2 cracked alloys and 6 damaged tyres in 15 months

[keelbyfish]

Took delivery of an E class with 20" Amg alloys last April and after 30,000 mostly motorway miles i've had to replace 2 cracked alloys and 6 runflats at my own expense due to pot hole damage.
Unbelievably neither the dealership or Mercedes 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.
Can anyone suggest what my next step should be? In my moment of anger, I threatened to go to the press but now I've calmed down,would rather they contributed towards the £3500 I've had to fork out in the last 15 months.

[keelbyfish]

Nickyboy said:

As said, why would Mercedes pay?

You've managed to hit the potholes and damage the wheels/tyres, i've managed 20 years driving without damaging either so how on earth have you managed 6 tyres and 2 wheels in barely a year?

The potholes are unavoidable especially when the roads are busy. I now find myself looking out for potholes instead of the road ahead its that much of a problem. Never had a problem before and am a steady driver. Like I said, I don't think the wheels are fit for purpose for the UK. They may be fine in Germany

[keelbyfish]

Not sure what the technical term is, but the tyres bulge out at the sides and its not always obvious when the damage has happened.

Its a lease car so presumably I can't just change the alloys and why should I at my expense after paying extra for the privilege ?

Am really surprised Mercedes aren't offering any suggestions when clearly theres a problem

Edited by keelbyfish on Wednesday 18th July 22:50

[keelbyfish]

The wheels were an optional extra I paid for, but I was obviously unaware id be having all these problems. I had previously an Msport 3 series and rdesign Volvo,both with low profile tyres and never had any problems.

My local National Tyres depot are quite happy to carry on supplying me with replacement tyres but have stated they are far too low profile for our roads.

I suspect if id taken the car to the dealership for its first service they may have been a little more sympathetic

[keelbyfish]

Oilchange said:

I'm a bit cynical, I think the whole situation revolves around two things

1st the obsession with alloys that are really too big, shod with tyres that are possibly too thin and subsequently don't have the impact absorption a fatter tyre would have. Couple that with stiff suspension and a road system that is at best, below average and you have a recipe for broken wheels. Anything bigger than 17" is imo too big really.

2nd the manufacturers awareness of this ^ and their absolute delight to provide the customer with what they want (fashion?) safe in the knowledge that there will be a decent profit from selling replacement oem alloys. And they can sidestep any blame by pointing at the roads.

A win win for the manufacturers.

Having said that, I've seen quite a few Jags wearing what look like average sized wheels (maybe 16"?) with fatter tyres, perhaps they are concerned about ruining the legendary Jaguar ride.

Couldn't agree with you more. They look nice, but with hindsight, they shouldn't really be selling them in the UK

[keelbyfish]

[quote=bungz]
Roads are pretty terrible at the moment, not ideal for fragile wheels with no sidewall in the tyre.

But that's obvious so why try blame anyone else?

Some 16/17s with a nice sidewall and you are unlikely to ever have a problem.




[/quote

My point is why do they supply them if its obvious? Im a middle aged fish merchant and to me it wasn't obvious or I wouldn't have opted for them.

[keelbyfish]

T5R+ said:

Suspect that the 30% profile is not the key issue. Think it a combination of this low profile coupled with runflat technology.

Many of us know that runflats dissipate energy (impact or shock) in a different way to conventional compound/structure.

Would take a punt that the cracks were on the inside of the affected alloy wheels.

OP - would hazard a guess that your spec of car comes in 18" also. Why not buy a set eg off of Ebay and buy decent rubber. Would be amazed if the car was not type approved with 18s also. The tyres on the AT may be specials.

Indeed the crack is always on the inside of the affected wheel.

Not sure where i would stand in terms of the warranty by putting wheels Ive bought off ebay. My other concern with ebay is that some of the sellers are buying cracked alloys, getting them repaired and tarting them up and then selling them on.

At the end of the day why should i have to go through all this hassle. I'm astounded the dealership haven't even asked to look at the damage. It really is the quality of customer service you'd expect from a budget airline rather than a supposedly high end car manufacturer. Its particularly annoying when i get the salesman phoning me periodically checking I'm happy with my vehicle. When i explain I'm not, he says he'll pass my comments onto the service manager, then i hear nothing!!

[keelbyfish]

TooMany2cvs said:

Well, you say "an E-Class with AMG alloys" - but the only one that comes with 20" as standard is the E63S. Even the vanilla E63 is "only" on 19"... So is that what we're talking about, or is this an option that you actively chose because of cosmetic reasons?

Ive just looked on the configurator and they're '20" AMG alloy wheels - multi-spoke light-alloy wheels painted in titanium grey with high-sheen fini
+ £595'

Having never experienced anything like this before I thought they seemed like a decent option.

[keelbyfish]

cb1965 said:

So what if he did? If Merc specify it as an option then it should be fit for purpose.

Thank you.

[keelbyfish]

And as for suggesting its my style of driving or its the roads I use, in total i probably total around 40,000 miles a year. Ive got no points and get around 55 mpg .

I cover all the East Midlands and South and West Yorkshire, so one particular authority isn't to blame. However its a well known fact the Uk roads are probably in a worst state than they've ever been. If it had been 1or2 Id probably had thought id been unlucky but to have to fork out a fortune where Im totally blameless is not good.

Im one very disappointed Mercedes customer and as its quite clear they really don't give a dam

[keelbyfish]

I'm clearly not your typical Piston Head. The amount of milage I do doesn't make driving that much of a pleasure. I just wanted a car that was comfortable, economical and looked nice

I was just hoping to get some advice off motoring enthusiasts

[keelbyfish]

TooMany2cvs said:

I wonder how many cars have been sold with these rims on - and how many rims have failed.

I was wandering that. £595 does seem a cheap optional extra for MB. Maybe they realise there's a good chance they'll be selling replacements and tyres in the future.

like Ive stated previously, Im not really a car enthusiast and was honestly unaware there might be a problem with the mileage I do having previously had low profile tyres without a single problem.


In an ideal world the salesman might have mentioned the wheels could be problematic for the amount of mileage I do.

Edited by keelbyfish on Friday 20th July 08:18

[keelbyfish]

I cant emphasise enough, I don't deliberately drive over pot holes and I don't tailgate. The tyre damage just appears and is not obvious where the pot hole was.

The latest cracked alloy happened on a roundabout coming off a motorway slip road, on an 'expansion joint'. It was impossible to avoid because there was an articulated lorry in the other lane and if I swerved I would have had an accident. There was an almighty crash as I went over. I pulled over to check for damage but there was nothing obvious until the next morning when I had a flat tyre. the garaged described my alloy as like being a 50p coin. I have notified the council and am attempting to claim.

[keelbyfish]

silentbrown said:

Not much help but you may be interested in this...

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2017/mercedes-b...

...and https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/threads/more-cracked-w...
https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/threads/anyone-had-gen...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

...in fact just google 20" AMG cracked rim.

Seems I’m not the only one driving with my eyes shut!! Thanks for that, but I’m resigned to the fact I’ve been stitched up

[keelbyfish]

swerni said:

cb1965 said:

silentbrown said:

Not much help but you may be interested in this...

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2017/mercedes-b...

...and https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/threads/more-cracked-w...
https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/threads/anyone-had-gen...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

...in fact just google 20" AMG cracked rim.

No. it's all a conspiracy I tell you. They're fit for purpose, someone with 12" alloys on a Fiesta on PH said so

You’re right, they’re not fit for purpose becuase some old bloke with a Merc on PH said so.

Thought the whole point of these forums was to discuss issues with their cars.
I suspect I may have upset a few MB fanboys by daring to suggest their beloved brand might not be quite what they they like to think.

Edited by keelbyfish on Saturday 21st July 08:09

[keelbyfish]

I’m not after a refund but I thought a solution or a suggestion might have been offered by the dealership. If you consider the amount of hassle and expense I’ve had acceptable, then fair enough, it’s just I don’t, hence my post

[keelbyfish]

As I’ve said previously, when I’ve damaged an alloy, you know about it but it’s not always practical to take a photo especially if it’s on s motowY slip road.

I’ve no idea when or how the tyres get damaged. Blebbs just appear so it’s difficult to honestly point the finger at a local authority

[keelbyfish]

TooMany2cvs said:

silentbrown said:

Have we heard what model MB this is, and what profile the tyres are?

Current shape E-class, optional AMG 20" for £595 current price, so standard-fit AMG 19", so either C63 (non-S) or AMG-line. Highish annual mileage, so most likely diesel AMG-line.

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

[keelbyfish]

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.

It’s the new shape- the cars with the standard wheels are usually taxis, and with hindsight, there’s a reason for that

[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”