VRODDER

Hello everyone-

I hope there is an MB specificially the GL/GLS expert to help me understand the current condition that I'm experiencing with my 2017 GLS550.

I currently have 10K miles on the vehicle. Bought it in August of 2016. After I submitted the vehicle in for the initial service and I had the retires rotated, I noticed that there is a slight vibration/pulsating of the seats, dash and steering wheel. More noticeable in the seats and dash at highway speeds than steering wheel. The vibration is getting more and more noticeable now.

Is this a:

-Wheel balance issue?
-Alignment issue?
-Motor mount issue?
-Wheel bearing issue?
-Drive train issue?

Thanks in advance for your feedback and guidance.

Otherwise...I freakin love this SUV.

Isawelvis

If you did not have it before rotating the tires, its the tires. Had this before on some other cars. With only 10,000 miles on the tires it should not happen but have the dealer check the tires. I remember one time when I rotated the tires the car started pulling to the side , thought it was something else but was the tires.

Wanty

This might sound a bit odd but are you 100% sure they put same wheels and tires back on your car after the service ?

I have a 2016 GLSd with 21's and had a vibration issue after the tires where replaced ( just like you described ) after 12months , three different sets of conti's had faults.! happy now, but for two months the car was with MB trying to diagnose the issue.

fabbrisd1

Tire rotation is tire rotation - and not balancing.

You need to get them balance - and most folks would say "I thought I paid for rotation and balancing" - and you say they weren't balanced when you did this ?

VRODDER

So when the dealership rotate tires during normal service/inspections they do not balance them before the re-install the tires? That seems odd to me.

In either case, the service adviser called me back to say that my front tires are cupped on the inner side of the tire. This is an alignment issue more than it is a rotation/balancing of tires or it could be both. In either case...I may need to get new tires. Once tires are cupped, there is nothing you can do.

Chris D

Vrodder,

Think I am dealing with a similar issue.

At about 17,000 mi. I started noticing some vibration that progressively got louder and more pronounced. Before a recent road trip I had the wheels balanced, figuring I had lost a weight or something. It didn't remedy the issue and following the trip it is even more pronounced. I spoke with a MB service advisor and he told me at 20,000 mi., the GL's are known to cup.

Will probably take back to the shop that balanced them and inquire why they didn't think to inspect them for cupping before I paid to balance them.
At any rate, if the above is true, I'm a bit miffed that I'll be paying for new tires every 20,000 mi.

Can anyone validate this is a common thing or is the MB service tech pulling my chain?

cemeek

2017 GLS550 - I also have this problem, persisted into a new set of Pirelli Scorpion Zeros AS+ - went through multiple road force balance attempts on the previous OEM tire (Conti Summer UHP whatevers) and now this new set. Dealership here said known/common issue on the 550s - they don't know exactly why, but after 5 attempts on the rear they will *not* road force balance so they recommend I try to get them replaced under manuf. warranty. Going to try.

Anyone solved this issue? For me with this last round of road force balancing it's better but still there, and on long road trips or significant mileage it's going to cup or stripe these tires. Not to mention wear & tear on suspension and driver fatigue.

mikey08

If its happening at higher speeds its most likely a balance needed. They say they rotate and balance but its only a rotation. You will feel the issue regardless of where the tire is rotated.. If its in the rear you will feel it more in the body, if in front more in the steering wheel. This happened to me some time ago with another car and it seemed like the stick on weights they use now a days came off.. I had this issue many moons ago with another vehicle and it came to be a bad tire that the radial shifted. All in all sounds like a tire..

Mike

Jno211

Had the same problem for a long time, with different tires, then switched to Michelin’s: problem solved ! You will find similar experiences in older threads. These are big tires, apparently difficult to make perfectly round and to wear evenly, some manufacturers are better at that, notably Michelin, Pirelly probably being the worst. The problem is uneven shape, not weight, so balancing may not work.

sjahanmi

My friend had the same issue on his 2018 GLS 550. Turned out to be defective rear drive shaft.

cemeek

Right - as I stated multiple road force balance attempts, LR still at 56 lbs where spec is <= 26 lbs. Not exactly sure what that means - but it's not great. Fronts are 18 and 20 lbs and roll smooth. New tire on the way under manuf. warranty - TireRack ensures me they will road force balance test it to spec and only send out a 'good' one. Hopefully that'll do it.

Agreed w/ other poster suggesting Pirelli likely worst on the scale of manuf. tolerance. This beast is a lease and trying not to overspend on it. Pirellis are 'good enough' when we're talking $300/tire and you're averaging 15k miles on a set . . .

kombifan

The continental extreme contact dws is about 320 from tire rack whilst the Michelins pilot sport are 345 each.

Might be worth it to change if you end up wearing them out again.

cemeek

Hope this is it, 20k in on a 30k lease. Next one, sure. Hoping the 2020s have a better tire selected. I'll likely option up a 450 equivalent next go round and expect an all season tire to oem.

Scorpio550

I've been having the same problem on my 2017 550 for over a year now, the dealer suggested new tiers, new brakes, rotors, wheel alignment, done it all,problem still here, the car has been by dealer for over a month now,
what are my options? will hiring a Lemon Law lawyer help? the car is at 25k miles

kombifan

Depends on lemon law in your state. But it’s slmething I’d definitely pursue considering what you’ve been through.

Sometimes uou dont need a lawyer.

Might be of i interest for you considering new model is coming out.

kombifan

https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/ne...law-fact-sheet

unfortinately. I believe you’re out of the mileage limit, although you should contact mbusa customer care to see what they can offer considering you’re situation.

They migjt offer a fair offer based on mileage and age depreciation.

cemeek

You could possibly get trade in assistance, MB USA and your dealer have a disincentive to go lemon law, nobody really wins, so be willing to work with them and see what happens.

That being said have they road force balanced your wheels? What were the numbers? From my post above, I dont understand it exactly but they measure in lbs, for example my fronts were 18 lb and 20 lbs (well within spec of 28 lbs). Rears were 56 (!) and 26. We replaced LR tire that was 56 under manufacturer warranty: Pirelli Scorpion One Plus all season. That cured 80% of my vibration, but the RR that is "within spec" at 26 lbs, can definitely still feel it. Could also be from the fronts. You want the lowest #s possible I guess. Highly annoying especially on long road trips. Can't replace that RR tire because it's in spec.

So, if you don't have your road force balance numbers, or it hasn't been done, do that next.

Make sure you get best tires on there, that's Michelin, case closed .

Finally, my dealership service guys freely admit this is a known issue on the 550s. Road force balance fixes or greatly improves majority of cases. In my situation it's a lease, up next May and I've only got 7k miles left so I'm just living with it until Feb or March when early turn in becomes an option.

Good luck!

kombifan

Anyone tried the new Yokohama tires?

sjahanmi

I agree, call Mercedes-Benz USA and they might be able to do something for you. I had the same issue and mbusa acted as an intermediary between me and the dealer to take the car back and unwind the deal.

cemeek

In my case my local dealer called MB USA on my behalf to get trade in assistance on a lemon GL 350 (Diesel). All depends on your local I guess, in our case we have a good dealer and parent company here that takes care of their customers.

Chris D

Have had the Conti DWS on my truck for about 30k now and they are cupped to the point my wife asked what's wrong with it. Tire Rack tells me Conti won't warranty uneven wear, they'll blame it on balance, suspension, blah blah blah. I had the alignment adjusted by MB dealer before these were mounted and I rotated (but not balanced) every 5K, so what gives? Maybe these tires were not perfectly round to start with as someone has suggested, but my suspicion is that these vehicles are just too big and heavy for these wide tires. They look great, but certainly are not the most pracitical when you consider short tire life and the fact that the all seasons in this fitment suck in snow. Guess that's something prospective buyers should just know - expect to spend $1350 in tires every two to three years. Had a similar problem on a Highlander with wide 19"ers as well.

Scorpio550

My car was sitting by the dealer for well over a month, they did road force and even charged for a new tire the bill was over 700 and guess what the car still vibrates, i hired a law firm its beyond frustrating,

Eddie Meral

i have2018 GLS 550 have same problem.changed 4 tires car was 20000 miles.3 times alignment still similar problem.dont know what to do?

p5657587

I've been in the shop 7 or 8 times so far with the vibration issue. It's in there right now actually to fix this issue.

When it first happened, they tried re-balancing the tires. The tech noticed the vibration was still there so it stayed overnight. Next day, they took tires and rims from another GLS 550 and mounted it to test. The vibration was gone, so they said I had defective tires and gave the car back to me with my original rims and tires (They already road force balanced it, so they assumed wheels were perfect).

I brought it in again few days later and they put it up on a lift and rotated the tires. Saw that the driver side wheel was shaking. Road force balanced again, issue persisted but it did get a little better.

Few days later, brought it in again and this time they sent out that one wheel to get repaired as they said it was a bent rim. Issue went away. There was still a very weak vibration, but it only happened once you were at 75mph and it was so weak you had to be looking for it to realize it was there. So I left it as is.

Few months later, I switched from winter tires to all season tires and the the issue came right back. They sent out two rims to get repaired but the issue was still there although it did get better.

Went back in a few days later and it's been sitting there ever since. This car has been having so many problems from brakes squealing, uneven brake wear, having wrong brake pads installed, tailgate failing to open, 3rd row seats not folding properly, engine retarding timings at certain loads, ESP failing, steering wheel leather peeling... If I didn't have such a great relationship with the dealer, I would have totally lemoned this car already. 2 years of ownership and it has been in the shop way too many times.

MB x3

I experienced vibration with my 2017 GLS550 with 21" wheels and a set of brand new Conti Extreme Contact tires. Multiple wheel balancing efforts, including what I understand to be the most accurate system of Road Force Balance, and replacing two of the tires (with same brand, same size) did not solve the problem. The MB dealer finally connected an NVH instrument to the vehicle and the instrument confirmed that the vibration was coming from the wheels/tires. Based on their recommendation I had all tires changed to Michelin Pilot AS+ and thus far it appears that the problem has gone away.

The technician at the MB dealership, and the Manager of the local NTB shop where I purchased the two Conti tires, both stated that this is a common problem with the Conti tires in that size range.

Hope this helps.