mstdenis

And report it to NHTSA https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

speedlaw

This is done to death all over....flimsy wheels and hard tires.

Why ?

I'm guessing that the bendy wheels are because in Germany, roads are perfect, so the sport wheel is lighter.....but then someone decided on RFT, probably makes sense from the company perspective, but not for the user....

Short answer, the wheels and tires are a starter cartridge, like the short toner cart you get in a laser printer. NY roads cracked one rear rim, that odd crack on the lip, a slow leak, and while I never blew a RFT tire or bubbled one, they lasted 20k miserable miles. The car with a set of A/S 4 is radically different. Why they send the car with the RFT is beyond me, but it probably makes $ense only to Mercede$.....

Also, fun fact. I have learned over time wheels are priced at "one average car payment"...be they a Jetta, an Accord, or a Benz. Benz is only to happy to put a wheel/tire combo on they car they KNOW will result in damage on typical US roads..."ve do not have zis problem in Chermany".

Luckily, the rest of the car is great....

Mtraurig

I have a 2019 cls amg53 and I had a cracked wheel 6 months ago. Now I cracked the other front wheel. I don’t abuse the car. The tire shop was amazed that the wheel was cracked and told me to call Mercedes. I called the dealer that sold me the car(out of town) who told me to call local dealer service. I called national MB customer who gave me same advice. Local service person gave me the brush off. I ordered a new wheel but going to sell car once fixed as every time I hit a bump I cringe. I love the car in fact my favorite car I have ever had but this is crazy. I’ve never cracked a wheel on any other car I have driven. I don’t want to get rid of but can’t continue along this path. Thanks for any advice

W205C43PFL

Don't let those wheels let you down and stop you from enjoying an awesome car. Put on aftermarket wheels and PS4s and don't look back. Since you like the car so much, I am not sure it is the best choice to sell it because of poorly constructed OEM wheels. That being said, if you live in pothole city the low profile 19s will be more prone to damage. If you had 18s it will be less often.

W205C43PFL

Get some forged wheels or if you are on a budget get flow-formed just don't get cast.

Mtraurig

Thanks for quick reply. I live in pothole city but this is the only car I have that has had issues. I have the 20 inch tires and I don’t know what PS 4s are.

W205C43PFL

You're welcome. The AMG wheels are notoriously prone to cracking and bending, except for factory forged ones.
You can use stock tires and just swap to aftermarket wheels if you want but if you have run-flats and want a softer ride consider ps4s (Michelin pilot sport 4s non RFT (non run flat tires)

W205C43PFL

The stiff side wall of run-flats is one of the many reasons these wheels are prone to cracking.

speedlaw

Sadly, the bendy and expensive Benz wheels, coupled with the horrid run flats, are a bad day....the only thing about MB-USA that actively sucks is the wheels/tires are a Starter Pack...or a more cynical person would say an annuity to Mercedes Benz. I'd have optioned real tires if I had a choice.... I had a visit to my wheel smith at 25k miles, and a cracked wheel at 28k, which was the first cracked wheel I've ever seen....anywhere....common tho in Benz world. The dealer charge me $850 for one wheel-a crappy cheap wheel with a star on it....not a proper wheel.

I now have a set of BBS wheels, with Michelin A/S 4. The car is wonderful.

If you lease, buy the tire protection insurance OR swap out the RFT and put them in the garage for lease return. If you buy, toss the RFT immediately, sell them fresh to someone who leased, and mount real tires. I was cheap and figured I'd wear out the RFT then get better tires...I ended up bending most of the wheels, without the benefit of hitting any huge potholes...the bendy wheels are clearly designed for Germany, where there are NO potholes or bumps to be found...and the RFT are someone's brother n law has a contract.....they might have survived with real tires, but I guess I'll never know.

It's not you, it's them....

W205C43PFL

Yup pretty much sums it up

W205C43PFL

Speaking of tires. This is kinda cool:

jhpmbusa

haha wondering if these will ride even harder than RFTs.

Daichen76

Around 11 months ago we bought the brand new Merceedes Benz from Sanderson Merceedes Benz Rushcutter Sydeny, we babied the car, we have never hit any bump or pothole, we now have a small crack in the inner portion of my 20" wheel. There was no tire damage. The car is still under Merceedes 5 years warranty. however the dealership refused to cover the wheel for warranty and told us that the inner rim can be damaged by outside influence without no marks or damages to the tire which covers the rim. they want to charge us $1200 for a replacement of the rim, it is very ridiculous. Merceedes Banz is not honesty or reliable any more. What the dealership has done to us has destroyed our confidence in Merceedes Benz which was built up over the last fifteen years. very disappointed

speedlaw

Don't hate your benz, just accept the factory wheel and tire is like the "Starter Cartridge" on a new printer. Sucks, yes, and I have no idea why Benz, not a stupid company, puts this horrid wheel and tire combo on their cars. I think wheel bills pay for the F1 Team.

I bought a set of 18 inch BBS SR wheels, 8 inches wide. Tires are Conti DWS 06, in a 235/45 size. BBS are TUV approved, which is nice.

I have hit stuff in NYC that would have pretzeled my OE wheels...and lived to tell about it.

Get out from under the soft wheel/hard tire (tyre, sorry) regime. Normal wheels and tires transform the car....like it makes a huge daily difference, not just in the wallet.

alexasa

iTrader: (1)

yup.

I was so dissatisfied with the car until I changed. Tires lasted longer and I could drive without being stressed out.

I have put an absolute beating on my aftermarket wheels without issue. Meanwhile I babied the OEM wheels and bent 3 within a couple of months.

AMGiggity

MB rims are garbage. Expect this about once a year. Take it to a tire/rim shop and they should be able to fix it for about 100 to 150$. I would have bought aftermarket rims if I was not planning to get rid of my car in a few months.

kamui0

I swear you just look at the OEM wheels on my C450 and they crack.....I beat on a set of WedSports on another car for years through Michigan "pothole season" and they never once cracked or bent.

chriss281

Had my c43 amg wheel cracked on inner barrel, took it to a local who welds aluminum and he welded and grinded it flat no more leak. 40 dollar repair.

kamui0

I'm glad it worked out for you, I haven't had the same luck myself. I bought the car in May of 2021 and both front inner barrel have been welded a couple times through 2 local shops. I rarely drive it, avoid rough areas/pothole, got rid of the run flats for Michelin Primacy A/S but it didn't change anything within a few weeks its leaking again with another crack. I baby the car, given how many issues I've had with the wheels and not being able to find a set of forged aftermarket wheels with faces that clear the BBK or the control arms. Honestly planning on putting it up for sale in the next couple weeks and getting rid of this headache of a car. Not worth the time or money for me personally.

gpouliniii

I just had the same thing happen to me.

AMGiggity

that's not a "hairline crack" homie, did you hit a crater?

PeteC43

We bought a used C43 from MB Sydney. A few weeks after picking it up we got a low tyre pressure warning. Took it to a tyre shop and they said the wheel is cracked. It had a previous repair. Took me months of emails to ram it through the dealer's head that we bought the car with a cracked wheel, as opposed to the crack happening after w bought it. Finally got them to replace it with a new wheel.

So much for the 100 point safety check on used Mercs

I don't like your chances as it more than likely happened after you picked it up.

Wilco

Basically the same scenario has just happened to me, low air pressure indicator a week after I purchased the car. I thought I would have 2 x new fronts fitted to be sure. Tyre Shop informed me there was 4 cracks in the FLH Rim.
I had them welded, the Tech said he had never seen 4 cracks even after a hard hit Rim. He did a good job but a new Rim will be purchased at some stage.

Lieth

How would you guys suggest I go about this with a lease? Still have 3 years left, and I suspect I have this issue because I have to refill air in different tires it feels like once every week or 2. Should I approach my local dealer which I didn't lease from or try to find a rim specialist?

Sixninepace

2019 C300 - CPO with less that 1500 miles since purchase. Run flats on 18 inch rims. 4 degree day go out and low pressure warning. Bring to local tire store, they say cracked rim. Call dealer, state will cover under warranty. They order rim. Bring in, now they want $850, stating not under warranty. Ordered after-market on

No damage to tire, no visible strike to rim, just nice radial crack.
line with 2 year warranty.

I believe combination of run flats on rims originally designed for regular tires are to blame. Having old rim repaired for spare. Will switch to non-run flats when these wear out. Hopefully I don't go through more rims in the meantime.