walterk55

We bought a 2010 E350 from MB Manhattan in New York about two months ago.The car is a CPO with 25k miles, and the tires are original except one that was replaced after about one year. The three original tires are 5 1/2 years old.
Tread is good - averaging about 8/32". However when I dropped by to show the car to my mechanic, he pointed out that the tires were dry rotted. All of them. "No way these will pass a DMV inspection"

I have owned cars for 50+ years, but never saw dry rot before.

Here are my questions:

1. Are these tires dangerous to be driving on ?

2. Should these tires have been CPO certified?

I put three photos of sidewalls and tread area from the three original tires.

This is my wife's daily commute car, and I am concerned for her safety.

CarolinaBluetec

CPO specifies that the tires must have 5/32 tread and be less than 6 years old. That being said I would first give the dealer some grief about the tires after looking at your photos. If he does not play nice, call MBUSA and open a case. The car should not been CPO'd with these tires.

hyperion667

sounds like BS dealership tactics to me.......those tires are in horrible shape and should be replaced as soon as possible.......at the dealers cost......

also, you say you've owned cars for 50+ years? and you didn't catch these tires in their condition??
good luck on this one

JSch

1. Yes, they are dangerous.

2. My CPO was fitted with 4 new tires. Based on your photos, I am surprised that the dealer did not replace those tires. I have to agree with your mechanic.

Based on NY inspections for tires:

Tires (Except spare)
Tread depth - must be at least 2/32 inch when measured in two adjacent major tread grooves showing the most wear
Tire condition - check for any fabric break or cut over the length or width of 1 inch, visible bumps, bulges or knots, and any restricted use designation on the tire
Tire pressure - You will be informed if the vehicle's tire pressure in not within the manufacturer's recommendation. This is an advisement only, and not cause for rejection.

http://dmv.ny.gov/brochure/new-york-...ection-program

Based on this above description, it seems very open for interpretation. However, I still think the dealer should have replaced the tires, unless you got a VERY good deal!

Just my 2c..

thefisch

I've seen tread with that kids of rot before, but those sidewalls scare me. I would take it by some tire shops for an opinion too and use that for ammo at the dealer.

Arrie

Your tires are in so bad shape that I would not enter highway speeds at all.


If you have a blow-out this dealer could be in bad spot if you document the tire condition before the accident as the dealer obviously let you understand the tires are ok to drive as the CAR is a CPO and by what MB says in all advertisement the car should be totally checked with all faulty parts replaced. These tires would not pass any inspection by anybody meaning that did they do the CPO process at all...? My guess is not.


Ridiculous behavior on your dealer's part!!!

Munich77

I would not drive them...time to talk to the dealer - especially since MB Manhattan is owned by MB USA.

hyperion667

the message I just sent to MB of Manhatten


lets all send them some feedback


Have you recently sold a CPO E350 with rotten tires?? That is so outstanding!!
Are you that hard up for profit that you'd sell someone a car with dry rotted tires?
That is some shamefull **** let me say.
Karma will find you very soon,

Airmousam

Gawd, those tires are frieking terrible. How they and you both missed it is surprising. I believe the dealer will take care of this pronto....good luck and I would not let my wife drive anywhere on those...

walterk55

I can only say that I was blinded by other aspects of the car, and also the very deep tread ....

I doubt the dealer will do a thing for us. Just a hunch after trying to get them to deal with a few other issues on the car.

aaacsdai

Was a Safety Check completed by the Dealer for a CPO? Looks like NO to me. Does anyone know if there is a NY State dealer requirement to have a safety check conducted at point of sale? I do not know because our dealers in HI seem to do it, and most dealers buy off some local inspector anyway IMO. Sorry, but are you actually going to let your wife drive this vehicle. My E-350 tires were worse, Pirelli's that had dry rot, and huge chunks of tire missing after only 17K and 47 months-yes our roads suck. Although my dealer is a friend, I told him if he did not take an additional 1K of the price, no sale. Go back and get some cash not lip service.

ph350

This really should be taken care of by the dealer. I would escalate this to corporate.

pdisher

Should the car have passed the state safety/emission inspection following registration?

starbrite

@Walter....are you sure those are the original tires? There is a manufacture date code on the sidewall. To read it, take a look: Click here IMO, there's no way those tires are only 5 1/2 yrs old.

The tires on my '04 are 8 yrs old and they don't show a single sign of dry rot. My wife's 11 yr old Lexus RX has the original tires and ditto for them.

Dealers are notorious for swapping out wheels/tires with another car that they've sold and hasn't been picked up yet. I went to look at a 2012 E550 at Silver Star, in Long Island City, a few weeks ago. I scheduled a test drive in advance and when I got there, the car was on 4 jack stands, with all 4 wheels/tires missing!! Nothing surprises me at dealerships anymore, including MB, corporate owned or not.

My cousin's daughter's husband used to be the service manager at MB Manhattan, and the stories I could tell you. Yikes !

walterk55

I checked the tires manufacture date - 0310 third week of 2010 except for one that was replaced in 2011. So they are about 5 1/2 years old. Must have been in an unusual place - perhaps a Florida car ?

Interesting your comment about MB Manhattan - I am sure there are a lot of stories that would curl my toe nails !

walterk55

The car was inspected ( by MB Manhattan) just before it was sold to me.

steinjr

You have many replies..... those tires are unsafe and could loose integrity at any moment. Dry rot on tires is nothing to mess around with.

walterk55

I contacted MB Manhattan - by email - and then brought the car in for inspection of the tires. I was politely received, and the person in charge of CPO verified the condition of the tires, and without hesitation proposed that the tires be removed and replaced with new ones at their expense. I should be picking the car up tomorrow. I chose Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires as we need good all-season tires in this area. I am pleased that MB Manhattan were accommodating in resolving this issue.

Anyone having an opinion on this model tire is welcome to post their views here.

Thanks to all who took the time to reply to me. It really was helpful !

steinjr

Glad to hear you were able to get this issue resolved.

Arrie

I could not have believed any other result in this matter.

Good it is behind you now.

Enjoy the ride!

YYZ-E55

I have them on my wagon for three-season use in 19" and so far I'm very happy after about 5000km. They're cheap, great treadwear, and they ride/handle well for the caliber of car (PS2s aren't necessary on a V6 E-Class).

Glad to hear MBM stepped up and replaced them.

walterk55

So am I since it is so important to have confidence in your dealer.

I was very pleased that the whole matter got resolved quickly.

The input from forum members was key for me as I had never had any run-in with dry rot before. In my talking with a few tire shops in the area, one in particular seemed very knowledgable and the fellow there said that is was a problem that especially affected Michelin tires. Even though I admire their reputation, the little experience I have had over the years with Michelin tires was affected by my impression that they had a harsher ride than a lot of other brands.
It was this fellow who recommended the Conti Extreme Contact DWS's.

hyperion667

I think I have the conti's on my S car......they seem to be fine, although I'd prefer the softer Michelin compound,
really happy your tires were replaced......must have been that email I sent them LOL!!


enjoy the ride; if you ride with your wife

instantfob

Since the dealership is buying you a new set of Conti Extreme Contact DWS. Make sure they are putting the newest version of such tire. The new version is call "DWS 06" recently released in April 2015

Reason for the latest and the greatest is because you don't want to deal with hunting down older version of a tire few years down the line when you need to replace one due to potholes and such.

FYI: Please register your new tires with Conti because you'll get 1 year or road hazard warranty from the manufacturer.