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Very frustrated with dealer conduct and need advice
Hi! I recently took my 2015 GL63 to a dealership in my area to get my winters put on and a tire pressure monitoring sensor replaced. I went to pick up the vehicle yesterday evening, when I got it to the intersection in front of the dealership, the car warned me of low pressure at the left front. I return to the dealership just after closing. I'm able to flag the service manager down who elects to keep the car. I get a call this morning saying that there is a "hairline crack" in that rim. I had been given an inspection report telling me that the wheels were checked for damage and had "passed." They are telling me that I need a new rim for $2k. What a coincidence? They gave me this car back and said it was fine. I haven't had to put ANY air in any of those tires since the summers were put on in May. Again, what a coincidence and how odd? How do I deal with them to come to an amicable resolution?
Hi! I recently took my 2015 GL63 to a dealership in my area to get my winters put on and a tire pressure monitoring sensor replaced. I went to pick up the vehicle yesterday evening, when I got it to the intersection in front of the dealership, the car warned me of low pressure at the left front. I return to the dealership just after closing. I'm able to flag the service manager down who elects to keep the car. I get a call this morning saying that there is a "hairline crack" in that rim. I had been given an inspection report telling me that the wheels were checked for damage and had "passed." They are telling me that I need a new rim for $2k. What a coincidence? They gave me this car back and said it was fine. I haven't had to put ANY air in any of those tires since the summers were put on in May. Again, what a coincidence and how odd? How do I deal with them to come to an amicable resolution?
Hi! I recently took my 2015 GL63 to a dealership in my area to get my winters put on and a tire pressure monitoring sensor replaced. I went to pick up the vehicle yesterday evening, when I got it to the intersection in front of the dealership, the car warned me of low pressure at the left front. I return to the dealership just after closing. I'm able to flag the service manager down who elects to keep the car. I get a call this morning saying that there is a "hairline crack" in that rim. I had been given an inspection report telling me that the wheels were checked for damage and had "passed." They are telling me that I need a new rim for $2k. What a coincidence? They gave me this car back and said it was fine. I haven't had to put ANY air in any of those tires since the summers were put on in May. Again, what a coincidence and how odd? How do I deal with them to come to an amicable resolution?
sorry to read of your issue... i'd recommend respectfully taking your concern first to the service manager, so as to not go around him, and focusing on how the issue only presented itself after they had the car, and if no joy from SM then move up the food chain, so general manager, then to ownership... and if still no joy, corporate (although not sure how much say they have over dealers)... lastly, if you really think they are responsible for damage, lawyer...
or link posted by above user...
my experience is if i have a reasonable request and respectfully but firmly present the issue, most dealers will consider and present a resolution that is satisfactory, and if not, there's always the legal road as a last resort.
Within minutes of me driving off the lot, to the nearest intersection, this warning comes on in the instrument cluster:
Today, they sent me this photo of the crack:
The service manager was no help. He's the individual who offered to split the cost at $2k.
I purchased this car from this dealer, have brought it to it's former sister dealership for service, and have also serviced my Porsche there.
I have a hard time imagining that they cracked the wheels, but rather the crack was there already. Taking the tire off and putting the new tire on probably shifted it in such a way that air is now leaking or the crack wasn't quite all the way through initially but due to the unavoidable forces from prying off the tire it may have cracked all the way. A hairline crack is very easy to overlook during a simple visual inspection. On a related note, if you didn't check your air pressure since May and topped it off regularly, I'm not surprised that you have a cracked wheel. A tire typically loses about 1 psi per month just due to oxygen molecules escaping through the pores of the tire and a drop of 10F in ambient temperature is another 1 psi drop in tire pressure, so as it got colder in your area you were running on underinflated tires for sure. Nitrogen molecules are less likely to escape, because they are bigger but air only contains 78% nitrogen. 21% is oxygen which escapes over time and 1% is other stuff which also escapes. The moisture in the air puts another twist on it as it expands/contracts faster than the air itself depending on the temperature. TPMS only warns if you are 20-25% low, but unless the drop is sudden you will inevitably drive on underinflated tires for a quite a while until the pressure is so low that TPMS alerts you.
Last edited by superswiss; Jan 8, 2021 at 06:49 PM.
I have a hard time imagining that they cracked the wheels, but rather the crack was there already. Taking the tire off and putting the new tire on probably shifted it in such a way that air is now leaking or the crack wasn't quite all the way through initially but due to the unavoidable forces from prying off the tire it may have cracked all the way. A hairline crack is very easy to overlook during a simple visual inspection. On a related note, if you didn't check your air pressure since May and topped it off regularly, I'm not surprised that you have a cracked wheel. A tire typically loses about 1 psi per month just due to oxygen molecules escaping through the pores of the tire and a drop of 10F in ambient temperature is another 1 psi drop in tire pressure, so as it got colder in your area you were running on underinflated tires for sure. Nitrogen molecules are less likely to escape, because they are bigger but air only contains 78% nitrogen. 21% is oxygen which escapes over time and 1% is other stuff which also escapes. The moisture in the air puts another twist on it as it expands/contracts faster than the air itself depending on the temperature. TPMS only warns if you are 20-25% low, but unless the drop is sudden you will inevitably drive on underinflated tires for a quite a while until the pressure is so low that TPMS alerts you.
I just checked the pressures manually a week prior. They were all fine. That's how I knew that one of the monitors was about to go. I check them using the system, as the manual recommends, multiple times per month, despite driving this car a few thousand miles per year. It's possible that the dealers could have topped it off in the two visits that occurred between the new summers in May and this most recent encounter.
There is an infamous video of Mercedes-Benz of Mississauga (Ontario) where the mechanic cracked the rim during their joy ride. My vehicle had 8 additional miles on it upon attempted return to me yesterday.
From the X166 2015 manual: "The tire pressure monitor is not able to warn you of a sudden loss of pressure..." pg 413
Originally Posted by superswiss
I have a hard time imagining that they cracked the wheels, but rather the crack was there already. Taking the tire off and putting the new tire on probably shifted it in such a way that air is now leaking or the crack wasn't quite all the way through initially but due to the unavoidable forces from prying off the tire it may have cracked all the way. A hairline crack is very easy to overlook during a simple visual inspection. On a related note, if you didn't check your air pressure since May and topped it off regularly, I'm not surprised that you have a cracked wheel. A tire typically loses about 1 psi per month just due to oxygen molecules escaping through the pores of the tire and a drop of 10F in ambient temperature is another 1 psi drop in tire pressure, so as it got colder in your area you were running on underinflated tires for sure. Nitrogen molecules are less likely to escape, because they are bigger but air only contains 78% nitrogen. 21% is oxygen which escapes over time and 1% is other stuff which also escapes. The moisture in the air puts another twist on it as it expands/contracts faster than the air itself depending on the temperature. TPMS only warns if you are 20-25% low, but unless the drop is sudden you will inevitably drive on underinflated tires for a quite a while until the pressure is so low that TPMS alerts you.
I just checked the pressures manually a week prior. They were all fine. That's how I knew that one of the monitors was about to go. I check them using the system, as the manual recommends, multiple times per month, despite driving this car a few thousand miles per year. It's possible that the dealers could have topped it off in the two visits that occurred between the new summers in May and this most recent encounter.
There is an infamous video of Mercedes-Benz of Mississauga (Ontario) where the mechanic cracked the rim during their joy ride. My vehicle had 8 additional miles on it upon attempted return to me yesterday.
Ok that sounds better. If it's anything like here then dealers are required by law to check and inflate tires during service visits. Yes, there are the occasional reports of joy rides, but cracking a wheel takes some force that will leave a mark. Likely damage the tire sidewall, especially given where the crack is. 8 miles is nothing. That's a quick test drive on the highway to make sure there are no vibrations at higher speeds after putting on the new tires. I guess you could start with that and have them explain where the 8 miles are coming from. I get my tires installed at an indy shop and road force balanced, so there is no need for a test drive afterwards, but if your dealer only spin balances the tires then it's possible they did a road test afterwards. Absent of anybody stepping forward and admitting to hitting something it'll be probably your word against theirs. You can try pressure them on the fact that they gave you a clean bill of health for the wheels. If they try to claim the crack was there already then at a minimum they failed to properly inspect them and essentially have no proof that it was prior damage.
Ok that sounds better. If it's anything like here then dealers are required by law to check and inflate tires during service visits. Yes, there are the occasional reports of joy rides, but cracking a wheel takes some force that will leave a mark. Likely damage the tire sidewall, especially given where the crack is. 8 miles is nothing. That's a quick test drive on the highway to make sure there are no vibrations at higher speeds after putting on the new tires. I guess you could start with that and have them explain where the 8 miles are coming from. I get my tires installed at an indy shop and road force balanced, so there is no need for a test drive afterwards, but if your dealer only spin balances the tires then it's possible they did a road test afterwards. Absent of anybody stepping forward and admitting to hitting something it'll be probably your word against theirs. You can try pressure them on the fact that they gave you a clean bill of health for the wheels. If they try to claim the crack was there already then at a minimum they failed to properly inspect them and essentially have no proof that it was prior damage.
The other thing was that the drive occurred more than 24hrs prior to when I was called to tell me the car was ready. I'm not sure what they were doing in all that time. And, I'm maybe supposed to believe that tire leaked approximately 14 pounds in just a handful of hours if they didn't do a test drive yesterday?
They told me that they missed the crack because the rim was dirty and that I did not complain about any leaks. They said that was their error and that was why they were willing to cover $1k of a $2k wheel...
I don't know how it has happened, but Mercedes dealerships are often cheaper for tires than tire shops here. Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz of Chicago and Mercedes-Benz of Westmont (Illinois) have the cheapest tires that I've ever seen—and they'll price match too.
They're going to bring the car back to my house tomorrow and pick up the loaner. They made it pretty clear that they don't think much of me, in my opinion. I've had problems with Porsche and Audi too, including a Porsche dealership damaging my car. But, the outright rejection of any complaints from Mercedes is just surreal. I've tried reaching out to the GM, but just like everybody else there, they don't respond to voicemails quickly at all. If this goes nowhere, I will be naming names.
The other thing was that the drive occurred more than 24hrs prior to when I was called to tell me the car was ready. I'm not sure what they were doing in all that time. And, I'm maybe supposed to believe that tire leaked approximately 14 pounds in just a handful of hours if they didn't do a test drive yesterday?
They told me that they missed the crack because the rim was dirty and that I did not complain about any leaks. They said that was their error and that was why they were willing to cover $1k of a $2k wheel...
I don't know how it has happened, but Mercedes dealerships are often cheaper for tires than tire shops here. Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz of Chicago and Mercedes-Benz of Westmont (Illinois) have the cheapest tires that I've ever seen—and they'll price match too.
They're going to bring the car back to my house tomorrow and pick up the loaner. They made it pretty clear that they don't think much of me, in my opinion. I've had problems with Porsche and Audi too, including a Porsche dealership damaging my car. But, the outright rejection of any complaints from Mercedes is just surreal. I've tried reaching out to the GM, but just like everybody else there, they don't respond to voicemails quickly at all. If this goes nowhere, I will be naming names.
At least they admit partial responsibility and offered a 50/50 split. That's generally what it comes down to if there is no clear evidence of who is at fault. It's reasonable to think the crack was already there, but the wheel still held air until it went under the knife, figuratively speaking, to replace the tire. That'll definitely would have shifted the crack or made it worse due to the stresses and it wouldn't be surprising if it only started to leak air after that. It's like how a nail in a tire can actually seal the hole and keep air from leaking until you remove the nail. Same reason they tell you not to remove the knife if you get stabbed or you risk bleeding out. Ok that was perhaps a bit too gory, but you get the point.
In terms of tires for future reference take a look at Tire Rack. I order all my tires myself online from Tire Rack. Even if the dealership matches their prices, I don't pay sales taxes at Tire Rack, they are across the border in Nevada, and they include free road hazard which reimburses repairs and entire tire replacements. I've taken advantage of that multiple times over the years. For a typical set for my car the road hazard coverage alone is over a $100 value and not to mentioned that it saved me 100s of dollars in replacement tires, so the dealership would have to have very steep discounts to come out ahead. If you bought wheel&tire insurance from the dealership when you bought the car and it's still active then it's perhaps a different story as that would cover road hazards. Buying one's own tires also makes it easier if you decide to go for different tires. Dealerships generally refuse to put anything other than OEM tires on it and what MB recommends as the winter set for the car. For example I no longer run the OEM tires on my car, because they aren't as good as my current ones. Just some food for thought.
Last edited by superswiss; Jan 8, 2021 at 10:47 PM.
Believe me, i once had a problem with a dealer
you file a complaint at the headquarters, they kick dealers *** as they are aware of this kind of behavior.
they get complaints by hundreds every day and they know
trust me, start by a complaint. then the dealer will contact you, or they will tell you to go back there to solve the issue
don't let go, no 50/50 100%
Spoke to the sales manager who is standing in for the general manager today. Also filed a complaint with MBUSA who asked me what I was "expecting from [them]". I purchased this vehicle from them, and have had it serviced there previously. I also have taken my Porsche there for service several times, although it was purchased at another Porsche dealership.
“Executive referral manager” from MBUSA called me today to tell me that they are “not allowed to intervene” and told me that I would have to continue “working with them” to find a resolution. That sales manager never called me back. I left a voicemail for the GM after the MBUSA callback. I own a flagship product. This is so dismaying.
Have the same problem and have replaced the same rim 2 years ago. Was told this morning I have not one, but 2 cracks.... But, this time I brought to a town mechanic, specializing in MB here in Florida. Their price was $863, 1/2 of what I paid 2 years ago. They said they ordered directly from MB and there was a price reduction... They also said the "core" of the bad rim needed to be returned to MB. Ever heard of this?
But the reason for my post is you might get a better price not using the Dealership. I wanted to add this is the FIRST time I have gotten service outside of the Dealership as my extended warranty expired in September. I am also having Service B performed....
I'm ready to give up on them fixing or replacing the rim. I escalated things to the GM who was very polite and seemed genuinely disappointed that this has been such a negative experience. Unfortunately, he went out of town earlier this week and the sales manager was covering for him. The sales manager said that he would look into it and get back to me, but he never did. I then called the ownership's office. The owner called me back leaving a voicemail.
When I called the owner back, I ended up getting a call back from the "fixed operations director" who was truly pathetic. The fixed operations director, STEVE DRAKE, answered the phone this afternoon uttering "ugh...it's you." I was shocked and said, "hello" a second time. I don't know what was going on on the other side of the phone, but it felt like it took forever for him to respond. He spoke to me in an extraordinarily condescending manner that simply doubled down on the service manager's 'goodwill' offer to split the cost at $2,000 on what is by most accounts online a $600-900 rim. STEVE DRAKE presented a brand new claim that he had photos of the rims prior to the tire change that showed the rim in question already had a hairline crack. Well...after hours of waiting, I still haven't received those photos. They take photos of all of the rims when changing tires? The only pictures I've received during this entire encounter are of some brake wear and the hairline crack after they kept the vehicle the second time.
I'll probably come back here and post more about this experience with MOTOR WERKS OF BARRINGTON (Illinois). I'll definitely be removing the MW seal and plate frames from my car promptly.
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