newyorktoLA

My right rear tire blew again on a nail after the sidewall burst back in January. My story is short: When Roadside assistance took the wheel off to put on the spare, I saw thin a thin scratch on the outer edge of the spokes with a few series of small horizontal scratches on the outer edge of the wheel as well.

None of my other wheels have this... except for the ones on my GL & S class which have had tires mounted multiple times.

Question: Are these scratch lines caused by the machine MB uses? If so, what should I do when I get my new tire placed on the SAME WHEEL that the scratches are on (If the dealer remounts the tire and there are more scratches, can't they claim that they were already there???) Also, what are those little metal squares in the wheel barrel and do they have to be replaced every time a tire is replaced? Should the dealer pay to have the rim refinished after mounting b/c of these small, light scratches?

I think I brought up the same scratch issue on my GL wheel a long time ago and the dealer said, "You know, most people never get to drive this car in a lifetime. It's worth more than what the avg. American makes,..." etc...He basically told me that I shouldn't be complaining about the scratches since I drive such a premium vehicle...

Help!

newyorktoLA

Bump

Paxfobiscum

Those little "squares" as you call it are lead attachments to the rim that is necessary to balance your wheel and make sure they turn evenly at high speeds. I'm surprised you've never heard of them before being such a car enthusiast.

Now for the rest of your issues, all I can say is that, you seem to have serious bad luck with your cars. Maybe its time to make some offerings to your local church or your do a rain dance around your cars or something like that....


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CEB

How can someone have nearly 700 posts and know nothing about their car? All of there are very basic questions that any kid in grade school could answer.

Scratches on wheels - he who put them there is responsible. Proving who put them there is your job.

Those little metal squares are wheel weights used to balance your wheels. Every wheel needs them and it isn't a manufacturing defect. You don't need to remove them as you can always have more added to the other side to balance out the ones that are already there and then add even more to actually balance the wheel. With luck, after a few balancings, you'll have gotten enough wheel weights to sell them as scrap.

Dealers love ignorant customers as they can sell them anything. May I suggest that you get your blinker fluid changed at your next service as you've probably neglected that and it should be changed every 10000 blinks.

hyperion667

LOL @ blinker fluid!!! dude!! too funny...........

CEB

This is the brand that I recommend. It is MB approved.

BenzMan369

hyperion667

CEB

Did you see the other useful products at that site like cans of elbow grease and Johnson rods?

newyorktoLA

Let me try asking some of the 1st graders at the local elementary school if they know what a wheel weight is

FYI, most Mercedes-Benz owners probably don't know what those wheel weights are either. Not everyone is as unhealthily obsessed with the mechanics of our cars as others. I'm a business man, not a mechanic. Please don't call members of this forum ignorant b/c they don't know what one thing on their car is called. All I asked was a question about what the weights were; Thanks for telling me, but I didn't ask for your condescending opinion about who I am as a person. You don't know me, you don't know what I know, and you definitely don't know how to treat other people.

CEB

A first grader might not know, but I'd bet a 5th grader would know.

Spending as much time on this forum means that you have been exposed to basic concepts like wheel balancing, scratching things and so forth. Even if the three cars you show in your sig are the only cars you've ever owned, it is incomprehensible that you cannot have been exposed to the basics of how a car works.

I'll say it again - you are the dream customer for a dealer. If they tell you that you need the air in your tires rotated then you'll be happy to do that.

I'll help you out here - you can get the proper seasonal air yourself

although you might need some of this

to replace the seasonal air.

Good luck.

newyorktoLA

It's interesting how you, CEB, know about these products yet no one else knows! It seems as if you were once gullible enough to buy these products!

I wonder if the dealer has a special on those tire products!!!

I honestly didn't know that wheel balancing weights were as well known as car engines, steering wheels, wheels, suspensions, and transmissions! Obviously everyone who has ever driven a car knows these basics run a car, plus wheel balancing weights

steelgrey

Unfortunately there is not much you can do after the wheels have been scratched except have then refinished/repaired. For future reference there are two ways to avoid scratches. Alot of wheel speciality dealers have touchless tire mounting machines that do not use the tire dismounting tool that commonly scratches. The other way is to mount the tire from the back of the wheel by putting the tire on the machine with the face down. The tire dismounting tool then runs around the back side of the wheel. I have a G35 coupe also with chrome wheels and this is the method the tire shop used to mount my tires...no scratches at all.

Fung63

haha to the blinker fluid

I'm fresh out of elbow grease, hopefully I get them quick!

To be honest, I think this representative of your dealer is a crock of doo. Where does he get off telling people to keep quiet cause its a premium vehicle. You worked hard for your $$ and bought this vehicle. It's people like you that help pay for his job. I think he just has a pickle lodged somewhere and is pissed that he's still driving around in is Geo metro Twin turbo....

hofb99

BenzoBoi

Blinker fluid...I literally fell out of my chair laughing....

hyperion667

haha, still love the blinker fluid!! going to ask the dealer about that next time I'm there

BenzMan369

Great idea!

I think I'll take CEB's "product" pix in with me when I visit the service dept. in July and ask they throw them in as a freebie good will gesture with the A service. Afterall, we all know that A service is overpriced anyway.

My service advisor will keel over in hysteria, just as I did.