Harsh683

I recently bought a GLE350 4Matic. It has less than 1500 miles on it. I noticed that my right rear tire has a nail wedged in it. Tire isn’t losing any air. This is my first Mercedes. I am looking for recommendations on how to get this fixed. One of the option is to take it to dealer but I believe they would charge a lot to fix it. Another option is to take it to a local tire shop. From the looks of it, the nail is in the middle of the tire and away from the tire walls so I don’t think I’ll need a new tire. Is it worth it to get it fixed at the dealer?

DCJarvis

I'm a big fan of the Dynaplug tire repair kit for nail punctures. Super easy, and well suited to small diameter objects, as opposed to the traditional sticky rope kits which are meant for larger objects and are a pain in the ***.

Used a dynaplug on my GLE with no problems.

shekmark

No need for the dealership for that. Go to your local tire store. Any can easily repair that. We have a small shop two miles from me that does it for $10 . I send people there all the time. Probably $15 to 25 bucks depending on what watch and shoes you wear when you bring it there.

BACnMercedes

No. Don’t go to the dealership.
They will probably not fix it the first time and then you will end up calling MB customer service and speaking to Executive Referral Manager Chris, who really isn’t a manager but just has the special title, and he will tell you ever thing will be ok that they will take care of it by calling the dealership to see what going on only to then forget who you are and not respond to anymore of your phone calls or emails because the dealership says they are working on it but in reality they only have one guy that knows what he is doing and can work on cars like that and he just got Covid so he is out for two weeks but they might be able to give you a loaner next month when the guy that just needed air in his tires gets his car fixed and returns the only loaner car your service person has then in the service department will only have an appointment slot for you to return so they can look at the tire in about 1.5 months. Then you get the bill. Sound about right?
Just go to a local tire shop and have them patch it, not plug it, if it can be fixed.

jbizios

I had the exact same issue last week. I took it to Discount Tire near my home and they fixed at at no charge. It's a simple fix, they will just remove the tire and plug it. Would not take it to the dealer.

One call-out, you might want to make sure you know what pressures the rear tires should be set to (look inside fuel door), as they differ depending on load and use. The tech wasn't exactly sure what to use and under inflated it slightly. He corrected it immediately when I pointed out the proper inflation.

chassis

Plug it yourself. Less than $20 for a plug repair kit at your nearest auto parts store. All tires can be plugged including runflats, low profile and most particularly Mercedes tires. There is nothing magical about MBs generally and MB tires more specifically.

Alternatively take it to a tire shop who can do the job in 5 minutes.

Lucky 777

Are they run flat tires? Run flats can not be repaired. Call the dealer, they will repair or replace it

Lucky 777

Seriously dude? How is this helpful to anyone??

BACnMercedes

The first line and last sentence was exactly what most of the others are saying. Don’t go to the dealership. The middle is just fluff. That’s got to count for something.

TexAg91

it depends, if you don’t drive on it with no (or extremely low) air pressure then you haven’t damaged it and you can have them plugged. I had a nail in the tread in my Alena RFT that resulted in a slow leak. Took it to Firestone, and they were able to plug it. Haven’t had any problem…was 10k miles ago. The tire never got below 28 psi, and the low tire pressure warning notified me that the tire was 5 psi below normal.

hyperion667

No dealer!
Do you have a Discount Tire near you?
They remove the tire, patch it....not plug, and then mount and balance.
Best in the business!

GL, and now enjoy your car

chassis

Runflats can be repaired. I have 35k miles on a plugged runflat. Punctured near the edge of the tread.

Lucky 777

Interesting. I've had several instances over the years where our fleet management company advised against repairing them. It never made sense to me since I'd think the major difference between run flats and conventional tires is in the sidewall construction, not the tread area.

chassis

Of course a business, such as a fleet management company, will limit their risk and advise such things. This is expected.

TexAg91

You can only drive 50 miles on them if they are actually flat, I.e., zero air pressure, and driving on flat will damage the sidewalls. Thus if you drive on them flat in an emergency, the tire should be replaced. However if the tire still holds air and has air pressure and you drive on them with a nail like OP, you are causing no damage and a RFT can be plugged/patched like any normal tire.

mb2be

Runflat can be plugged depending on where the nail is. I had mine plugged.

IMO though if you go long distance with this vehicle, I would have it replaced for peace of mind. If you just drive local, plug is fine. If you're not losing air, it'll most likely be fine. I was losing air fast but they could still plug it. I replaced it afterward for peace of mind. Some are not allowed to plug for you due to their corporate guideline. Lastly I read some tire brands do have warranty and you can have it replaced at no charge.

Harsh683

Thank you for all the replies. I think the general consensus is to skip the dealer. I will check out my local tire shop and have them fix it. I don’t have runflats. I have AMG exterior with 20 inch rims. Thank you again.

GregW / Oregon

Tire shops do a patch on the inside of the plug which is a superior repair.

mikapen

I'll do a plug with my Dynaplug, set my cluster display to show tire pressures, and go in for a patch at a convenient time.

Bryce1023

Had several flats over the years on various MBs. The dealers near me will tell you that the tire must be replaced because they are run flats. Will not even attempt to plug or patch the tire. They claim that your safety is compromised. There are some unscrupulous MB dealerships near me unfortunately. Each time we had the tire patched and rebalanced, it was fine. The cost was $40- $50. There’s several knowledgeable people on this site and if they recommend using a plug and getting it done for under $20 then do it.

Mcfancy14

I had the exact thing. I don't have run flats. You should not do a plug. These tires have a layer on the inside attached to the rubber that needs to be grinded away so that a proper patch can be installed. Any tire dealer should be able to do it...cost is about $40 but you'll have the assurance.of a proper repair