Diamond

i own the 2002 CLK 430 convertible and in March 2003 - I had 3 flats and one of my rims is bent - - Well, apparently im not the only one with problems in the tri state area (NY, NJ, CT) - I recieved a letter in the mail with a class action suit agains Mercedes Benz for low performance tires mounted on AMG wheels and rims ("performance package"). Everyone with the high performance wheels should have gotten the letter......

the suit is as follows: (A) by falsely advertising and misrepresenting the safety of mercedes automobiles and the durability and safety of the Performance Package (B) by failing to disclose the material fact that Mercedes cars equipped witht he Performance Package suffer tire failure and /or damanged rims under routine driving conditions, leading to dangerous driving situations and costly repairs.

Our cars are $$$, we shouldnt have these problems, does anyone else have the same problem as me and the people that brought up the case???

Mach430

Bent wheels, provided they are manufactured proprerly, are usually the result of the driver and the road conditions. Every one of my customers who orders wheels from me mentions that the roads in New York are horrible. If this is the case, shouldn't the class action suit be filed against the city?

AMG wheels are manufacturerd by Ronal, one of the largest wheel manufacturer's in the world. They are all TUV approved, and I highly doubt that the wheel is at fault.

With a 17"/18" wheel, you can not have a big sidewall on the tire, there just isn't room. Not to mention, huge sidewalls are not exactly "performance" related. When you don't have a large sidewall, you have to be careful of what your wheels come in contact with (i.e. potholes). Forged wheels would be stronger, but then MB would be charging another $2,000+ for wheels that can still be destroyed on bad roads.

IMO, this lawsuit should be against the city you live in.

Diamond

I didnt file it, all i know is that there has been a big case against it here in NY, NJ and CT. And apparently people feel that that this car was missrepresented for this area and that is why its not good to have a car in this state....I dunno know. I love the car except for the fact that my wheel shakes now because of the bent rim when i got my 3rd flat last month. - I need to get a new rim....

Ebrigham

I just got one of those letters in the mail too, but I sold my car in December so it's moot. The majority of my miles were highway, but a lot were in NYC.

Fortunately, I never had any problems, and I didn't exactly baby my car during city driving. On several occasions, my butt was hanging in mid-air as I flew over a pothole. I was a little surprised by the class action suit, and I wonder what evidence the attorneys have to back up their claim. I imagine NYC eats, chews and spits out rims/tires in the thousands ever year, but I guess that doesn't rule out a possible defect by MB or a supplier.

Diamond

I dont know what kind of evidence they have yet, I guess they are looking for support right now to see if anyone has problems. I know there are many potholes in SI, Manhattan, brooklyn (where i mainly drive) - and dont get me wrong....Im sure it is from the roads.....But i think they are trying to get the sales man who sell the "performance package" - saying that it is better, but for NY roads they are NO GOOD.

Ebrigham

I agree. Their best bet is to try the "hard sell" angle of the sales folks. I don't recall my Manhattan sales person pushing the performance package at all, but then again, he wasn't exactly a highly motivated dude. I can't speak of the other sales staff though.

Mach430

If you are tired of bent wheels, I would upgrade to a set of forged wheels. SSR GT3, BBS RGR, BBS LM, BBS RS-GT, HRE, and many other wheels are available for the CLK.