Hi all,

I know it sounds stupid but I prefer to ask now than waiting to curse with a flat tire at the side of a road.

Mi truck has the flower shaped wheel lug nuts. They are 17 mm. I bought a non marring socket to keep the wheels nice, but it doesn't fit. I when to my service tool kit in the trunk and the socket bar MB gives you has the 17mm engraved but it doesn't has the flower patter same as the spare lug nuts for the spare tire (that's mentioned in the manual). If I try to use it on my wheels nuts it doesn't fit in most of the lug nuts.

This is very strange, obviously i have MB wheels and I hope the lug nuts are original.

Does any have same problem? I would like to know what tool to use or if needed change the lug nuts before I actually need to do it.

Thanks,

 

Some pictures may help. Can you take some?

 

The lugs get damaged by impacting them on and off. We use a spline drive 17mm and it usually works well.

 

here are some pictures

 

Those are not stock lug bolts. I would get the regular stock bolts, I would not want to be in your position, stuck on the side of the road and not be able to change a tire.

 

They are.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...420357947.jpeg

 

So the stock socket bar does not have the flower pattern. Hence the bolts are not stock. So you either find the original lug nuts. Or you need to find yourself a thin wall socket that will work on these flower bolts. When I google the convex flower bolts I can see all kinds of 17mm sockets for this.

 

They maybe stock on your vehicle. But not stock on the OP's vehicle. His stock socket bar for changing wheels is not the flower pattern. My ML 350 W166 also comes with the standard hex bolt and not the flower pattern.

 

Every ML/GLE 63AMG comes with these bolts, as well as several other W166s, depending on wheels' color/design. MB uses different "heads" on different W166 models, but they are 100% interchangeable. The 17mm lug ranch is identical across W166 line (with or without flower head bolts).

See post #3 on why it no longer fits "most" of OP's lugs. (OP implies the OEM ranch clearly fits some bolts, but not all - second paragraph, last sentence).

 

OK, but you have not provided the OP a suggestion or answer to his problem, where the stock socket does not fit all the bolts.....

 

The answer was provided in post #3 (impact gun often damages these caps). What OP should do is to obtain new OEM lug bolts (preferably without these caps) - there are many sources on the internet, take car to a dealer/wheel shop for current lugs removal and installation of new replacement lugs. To me it is logical and does not need to be stated, but as requested I did anyway.

 

@threeMBs Forgive me for being stupid and asking all kinds of questions. Obviously I have offended you to give me such a hard answer "To me it is logical......".

 

Apology is not required.

 

Thanks all for the comments. I took the truck to the dealer and also brought the socket with me. It fits perfectly on other cars they had at the stealer ship with same flower pattern. They said they never seen this issue, but looks like the chrome cap expands just enough to not fit the socket, and since I live in Wisconsin, I know salt screws everything. Their solution would be to hammer the socket and then change the bolts. I asked for the bolts and big surprise, about $14 dls each, so $280 to change all. That's just crazy. I looked in ebay with the part and I can get same MB bolts for around $5 each. Big difference! I like the looks of the flower pattern but if you know the part number of the normal lug nut I think I'll replace it for those and avoid any problems on the future. This is just poor design.

 

"Cesar350" I, too, have these useless lug bolts. Yes, impact guns trash them! I purchased some off Ebay after learning what the Stealership was asking! After replacing several of these, I thought I would peel off the chrome flower on one of the damaged ones. Sure enough, just a regular socket head underneath. It was a few years ago, so can't quite remember the size socket, maybe 17mm. Anyway all that to say, in a pinch, pound any socket on that will grab, then remove flower cover, and reuse. Note, they will not have that shiney chrome look, but can be used!