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New member to this forum! Not new to Mercedes... Recently acquired a '11 E350 4matic wagon, which will be the new family car. I can't get away from wagons as this will be my third (2 W124s prior) and I still have the '95 E320.
Anyway, the lugs on this car are rusty. Did some searches, seems pretty common and blamed on environmental regs (similar grumbling with chrome plating in US). Kind of disappointing, 25 yr lugs on W124 are in better shape. I ordered some Febi lugs for the W124 (set of snows) and was disappointed in the finish. It was more akin to heavy galvanized box store hardware, then quality zinc/chromate hardware. Actually these Febi lugs appear similar to what's on the E350 and when I search for OEM replacements.
I've read some replacing the lugs every few years due to rust. Looking for recommendation on quality lugs that won't rust in a few years?
What about the "flower" lugs off late model S class (FEBI or OTIS), having the stainless? cover over the head should reduce visable rust. I guess the question is whether they fit in diameter/pitch/ball radius and length. Any downside to these lugs, beside special socket to remove?
I would not buy jacketed lugs. My Shelby came with them and my Jeep came with them. You need to be very careful and have the exact fit socket to remove. The jacket swells up when water gets in there and freezes. I bought Gorilla lug nuts for both and threw the jacketed lugs in the trash. On the Mercedes I just live with the ugly black lug bolts. . Mine are not rusted, however.
This is so true " You need to be very careful and have the exact fit socket to remove. The jacket swells up when water gets in there and freezes. " It's a common issue on range rovers too as they all have chrome jacketed lugs. I can't tell you how many times I've had to replace all the lugs due to rust causing the caps to swell. Even had a rim damaged just trying to remove those things. To OP, definitely go with gorilla lug nuts.
I live in the rust belt, when I have a tire change or the lugs start looking rusty I take them off ,clean them , then paint them with wheel silver. I also spray lithium grease in the wheel holes, coating them after the lugs are torqued to spec, this keeps them from getting rusty, purely cosmetic, sometimes I spray them twice a winter.
I'll look into the Gorilla lugs. Otis lnc also offers regular hex lugs, though I'm unsure if the coating is any better than OE.
As far as the Mercedes "flower" lugs (capped), a common complaint I see on the W221 forums is physical damage to the cap due to use of impact with regular 17 mm socket. I'm not sure I buy into water freezing and distorting the cap. I'd be more inclined to believe rust-jacking or rust build-up behind the cap... leading to a swollen cap.
Of course the downside is the special socket, possible damage with impact (even using special socket) and difficulty in removal down the road due to possible rust build-up.
On my ML350 the lug bolts were getting pretty bad looking so I decided to freshen them up with a simple refinishing using Rustoleum. Here is what I did:
All,
Related question on lug nuts.
2016 GLE 350 4Matic - I decided to rotate tires and when I took out the lug nuts I see rust near the bolt head side threads.
I applied anti-seize I have before putting them back on.
However reading the owner manual it says don't apply grease the bolts can come off while driving.
Any recommendations? (I could take them out and clean it with rag cloth).
All,
Related question on lug nuts.
2016 GLE 350 4Matic - I decided to rotate tires and when I took out the lug nuts I see rust near the bolt head side threads.
I applied anti-seize I have before putting them back on.
However reading the owner manual it says don't apply grease the bolts can come off while driving.
Any recommendations? (I could take them out and clean it with rag cloth).
Well, it may not be right, but when I take mine off, I spray with WD-40, wire brush the rust then paint the head with Mercedes wheel touch up paint, I do dry the threads before painting and reinstalling. I have never had one come loose, I also spray each lug nut on the car with lithium grease twice during the winter months, this keeps them from rusting. I suppose I could just buy new ones, but this seems to work out fine. I have done this for decades now on five different benz's
All,
Related question on lug nuts.
2016 GLE 350 4Matic - I decided to rotate tires and when I took out the lug nuts I see rust near the bolt head side threads.
I applied anti-seize I have before putting them back on.
However reading the owner manual it says don't apply grease the bolts can come off while driving.
Any recommendations? (I could take them out and clean it with rag cloth).
Don't use anti-seize on lug bolts. It reduces friction, which reduces the torque required to achieve a clamp load. Said another way, at the M-B specified lug bolt torque, you have obtained a higher clamp load and higher tension in the bolt. Not what the manufacturer recommends. In the best case scenario, nothing happens. In the worst case scenario, the lug bolts shear from fatigue due to over tensioning. The wheel comes off. Then stuff happens. For me, I find the worst case scenario unacceptable, so I take action to avoid it. See below.
Replace lug bolts if they look questionable. They are cheap, all things considered.
If you must, clean the bolts with brake cleaner or similar, and dry them completely before installing.
I try to get as close to this value as possible. I wish tire stores paid more attention to this, too.
One never knows when you will need to loosen the bolts on the side of the road (in less than ideal conditions). One can really work up a sweat with an overtightened bolt.
On my ML350 the lug bolts were getting pretty bad looking so I decided to freshen them up with a simple refinishing using Rustoleum. Here is what I did: https://youtu.be/RLzCjEvlym4
I actually did this to my ML 1-2 years ago and the paint has slightly chipped off now
I ordered these lugs from Otis, maybe the same OE supplier to MB as they had star stamp on thread-end. Lug bolts shouldn't be a maintenance item, Wife's '09 Honda the chrome lugs still in great shape and my '95 E320 look no worse than the bolts off the '11 E350.
$70 for the set, not bad even if they need to be replaced every few years.
The photos look nice. I also agree that I wouldn't use capped lug bolts. I also wouldn't use the "flower" type bolt heads unless that was the only option available. Hex head non-capped. These are factory original on most M-Bs.
06-16-2020, 10:04 AM
