lisawhistler

I wondered what other MB GLK owners and prospective owners feel about this story and can suggest a solution?

Dilemma

I am a female and live in BC in Canada and our nearest MB garage is 120 kms away. Cell phone coverage in our Province is not as established as in urban areas and there are parts of BC where you can drive up to 4 hours without any cell phone service.

Story

I am a loyal MB owner having owned 3 previous MB 320 SUVs. I leased my GLK250 Bluetec, ex demo with 1500 kms on it in May this year.

In June, I went on a trip and on the way back the sign came up "check run flats". I ignored it for a day and by the next day the tire was so flat that the wheel rim was sitting on the tire itself.

I called MB assistance and explained about the run flat sign. I asked her what this meant and was told that as I had run flat tires on my car, I could inflate it and this still enabled me to drive up to 80 kms per hour and take it to the nearest MB garage which is 120 kms away. I told her I didn't believe I could do this as it is a highway and the tire looked like it couldn't be saved. After a lot of back talk from her, I finally convinced her that she should organize a tow truck (which had to come from 60 kms away) and collect the car and take it to Vancouver.

This was arranged and the next day I took a bus to pick my car up and was presented with a bill of $575 as the tire could not be saved.

Last week, the run flat signal came up again and I took it to the local garage to see if they could fix it. They did and it cost me $24. I asked them what they would charge me for run flats and they said that I don't have run flats on my car! and that a good quality tire replacement would be around $275 - $300.

As you can imagine, I am annoyed on several levels. Not least the fact that I was led to believe that I had run flats but that I overpaid for a regular tire from MB. The main concern is that as I don't have run flats, I am nervous that I am not not able to drive the vehicle outside of any urban area as I risk being stranded somewhere without cell phone coverage. The tire kit will not help with a blown out tire.

Of course, I have taken the matter to MB Customer Service based in Ontario which is a lot more urban than BC and I don't believe they comprehend the severity of what they are exposing their BC clients to? They have basically washed their hands of it and said that the vehicle does not come with run flats as standard and they also do not recommend that I carry a spare tire in the car "as there is no safe way to secure it and the safety of their car drivers is of utmost importance to Mercedes Benz."!

Am I missing something here? does this mean that a woman stranded in the middle of nowhere without any cell phone coverage or spare tire is not a safety issue created by Mercedes Benz?

I would welcome any comments and/or suggestions of what to do. Frankly, I just want to give the car back as it doesn't give me any comfort driving it now.

mike-nc

Lisa,

I sympathize with you, as I'm in a similar situation. (I have the Dunlop EM tires-USA model, so I have some protection.)

You may be able to get MB to install a set of the Dunlops, but they are expensive ($380 each, plus installation). This would give you some peace-of-mind, especially since you have experienced two failures/flats already.

I'm hoping that the tire manufacturers will get some models to market to replace the OEM tires, but they are correct in saying that there really isn't any run-flat or EM tire available, other than the Dunlops.

Pirelli has a new model out-Scorpion Verde, but not in our size. The sizes that they have in run-flat are: 255/55/18 or 255/50/19. The 19" model may work, but it could rub and will create a small speedometer error. It is a true run-flat, so the ride could be an issue. Doing a rough calculation, the speedometer error is around 3.5% or about 2.5mph at 65mph. (Sorry, I cannot "think" in km/h.)

It will just come down to what you are comfortable with and the risks that you are willing to take. If I had to take some action right away, I would probably seriously consider the Pirellis (they have a much higher treadwear rating than the OEM Dunlops), but I would also confirm with a tire shop that they would not rub/interfere before committing to buying.

I would hope that MB would consider putting a set of the Dunlops on for you at a reduced cost to retain you as a customer (or even free!).

Bob338

The Continentals that have been on most US cars are what's on mine. The don't quite meet requirements to be called 'RunFlats', but they are. The manual says they can be driven about 50 miles @ 50mph.

I considered this for my car, however the E350 Bluetec I had also had no spare. I ran it all over our western US without a spare, never had a problem. I considered that along with the fact that I have probably driven over a million miles in our west over many years and have NEVER had to change a tire on the road. I expect the same with this GLK, but if I was really concerned, I get one of those mini spares and an air compressor.

107123210

I have been looking on-line at the Vredestein compact spare. It does have to be pumped up before use.

Anyone know just what the dimensions are when deflated and does it have same outside diameter as a 235/50R19 when inflated?

mike-nc

Bob,

So you have Continental EM tires on your GLK as OEM tires? I was not aware that Continental and Dunlop EM tires are installed for USA models.