When are corroded wheels covered under warranty?

[GizmoB73]

We bought my wifes W211 E320 nearly a year ago and it is now 4 years old. I have just noticed that 3 of the wheels have started to bubble up from underneath, but when my wife took it in for servicing today, she was told that it is out of warranty and not covered by Service Plus, so we would have to pay for a refurb.

Is this right? They don't have any kerb marks but have just started bubbling up underneath, which seems like poor quality laquer to me. When this happened on my previous car (a Hyundai Coupe) Hyundai replaced the wheels straight away without argument.

Any ideas?

 

[crockers]

Manufacturers warranty for wheels is 3 years ... but as yours is 2nd hand and under a year - did it have a 1 year warranty ? If so look to see if that covers the wheels..

 

[timskemp]

Merc wouldn't cover mine under the 1 yr approved used scheme.

 

[GizmoB73]

Not looking good then I guess.

 

[Ali_H]

Mercedes refused my claim at just 2 years old because clip-on balance weights had been used.

 

[Donk]

It appears to be a common problem assuming they are the 5 spokes as standard on the AG W211? I reported mine to my dealer a month before the 3 year OEM warranty expired and they refused to doing anything about it. However, phone calls and letters to MB HQ got me the lot replaced after a few months of arguing. From memory some people have also got a goodwill percentage contribution after the 3 year warranty is up as well, so would suggest you write or mail MB HQ and tell them you dont expect the wheels to corrode after 4 years etc and how can they help you stay loyal to the brand etc. Laquer lifting and corrosion on wheels should not start after only 4 years if they have been looked after but I dont think MB is alone in this tbh.

I just keep the new ones coated with a thick wax making sure it is rubbed into and behind the spoke edges where corrosion seems to start (and polished off the shiny bits of course) every few months to delay it happening again. Also makes it eaiser to keep brake dust off but I digress.

As for service plus, I have just checked my policy and whilst it does not specifically exclude wheels it does exclude any bodywork, paintwork or associated refurbishment which is what wheel corrosion is classed as I guess.

 

[SL300-24]

I had exactly the same problem as you, bought the car at 3 years old (privately), after one year went to the dealers and after writing to MB they gave me a 50% contribution to new wheels.

It cost me around £300 but I figured a refurb would have cost me nearly as much. They told me that they would be covered by a new 2 year guarentee.

 

[mercboiuk]

We bought a 140 series CL420 at 3 years old through a MB dealer. We had it a year, and wheels on that car begun to corrode. The dealer refused to refurbish them under warranty.

My friend has a Nissan 350Z. His wheels began to corrode at 2 years old (he had owned the car only 6 months by this point). Nissan replaced all four wheels for free. That's replaced, not refurb'ed!

God knows why a prestige brand like Mercedes are so tight!

Darren

 

[Roger Jones]

The lacquer was lifting on my W124 Coupé wheels when I bought it at four years old. I had them refurbed several years later; the lacquer started lifting again within a year.

Having talked to the refurbers, plus another company (Pristine), plus Micheldever Tyres, it does seem that the lacquer finish is intrinsically vulnerable, even if well looked after. Some refurbers won't give a warranty on the finish; others restrict it to three months. The consensus of advice is to opt for a painted finish, which is what I shall be doing next time.

 

[x332race]

I have a 54 C270 with the optional 5 spoke sports wheels. The car is covered by a MB Tier 1 warranty.

The finish to the wheels is corroding around the wheel bolts...I pointed this out when I bought the car but was told that this would not be dealt with and would not be covered by MB paint warranty as it probably was a result of damage to the finish by careless removal/fitting of the wheels. The corrosion is limited in extent but visible around nearly all the bolts on each wheel.

Question is, should I press MB for a remedy or is this a lost cause....I can live with the corrosion as it is relativly minor but I would like to get it sorted if I can FOC.

 

[Dieselman]

It won't be covered, you should've pressed the Salesman into a refurb as part of the deal.

 

[x332race]

Dieselman....I realise that now...got them to sort out some kerbing on one wheel but failed to notice the corrosion around the nuts at the time....too busy on other more pressing matters...has a list of about 20 points that I wanted sorting out anyway (which, to be fair, they did). Happy with everything else on car now.

Thanks for comment..confirmed what I suspected.

 

[harveyn]

We had all our wheels replaced just as the warranty was running out on our previous 53 registered 211 series estate. It was the Southampton dealership. They were very good about it and ignored the fact that they had been lightly curbed, as the corrosion was in other areas of the wheels. Their attitude is partly why we bought a similar replacement.

 

[x332race]

We had all our wheels replaced just as the warranty was running out on our previous 53 registered 211 series estate. It was the Southampton dealership. They were very good about it and ignored the fact that they had been lightly curbed, as the corrosion was in other areas of the wheels. Their attitude is partly why we bought a similar replacement.

Where was your corrosion on the wheels.....mine is limited to the parts around the wheel nuts as in the attached photo (apologies for the dirt)