mkatz

I'mn thinking of purchasing a 2009 MN bluetec diesel for my wife but have a few concerns about "runflats".

1. does the ride quality change significantly as tires age?
2. can they be "plugged"?
3. estimated lifespan?
4. when, ultimately, I pick up a nail and lose air, how far can I drive?
5. are my concerns over-wrought?

lkchris

Your concerns are not over-wrought.

I consider the 2009 diesels unpurchasable due to runflats.

Wait for the redesign when Mercedes finds room for the urea tank.

DUTCH

Agreed. I told my sales rep that the run flat tires and the dealer only fill on the urea (It's available at gas stations for owner refill in Europe.) were deal breakers for me.

sosh

Would not have run flats on any vehicle as they exist today. In addition to the concerns mentioned there is one other for me. That is the tire if damaged on the road is not readilly replaceable as one must order it and wait. That means a flat bed and being stranded for a while.

mkatz

And so... another option is for me to abandon the thought of bluetec and buy, rather, an ML350. The performance is similar. Economics is, for me, not a major issue. My wife, however, leaned towards the bluetec diesel solely because of its higher MPG figures....


With respect to the urea refill issue perhaps one can simply pee into teh tank...

sosh

The ML350 at least for me would be a better option and thats based upon the run flats. One other thing to mention to your wife who seems to be pushing for the diesel is that diesel fuel is still about a buck higher than 91 octane even though both have come down in price.

jean7of9

1- I have been driving since four years on runflats on my BMW. The ride is harsh and I intend to avoid runflats on any future vehicle.
2- No respectable dealer or Tires shop will repair them. However I twice used Tire repair latex which seems to work for years.
3- Like normal tires.
4- BMW recommends 100 Km (62 Miles) on a flat tire at a maximum speed of 80 Km/H (50 Miles/H).
5- Consider that you will be paying a new tire after every flat. Unless your tires are no longer available therefore you will have to install four shiny brand new tires.

tarponbeach

I have an '08 320 with spare tire, and would not consider buying any vehicle with runflats. I had them on my Mini Cooper, and hated them. Rough ride, short life, trammeling, and expensive replacement. If one drives more than 60 miles from anywhere, runflats are totally useless. BMW will not repair runflats, I don't know what M-B's position on this is, although Dunlop says that they can be patched...assuming that the sidewall is not trashed by driving on a flat runflat.

Imagine being 100 or more miles from home, with a flat runflat, on a weekend, in a small town. The likelyhood that an independent tire shop is going to have a replacement runflat is about zero. So, instead of the inconvenience of having to put on your spare donut, you are stranded.

I cannot believe that M-B could not have found enough space elsewhere on the ML to put the AdBlue tank. This would have let them keep the spare tire....really dumb. M-B took this one directly from the BMW playbook of really stupid ideas.


__________________

lkchris

Yes, this is NOT the way to promote diesels.

AriMB

I would agree...RunFlats are HORRIBLE! I've had them in my Mini Cooper and they Ride like Crap. Very expensive to replace and you can't even plug them if you got a hole....