20 inch alloys

[rorywquin]

Have tried to pursue but they are playing the just ignore him and it will go away game, frustrating but this is what I'm saying about mercedes customer service

You will not get anywhere with cracked alloys - unfortunately hitting a pothole is driver error.. I took an issue to the ombudsman (corroded alloys but otherwise pristine) just out of warranty and they told me I had no case. MB had offered a payment of £1100 (goodwill - not admitting fault) towards a new set (IIRC they cost £1400 each) and they wanted the old set back. I’ll never have diamond cut alloys again.

 

[Rob7seven]

You will not get anywhere with cracked alloys - unfortunately hitting a pothole is driver error.. I took an issue to the ombudsman (corroded alloys but otherwise pristine) just out of warranty and they told me I had no case. MB had offered a payment of £1100 (goodwill - not admitting fault) towards a new set (IIRC they cost £1400 each) and they wanted the old set back. I’ll never have diamond cut alloys again.

Correct, it's a waste of time taking on MB for something like this, they always take a hard line, and a very slim chance of a partial "goodwill payment" is the best you could hope for.

On the other hand, I've found them to be remarkably generous on some things that are warranty-related. Around 2012, I had a C250 coupé. After two trouble free years, it developed an engine fault, which was diagnosed by an MB Dealer near Leipzig. They wanted to fix it there and then, but we were on holiday with hotels and ferries booked, so it wouldn't have been easy. He eventually decided that we could drive on, not using high revs and stopping immediately if any red lights came on. We made it back to Poole OK, and took the car to the local MB Dealer, Sandown. It took them 10 days to fix the problem, they wouldn't tell me what they'd had to do, but admitted the work had been fairly major. When I collected it, I was told that their Service Manager would like a few words, and I wondered if they were going to ask for at least a partial payment. Not at all, he told me that they'd found traces of corrosion on three of the wheels, so they'd replaced all four of them, no charge. He also told me I'd been lucky to make it home, as MB warranties are only two years in Germany, and I'd have had to pay the German Dealer the full cost, then reclaim the amount from MB UK, where the warranty is of course three years.

 

[00slk]

I wouldn't go as far as blaming driver error all the time, we can not drive in a straight line on the UK roads for potholes everywhere.
My neighbour was pulled over by the police just 2 weeks ago for weaving down the road, breathalysed and told that his driving was unacceptable. My neighbour put up an excellent argument concerning the roads and his very expensive brand new wheels and tyres on his 2018 7 Series as these wheels had just been replaced on his BMW because of the continuous potholes littering the road surfaces. Copper wound his neck in...............

 

[rorywquin]

I wouldn't go as far as blaming driver error all the time...........

Ok I’ll amend my statement “not a manufacturing fault” ............

 

[DSK]

I wouldn't go as far as blaming driver error all the time, we can not drive in a straight line on the UK roads for potholes everywhere.
My neighbour was pulled over by the police just 2 weeks ago for weaving down the road, breathalysed and told that his driving was unacceptable. My neighbour put up an excellent argument concerning the roads and his very expensive brand new wheels and tyres on his 2018 7 Series as these wheels had just been replaced on his BMW because of the continuous potholes littering the road surfaces. Copper wound his neck in...............

I’ve been pulled for it before less than a mile from home. Copper just found it hard believe someone would slow, stop and use the other side of the road. I said look, spent a £1k on the CLS due to the stage of the roads, cars are all immaculate with pretty much the most expensive rubber and I’ll do my best to keep my cars that way.

I agree it’s only driver error can’t be blamed by default. When you see all idiots in leased crap battering their cars over the bumps and pot holes with total disregard.

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[JBell]

It is not only a MB problem, a friend of mine sold a set of 20" wheels to a lady with an Audi S7 yesterday, she had 2 buckled and 2 cracked wheels

 

[SL63 Mark]

I had to literally stop and wait at a pot hole for oncoming traffic this morning

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

My son has just bought a 21 plate BMW 530d having just traded his 16 plate W213 in, both cars run on 20in wheels, the MB had one wheel welded in 60k miles which I thought was good so should be interesting to see what happens with the new car

 

[DSK]

I had to literally stop and wait at a pot hole for oncoming traffic this morning

Cheaper than repeated cracked wheels, premature suspension wear etc.


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[JimmyA]

Got my vote, I have two A35 AMGs less than a year old and both have cracked rims, although our roads are bad the main reason for cracking is the machining of the wheels is so thin to make them light weight for performance, most alloys have enough material to bend but Mercedes just fracture, an old alloy wheel has a thickness of approx 8mm Mercedes has took that down to 3mm so there's no give just crack....so basically the issue isn't the wheel, the roads or your driving, Its how Mercedes are dealing with it, if you got 50,000 miles out of a car and it gets a cracked wheel it's acceptable, I've spent £100.000 on two cars and got 7000 miles each out of them and now they are broken and Mercedes won't do anything about it .....

I’ve had 4 cracked MB 20” alloys on my E400 2019 with 50,000. Drive carefully but it seems any excess load on the inside of the rim and your’re risking a failure. I ditched the run flats but have still cracked a rear alloy.
Got a quote from MB for £4k to replace all four wheels with 18” ones.
It would appear from the high number of failures you hear about that these wheels are basically not fit for UK roads. I had an Audi A6 on 20” rims for 7 years and not a single crack.
Any suggestions on who manufacturers good quality replacement alloys that are a going to be suitable for UK roads ?

 

[SmartAmg]

Any of the top alloy wheel makers will be good quality. There's nothing at all Wrong with 20s, if they are good quality. As you have said, your 20" Audi wheels where no problem. It seems going off the posts on here. Mercedes 20" alloys are sh1te.

 

[SL222]

I've had one cracked wheel and 2 dead tyres so far (30 profile on 20" wheels) and the dealer recommended going down to 18" and non run flat tyres. Both the dealer and the wheel repairer (2 separate places) said it's common with 20" wheels. I now also drive round potholes or slow down for them, and don't straddle those speed humps that take up half of one side of the road.

 

[DSK]

I simply stop or swerve all road imperfections as I value my car’s integrity more than the convenience of others who don’t give two fvcks about their car.

Keep a sizeable gap from the vehicles in front, it helps see what they hit and avoid and gives plenty of time to react accordingly and take easy on road you don’t know like the back of your hand.

My 20” wheels are perfect


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[steve10]

I simply stop or swerve all road imperfections as I value my car’s integrity more than the convenience of others who don’t give two fvcks about their car.

Keep a sizeable gap from the vehicles in front, it helps see what they hit and avoid and gives plenty of time to react accordingly and take easy on road you don’t know like the back of your hand.

My 20” wheels are perfect


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I’d 2 front wheels replaced at a MB dealer by the garage selling me the car. I’d noticed a vibration at motorway speeds. They said oh it’s just tracking, but my local garage spotted cracks and weld repairs(?!) on them within 20seconds.

I wish I’d managed to arrange a set of 19s - they will have a softer ride and more tyre choice.

I’m very aware of potholes, for sure.