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2014 GL 450. 4th set of tires in 2 years. Something is wrong
Hi there, hoping to find some answers for this problem. I purchased my GL450 in 2016. Supposedly it had new tires on it, however the first time I took it to get serviced they told me the tires were end of life, but only the back tires. The dealship replaced them, but within a year we had to replace them again for the same issue, back tires were end of life. We went to Costco and had Michelin tires put on. Costco told me to get the car aligned, which I did, and subsequently followed the manufacture rotation schedule to a T, as to take advantage of warranties if necessary. The third time I took the car in to be serviced and have the tires rotated, they refused because the back tires were again end of life. At this point the tires had less than 18k miles on them. The front tires still have 60% life. Costco is refunding our money, however I’d like to get the bottom of why my tires keep only getting a third of expected mileage life.
I am not not sure if this is related at all, but we found out that the car had a minor rear end accident with the first owner. We knew this because a light had to be replaced and there was evidence of repairs to the paint surrounding the light. (Full disclosure, I am just a mom trying to get to work and take my kids where they need to go, I know nothing about cars).
My plan is to take it it in to Mercedes and have them try to figure it out, but was hoping for some ideas before I go fork over money.
2010 Mercedes GL450; 2000 Mercedes ML55 AMG; 2016 VW GLI SEL Stick!!!
The Michelin tires are soft...the gl is a tire eater...and 18-20k is about right for how heavy our cars are.
ive had success with the pirelli scorpion verde plus. Over 25k and good wear. Should have another 5-7k miles. It starts out at 11/32 tread depth vs Michelin 10/32.
Where did you get it aligned? It should be done at the mb dealership. The wheels have tiny holes for the mb alignment tool.
also, does your car have issues staying up? Unlike the husband a blue pill doesn’t solve this.
If you rear air bags are leaking it can cause accelerated wear on the rear tires. Check if your car looks noticeably lower in the rear or has felt less smooth recently.
The Michelin tires are soft...the gl is a tire eater...and 18-20k is about right for how heavy our cars are.
ive had success with the pirelli scorpion verde plus. Over 25k and good wear. Should have another 5-7k miles. It starts out at 11/32 tread depth vs Michelin 10/32.
Where did you get it aligned? It should be done at the mb dealership. The wheels have tiny holes for the mb alignment tool.
also, does your car have issues staying up? Unlike the husband a blue pill doesn’t solve this.
If you rear air bags are leaking it can cause accelerated wear on the rear tires. Check if your car looks noticeably lower in the rear or has felt less smooth recently.
for now have Costco put new tires on the rear
costco will not put tires back on and stated that they shouldn’t have in the first place because the recommendation for back tire pressure is 3 psi higher than what the tire was actually rated for, and they have no other tires that meet the specifications except a 20k tire that is $360 per tire. That might be reasonable for a longer lasting tire 😜 As far as alignment, they said the wear is 100% the same across the tire, so it was aligned appropriately.
I guess I do not understand why when the tires are rotated at the suggested intervals that all 4 are not close to the same wear, in theory they all spent the same amount of time in the front and back.
The second set was perelli, and did even worse. Not sure I want to go there again. Prior to this GL450 I had a 2010 GL450, I had zero issues with tire wear being uneven, I’m not convinced something isn’t wrong with the vehicle. We are going on vacation, I think I’m going to drop it off at MB and let them try to sort this out while we are gone. I love my tank, but this tire issue is getting frustrating.
2010 Mercedes GL450; 2000 Mercedes ML55 AMG; 2016 VW GLI SEL Stick!!!
COstco won’t put on new Michelin tires? If so someone is giving you a story full of bs.
Pirelli has many tires that fit our cars. The old scorpions zeros which cup. The new scorpion all season that just got released
And the scorpion verde all season plus that I mentioned.
I would never use the scorpion zeros, and i assume those are he ones you had trouble with.
Assuming that there is nothing wrong with your rear airbags, and that the wear sounds normal; do you trust that your dealer actually rotated the tires?
Agree that if the tires are rotated, wear should be generally even between all four tires.
kilfli, do you know anyone that you trust, who is knowledgeable about cars? Ask him/her what he/she thinks. Get a referral for a reputable tire retailer and buy tires and have them rotated at that establishment.
Our 2015 GL550 went through two sets of Continental tires in less than 25,000 miles. Fortunately, Michelin introduced their Pilot for 21" wheels in late-2018, which we are riding now..
As many on this forum have reported, the GL550 is tough on tires, presumably because of the wheel size, vehicle weight and power output. YMMV, but I would have been happy to get the tire mileage you got!
I would also agree that if the tires are being rotated all should wear evenly and if only the rear tires are wearing out there is something wrong. My OEM Scorpions lasted till 23k miles. I had Discount tire mount a set of Premier LTX. Last service at MB dealership they still have 5/32 tread left (53k miles on the truck). I'm thinking I'll get another 10 or 15k miles before this set needs to be replaced. So 40k out of set is still not the advertised 60k warranty but way better than what you are getting. I run 37 pounds cold tire pressure all around and have only rotated the tires once
YES, ALL SUV’S FRONT THERE IS ONLY TOE (DIRECTIONAL) ADJUSTMENT. NO CAMBER OR CASTER TO ADJUST TIRE CONTACT ANGLES. TO RESOLVE THE EXTRA LOAD/WEAR ON INNER TIRE EDGES CAUSING COSTLY PREMATURE FAILURE.
Essential to allow to cater for other than Showroom Height conditions – Day to day commuting encountering high cambered roads, altered height/wheel squat through sagged suspension - load carrying or lowering. Fitting wide profile tires/wheels. Ongoing adjustment capability for curb knock damage along with being able to correctly resolve steering pull.
Kit replaces the ‘4’ lower arm inner bushes (the ‘2’ rear are prone to premature failure and OEM are expensive to replace).
FIXING IT RIGHT THE 1ST. TIME. No more ongoing trips to dealers or alignment shops (or constantly changing tire brands in the belief that somehow this will alter the costly, premature inner edge tire wear)
Front kit is supplied with bush extraction tool and no need therefore to remove arms from vehicle. Camber adjustment is precise, single wrench. Accurately under load direct on alignment rack.
Similar kit for the rear replacing the 4 lower arm, highest wearing bushings.
We manufacture the rear also, even though there is rear upper arm adjustment OEM. As many requests for additional adjustment. Rear also with bush extraction tool allowing fitment on vehicle.
W166/X, W251, C292
Front Camber and Caster #504016 M $595 Extra Adjustment
Lowered 11/2 " (40mm) + #504016-1 N $695 Rear Camber and Toe #504026 K $480
04-13-2019, 06:18 PM
