ThroughTheEsses

tl;dr version After a terrifying possibility of being stranded in the middle of no where on a twisty mountain road, we made it to LA with mismatched tires and mismatched wheel bolts. And while I'm happy we're all safe, the lack of a spare tire quickly spiraled out of control, and really underscored just how crucial it is to stay on top of tire wear, ESPECIALLY when you have cars like this.

Anyway, so I am now in the process of finding new wheel bolts (may as well replace them all so they're freshies), and trying to re-match all my tires.

So if anyone's looking for a deal on rear tires for this car, I now have the Falkens for sale in the classifieds.

https://mbworld.org/forums/wheels-ti...ml#post6767462

Point and laugh at the idiot version

I'm a little mad at myself for not catching the inside tire wear. I'm always so on top of tire maintenance. But this is a great example of how fast things can snowball on you.

It was 4:30AM, as we left early, and I was mid corner through the mountains near the CA and AZ border.... Somewhere between quartzite and Blythe. I had the entire family in the car... myself, wife, 3 year old, and 2 older parents.


Suddenly I hear a flapping noise that sounded like the tire blew but handling seemed ok. It wasn't a blowout, but not knowing what it was, and knowing I didn't hit anything, I quickly pulled over for a quick investigation and saw the inside edge of the tire shredded. Just absolutely hanging on in tatters.



Unfortunately.... this car also don't have a spare. Time for a tow truck.


Crap. No signal. So we had no choice. The whole family in the car. Limping along the shoulder at 5 mph on a twisty mountain road with semis whizzing by. I seriously had just horrifying thoughts going through my mind the whole time. At least we were in an E class; regarded as one of the safest car around.

So after driving about 2 miles on the narrow shoulder with the tire flapping away and hazards on, we finally get cell signal and miraculously the shoulder is a bit wider there, so I can pull the WHOLE car out of the flow of traffic, but still... only by a foot or so. Worse... I'm on the wrong side of a blind turn. My dad hopped out of the car to try and help, and tense as I was, I told him to get the hell back in the car. I really believed inside the E55 was the safest place to be.

So we call AAA and they are on their way with a flatbed. Given our distance and the fact that it's now 5:30 AM it's going to take them an hour to get to us. That's actually ok because they can only take 2 people in the truck. I need to find a cab for the rest of the family as they can't ride in the car through CA to Blythe. Soooo uhh yeah. There's no cabs in blythe or quartzite. And definitely no uber.


(Next section embellished to protect good Samaritans).

With the tow truck drivers help we managed to figure out a solution because either we towed back to quartzite where the family could ride in the car but we would have a harder time finding tires of the right size for an AMG wagon OR we found a ride for everyone to Blythe where we might have a better chance of finding tires in the right size. We collectively figured out a way to get to Blythe despite not being able to find cabs at 5:30AM in the middle of nowhere.


Once in Blythe at 7 AM we had our choice of Jessie's, Alex's, toms, or Frank's tires or something like that. We picked Jessie's, dumped the car there and walked down the deserted street to a diner that happened to be open to waste time until the tire shop opened.

While we were waiting, I investigated the other tire on the axle. It was about to let go too. It had a huge crack in it.



Regardless, once the store opened, I had exactly one option. $500 for a set of 2 tires. Falken ziex ze950. A quick web search shows they're at least decent tires, but they didn't have a size for the fronts. So now I have mismatched tires.

But wait there's more. The universe not being happy pouring salt in my wounded eye after it stuck a grimy finger in it...... Decided to make the tire guy snap a lug bolt. UGGGHHHHH!!!!



Somehow. Magically he was able to remove it without much extra hassle. But of course he didn't have an extra in the right size and neither did any other shop in the area. So. Mismatched tires. 4/5 wheel bolts on one wheel and alleviated of $500 we gingerly set out to finish our road trip to LA.

When we stopped for gas in Palm Springs I did a quick web check and YES!!!! There's a Mercedes dealership there!! I call ahead and they have a bolt!! So we head inland away from the highway on another detour.

I get there show the guy the busted wheel bolt and he says. Oh. Uhhh. It looks like Mercedes updated the part and now coats them black instead of the original silver. What?? Fine. Whatever. Here's your $11 for one bolt. Can you at least put in my mismatched bolt for me? Sure! Well at least that was something.

After reaching LA, my immediate stop was at MB of Anaheim and had them do an alignment. May as well since I have some new rubber on it. And while I waited, I damn near traded the wagon in for one of those new Metris vans. No... really. I was THAT fed up with the whole ordeal.

HeissRod

At least it didn't pop

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...when-i-do.html

s.i.f.i.

I had a pilot sport cup on the RF that wore the same way. Happy to have caught it before it went. Really odd. Buuuut we did find a loose upper balljoint on that side. Might be worth a look when things settle down.

bbirdwell

Okay. You survived. Your family survived. Despite your failure to take 60 seconds a week to check your tires or take the time to ensure you have a spare tire. (Yeah, you should beat yourself up. You endangered yourself and, more importantly, others.) Don't let it happen again. Learn from this.

End of standard lecture I would give to NCO's, Company, and Field Grade officers when they did something called, "A Learning Experience". It is good you are sharing this lesson in an After Action Report.

Now, as to the tire wear. Is it only one side, or both sides? How many miles on the car? It is quite possible the inner and/or outer control arm bushings are worn. Air suspension on your car so, if low miles, possibly only the toe is in issue. If suspension is worn, however, static load toe may measure correctly but under dynamic load the wheel is shifting all over the place and toe is changing negative to positive. Is your car lowered and does it have stock wheels and tires?

I will admit the busted lug bolt just added insult to injury....

Glad you and your family are safe and I hope others learn from your experience.

ThroughTheEsses

Totally agree. I posted so other's learn. Hence my title. You're not guranteed you'll have an issue in a nice place. Being in the middle of civilization is a luxury. And I live in Phoenix, so I'm surrounded by desert. Things can go from bad to crazy bad in the blink of an eye.

I've had cars with this type of rear wear issue for_EVER_, and this is the first time I got caught off guard. Between a new family business and a new born, I guess I just got lax on some stuff.

That said, the car has 90k miles on it, so good tip on the suspension. I'll check it out.

Shadow5501

First, glad to hear that everybody got through this OK.


As an FYI, it is possible to carry a full size spare in the w211 E55 wagon. I had one in my wagon because I routinely drive rural Texas roads, sometimes late at night. Never had to use it, but you are probably aware of the ins and outs of Murphys law.


My wagon had the 3rd row seat. Carrying a spare requires removing most of it, essentially rendering the car a 5 seater. Assuming you have a 3rd row, remove the foot rest by unscrewing the three torx head bolts that hold it in place. Also remove the seat base from the flip-over board, it simply unsnaps. At that point there is an open well sufficient to hold a full size front tire and wheel - 245 section. A front can be used as a spare on either the front or rear - they are the same diameter, if not the same width.


I am rusty on my E55 wagon trivia, but I think if you don't have the 3rd row seat, I think you would have an inflatable temp spare.


The car has a jack and tools even though it lacks a spare, so that aspect is covered. See below for photo of a front tire stored in the well. For my actual spare I just ordered an inexpensive (but correct fit) alloy and all season tire from TireRack.


Hopefully this is of some help.