes part number, and I think they say "Made in Austria" on them. The grill is definitely not OEM, its made by 55 tech which is a pretty reputable grill maker imo.

Texas Hugh

Interesting. I noticed the white sidemarkers myself. I do have a picture that shows something yellow inside, probably a bulb, so i think he was just needing to mod something that day.

I can still back out of the deal, but otherwise I'm signing the paperwork and picking it up tomorrow. Here's what I think happened. He had his original 18" rims chrome plated, maybe here: http://www.calchrome.com/Mercedes-Benz . They have a picture (attached) that looks exactly like the wheel on the car, which means it may have been the original wheel, which makes me feel much better about using the right parts on my first Mercedes.

As for the look, since it will be my wifes car, she said as soon as the tires need to be replaced, the rims are gonna go and some standard 17" OEM alloy rims will be installed. The car was a good deal compared to our second choice so the cost of the rims wouldn't hurt so much.

My wife is already calling it her bling-mobile.

- Texas Hugh

Edit for LandSeaAir: Thanks! I'll check for the part number ...

Sportstick

I've bought two other design sets of wheels from these guys and they are very good.

http://www.powerwheelspro.com/shop/p...roducts_id=576

The ones shown, however, are the wrong offset for the W204.

Texas Hugh

Oh No Sportstick! Now you messed me up! :-) Those look EXACTLY like the originals. Drats. I'm going to have to have the wheels pulled and checked before purchase. Hmm.. If they aren't the originals, then I have to worry about offset. Are those rims marked with the offset? Are the originals? Thanks.

- Texas Hugh

Sportstick

Sorry!

The wheels should have the offset stamped on the rear somewhere. It will be the letters ET followed by 2 digits. The OE spec for 18 wheels is:

Front: 8" (wide)x 18" (diameter) ET50 (offset = 50 millimeters)
Rear: 8.5" x 18" ET54

Looking at the pictures (a bit tough based on angle) the front wheels don't seem to be poking out or tucked inside the wheel well, and seem the offset would probably be about right. Offset doesn't need to be exact...close actually can work quite well. The rear looks a bit tucked inside the wheel well, although it might just be the photo. Stand directly behind the car, along the side, and judge if the outer face of the wheels is fairly flush with the bodyside. Check out this thread and look at my photos, and note I took a lower offset than spec, which pushed the wheels out very slightly, but well within acceptability. My wheels came from powerwheelspro.com (style 810).

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...g-17-reps.html

I kept 17" wheels/tires for best ride, acceleration, braking, fuel economy. I upgraded my antisway bars for a significant improvement in handling.

Texas Hugh

Excellent - just the numbers I needed.

I think now I'm armed with enough info to talk to the dealer about the wheels.

One more thing I haven't mentioned is that the low tire pressure light was on, and I found this: (referring to the TPMS system)
"Sometimes when fitting the tire and wheel assembly it may take a learning period for the system to recognize all sensors. Many times all that is necessary is to drive the vehicle, and depending on the manufacturer, this can be as little as 1 to 2 miles, and as far as 15 to 20 miles to reactivate the system. Some auto manufacturers do require manually resetting of the system."
Sounds like it's nothing to worry about, or is it? Is a manual reset required on the C300? The car was prepped and spotless when I arrived, so surely if they noticed the light they checked and corrected the air pressure.

Thanks again.

-Texas Hugh

RLE

What leads you to believe those wheels aren't stock 18s, chromed?

dcjwlee

Check your tire pressure... Either your tire is low on air or your TPMS is malfunctioning. Any warning lights on the dash shouldn't be dismissed as "not a big deal".

The tpms in our car doesn't require a manual reset. You can set the current tire pressure to be the "default" psi. Any significant deviation from this will produce a check/correct tire pressure on the driver information center in the dash when you turn the car off. If it is dangerously low, your information center will turn RED and tell you to correct your tire pressure.

The fact that you mentioned neither of those messages has me thinking your car has a broken TPMS sensor that needs replacing. Make sure you get it done before you take delivery... DON'T ASSUME EVERYTHING IS OKAY because some third party dealership with a used car sales guy who knows nothing about the manufacturer says so.

AkaSigFreak

I don't like chrome rims, but those are not that bad since they are not a solid design. They don't look that bad on the car. Have them check the TPMS. IF the sensor is damaged- they can cost $120+ to replace. It may just require a rebuild kit due to the O-rings eventually deteriorate.

Txwildman

Nice Car!! Nice Grille and rims!!!

Richard2011

I just assumed because I've seen chrome replicas of that wheel before.