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So I took my car in, it is less than 5 months old and has 7k on the clock (mind you I have a 15k/year plan). I have had slight vibrations within the car for as long as I can remember owning the car. In the beginning I didn't think anything was wrong. However, it seemed to get progressively worse so I finally took it in. I was having EXTREME vibrations on a trip down to Miami (for business). So I take it to the pembroke pines dealership there. This is on monday this week.
They point out I have spacers and that is my issue with vibrations. I thought it could be possible - but let them know the vibration was stemming from the front end and to ignore the rear end at this time if they are going to give me flack over the spacers (even mention they can flag and void the warranty for having them -_- which you will find funny later in the story).
So they balance the front passenger side tire. The vibration is like 75% better than it was before. But, I thought it was still a bit iffy. They also don't have any mention of bent wheels, etc. I had an actual scheduled appointment on thursday at my local dealer - where I was bringing the car in after my trip to see about the vibration and some rattles inside the car (scheduled last week). So I give the whole story, letting them know that the passenger seat shakes vigorously when going above 70 MPH, but that the entire front end is no longer bouncing down the road like it was previously.
I tell them about the following:
1. Passenger seat shaking @ and above 70 mph
2. possible issues with alignment and or balancing
3. rear parcel shelf rattle, seat controls in the door rattle, center waterfall console squeaking
4. I let them know I had spacers - they had absolutely no problem with that
So a tech takes a ride and confirms that there is still something wrong with the suspension/tires/wheels. They give me a loaner and call me at the end of the day saying that I have 3 bent wheels and will need two new tires (1 tire cannot be balanced and 1 tire is worn to wear bars from alignment issue).
They say they will cover the cost of repairing the 3 wheels and alignment if I cover the cost of the tires. After further negotiation, they come back to me later saying they will cover the nearly $800 worth of tires. The tire that cannot be balanced can be submitted to the tire manufacturer as a warranty claim and the worn tire the SA will cover (we do a lot of business with said dealer).
Just to give a little more information I have owned a handful of cars (all of which sports sedans) and done a quarter of a million miles or so of driving in my life and I have never bent a wheel while driving. I am meticulous with my vehicles and extremely cognizant of how and where I am driving. I am debating just shelving the original wheels and grabbing some aftermarket wheels. My idea is that if they bent that easy, without any recognition of it happening, then it will happen again. I can run aftermarket wheels with more peace of mind and then slap the OE wheels and tires on before returning the car on it's lease.
I am curious as to others who may have had similar issues..
Are you still on run-flats? The sidewalls are so stiff I'm not surprised enough road impact is being transmitted to the rim that they developed bends.
I'd keep the OEM wheels (aftermarket aren't necessarily any tougher) and replace the tires with Michelin Pilot SuperSports. Much more compliant (and just better riding and handling in general).
I'd also ditch the spacers. I've run them, they look great, but they are additional rotating mass that can't be balanced and they can induce vibrations. Better to just get wheels with the desired offsets.
With respect to aftermarket items voiding a warranty, they can't void the entire warranty, and the mfr needs to be able to demonstrate that the part CAUSED the failure.
On aftermarket wheels I wouldn't use the run flats.
I am still on the run flats - and pretty sure this is the reason they are bent, without any recognizable impact felt.
I have ran spacers countless times - never a single issue - and still not giving me any issues.
Reason for going aftermarket with a like PSS tire:
1. resale, will be able to trun around and sell them at the end of my lease
2. I'll need to replace the OEM tires within the 45k I will be running the car in the 3 year lease term anyway. So it lets me get some nice tires and not pay the premium for the replacement run flats when turning the vehicle back in.
3. I'll have to pay for dismount and remount of tires/tpms, etc. and I'll have to do this twice with aftermarket tires on the OEM wheels.
Basically, running aftermarket wheels and tires will only be a small cost to me at the end of the day.
Increasing the diameter by a small margin (within acceptable range) - giving a bit more cushion and making the car have less fender gap at the expense of a slightly taller ride height.
I have gone the opposite direction before (reducing tire diameter).
Yeah, I've run those Potenza before. They're a decent performance tire. Not quite as creamy as the Michelins if I recall. So why are you thinking spacers? For a more aggressive stance or for fitment? The 1mm offset variance up front shouldn't be an issue.
Other than the possible cosmetics and a little miscalibration of the speedometer I think tweaking the sidewall height to get more tire under the car isn't a bad idea at all.
For a Mercedes, the ride on the 205 is extraordinarily stiff. That stiffness plus the extra rigidity of a run flat tire is too much IMO.
Yeah, I've run those Potenza before. They're a decent performance tire. Not quite as creamy as the Michelins if I recall. So why are you thinking spacers? For a more aggressive stance or for fitment? The 1mm offset variance up front shouldn't be an issue.
Other than the possible cosmetics and a little miscalibration of the speedometer I think tweaking the sidewall height to get more tire under the car isn't a bad idea at all.
For a Mercedes, the ride on the 205 is extraordinarily stiff. That stiffness plus the extra rigidity of a run flat tire is too much IMO.
The c450 requires more aggressive offset to clear the front suspension. So that specific fitment would not work without a spacer.
Going with the 19x8.5 et32 would work out of the box, but I'd be putting a 235 on that to get it within the fender and the stretch of a 235 on a 8.5 compared to the 265 on a 9.5 will be off making it look a bit weird.
Basically, a 265 on a 9.5 looks full and proper, whereas a 235 on a 8.5 is stretched (minorly).
these are the softest wheels ive ever had. I've had bent rims fixed a good 7 times with my C-class. annoying. never had this problem with other cars and I am EXTREMELY careful with bumps and potholes.
these are the softest wheels ive ever had. I've had bent rims fixed a good 7 times with my C-class. annoying. never had this problem with other cars and I am EXTREMELY careful with bumps and potholes.
Well, that actually makes me feel better.
Definitely not pleased with the quality of these wheels right now.
the re-molding of the wheels never really fixed the vibration completely for me, can still feel it at some mph's in the 60's and at 81 mph. its basically a lost cause at this point. at least i can see my rear view mirror now without all the cars behind me becoming imperceptible from the shake
I suspect the 205's wheels are as sturdy as MB wheels have ever been. It's all the other stuff...very stiff suspension + very stiff run flats = the wheel becoming the weakest link and absorbing a greater amount of the impact. If they made the wheels stronger you'd just blow out more sidewalls.
The cheapest fix is to ditch the run flats for something with more sidewall compliance. Next step would be to drop down to those ugly 17" wheels. In terms of ride quality the car on 17's is the closest a 205 comes to having the signature Mercedes ride. 18" non run flat on Air is a close 2nd. Forget 19's, although that multispoke design is probably sturdier than the 5 or split 5. More even load distribution from the barrel to the hub thanks to all of those vanes.
the re-molding of the wheels never really fixed the vibration completely for me, can still feel it at some mph's in the 60's and at 81 mph. its basically a lost cause at this point. at least i can see my rear view mirror now without all the cars behind me becoming imperceptible from the shake
I, literally, had an identical experience. It seems.
I just got the car back and still have slight vibration at 80-84 MPH.
But of course that's "over the speed limit", so they can't verify it. Extremely dissatisfied with this entire experience.
I suspect the 205's wheels are as sturdy as MB wheels have ever been. It's all the other stuff...very stiff suspension + very stiff run flats = the wheel becoming the weakest link and absorbing a greater amount of the impact. If they made the wheels stronger you'd just blow out more sidewalls.
The cheapest fix is to ditch the run flats for something with more sidewall compliance. Next step would be to drop down to those ugly 17" wheels. In terms of ride quality the car on 17's is the closest a 205 comes to having the signature Mercedes ride. 18" non run flat on Air is a close 2nd. Forget 19's, although that multispoke design is probably sturdier than the 5 or split 5. More even load distribution from the barrel to the hub thanks to all of those vanes.
I believe you are right up to about 70% of the equation is stiff ride + stiff sidewall = bent wheels/weakest link.
But I do think these wheels are a bit soft for OEM. Usually OEM's are boat anchors but strong - I would almost prefer this.
I just had winter tires put on my 18" rims and determined that two of my rims are bent, although it didn't affect ride quality. The winters were put on at an independent shop.
Is this covered under warranty?
I just had winter tires put on my 18" rims and determined that two of my rims are bent, although it didn't affect ride quality. The winters were put on at an independent shop.
Is this covered under warranty?
no, you can certainly try to have it absorbed. I'm afraid that having different tires mounted might reduce your chances - they love to place blame on anything they can.
My entire repair was absorbed by the dealer. But, the last tire was covered by my SA (we have a fleet of vehicles through them).
the weakest part of a rim is the lip on the inner side. hit a pothole with a runflat, and that inner lip can get bent. had it happen with my bmw and the wheel place i went to to have it replaced , the guy said it happens all the time on bimmers (which all have runflats). hit a pothole at just the right angle and i guess that stiff sidewall will impact the inner lip just right.
higher sidewall height and non runflats seem to be the only solutions. it might just affect one particular rim style too.
After a few days, I think they fixed any and all of the vibration.
I do think something was off from the factory, maybe a simple alignment or something to that nature. Anyways, the car is driving better than I ever remember it.
I am still plagued with the interior rattles. Bringing it back and seeing what they can do.
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