Run Flats?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: USA
W140 Mercedes S350, W221 S550 sport
Banned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,640
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From: NYC
2014 S550
Well I turned that car upside down.....no wheel lock. I called my dealer....she said that my car didn't have it on the order, so my car doesn't have a lock. I have to purchase one for $140. Learn something new everyday, never knew you have to remember to order a wheel lock. Been buying cars for years and still don't know everything.
Anyway, I took the car back home disappointed that something so small kept me from putting my new tires on. Oh well.....guess I have to wait till I can get to MB on Friday. I'm gonna call beforehand though and make sure they have a lock in stock before I go.
Anyway, I took the car back home disappointed that something so small kept me from putting my new tires on. Oh well.....guess I have to wait till I can get to MB on Friday. I'm gonna call beforehand though and make sure they have a lock in stock before I go.
If you did not order the wheel locks, it was not put on the car.
I wonder why the shop said the wheels were locked.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,640
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From: NYC
2014 S550
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 53
Likes: 6
BAM...................
They def had a meeting over the weekend and realized they are going to get hurt in the end.
You have two options.
1) Return the 4 tires you just bought and have Mercedes put the (Dunlop Sport Maxx GT J XL 245/40 R20 99Y Front & 275/35 R20 102Y Rear) on for free.
2) Leave the Bridgestones on and keep the runflats on the side. Put the tires on at a non - mercedes dealer (mom and pop shop). Drive around - if you are happy with them - leave them. If you have an issue later on, you can always go back to Mercedes to get the Dunlops.
If you don't have a tire warranty on your vehicle, I would go with Option 2. If you have no warranty, there is no reason to return tires.
Personally, if I did not have a warranty, I'd just put the Bridgestones on and call it a day and enjoy.
They def had a meeting over the weekend and realized they are going to get hurt in the end.
You have two options.
1) Return the 4 tires you just bought and have Mercedes put the (Dunlop Sport Maxx GT J XL 245/40 R20 99Y Front & 275/35 R20 102Y Rear) on for free.
2) Leave the Bridgestones on and keep the runflats on the side. Put the tires on at a non - mercedes dealer (mom and pop shop). Drive around - if you are happy with them - leave them. If you have an issue later on, you can always go back to Mercedes to get the Dunlops.
If you don't have a tire warranty on your vehicle, I would go with Option 2. If you have no warranty, there is no reason to return tires.
Personally, if I did not have a warranty, I'd just put the Bridgestones on and call it a day and enjoy.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 13
From: NYC
2014 S550
So this means that I can call my local MB dealer and they will take back my current 20" RFT and get replace Dunlop Sport Maxx for Free? Is this official or I have to call MBUSA to makeprior arrangement? You guys are absolutely right, I thought I had flat tire when I get on the bad roads in Queens. This is the Third tire I need to replace... LIE is so bad, even I remember all the potholes were, still can't avoid. How's Bell Parkway, must be really bad there too.
You call your service adviser and tell him you want the approved switch. They will order the tires and have you come in. It is a free switch and your warranty applies to the new tires.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 730
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From: McComb MS
2014 Mercedes S550
You have to ask specifically for wheel locks and a key. It is not shipped with the car. I made sure they put it on my car - just have to remember now where they put my key.
If you did not order the wheel locks, it was not put on the car.
I wonder why the shop said the wheels were locked.
If you did not order the wheel locks, it was not put on the car.
I wonder why the shop said the wheels were locked.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 13
From: NYC
2014 S550
You can go look now at your lug nuts to see if any one of them are different from the others. Or if they are all with this pattern on them.
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Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 105
Likes: 1
N/A
If you look at the wheel nuts on MB cars, you'll notice they have a somewhat rounded shape as opposed to your straight-edged standard hex. I had to do a rotation recently on another (new) vehicle. I dropped it off at the shop and left. About 30 minutes later, they called me asking for the wheel lock. Baffled, I thought that maybe it was a standard MB offering now since I hadn't ordered it. Went back to the shop and saw that all the nuts were the standard size. Turns out the "rounded" shape threw them off and made them think my car was outfitted with the wheel locks. They were afraid that their existing tools would strip the nuts and decided to be extra cautious.
For reference:
Standard nut
"Rounded" nuts
And as Chucky mentioned, if none of your wheel nuts look like the one in his posts (should just be one on every wheel), then you don't have the wheel locks. Chalk it up to confusion and caution. Tell the shop their existing hex keys should work just fine.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 730
Likes: 2
From: McComb MS
2014 Mercedes S550
I called the local tire shop this morning to tell them that I don't have a wheel lock, and they said that there is still a "special tool" that fits around the lugs that I'm supposed to have that they don't have. They can't fit their tools around my lugs without an adaptor......???
Last edited by Kratos-TM; Mar 13, 2014 at 09:37 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 263
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S 550
I called the local tire shop this morning to tell them that I don't have a wheel lock, and they said that there is still a "special tool" that fits around the lugs that I'm supposed to have that they don't have. They can't fit their tools around my lugs without an adaptor......???
I would have them do it by hand tool - NO air driven impact tool. If they didn't think the hand lug nut tool would work then I would offer to loosen the lug nuts for them with the wrench. I would insist, as I always do, that they NOT use the impact tool when putting the lug nuts back on, use a torque wrench to tighten to the correct setting.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 13
From: NYC
2014 S550
I called the local tire shop this morning to tell them that I don't have a wheel lock, and they said that there is still a "special tool" that fits around the lugs that I'm supposed to have that they don't have. They can't fit their tools around my lugs without an adaptor......???
On a side note, It might be very awkward because you bought your own tires instead of ordering through them . They frown upon that. A few years ago, I raised hell at Manhattan because I shipped Bridgestone tires from Tirerack. The dealer was charging me $450 each while Tire Rack had them for around $225. So I pulled a little prank and had the tires shipped there and only paid them for the switch.
They did the work but told me never to do that again. lol
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 730
Likes: 2
From: McComb MS
2014 Mercedes S550
At this point, I'd wait to do it at the dealer. If it has to be complicated at the mom and pop shop on what tool to use, and how to specifically loosen, I would just let the dealer do it. Let the accountability rest with the people who sold you the car.
On a side note, It might be very awkward because you bought your own tires instead of ordering through them . They frown upon that. A few years ago, I raised hell at Manhattan because I shipped Bridgestone tires from Tirerack. The dealer was charging me $450 each while Tire Rack had them for around $225. So I pulled a little prank and had the tires shipped there and only paid them for the switch.
They did the work but told me never to do that again. lol
On a side note, It might be very awkward because you bought your own tires instead of ordering through them . They frown upon that. A few years ago, I raised hell at Manhattan because I shipped Bridgestone tires from Tirerack. The dealer was charging me $450 each while Tire Rack had them for around $225. So I pulled a little prank and had the tires shipped there and only paid them for the switch.
They did the work but told me never to do that again. lol
Last edited by Kratos-TM; Mar 13, 2014 at 11:57 AM.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 13
From: NYC
2014 S550
Banned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 13
From: NYC
2014 S550
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 730
Likes: 2
From: McComb MS
2014 Mercedes S550
Ok guys.....I drove her all day putting about 200 miles on her so I could experiment on every scenario I drove the run flats through. From the "thump" ridges on the interstate, to the big elevated speed-bump-like bumps.
Being unbiased, unemotional, and unhyping in my judgement, my verdict is that there is some improvement.
The amount of improvement is higher on smaller less elevated bumps. The soaking seems to be better with them. For example, the perpendicular consecutive ridges that are on some freeways....the ones you drive on and the car goes "thump, thump, thump, thump, thump" 2 every second. With the RFT's I could feel every thump. With the Bridges, that feeling was cut down a good bit.
Big bumps were hard to feel improvement due to the jerking around of the cabin. So I had to put MANY hours into them so that I could really get a good sense of how the tires were absorbing. In the end, I concluded that there was some improvement there too.
So in conclusion, I would give an overall average rating of 30% better. Do I feel the money I chunked out was worth it???.....In my case, yes. Heck, I would have spent it on 5% improvement.
Being unbiased, unemotional, and unhyping in my judgement, my verdict is that there is some improvement.
The amount of improvement is higher on smaller less elevated bumps. The soaking seems to be better with them. For example, the perpendicular consecutive ridges that are on some freeways....the ones you drive on and the car goes "thump, thump, thump, thump, thump" 2 every second. With the RFT's I could feel every thump. With the Bridges, that feeling was cut down a good bit.
Big bumps were hard to feel improvement due to the jerking around of the cabin. So I had to put MANY hours into them so that I could really get a good sense of how the tires were absorbing. In the end, I concluded that there was some improvement there too.
So in conclusion, I would give an overall average rating of 30% better. Do I feel the money I chunked out was worth it???.....In my case, yes. Heck, I would have spent it on 5% improvement.
Last edited by Kratos-TM; Mar 26, 2014 at 05:58 PM.
