Grrr. I've had a set of front tires go bad in the last 3 months or so and they wore oddly at the end. I had never been happy with a small vibration/resonance out of the front axles, so when the tires were worn, I asked Mercedes to have a look at them and ensure they weren't bent, this was partially because I didn't want to throw new tires on a bent rim, and if there was any possibility of a tire/wheel warranty claim I wanted it to be assessed. I bought the tire/wheel package because I knew the wheels were like pop cans and would inevitably be bent. The conclusion from the dealer was that the wheel was fine and that no warranty coverage should be claimed. Their $1500 markup on a set of tires sent me elsewhere.

Got a new set of Conti all-seasons installed to get the car sorted, asked them to check the front wheels for bend, nothing found and the wheel balanced fine. Still had a minor resonance though, so I've since taken it in for a check-up with dealer.

Had a ride with the service manager and he said it was likely wheel bearing, so I left the car there 8 days ago to get this addressed. Once they got it into the shop its a bent wheel. I haven't had any big, or even significant hits since the new tires so I'm a bit boggled by all this. The pace this dealer moves at is incredible, I've had the car in the shop for over 4 weeks for issues in about 4 months of ownership and all of the time seems to be spent figuring out what to do. These are basic things, like diagnose Mercedes ME/headunit issues, evaluate whether a tire/wheel claim is reasonable, and now a bent rim. It's infuriating. Is this normal at all dealers? I'm also chapped at buying the warranty, not reading the fine print, and getting nothing out of it. Pissed at myself as much as anything.

Now the bent rim, I'd rather sell each of them for $600-800 a piece for the people who will need them and get a decent wheel.

Are these things repairable when bent? This bend is minor, I did a search but didn't find much in the threads on repair despite knowing that this is a very common issue.

 

Yes, they are repairable. Lots of places specialize in this. I had all 4 of mine done out of a trailer in a guy's back yard in Manchester, NH. $150/wheel. I live pretty far from there or he would have come to me. Came out great. Put Conti PureContacts on them and they ride like a dream.

Of greater concern is your dealer. Doesn't sound like they know what they're doing. My indy guy spotted it as soon as I mentioned it. He said it's very common for AMG wheels to get bent and the previous owner lived in Michigan so I'm guessing he hit a lot of pot holes.

 

I am a bit confused:

If you have the tire/wheel package and the rim is bent why isn't that covered?

A tire mark up of $1500 is $375 a tire - more than the tire costs: How can that be?

I agree with MNIAW: I would be looking for another dealer.

 

Yes, agreed. At this point I'm basically done with this dealer, if only for the pace of resolution. This is the second time we've ended up with the car there while they consult Germany (apparently) on what is covered. If they move at his pace when I'm not provided a loaner I may as well not own the car. There are other closer options, was only really giving it a shot because that's where I bought the car.

Regarding having a bent rim and it not being covered when I bought the warranty, that would bring me to an unusually unhappy state...and I'm pretty hard to get grumpy. I did speak with my tire shop and they say it is possible to balance a bend out of a rim but that their tech would have caught even a minor bend in all but the most exceptional conditions. They haven't offered repair, just replacement.

This is the service advisors retort to justify why the warranty doesn't cover it. Disregard highlighted line (I managed a bit of curb rash that isn't covered either)



This is the video they've provided. Looks bent, not really doubting that and do appreciate including a video.
Rim Wobble

Here's to hoping this reaches the conclusion I expected it would when I paid for the tire/rim warranty!

 

Can't believe it, they soaked me for wheel and tire coverage that I purchased to cover the crap AMG rims because I knew it was an issue, and won't cover a bent rim.

Is this a common experience? Feels very very low brow for a supposed quality company.

 

Speak to service manager. If no satisfaction, suggest small claims court.

Let them try to explain to a judge how a bent rim that cause a wheel wobble is not covered under a tire/wheel warranty.

 

I'm curious how annoyed people are. At this point you could put the issue onto social media in front of 100,000 people, maybe 500,000 people for the cost of a wheel.

 

Bad press can be a good motivator.

 

Honestly, it seems like any "extra" coverage or warranty the dealers try to upsell is a total ripoff.

I bought my 2017 E400 wagon from a Ford dealer. Luckily for me, they had no idea what the car was worth. At 52K miles, they sold me a P3 wagon (original sticker was $81K - it was in the glove box) for $32K and change OTD. Then came the warranty push. 7 years and an additional 100K miles "bumper to bumper" except wear items. The price tag was $16K. Half the price of the car! I'm sure it was full of legalese that would deny any claim I made - similar to what you see in your tire and wheel package. I politely said, "do you want the $32K or not?". Wrote them a check and out the door I went.

There are companies out there that sell extended warranties that some people are happy with but anything from the dealer is just a money-grab.

 

My mistake was presuming Mercedes would be reputable. I never buy this stuff, and I mean I'd only done it once in the past 23 years. However, I've a 2019 Expedition which is just an awful year. I bought an extended warranty because the option was to buy a new one or extend the warranty. It's already yielded a fully rebuilt transmission. No fine print no BS.

Jaguar honored the product and did small things they ddidn'tneed to, and the car was in the shop for a total of four days in 12 years.

At this point the Mercedes brand is not doing well in my mind.

 

In 2014 living in Boston, MA, I purchased an off-lease 535xi trade in at an MB dealership - MB of Westwood (MA). As part of the purchase, I added a $2,500 / 4-year tire & wheel warranty to the car. In the 4 years I drove that BMW, I used the warranty to replace 4 tires but did not need a wheel repair at any time. Strange, now that I think of it - maybe the BMW rims were sturdier. IMHO, the warranty more than paid for itself... so I am a believer in this warranty if you live in a region with bad roads and you want to protect your expensive lux vehicle over the ownership years.

 

I do not believe in wheel and tire warranties;

Your experience confirms that they are not worth the money: Four tires cost at most $250 a tire, these were non RF, total $1000. You paid $2500.



BTW, the BMW tires were bigger (larger sidewalls) and that is why there was no damage to your wheels.

 

IMO most vehicle "service and repair" warranties are nothing more than prepaid service agreements where to cost of the agreement far exceeds the cost of the services and and potential repairs. In all of my years of driving, I've never had to repair or replace a wheel. My most recent purchase of a set of Pirelli Cinturato P7 tires cost less than $900.

 

I agree and disagree:

Agree with prepaid maintenance and "service and repair", unless you can put in a lease where it is residualized is a BIG NO, NO - huge waste of money.

Pirelli Cinturato: If you have the RF as I do, the cost with tax, balancing, etc. is over $400 a tire - $1600 for a set not $900!

Caveat: When my lease ran out, I bought a Mercedes Benz 3 year 75K mile extended warranty for $2,200. Six months later I had to have my exhaust system replaced which would have cost $2350. I have also had jerking motions at slow speeds in my transmission. Mercedes said the transmission needed a recalibration. Worked for a while. Have to bring it back. Makes me hesitant to keep my E450 beyond the extended warranty.

 

I look at the cost of the tires. Ancillary services such as installation are not part of the tire cost. The added costs that you mention vary significantly depending on locale and service provider. My last purchase 3 years ago was less than the current price of $909.72 for a set of 4 Pirelli Cinturato P7 non-RF summer tires (mail-order purchased - no state or local taxes).

 

Got it!

As I mentioned I have all season RF not summer performance tires. In NY where I live, with temps below 45 degrees for 6 months out of the year summer tires would have to replaced.

In NY you have to add sales tax, plus their is a recapture fee. Also I have neither tire bead breaker or tire balancing machine, so I have to pay to have this done.

Here is what TireRack charges for All Season Pirelli P7. As noted above to this must be added sales tax, disposal fee, mounting and balancing fee;

 

That's quite a price difference, My quote was from Tire Rack as well. Why not mail order the tires? Tire Rack shipping is free. If they don't have a physical presence in NY, there shouldn't be any state taxes. You'll pay Federal tax and installation costs. If you live close to Delaware or New Hampshire, it may worth it to buy tires there - no sales tax.

 

The days of buying on the Internet and not paying sales tax ended many years ago. The old rule of the seller having a presence in the state has been replaced by if there is a sales tax where the tires are going, the seller is required by law to collect the state sales tax.

As to "That's quite a price difference," not really:

• Unless you live in a southern state, I do not, where the temperatures never go below 45 degrees, these ultra high performance tires are only safe for 6 months out of the year. You now have the cost of an additional set of tires for 6 months of the year.
• The tread life of your tires is rated at 260. My RF at 500. If these ratings are accurate, then my tires will last twice as long as the ones you purchased
• As you have non RF, you have the extra cost of a spare wheel and tire

As I live in NY, your set up could be twice as expensive as my RF.

 

I have a spare, but I don't need it. I don't recall the cost of the spare, but it was less than the cost of run flats vs conventional tires.
There is a post here somwhere on the subject.
I have not had a flat on my E300 since my first bad experience with run flats when my car had 100 miles on the odometer.
Run Flat Tires - MBWorld.org Forums

 

A spare is like insurance: you do not need it until you do and then you are glad you have it!

Unless you limit your driving to local, either RF or a spare are necessary.

A spare cost about the same as RF

see: https://martianwheels.com/products/2...RoCHcIQAvD_BwE

 

I have road service to handle issues. If I had a flat, I would call road service change the tire.

 

I firmly believe you will find a variety of experiences here. We have always purchase the wheel and tire warranty (4 from MB), but have never had a wheel bend... and that's driving in areas with large unavoidable potholes. The warranties usually pay for themselves in tire replacements and cosmetic repairs. Our last 2 vehicles had flat tires in the first week owning the car and we've had more than our share of tires pop from pot holes. One full set of wheels were refinished, just before the warranty ended to remove curb rash and a couple chips, no questions asked. In our experience, if you have a good service department and service manager, they will fight to do what's right for you.

With all that said, we've found that not all of the dealers around us offer the Wheel and Tire package from Mercedes, so the terms can be different and should be closely read. Our latest wheel warranty purchased from a Mercedes dealer allows for full replacement or cosmetic repair of each wheel once a year, which isn't the normal Mercedes warranty.