Tyre tread depths/Brands - Mercedes approved used vehicles

[M4drums]

Hi,

I've just purchased a 2019 C200 EQ Boost Coupe from my local Mercedes Benz dealer.
On the initial test drive I noticed that there was definitely a balance issue with the front wheels which the salesman assured me would be resolved as it was all part of the approved used vehicle scheme that MB stand by and was certainly a major reason for buying an approved vehicle.
Last week on a wet and salty M4 motorway I hit a dip in the road at 70mph and nearly lost control of the vehicle. On examining the tyres I found the front Continental Eco Contact 6's had less than 4mm of tread (3.2 -3.7mm) and the rear fitted tyres were of a brand I've never heard of, 'Davanti'?

I'm not holding my breath in terms of the dealership helping (they didn't when I had a similar situation with a C class saloon two years ago), just wondered if anyone has had a similar experience. At the moment I'm looking at around £600 to have a set of Eco Contact 6 Continentals fitted!

 

[markjay]

In principle as long as the tyres are legal then they meet the Approved Used standard.

That said, thete is probably a minimum thread depth (which is above the 1.6mm minimum legal limit), so might be worth checking this with the dealer first.

Personally, I'd replace all four tyres with new same-brand same-model tyres.... and you can try your luck with the dealer first, though you'd have been in a much better negotiating position if you noticed the condition of the tyres before buying the car, obviously.

PS - This issue needs to be resolved directly with the supplying dealer (or another dealership in the same group), I.e. it is not an issue that can sorted at any MB dealership under the general car warranty.

 

[clk320x]

Honestly this just puts me off MB Approved Used even more… surely they should come with MO tyres if buying from MB… otherwise why bother… pay less and get it privately/elsewhere. Apparently the approved used warranty is largely useless also.

 

[M4drums]

In principle as long as the tyres are legal then they meet the Approved Used standard.

That said, thete is probably a minimum thread depth (which is above the 1.6mm minimum legal limit), might be worth checking this with the dealer.

Hi,

Thanks for the response. I seem to remember that MB approved vehicles should have at least 4mm of tread although I can't swear to that. I must admit I was more concerned to see the 'Mickey Mouse' Davanti tyres as rear fitment on a vehicle sold to me for over £30,000!

 

[M4drums]

Honestly this just puts me off MB Approved Used even more… surely they should come with MO tyres if buying from MB… otherwise why bother… pay less and get it privately/elsewhere. Apparently the approved used warranty is largely useless also.

I know, I feel exactly the same as you to be honest!

 

[markjay]

Honestly this just puts me off MB Approved Used even more… surely they should come with MO tyres if buying from MB… otherwise why bother… pay less and get it privately/elsewhere. Apparently the approved used warranty is largely useless also.

One key issue with the Approved Used warranty is that it covers faults that developed or came to light after the car was bought, but for issues that were clearly present at the time of sale, the car needs to go back to the supplying dealer. Too many people just buy Approved Used cars from an MB dealer located far away from them, on the incorrect premise that any issues will be sorted by their local MB dealer. This might not be the OP's case, though.

 

[M4drums]

Being totally realistic I don't see the dealership helping in any way to be honest.

Again on the initial test drive the wheel imbalance I pointed out was not resolved upon collection. On that drive the car had not beed prepped for sale as it had only just arrived but I was assured it would be in showroom condition when it was handed over.
On the handover I immediately noticed that the AMG mats were missing (these were in the vehicle on the test drive). They flatly refused to do anything about them, with the salesman suggesting I buy a set of mats from Halfords!
I ordered the correct set from the dealership that cost me a horrifying £300 for the set. The interior glass was very poorly cleaned, so much so that it was one of the first things I had to do on arriving home. There were trunk 'load marks & scratches' on the upper rear bumper, tar spots and other marks that my valet operator found prior to applying a ceramic coating. All in all not really what you expect when purchasing an approved used vehicle from a large, multi site MB dealership.
Unfortunately now with the tyre situation I could be into an additional £1,000 to get the vehicle up to the specification I would expect of an approved used Mercedes!

 

[markjay]

Being totally realistic I don't see the dealership helping in any way to be honest.

Again on the initial test drive the wheel imbalance I pointed out was not resolved upon collection. On that drive the car had not beed prepped for sale as it had only just arrived but I was assured it would be in showroom condition when it was handed over.
On the handover I immediately noticed that the AMG mats were missing (these were in the vehicle on the test drive). They flatly refused to do anything about them, with the salesman suggesting I buy a set of mats from Halfords!
I ordered the correct set from the dealership that cost me a horrifying £300 for the set. The interior glass was very poorly cleaned, so much so that it was one of the first things I had to do on arriving home. There were trunk 'load marks & scratches' on the upper rear bumper, tar spots and other marks that my valet operator found prior to applying a ceramic coating. All in all not really what you expect when purchasing an approved used vehicle from a large, multi site MB dealership.
Unfortunately now with the tyre situation I could be into an additional £1,000 to get the vehicle up to the specification I would expect of an approved used Mercedes!

I deeply sympathise... it may be of no consolation for you to know that sadly your situation is all too common, with many members on here complaining about the very same utterly poor experience when buying a Mercedes Benz Approved Used vehicle.

 

[M4drums]

I deeply sympathise... it may be of no consolation for you to know that sadly your situation is all too common, with many members on here complaining about the very same utterly poor experience when buying a Mercedes Benz Approved Used vehicle.

Sadly its happened to me on two occasions now.
I've driven Mercedes for the past twenty years as company supplied vehicles. Now in semi retirement it made perfect sense to buy approved used vehicles as outright purchases rather than suffer the immense depreciation associated with buying brand new. You honestly don't expect issues when you're paying a premium price for a vehicle but as you've mentioned this seems to be all too common with MB approved used vehicles.

 

[markjay]

Sadly its happened to me on two occasions now.
I've driven Mercedes for the past twenty years as company supplied vehicles. Now in semi retirement it made perfect sense to buy approved used vehicles as outright purchases rather than suffer the immense depreciation associated with buying brand new. You honestly don't expect issues when you're paying a premium price for a vehicle but as you've mentioned this seems to be all too common with MB approved used vehicles.

On the plus side... if the car is a good one... then forget the dealer, just put it right and enjoy many more years of hassle-free motoring

 

[tonysmb]

I seem to recall that the tread depth limit was 3mm on Approved Used, but that's based on recollection of a discussion years ago. I have had a service adviser saying that MB recommends changing tyres when the tread depth is below the 3-mm 'European recommendations', which could be used as an inference that they shouldn't retail cars with less than 3-mm. Yours, however, appear to be over 3-mm.

The use of non MO-approved tyres has been discussed at length on here; there's nothing in their T&Cs that says only MO-approved tyres must be fitted on used vehicles. It sounds as if the tyres meet the scheme's standards and, unfortunately, these sort of issues are better sorted out before purchase, rather than afterwards; you might receive some goodwill but I wouldn't hold my breath.

To be fair to MB, most other retailers of used vehicles are similar when it comes to tyres. Annoying, but that's the way it is.

 

[M4drums]

On the plus side... if the car is a good one... then forget the dealer, just put it right and enjoy many more years of hassle-free motoring

You've beaten me to it that's exactly what I've decided to do!

 

[M4drums]

I seem to recall that the tread depth limit was 3mm on Approved Used, but that's based on recollection of a discussion years ago. I have had a service adviser saying that MB recommends changing tyres when the tread depth is below the 3-mm 'European recommendations', which could be used as an inference that they shouldn't retail cars with less than 3-mm. Yours, however, appear to be over 3-mm.

The use of non MO-approved tyres has been discussed at length on here; there's nothing in their T&Cs that says only MO-approved tyres must be fitted on used vehicles. It sounds as if the tyres meet the scheme's standards and, unfortunately, these sort of issues are better sorted out before purchase, rather than afterwards; you might receive some goodwill but I wouldn't hold my breath.

To be fair to MB, most other retailers of used vehicles are similar when it comes to tyres. Annoying, but that's the way it is.

Yes over 3mm but heavily shouldered and cheap Chinese tyres on the rear. Not really what you would expect to find on a used 'approved' vehicles that cost over 30K.

 

[AMGeed]

Yes over 3mm but heavily shouldered and cheap Chinese tyres on the rear. Not really what you would expect to find on a used 'approved' vehicles that cost over 30K.

I sympathise with your tyre situation, but the time to complain about the cheap tyres was on first viewing or before you took ownership.
They won't do anything about it now. They have your money.
Get a full set you are comfortable with, put it down to experience and move on. It will eat you up otherwise.

 

[M4drums]

I'll be 'biting the bullet' tomorrow and paying for a full set of Continental Eco Contact 6 and having the tracking and four wheel alignment checked and adjusted. The local dealer has agreed to look into the situation but I don't want to put the safety of myself and the family at any potential risk while they take their time making any sort of decision.

I sympathise with your tyre situation, but the time to complain about the cheap tyres was on first viewing or before you took ownership.
They won't do anything about it now. They have your money.
Get a full set you are comfortable with, put it down to experience and move on. It will eat you up otherwise.

Hi,

Thanks for your wise words. Yes I’ve already decided to go ahead with a new set of my preferred tyres at whatever the cost. Just a little more annoyed with myself in letting them rip me of for a second time on tyres!

 

[nyssa7]

Times have changed, when selling my R129 to a dealer in the the 90s I was penalised for not having MB approved tyres on it - deducted the price of new tyres from offer. I’d still fitted premium tyres just not the ones that were original as my tyre dealer said they were no longer available

earlier this year I looked at an approved MB used car AMG GT with some dubious name tyres on it - dealer didn’t get what the issue was

 

[M4drums]

Times have changed, when selling my R129 to a dealer in the the 90s I was penalised for not having MB approved tyres on it - deducted the price of new tyres from offer. I’d still fitted premium tyres just not the ones that were original as my tyre dealer said they were no longer available

earlier this year I looked at an approved MB used car AMG GT with some dubious name tyres on it - dealer didn’t get what the issue was

Unfortunately I think that some of the MB dealerships are no better than the local independent car dealer from what I’ve experienced over the last three vehicle purchases. Okay you get a 12 month warranty etc. but you’re paying for that in the purchase price.
This particular coupe was very poorly prepared for its handover to me. Initially they wanted me to collect at 17.00 on a November afternoon.
There was no way I was taking the vehicle in the dark so I managed to get a 14.00 appointment. The salesman that I had originally done the deal with then handed me over to a junior salesman. That in itself I found a little insulting. The process took well over an hour as he tried to sell me all the extras such as gap insurance, body & fabric treatments etc. it was a dry day but the vehicle was brought to the outside of the showroom dripping wet?

Now I can only guess that was so I couldn’t pick up on the poor valeting job?

As I’ve told everyone, the tyres were the first discovery.
Our vehicles basically live outside on the drive So I always have a ceramic treatment applied for additional paintwork protection. It was only when the local company that carry out this work pre inspected the car did we discover tar spots that had not been cleaned, the small number of stone chips had not been repaired and scratches that I had previously pointed out had not been treated.
The interior glass on collection was filthy but as I had things to do and time was pressing I didn’t raise it with the sales junior. There was also a large stain on the drivers seat base squab that I only noticed on arrival home.

All in all not what you would expect with a late registered approved used Mercedes vehicle for which you’ve paid a premium price.

I don’t hold out any hope whatsoever in getting any help towards the tyre replacement from the dealership. I do like the car and I have no intention of changing it, just the added unexpected cost of changing from my ‘perfect’ 2018 C Class saloon that they had in exchange is a bitter pill to swallow. Lesson learned I guess?

 

[Benzowner]

Sorry to hear of you plight buying an approved used car, but it would appear to me you may have been blinded by the car being the one you wanted and didn't do a thorough check when first viewed, picking up all these faults with the salesman. I have done the same in the past, but fortunately got away with it when Mercedes had more respect for their customers and not the dealers.

 

[tonysmb]

I do sympathise with the OP; my view is that the internet, allowing instant price comparisons, an increase in the number of MBs sold in the past 10+ years, the replacement of family-owned dealers by large groups, a stronger focus on 'unit margins' etc. have all led to a decrease in quality across the sector. It's not unique to MB, by any means

I've been dealing with MB dealers long enough to remember when my local dealer was a small showroom, servicing was carried out elsewhere in another building, where you could speak direct with the 'technician', no public lounge areas of any consequence; however, the cars weren't counted as 'units' (to use a phrase used in my local dealer), customers weren't continually surveyed for feedback, probably because the owners knew their customers and were often on site. However, sales volumes were significantly lower and no doubt margins were 'reassuringly higher'. Yes, the buildings and facilities today are a vast improvement and might provide some with a better 'feel good' experience initially, but longer-term? These corporate images look good but cost significant sums of money; who pays for that?

The reality is that many customers simply don't notice things like tyres, so something that meets the legal requirements fulfills the job (relatives bought a nearly-new car (not MB), one tyre had been replaced with a new one due to a puncture - the car had 3 original-fit Contis and one cheap 'budget' tyre. It was the first thing I spotted but they hadn't noticed it, they just knew it had a new tyre (black and round, just like the other three); they were more interested in the 'gadgets' that the car came with.

No doubt the situation we've faced over the past 20-months or so has skewed things, ie. buying unseen in some cases, limited stock availability etc. have all had an impact. Having said all that, there are good and 'not so good' right across the industry and with all 'brands', the trick is finding and trying to keep the former, without getting caught out by the latter. Sometimes, easier said than done, as it might even simply be down to individual staff members.

Anyway, got that off my chest now

 

[M4drums]

Sorry to hear of you plight buying an approved used car, but it would appear to me you may have been blinded by the car being the one you wanted and didn't do a thorough check when first viewed, picking up all these faults with the salesman. I have done the same in the past, but fortunately got away with it when Mercedes had more respect for their customers and not the dealers.

Ironically apart from the tyres which did unfortunately escape my attention, the paint defects and the fact the interior was dirty was brought up with salesman on the initial viewing and test drive. I was assured that as an 'approved used vehicle' ALL these issues would be addressed in advance of the handover!