this past weekend my friend just got his E55 and was on his way back to va. beach from DC (he bought the car in DC) and on his way down, he hit a big pothole and blew the tire and bent the wheel... so he had to get the car towed to the closest MB dealership.. there they told him they didn't have any loaners to give him and that they will have to keep the car for a week till the new wheel/tire comes in. He had to then hitch a ride to the closest airport and rent a car home.. He is not too happy with MB right now.. just thought I'd share this story with your fellow E55 owners, anybody else have problems with loaners and dealers?

 

that is a slap in the face from MB and AMG. knowing that there is no spare, all dealerships large and small should be required to have on hand replacement wheels and tires!! IMHO

 

Ditto.

Blew tire (and cracked rim) on pothole on Washington Capital Beltway on 2/5. Had to be towed to nearest dealer. Did not get car back until 2/11.

 

 

his happened on I95 south near fredricksburg.

 

Not certain why your friend had such dramatics.... a week for new wheel/tire combo sounds steep. TireRack will drop-ship a new wheel/tire for delivery the next day. doesn't sound as if the tech/svc writer knew what he was doing... some dealers get "it" and other simply don't.

 

Perhaps forged wheels would help.

 

Damn, that is amazing! Was the dealership a really small one? My local area large dealership usually gets parts not in stock overnight or 2 days max. If the dealership is small then I am not surprised. Many dealerships get no allocations for E55 or any AMG cars. Some small dealerships don't even have AMG customers.

It is also hard to get low-profile tires during emergencies from local tire shops. Low-Profile tires always have to be ordered.

It is also unfair to compare TireRack to a dealer - TR specializes in high performance wheels, tires and overnight shipping while dealers do not.

Owners of high performance cars have to accept that low-profile and big rims are highly susceptible to damage.

 

Im sure we all accept that the wheels can be damaged more easily than if we had 16s... The fact is, when just a couple of years ago it would have been as easy as pulling out the spare, and swapping it out in less than 15 minutes.

Now, not only do we have to WAIT for roadside, but we have to pay for towing to a dealer only to find out they wont have the parts needed to get you back on the road? This is unreasonable for something that can be easily fixed with a spare. What if this happens to you late night (as it tends to happen more often for me)??? What if you are nowhere near your home or someone that can get you home? This adds a ridiculous amount of cost, both in lost time and spent, for NO REASON.


I believe this was an issue with the C32 when it first came out...and didnt they end up putting spares in them?

 

yes.. isn't the C32 and the CLK the only AMGs with spares?

 

I agree, It is unfortunate for 'us' AMG & M car drivers during these type of emergencies. Especially unfortunate for a guy getting a flat with no spare on his first drive home after taking delivery. Since AMG stepped up and added a spare to the C32 will they eventually ad one to the E55 or are they going back to no spare with upcoming C55? The E39 BMW M5 never got one added.

What is different about the trunk on a W211 E55 and a W211 E320 that leaves on room for a spare?

 

i believe weight reduction and the exhaust.

 

Sure..those are both reasons the M5 also doesnt have a spare...BUT dealears, I believe, are required to have both a wheel and tire on hand.

 

are they really required to?

 

I believe that is what I read on M5board a while back...i guess ill take a look

 

mbusa tech support said, last week, that all new e55, after oct. build, will be supplied with a spare; also s55.

 

And to think...some people say the "General", motors that is, is not up to snuff. Mrs Goodwench could beat that.

 

Here's the deal. The regular E320 has a smaller battery and it is on the right side in the trunk. This leaves room for a space saver spare. The E55 has a much larger battery that is placed in the middle, leaving no room for any kind of spare. I just looked at an E55 and you could use the space saver spare from an SL 55. It would not take too much space and give you peace of mind.

 

"And to think...some people say the "General", motors that is, is not up to snuff. Mrs Goodwench could beat that."

It's ironic that a C5 Corvette owner would make that comment since it is apparent that the General's "Mrs Goodwench" didn't outfit their car with one either.

 

My point exactly.....I would think that Benz being a higher quality auto maker would do just that....and not follow the lead of the "general" rather set the pace toward not only quality but praticality.

 

It is the price you pay for driving a high performance sedan. No one forces you to buy a car that doesn't have a spare. If it is that much of a concern buy another car.

It would also be nice if the dealer had the correct tire and wheel to repair you vehicle in the case of an accident. But that would also mean that they keep atleast one of every wheel that is available for every model that is produced, and tires to match. We are talking about a serious expense for the dealer!! Plus what happens if you hit a pot hole and blow out both right side tires and bend both wheels, but the dealer only has one in stock? Is it the dealers fault that you hit the pot hole, the manufacturers fault because you don't have a spare, your fault for hitting it in the first place...?

It is an accident, it happens, life goes on, deal with it. I am sure the dealer will do the best they can with the resources they have to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

 

you sound like a dealer.

anyways, i agree with what you say but for the most part, when i put down 80G for a car.. i expect a certain level of service, fine you don't have the part in stock.. but they should at least make some attempts to give the client a loaner and not have him hitch a ride to the airport to get a rent-a-car.

 

I actually do work for a dealer I do agree with you that the dealer should have assisted in finding alternate transportation for the customer. I know that through our factory roadside assistance program that they will pay for a rental if the customers car has to be in the shop for more than 24 hrs, does MB do the same.

 

This is all fine and dandy..but if hte SL55 can have a donut..so can we..at least to get home and not wait for roadside.

Same goes with the porsches..if they find a way to fit a spare of some kind.. i think benz can too.

that way we are all happy..dealers and all.

 

Update:

He picked up the car yesterday, he actually had 2 bent rims, the dealer had told him to replace all 4 wheels and tires, cost him 3000 dollars for wheels and tires.