I’ve got the sport model, 2014 E350 4-Matic. I’ve about had it with these damn AMG rims being too weak to handle a typical pothole without sending me to the dealership for a bent rim repair (which seems to take 2 trips). Anyone ever just given up and replaced theirs with something else more durable yet still attractive? I like the 18” size.

I don’t understand how my GTI with their 18” rims and low profile tires can take hit after hit after hit and no damage. But on a Mercedes, if you look at them wrong, they get bent... what gives?

Thanks amigo. I’ve come to the decision that this is my first and last Mercedes Benz. Will be dumping it in the coming months and going with a Touareg instead. Just driving back from NC, car is vibrating still, and tap the brakes and the fronts are groaning badly with just 12,000 of mostly highway miles on them. Matched to the lumpy acceleration and having to screw with the seat, my entrance to MB has been less than impressive. When a Camry cruises better than an E class, I’d say the best or nothing at all isn’t playing in my favor. Sticking with VAG group going forward.

Thanks, the brakes are OE from a MB dealership in Orlando. Funny thing is, I had the 40k service done last week, and they’ve now since started to act up. I don’t know man. But I can say one of the key drivers for my decision to just dump this and walk away is squarely on the *****show that is the MB dealership service platform. I mean, I’m willing to pay the premium, but constantly seem to be getting BS results from now two different dealerships. Just sucks. Dude, my cars interior is covered in smear marks from the technician last week. Once found a torque wrench in my back seat as they brought it to me saying it was all done and good to go. Do they not have quality control at their dealership service centers? I’m almost positive they took those two bent rims and instead of fixing them, just parked them on the back of the car and tried to balance them out (even though charged CNA $300 to fix them). I’m just done with the MB dealerships in and around Washington DC. Have yet to find one worth a crap, and life is too short to fuss with it.

I put 20 inch wheels on my eclass and yes you gotta avoid potholes to save your life! Lol

def makes you focus more on the road lol

looks great on the car. The drive is smooth AF.

but it sounds like for the way you drive and or where you live that car with low profile tires isn’t ideal. I was reading this and saying why the heck did he get this sporty car? Why not a truck/suv?

im in south fla and i couldn’t imagine driving this car with rims in nyc with the crappy roads there. Totally destroy the car.

Thanks, I have a MK7 GTI with the same tire and wheel size (albeit not quite as wide of tire width) and have never had a bent wheel in the many years I’ve owned it, same roads. I think those rims must be forged or something whereas the MB isn’t.

its going back to the dealership tomorrow, and I don’t want to see it again until it’s fixed, really fixed, tested and confirmed by senior tech kind’ve fixed. I don’t care if it takes them a month (I’ll drive VW), I just want this damn thing to be right!

Ive also got an issue with my drivers side door seal that anytime the temps drop below 40, I get a wind noise at the top corner that drives me nuts. Looking in the mirror, it looks as though my door isn’t properly aligned with the rear door, sagging about 1/8th of an inch when looking at the lines. WTF!

Last time I was there (last week), they had to replace the rear center seatbelt strap because it was improperly installed, you could not use it (they installed the latch part on the wrong side of the little bumper clip in the belt itself). How that passed CPO inspection (much less any state safety inspection) is beyond me...

if if I didn’t have the VW as a 3rd, I would’ve bought the T’reg. But thought I’d have a fun sporty car and a luxurious highway cruiser all for the price of the T’reg I was looking at.

I used to have a Lexus LS400 many years ago that drove me nuts and swore I’d never do that again. When it was smooth, it was fantastic. But when one little thing went sideways, you’d know it and it would ruin the car’s primary selling point, and was like a goose egg hunt of bushings and mounts to figure it out. I had the time and interest back then to hunt it down and fix it, which also taught me a TON about cars in general. Today, I have not the time nor the interest to do that again.

Thing ive always enjoyed about VW products is their ability to fix a problem the first time. They’re simple cars, so when something goes bad, it’s very easy to understand what/where/how to fix. I don’t expect any car to not be without it’s faults and issues. But I do expect that if you’re being paid a King’s ransom to be the expert to fix it, than you better be worth that money. So far, I’ve yet to be impressed by MB’s technicians, and certainly not worth their high dollar price tags to repair a car. At least not that I’ve found here in the Washington, DC area anyway. I think a big part of the problem is that everyone has a MB here it seems, and the dealerships can’t keep up.

If I weren’t under warranty still, I wouldn’t even bother with them (expires in March).

Thanks Hyperion, I’m not quite there yet on spending the dough on the car, but maybe in the future. I really do want to love this car, and want to keep it for a long time as my boulevard cruiser. Quite frankly, nothing out there quite like it in my opinion, and love the looks. Just had some very annoying characteristics.

So, now that I’m a bit more calmed down after the thanksgiving holiday and returned to my normal routine (sorry about that), I’m not ready to pull a “risky business” into the Potomac with it.

Got it back from the shop today. They never road force balanced the wheels last week, and when they did this time, it was revealed that the new tire the Indiana dealership put on after the pothole hit last June....is defective! So, I had to buy yet another Conti tire but being told will be reimbursed by Conti under the warranty in about 6 weeks. The shop drove it for about 40 miles at highway speed and said all is well. I haven’t had a chance to get it up to speed yet, I really hope they’re right!

Going to park it now for a while and cool off further. In the end, I suspect next year will have some wrenching time in my garage with it, assuming I still love it enough (which I probably will).

First order - ditching those front cross-drilled rotors. They groan under heavy load and the holes get caked up. Not worth it if I can do aftermarket solid/vented instead (sounds like I can).

They couldnt replicate the door seal air leak (bull, but whatever). Will likely be replacing that door seal myself. Was one of my favorite updates to that old Lexus that gave it back much of its new car feel (a tomb again).

Motor mounts likely coming too. Not the mileage (38k) that I consider, but the age.

Transmission fluid flush including torque converter. Likely to have trusted indi mechanic do that one if around $500. I just don’t trust transmission fluid much beyond 40k miles in general.

She is a beauty of a car to look at, no doubt. Really do want to make this work for the long haul. Thing that sold me on it were those I know with the previous generation that have nearly 200k now and still drive theirs. There is real ownership pride with MB, I get it, and want to be a part of it! Just has to be smooth operating / riding and hold an alignment, those are my key triggers for any car. Broken switches, bushings, etc, I can live with.

i hear ya. I just bent one of these OEM E63 wheels which I thought would be indestructible. Not happy

Many thanks cet! I just had the chance to get it up to speed (30 mile commute / smooth blacktop / freeway), and happy to report smooth as glass again, thank goodness! I think it was a combo of needing the road force balance and the bad tire.

I do hear a little groaning in the front, and 100% convinced it’s the pads against the rotors in general. The car was doing the same when I bought it at 22k miles. Replaced the pads and rotors at 25k and it went away. Sadly it’s back now at 38k miles. I find it hard to believe the rotors (OE from a MB dealership in Orlando) would need to be replaced with just 12/13k miles of mostly highway miles. I’m wondering if a different problem with say a sticking pad via a caked-up pad mount pin. When I changed them, I did not change those mounting posts they basically hang on (didn’t think they needed it). Or maybe a bad backer pad on the caliper piston side where the piston is going metal to metal to the pad. Not a big deal and happy to know what it is at this point (so I know how to fix it). I don’t have that outer lip on the rotor last yet from usage, which makes me think pad mount related instead. Either way, now that I know, I feel much better about it.

Is the transmission mount also fluid filled too? Just curious. I saw some videos on the motor mounts, and agree not easy enough for my DIY skills, thanks for the heads up!

i also don’t think the spark plugs are in my wheelhouse either, given the need to index them. It’s amazing how complicated it is for such a relatively small engine in a large engine bay.

Last week they replaced my sub on the back deck via the CPO warranty. Man, I don’t think it was ever working, as the stereo sounds absolutely fantastic now, amazingly so!

I’ll start some different (specific) threads as I start tinkering with the car.

Happy has returned!

Sharp looking wheels!! Not sure if you’ve had to cross this bridge yet (bent wheel), but I was surprised at how cheap it is to have one fixed. I was thinking $300 or so. But appears to be more like $115 to $150 (dealership). So, not too terribly bad. I have no idea how they do it (template or just pound it out), but somehow it works, as I’ve now had to do it 4 times.

What is interesting is my loaner for this last visit was a CLA with their fancy shiny rims. Man, I hit a pothole today on my way back to the dealership to pick up my car that would’ve eaten my wheel. Didn’t even phase the CLA, I was shocked. Actually made the comment to the dealership guy to swap line for those instead. “Sure, $2,500”. He’s not very funny!

Really! Now all wonky. Should be an easy repair this time, though.

I’m in the VA burbs of DC. It’s pothole season right now. Mine is parked in the garage and driving the VW for awhile. Just don’t want to deal with this risk at the moment. A real shame about this car. Too afraid to drive it because of fear of another annoying trip to the dealership for yet another bent rim or two.

When I bought it, I was trying to decide between a luxury sedan or a nice SUV (Toureg). I would be lying if I didn’t think sometimes that the T’reg might’ve not been the better choice over these rims. My GTI has low profile tires on 18 inch rims (I’m sure you’ve all seen one buzzing around). I have never had a bent wheel on it and have hit some nasty potholes with it. One has so much curb rash on it that I have to replace it eventually, but not bent. Maybe it’s the metal or a lighter car in general, but really would’ve thought that Mercedes Benz would’ve at least matched VW on something like this, seeing as how one is the pride of Germany and the other is basically farmed out in mass numbers from Mexico!