nagesh.gupta28

Hello everyone,

I am new to MBWorld. Posting my first thread.

2 weeks back I picked up a CPO 2018 E300 4matic. It came with 19" AMG Twin 5 spoke Wheels and Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S RFTs: 245/40R19.

The dealer tried hard to sell me the wheel and tire protection package which I confidently rejected and took the delivery. 1 week down, I noticed a huge bulge in front right tire and talked to the dealership. To my knowledge, I didn't hit any potholes or anything on the road. I drove the car from NY to SC (750 miles) and it was a highway drive. Didn't drive around much in North East area considering the quality of roads. Dealership straightforward took no liability for the repairs/replacement and said I would have to pay out of pocket and replace the tire. Luckily I went to my local Mercedes Service Center and they took care of it under Road Hazard warranty on the tires (which my dealership didn't mention at all). They said 3 of the tires were replaced during the certification process so you are 100% covered with road hazard damage for 1 year for those 3 tires.

This made me think about the wheel and tire protection package and I read several (literally SEVERAL) forums to find it is a common occurrence with these RFTs and wheel size esp because of the smaller sidewalls. Also, wheel damage is a huge possibility. The OEM rims costs over $1000 a piece and tires are $332 from tire rack. My original dealership declined adding the protection package now but my local dealership gave me till Monday (29th November) to decide and purchase it. They quoted $2150 for 5 years coverage.

I would really appreciate if someone could put me in the right direction as in should I go with the protection package or just don't worry about it and get it repaired on the go, given 3 of my tires are covered with road hazard protection for 1 year. It has put me in a dilemma as I have never had any bad experience with tires/rims in the past 10 years of my driving and suddenly as soon as I got this, I had to get a tire replaced. I am more worried about the rims as they cost more $$$.

Thank you!

sabre3

I recently picked up a CPO 2017 and I had the tire and wheel package added. However my quoted price was $1k less than yours and I just added the $20/mos into the payment. Haven't needed it but I like knowing I have it. I am sure others will disagree with purchasing it but its really up to you what it is worth.

ua549

Over the years I've had my share of flat tires. All were easily repaired until I got RFTs. The dealer/MBUSA replaced them at no cost to me. I switched them out for non-RFTs and bought a spare. I have neither replaced nor repaired a wheel in my 60 years of MB ownership. That being said both my auto insurance and charge card provide no cost roadside assistance and/or towing.

nagesh.gupta28

@sabre3 I too am planning to buy it just for the peace of mind, hopefully I don't have to use it. It's just that 1 incident that happened that too in the 2nd week after getting the delivery makes me think it might just pay out for itself in 5 years.
@ua549 I also thought of replacing the RFTs with nRFTs but I do not want to compromise the trunk space as I would have to carry a spare. I am planning to keep a run flat repair kit to bail me out in case of flats. Its just that I am more worried about wheel damage as the reviews from several users have shown me how delicate these aluminum devils are.

ua549

You could buy a couple of wheels for the cost of the wheel package. It doesn't seem that the juice is worth the squeeze.

DFWdude

I've been driving for >50 years. Among all the cars I've owned, I've had to use the spare only twice, discovering a fully flat tire on exiting a store, and walking out to my garage to see another flat. Both were caused by slow leaks, not blowouts.

With TPMS in these MBs, chances are you will discover a slow leak in time to go to a tire shop for a repair.

Bottomline, it's just a gamble whether you really need a spare tire.

DFWdude

Agreed, another good idea, if it worries one that much.

nagesh.gupta28

Thanks everyone. Decided to not take the protection package and be a lil more road conscious while driving.

I am thinking of replacing RFTs with nRFTs one by one as they start to wear out. Is that recommended or do I have to replace all 4 together or in sets of 2 to nRFTs?
The OEM size is 245/40R19, I would like to have nRFT with a bigger sidewall, what are your thoughts on that?

sabre3

I dont believe you can do that with 4matic (AWD) I believe its all or nothing.

jhpmbusa

the sidewalls are softer on the non rfts and will cause quite a unbalanced ride if you combine rft with non rfts.

cetialpha5

Yeah, those are really nice rims and tires you have there. It'd be a real shame if anything happened to them. You sure you don't want to buy our protection policy?

It's a pretty high price for what they're offering. What's the MB part number of the rims? You can find refurb OEM rims or replicas on eBay. The newer rims are usually more money but the older ones get cheaper as they age. You can get bent rims straightened for around $100 a rim. It's a little more if they're cracked. My record on two cars is about 2 cracked rims and about 4 bent ones. My cars are older so I opted to buy refurb/replica rims at $150 a pop instead of getting them fixed. It's usually another $100 or so to get rims cleaned up from curb rash.

Everyone prefers non run flats. They ride much better, only trick is how to get a spare tire.

mobster600

Don’t forget there are deductibles on each claim. Read the fine print. You pay for the package plus any claim you make. You end up paying the same out of pocket if you didn’t buy the protection.

sabre3

I do not believe this is true. My wife has a tire package for her new car (Not MB) and has had a tire repair with no out of pocket costs.

mobster600

it maybe limited to 1-2 claims a year. Double check your contract. Are you saying you have unlimited claims? A deductible is to prevent multiple claims and very small scratches being claimed. Even a small scratch requires the entire rim to be repainted.