skhemmoro

Hi,

I have 2007 R350 that my wife drives. She does not drive a lot, and when the was 11K on the car, I notice the ties start to have less threds. I searched on this forum and other location andI saw several ppl having the same issue, The dealer denied any issue with the car design, and offered to replace the 2 front ones for $300 total. I declined the offer, since I felt MB should do the this for free. Well now the tires almost bald on 15K miles.... did anyone was successful with MB on this issue to make them pay for the tire.. please advise..

Scott

~CL500~

For me personally, this is the first time hearing of an issue like this on the R-Class. I have an 08 R350 with about 8K miles and the tires are wearing perfectly and even on all 4 corners. My only guesses are the following:

1. If your wheels are severely off alignment, that would cause severe, uneven tire wear. This should be noticed when driving the vehicle and looking at where it tracks when you let go of the wheel.
2. The alignment specs may have changed over the years OR your vehicle is aligned to a different spec, one that may not have a noticeable impact on driving dynamics. The earlier models MAY have had a more aggressive alignment specification and hence the premature tire wear.
3. Has the dealer removed the wheels and checked your suspension?

These are my guesses assuming that the tire wear is uneven on one side of the tire versus the other AND that your R350 does not visit a race track regularly. Hope this helps.

Scotsman

All tyres wearing uniformally on ours. Up to 20,000 miles now.

Not connected but worth mentioning this story. Got a puncture on Thursday and took it to the local garage. I found a nail through the centre of the tread so thought it would just be a patch to fit it. The garage told me it was right next to a plug from a previous repair so couldn't overlap. I've had the car since new and it's never had a puncture so how'd it get it? During transportation?

Bloody annoying as it cost me £280 for a new tyre.

R. Reyes

Just passed 50,000 miles on mine. Tires are all worn evenly and even have a little bit of life left in them.

I think you may have a problem with you're alignment or front end.

JTReeves

Scott,

I noticed no one has responded to another possibility, i.e., is it possible your tire pressures were not properly maintained during those 11k miles? The R is a heavy vehicle and less-than-optimal tire pressures would result in premature tread wear. I didn't see that you described the specific details of the tire wear, for example, differences between side-to-side wear and front-to-rear wear. From your message, it seems that the fronts suffered the worst wear, suggesting the possibility of misalignment. Even without a problem with front-end alignment, incorrect tire pressures would cause premature tread wear. Underinflation would show as wear on the outside portion of both sides of the tread. If the tires were overinflated, the excess wear would appear in the center.

If you've already replaced the tires, I encourage you to maintain the proper tire pressures in all four tires and to avoid hitting curbs or pot holes. These can cause front-end misalignment, loss of balance weights, and uneven tire wear in the tires.

JR

skhemmoro

Thanks for everyone replied so far.... the ironic... I live in Detroit and work for auto supplier co. that design tire pressuer system :-)

I know about all the tire allignment, and I did notic in the 1st 5-6K of driving that the car tilt to the right a littel bit, that is why I took it to the dealer few times to check this, and everytime they get back and say this normal, nothing wrong with the front allignment.....

The wear on the front tire is un even, it wears more in the inside, than the outside, and I am leaning now to take it to non MB repair center to check it again after I put the new tires :-( which is about $250 each....

JTReeves

We've heard the tale of the shoemaker's kids who have no shoes! Hang in there. It will all turn out well in the end.

JR

aec4

My Wife's 2007 R350 is in the shop now because it was making a noise the dealer tried to blame on less than idea gas. Of course, once his tech looked at it they found a cracked catalytic converter... Then he calls and tells me we need new tires at 24K miles and claims we were LUCKY because "their trucks get 17K-22K on a set of tires". Come on, that's total BS. The tires are bald, but let's not say you put tires on there you plan on lasting 1 1/2 yrs.

I asked about a warranty and he asks if we bought it. I asked him what the heck was he talking about nothing was offered, and usually all tires come with a mileage guarantee where you can get a pro-rated amount back on new ones. He played dumb and said if I didn't buy the plan then I'm out of luck.

This will be the last mercedes we ever buy. When I have an issue with my lexus, they're friendly, and try to work with me. With Mercedes, they try to blame you for doing everything. They tried to blame my wife the last time it was in when the drivers side door wasn't "air-tight" enough and you could hear wind coming in at highway speeds. How the hell can that be her fault?

lkchris

I don't know about newer models, but the brochure for the 2006 R-class calls it a "Grand Sports Tourer."

Mercedes doesn't put 40K mile tires--with their concurrent lack of traction--on vehicles it deems grand sports tourers.

40K mile tires are for appliances, not Mercedes.

zoink

Don't bring your car to dealers for alignment. I would rather go to reputable tire shop for alignment. The last time I did alignment on my E55, it took me 2 5-hour visits to get it done 90% right.

I don't think OEM spec would have such aggressive chambers causing the inside wears faster than the outside.