2 cracked alloys and 6 damaged tyres in 15 months

[keelbyfish]

Your right- Are these ex hire cars in the classifieds? With all the problems I’ve had, when I see an eclass I obviously look to see what wheels they have, and the majority seem to have the same wheels as mine. See quite a few class with the same style but not sure if they’re 20”

[Monkeylegend]

Some will be hire cars, some ex-demo's or Mgt cars, some will be returned lease cars I would expect and maybe a few customer owned part ex's.

Mercedes have not been big on runflats in the past in the way BMW have so you have picked a rare combination which is the worst of both worlds, big wheels and low profile runflats.

[0a]

A combination of the wrong car for the driving conditions, and poor driving.

[anonymous-user]

When you read threads like this it’s hard to understand why anyone outside of the PH cliques and those of us who don’t give a st what people say about them post in here. The OP rightly or wrongly posted asking for advice and has received very little other than ridicule especially repeatedly from a small number of self righteous types who try and belittle other posters’ opinions with no knowledge or intelligence, just a sense of self entitlement. When posters start referring to others as “princess” you know you’re dealing with the dregs of any forum and that direct reply is not worth wasting your time on given their obvious bigotry.

To the OP good luck trying to sort the issue and in future maybe avoid PH and instead find a forum full of genuine enthusiasts who will at best offer sensible advice and at worst just not reply.

[keelbyfish]

Don’t worry about it cb65. I’ve picked up some useful info in between the witty comments. To summarise, I was right in thinking Mercedes have in fact sold me a car not suitable for the Uk roads or the miles I do.

For my business I usually buy a couple of vans a year and have owned cars for 35 years and I can honestly say I’ve never been this disappointed

[bobbo89]

g3org3y said:

Cracking 19 or 20 inch alloys with super low profile tyres? Amateur effort.

My wife is a professional.

13 inch steelies with 155/70 tyres.

That must have been running all of about 8psi to have done that with such a high profile tyre!

[John145]

The previous generation Fiesta ST has a different damper tune in North America compared to Europe as it couldn’t pass the pothole test in NA. This really compromised the R&H as it was simply an excessive amount of mid-speed rebound damping.

I’m surprise that people think that manufacturers shouldn’t have to design their cars to withstand potholes. I’d understand that feeling in Germany but for every other European country potholes are a significant issue regardless of how carefully you drive.

[g3org3y]

bobbo89 said:

g3org3y said:

Cracking 19 or 20 inch alloys with super low profile tyres? Amateur effort.

My wife is a professional.

13 inch steelies with 155/70 tyres.

That must have been running all of about 8psi to have done that with such a high profile tyre!

Nope, correct tyre pressures. Suffice to say, I was surprised.

Massive pothole (since fixed) after all the snow, hit at 60mph. Apparently the car was ok to drive for a few mins and then tyre went flat. To her credit, she managed to change it on the side of the road herself. Luckily no suspension damage. Plastic wheel trim also popped off never to be found again. Was thinking of claiming off the council but tbh a brand new steelie and tyre was only about £70 and a second hand wheel trim about a fiver so didn't bother.

[TooMany2cvs]

Monkeylegend said:

keelbyfish said:

Correct- E220. Think the majority opt for the AMG wheels and presumably the majority don’t post on here when/if they have problems.

I would suggest the majority opt for the standard 18" wheel, you see very few E220's on 20" wheels. You only have to have a quick look through the classifieds.

Standard fit on E220d SE is 17", with 18" a £595 option.
Standard fit on E220d AMG line is 19", with 20" a £595 option.

[e400_20inch]

I Took delivery of an E400 AMG Line Premium Plus 4Matic with 20" Amg alloys last November 2017 nearly 66k with all options and after 44,000 mostly A38 and Local Brum miles i've had to replace 8 cracked alloys and14 runflats at my own expense due to pot hole damage.

Unbelievably neither the dealership or Mer$ Complaints were willing to offer any help other than 10% discount for a new set of standard alloys. Ive tried to explain, because of the conditions of the British roads, the alloys simply aren't fit for purpose.

So I have now complained to the ombudsman

I have over 10k of receipts, the council say roads are not dangerous soo they are not liable, Merc say's

Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

I am writing in regards to an email we received on 23rd June 2021 in relation to the tyres on your car. On receipt of your email, we have approached our Technical Team and they have provided all suitable alloys and tyres for your car which I have attached as a PDF documents to this email.

As we have previously stated, the damage to the alloy wheels have been caused by an external influence and not due to a manufacturing defect. Within Mercedes-Benz we do always try to assist our customers where applicable, however, given the information above we would not be able to assist any further in this instance. Again, I am extremely sorry for this situation. As there has been a full investigation and irrefutable conclusion on this matter, any further correspondence in regards to this matter will be logged for an internal review but not responded too.

As my colleagues have mentioned, I would recommend to contact The Motor Ombudsman should you wish to escalate your concerns further. We are prepared to engage with The Motor Ombudsman to resolve your dispute. Further details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1.

[Monkeylegend]

e400_20inch said:

I Took delivery of an E400 AMG Line Premium Plus 4Matic with 20" Amg alloys last November 2017 nearly 66k with all options and after 44,000 mostly A38 and Local Brum miles i've had to replace 8 cracked alloys and14 runflats at my own expense due to pot hole damage.

Unbelievably neither the dealership or Mer$ Complaints were willing to offer any help other than 10% discount for a new set of standard alloys. Ive tried to explain, because of the conditions of the British roads, the alloys simply aren't fit for purpose.

So I have now complained to the ombudsman

I have over 10k of receipts, the council say roads are not dangerous soo they are not liable, Merc say's

Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

I am writing in regards to an email we received on 23rd June 2021 in relation to the tyres on your car. On receipt of your email, we have approached our Technical Team and they have provided all suitable alloys and tyres for your car which I have attached as a PDF documents to this email.

As we have previously stated, the damage to the alloy wheels have been caused by an external influence and not due to a manufacturing defect. Within Mercedes-Benz we do always try to assist our customers where applicable, however, given the information above we would not be able to assist any further in this instance. Again, I am extremely sorry for this situation. As there has been a full investigation and irrefutable conclusion on this matter, any further correspondence in regards to this matter will be logged for an internal review but not responded too.

As my colleagues have mentioned, I would recommend to contact The Motor Ombudsman should you wish to escalate your concerns further. We are prepared to engage with The Motor Ombudsman to resolve your dispute. Further details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1.

Would have been cheaper to change to 18" wheels and try to avoid the potholes.

[anonymous-user]

Knew before clicking the link it was going to be a Mercedes.

My S600 had "AMG" 20" boat anchor stty cast option wheels fitted to it, I cracked one within a month and when I took them off to scrap them and go back to the 18" forged wheels it should have had fitted I found they were all covered in previously repaired cracks.

The pot hole that cracked it in two places for me wasn't even that deep. The low profiles are asking for trouble anyway, and combined that with 21st century M-B "quality" and you're in for plenty of time sat on the hard shoulder.

[Pica-Pica]

Monkeylegend said:

e400_20inch said:

I Took delivery of an E400 AMG Line Premium Plus 4Matic with 20" Amg alloys last November 2017 nearly 66k with all options and after 44,000 mostly A38 and Local Brum miles i've had to replace 8 cracked alloys and14 runflats at my own expense due to pot hole damage.

Unbelievably neither the dealership or Mer$ Complaints were willing to offer any help other than 10% discount for a new set of standard alloys. Ive tried to explain, because of the conditions of the British roads, the alloys simply aren't fit for purpose.

So I have now complained to the ombudsman

I have over 10k of receipts, the council say roads are not dangerous soo they are not liable, Merc say's

Thank you for contacting Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.

I am writing in regards to an email we received on 23rd June 2021 in relation to the tyres on your car. On receipt of your email, we have approached our Technical Team and they have provided all suitable alloys and tyres for your car which I have attached as a PDF documents to this email.

As we have previously stated, the damage to the alloy wheels have been caused by an external influence and not due to a manufacturing defect. Within Mercedes-Benz we do always try to assist our customers where applicable, however, given the information above we would not be able to assist any further in this instance. Again, I am extremely sorry for this situation. As there has been a full investigation and irrefutable conclusion on this matter, any further correspondence in regards to this matter will be logged for an internal review but not responded too.

As my colleagues have mentioned, I would recommend to contact The Motor Ombudsman should you wish to escalate your concerns further. We are prepared to engage with The Motor Ombudsman to resolve your dispute. Further details can be found at www.themotorombudsman.org, or alternatively their telephone number is 0345 241 3008 selecting option 1.

Would have been cheaper to change to 18" wheels and try to avoid the potholes.

Plus, it looks like several drivers are trying to crack the pavement too.

[jamei303]

They're 275/30 R20 I believe.

My Volvo SUV has 235/55 R18s and never had a problem. I wouldn't buy a car with less than 50 profile tyres.

[Sensibleboy]

We bought a C Class with the 19" multispoke AMG wheels from a Mercedes dealer. An Approved used car apparently.

First time on the motorway it didn't feel right...very nervous and unrefined ride.

Short story is it came with 3 wheels that weren't round. Even when the car went back to the dealer they claimed one of the wheels was fine. Even when they are told where a problem lies they can't see it! They eventually replaced 3 wheels at no cost to us.

If I was to buy and new car with big wheels I'll be checking the wheels are round before I buy it!

[Smint]

I haven't been through the whole thread so this might already have been mentioned, when you see non pimped MB's and similar on european regn plates they are generally fitted with much more sensible wheel options than the UK equivalent.

Not sure which maker started this trend to ludicrous wheel sizes, was it a manufacturer or the aftermarket car pimpers and the makers followed suit as the fashion became a must have fad.

Personally i've not gone above 17" in wheel sizes, my current 17's are 65 aspect anyway, don't see the benefit of anything below a 55 aspect tyre, which are constantly proving unfit for purpose on our increasingly ruined roads, evey time i've driven or been driven in a car fitted with 30/35 aspect tyres the ride has been truly awful and road noise varying between unpleasant and deafening depending on market segment, offer them 1/2" of snow and they're utterly useless.

However, this can't be blamed on the makers, they are not holding new car buyers over a barrell to order unsuitable wheel sizes, nor is the used buyer compelled to buy them either.

[vdn]

Some manufacturer spec alloys aren't fit for purpose but it'll always be a grey area as to who's to blame. Driver? Road agencies? Rim manufacturer?

Just drop sizes and put bigger tyres on. Spec that at ordering ideally.

[GroundEffect]

Smint said:

I haven't been through the whole thread so this might already have been mentioned, when you see non pimped MB's and similar on european regn plates they are generally fitted with much more sensible wheel options than the UK equivalent.

Not sure which maker started this trend to ludicrous wheel sizes, was it a manufacturer or the aftermarket car pimpers and the makers followed suit as the fashion became a must have fad.

Personally i've not gone above 17" in wheel sizes, my current 17's are 65 aspect anyway, don't see the benefit of anything below a 55 aspect tyre, which are constantly proving unfit for purpose on our increasingly ruined roads, evey time i've driven or been driven in a car fitted with 30/35 aspect tyres the ride has been truly awful and road noise varying between unpleasant and deafening depending on market segment, offer them 1/2" of snow and they're utterly useless.

However, this can't be blamed on the makers, they are not holding new car buyers over a barrell to order unsuitable wheel sizes, nor is the used buyer compelled to buy them either.

Be careful you aren't seeing European cars on winters. They will normally be much smaller diameter than the summer set the owners will have. In summer, a lot of Europe follows the same trends as us.

[cayman-black]

My Merc aproved E class came with a cracked rim i only found out when i had all the wheels refurbished.
19 AMG Wheels.

[Sheepshanks]

There's chat going back years on Mercedes forums in the US where they have issues even with 17" wheels cracking.