Mercedes GLC Clonking and juddering on near full steering lock

[grober]

Hi all i have a 2013 ml63 amg i bought the car used and noticed a clunk under hard acceleration and braking but NO tyre juddering under steering lock so the car went to mercedes who replaced the wishbones on the car and when i got the car back now i have got a massive tyre judder when steering lock is on full and even part on, mercedes are telling me that it is normal and they are saying its because i have now got stiffer bushes etc and the front end of my car is tighter i think that they dont believe me when i say the problem was not there before the wishbone change im now ill with the car and its been back 2 times to check alignment i have done about 5k in 12m on new tyres and i now need new front tyres again i know its not a GLC but its the same problem and mercedes have made this problem to a car that never had the problem for 3 years of its life and are denying that this is there fault .

I suspect that what is causing this is the central differential control that splits drive between front and rear. In normal driving most of the drive should go to the rear wheels making the car feel more like a rear wheel drive car. The control is programmed to feed more power to the front wheels depending on feedback from various sensors which tell the ECU which wheels are slipping and the cars yaw attitude etc. Usually this is achieved by braking individual wheels via the ABS system but depending on which version of mercedes 4 matic is employed the central diff may also be involved. Sorry I can't be more specific but MB continually changes how these 4matic systems operate. Certainly its another avenue to explore?

 

[leemot]

Leemot,

Swing the wheel to full lock. Grab hold of the Track Rod end (at the ball joint).

Pull it sideways (hard) and see if it wil go "over-center", it should be well located and not move much. If it goes over-centre, the Garage has reassembled the steering incorrectly or got the alignment way out....

What side of the tyres is wearing most, inner or outer?

Hi Paul,
I will check track rod end it is the inside of the tyres on both front wheels that has worn by far the most i mean the inside of the tyre is illegal whilst the other 70% is legal the MB garage has said it tracked my car 2 times and shown me a print out to provre it is within the threshold.

 

[leemot]

I suspect that what is causing this is the central differential control that splits drive between front and rear. In normal driving most of the drive should go to the rear wheels making the car feel more like a rear wheel drive car. The control is programmed to feed more power to the front wheels depending on feedback from various sensors which tell the ECU which wheels are slipping and the cars yaw attitude etc. Usually this is achieved by braking individual wheels via the ABS system but depending on which version of mercedes 4 matic is employed the central diff may also be involved. Sorry I can't be more specific but MB continually changes how these 4matic systems operate. Certainly its another avenue to explore?

Hi Grober,
It was fine until wishbone change at Mercedes Benz and it drags or scrapes the inner tyre across the floor when full lock is on at slow speeds like pulling off my drive.

 

[grober]

What I can tell you is that the front wishbone part nos changed at production date 28/10/2015 from an A166------ part no to a A292 ----- part number. The 292 is the coupe version = MLC of the ML where they allegedly sharpened up the handling.
Mercedes-Benz-Blog: SPY: 2015 Mercedes-Benz MLC-Class (C 292) test mules snagged at Nurburgring
If there is a problem it will hinge round [ literally] whether they changed the chassis mounting points/suspension settings as well as the front wishbones on the post 28/10/2015 ML and MLC. If they did then using the new arms with the older ML chassis mounts /suspension settings might be a problem??

 

[Petrol Pete]

42594 views with 783 replies in 10 months on this forum alone...this must be some kind of a record surely ?
What an embarrassment this vehicle must be for Mercedes Benz.

Mazda once made a car with the moniker GLC , it stood (unofficially) for Great Little Car..and it was a very decent little car. What does GLC stand for in Mercedes Benz I wonder.....

 

[Y15ARG]

watching this thread with interest as I seem to be experiencing this issue now - 2016 C63 saloon

 

[Jim W]

I get this real bad on my new E63s. When it’s cold the front end clunks and jumps when manoeuvring. The MB dealer assures me it’s tyre skip and I should change the tyres to winter tyres. I’m not convinced. It’s not that damn cold on the south coast.

 

[bondi699]

I collected my brand new GLC 250d on 14th of November 2017, and at the time I was not aware of the skipping / crabbing issue, until I took my car into local dealer this week for another issue fixing. The curtusity car loanded to me was another GLC however, this was a GLC coupe on a 66 plate. As soon as I but the car in reverse with full lock to exit a very tight space in the dealer carpark I heard what I now know to be tyre crabbing, it was that bad that I went back into the service department to say that there was something wrong with the front wheels. It sounded like there was something trapped between the wheel and suspension preventing the wheel from turning.
The service managers response was "theres nothing wrong they all do that its normal" normal i dont think so If my car did that I would have rejected it. This brings me to the point of this post after checking other forums it seems that Mercedes are replacing the tyres with all season tyres as a fix for the problem, my car being supplied as new with Goodyear 245/45 R20 eagle sport all season run flats, and try as I might I can't replicate the crabbing issue in my car.
So it would seem that the problem is finnally resolved. Or may be I'm just Lucky

 

[APguy1]

I collected my brand new GLC 250d on 14th of November 2017, and at the time I was not aware of the skipping / crabbing issue, until I took my car into local dealer this week for another issue fixing. The curtusity car loanded to me was another GLC however, this was a GLC coupe on a 66 plate. As soon as I but the car in reverse with full lock to exit a very tight space in the dealer carpark I heard what I now know to be tyre crabbing, it was that bad that I went back into the service department to say that there was something wrong with the front wheels. It sounded like there was something trapped between the wheel and suspension preventing the wheel from turning.
The service managers response was "theres nothing wrong they all do that its normal" normal i dont think so If my car did that I would have rejected it. This brings me to the point of this post after checking other forums it seems that Mercedes are replacing the tyres with all season tyres as a fix for the problem, my car being supplied as new with Goodyear 245/45 R20 eagle sport all season run flats, and try as I might I can't replicate the crabbing issue in my car.
So it would seem that the problem is finnally resolved. Or may be I'm just Lucky

Yes it’s right my ML63 does it when cold, as it warms up it disappears, just a few degrees is enough to think the ball joints are about to crack!
It’s a tyre problem not a car problem, why are we stuck with summer tyres in the U.K.
All season is what we need for our climate.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hydrochaos]

how old is the car?

 

[Richard199]

Interested to read all the crabbing issues. I have just purchased a GLC 350D From a non Mercedes dealer. My dealer contacted Mercedes for me and ordered all season tyres that are being fitted next week.

My question is. If Mercedes accept that by repacing summer tyres for all season tyres will remove or reduce the problem, presumably they are acceting a liability for this. Therfore in 10000 miles when the tyres are worn out will they then also be required to replace rhem again with another set of all season tyres.

 

[Rory]

Therfore in 10000 miles when the tyres are worn out will they then also be required to replace rhem again with another set of all season tyres.

Good luck with that!

It's a such a shame, GLC would be ideal for me and I notice there are very hefty discounts now, but I'm not good with hassle so it just needs to work.

 

[MercedesDriver]

Interested to read all the crabbing issues. I have just purchased a GLC 350D From a non Mercedes dealer. My dealer contacted Mercedes for me and ordered all season tyres that are being fitted next week.

My question is. If Mercedes accept that by repacing summer tyres for all season tyres will remove or reduce the problem, presumably they are acceting a liability for this. Therfore in 10000 miles when the tyres are worn out will they then also be required to replace rhem again with another set of all season tyres.

So you are expecting something like lifetime supply of tyres, which would be really wonderful from consumer point of view, but I’m not sure it will ever happen. What they will tell you is that the tyres are worn (can be much above legal limit) and it’s up to you if you’ll buy another set of MO rated All weather tyres. Bear in mind that MO label usualy adds few percentiles on the price.
Enjoy your new car, just don’t apply full lock when cold, or use it only as a warm weather car.

 

[DRIVER200]

So you are expecting something like lifetime supply of tyres, which would be really wonderful from consumer point of view, but I’m not sure it will ever happen. What they will tell you is that the tyres are worn (can be much above legal limit) and it’s up to you if you’ll buy another set of MO rated All weather tyres. Bear in mind that MO label usualy adds few percentiles on the price.
Enjoy your new car, just don’t apply full lock when cold, or use it only as a warm weather car.

Fortunately the Crabbing issue will virtually if not totally disappear when your new All Season tyres are fitted -mine has- but it's an interesting theory to suggest MB could be liable for a lifetime of free tyres but I'll worry about that in around 10,000 miles time. Enjoy.....

 

[Richard199]

So you are expecting something like lifetime supply of tyres, which would be really wonderful from consumer point of view, but I’m not sure it will ever happen. What they will tell you is that the tyres are worn (can be much above legal limit) and it’s up to you if you’ll buy another set of MO rated All weather tyres. Bear in mind that MO label usualy adds few percentiles on the price.
Enjoy your new car, just don’t apply full lock when cold, or use it only as a warm weather car.

Basically yes i am. If MB direct drivers down the route of all weather tyres as oposed to normal summer tyres then replacement costs are naturally going to be more expensive. At the very least they should compensate between the summer and winter tyre cost.

I intend keeping the summer tyres MB take off my car next week, they only have 1600 crabbing miles on them so at worst if i make the all weather tyres last until end of winter 2019 i can then stick the summer tyres back on.

All this crabbing issue seems such a shame as the GLC could be so much more and gets really good reviews on Youtube.......apart from the tyres. Not a good PR exercise for MB.

 

[Rory]

Basically yes i am. If MB direct drivers down the route of all weather tyres as oposed to normal summer tyres then replacement costs are naturally going to be more expensive. At the very least they should compensate between the summer and winter tyre cost.

Have you checked if that's correct?

I run All-Seasons year round on my old C Class - they're different sizes front and rear and I couldn't find a manufacturer who did both, so I have Kleber Quadraxers on the front and Kumho KH21's on the rear. I had Michelin Primacy summer tyres on before and it's no surprise the All Seasons were significantly cheaper. However they're just as quiet and comfortable and are wearing so well they may need changing due to age rather than mileage - the Kumho's on the rear have done 23K miles and at the service the car just had they were reported as 6mm. The Bridgestone's the car came with from new lasted 18K.

We have a Honda Jazz in the family that runs full winter Michelin Alpins year round. They're the same price as Michelin summer tyres and wear fine too.

 

[Tomtowner]

Hi all, I took delivery of a GLC Coupe 220d on 10/3/18. I have since experienced the crabbing every time I have driven the car. I cannot understand why Mercedes are still making the cars with tyres that are not fit for the car.

As I have owned the car for under 30 days what are my rights? I have emailed my dealer who have said they will see what they can do. Can I just reject the car 1. For the crabbing issue whilst Mercedes only see it as a comfort issue, is still an issue with the car and 2. Mercedes are aware the tyres are not fit for use on the car but are still sending them out with them on.

Any help is appreciated

 

[Richard199]

Tomtowner. I have had a 2017 GLC for a month now and when i got the car i noticed the crabbing. However, my dealer had arranged for the all season tyres to be ordered. These have been on for a couple of weeks and it is much better than before. Dont get me wrong it still crabs in car parks, but not as much. To be honest i never found this that big a problem on the old tyres really. My previous car was a Jaguar XF and that crabbed worse than the GLC until Jaguar did a recall and replaced the tyres, it was then fine.

Generally i really like my GLC and never thought about going down the rejection route once, even though i could have. The car is great to drive, fast, seems reliable and looks good. If you can get the tyres changed then keep the car, you wont be disapointed.

 

[bondi699]

Check if your tyres are all season, if not tell the dealership to replace them FOC. My 2017 250d came with all season tyres and has never crabbed. I only experienced the issue with a loaner.

 

[Tomtowner]

Hi Richard, thanks for getting back to me.

It only started being a problem for me when a concerned shopper in the car parked knocked on my window to tell me that my car "is making an awful noise"

The tyres are hankook ventus s1 evo2 all around. So looks like summer tyres have been put on even though Mercedes have been aware of the problem for over a year.

I have driven the car when the temperature has been up at 11-13 degrees and it still does it.

I am awaiting a response from Mercedes but just feel they will fob me off with the usual response so was just looking to see where I stand.

Thanks again