No one told me about the Mercedes...

[TowZone]

04-08-05: stevo wrote,

I've probably changed a few hundred tires but not a lot of Mercedes. Well, I did over $800.00 in damage by using the lugs from the flat tire.

 

I didn't know that there are special (shorter) lugs meant for the spare. She drove about 10 feet and I knew there was a problem. A very loud problem. I got the manual and saw what I did wrong.

 

BUT WHY????? isn't there a sticker or some kind of warning on the spare?

 

NOPE,,,they are in a little baggie with the jack ( I hardly ever use the customers jack)

And it was a full size spare too. Its the first damage Ive done in years and Im Pissed.

 

Are all Mercedes like this or just the C series?

Steve - Choice Towing & Recovery - Fredericksburg, Va

 

Schu said:

I believe its only 1 model that has that ( the one with the funky center caps ) and from what I remember on the couple I did was that there was a sticker on the bolt holding the spare down and the lugs where with the tire tools.

 

Stevio replied:

There wasnt a sticker on the spare, the only clue was in the owners booklet. This sounds like something at least one of the MCs would have warned us about. What a stupid design. Steve - Choice Towing & Recovery - Fredericksburg,Va

 

Topquality said:

Steve, Please enlighten me on the year and model so I can let my driver's know. I haven't heard of this and we have changed quite a few BMW tires. I hate hearing of any damage claims like this. Damn BMW's - Steve

 

Don 29 yrs aka THTDon said:

Are you sure that the wheels on the car aren't aftermarket wheels? Usually, factory-installed custom wheels use the same lug nuts as the spare timre does. I have noticed that if a car has those old Crager SS chrome wheels (yes, I am dating myself here!). the lugs have washers and go through the lug holes like a sleeve, whereas the original nuts shoulder against the wheel.

 

Towie said:

A lot of Mercedes have them too, particually when they are fitted with a space saver tyre as a spare...
The normal wheels have a great rim track as the the space saver almost none...



It should have been real hard to do up the wheel nuts I think because on a normal lug, the thread gets larger as it goes in to lock the wheel to the car... (So it doesn't fall off)

I know this as we tow a lot of Mercedes, BMW & Jag's that customers changed theown wheels and did what you did...

 

Stevo said:

My apologies gentlemen, I was a bit tired after along shift and I put BMW when I should have typed Mercedes ( at least I got the C series right ). I dropped it at the only dealer here that does work on the Mercedes and its a BMW and Volvo dealer. When I get to work Ill dig out the invoice and tell you the exact year.
Steve - Choice Towing & Recovery - Fredericksburg, Va

 

Nick Ovenden said:

Guys, The Mercedes C Class and E Class have ally wheels and a steel spare. The bolts are too long for the steel wheel. We were issued a memo from the Merc dealers and the motor clubs that cover them. I guess we have a lot more of them than you do over there.

Sorry to hear you had a problem.

 

[Ed Johnson]

Whenever a tire change is performed, it is a good idea to spin the spare tire while the vehicle is still on the jack. If the installed wheel spins freely, you are Ok but if there is any resistance you have a problem. The problem may be the lugs are too long or that the rim the spare is mounted on is incorrect for that vehicle and was probably one someone bought without checking to see if it actually worked on that vehicle. I have run into both problems over the years and spinning the mounted spare by hand before lowering the car will show you if you have a problem. It also gives you the opportunity to see if the rim might be warped.

Whenever a tire change is performed, it is a good idea to spin the spare tire while the vehicle is still on the jack. If the installed wheel spins freely, you are Ok but if there is any resistance you have a problem. The problem may be the lugs are too long or that the rim the spare is mounted on is incorrect for that vehicle and was probably one someone bought without checking to see if it actually worked on that vehicle. I have run into both problems over the years and spinning the mounted spare by hand before lowering the car will show you if you have a problem. It also gives you the opportunity to see if the rim might be warped.

[TTOUT]

Back when we used wired tow lights, we had an operator put the wire under the arm of a Mercedes wiper. He actually put it under the whole blade and arm assembly causing the blade to crack and when he took it off, he bent the arm. Ended up costing us $50 for the rubber blade and a couple hundred for the arm.