Mercedes Benc GLC - tyre skipping

[namlakhorn]

Hi All

 

We are planning to buy a new car in the next coming months in Bangkok. We are currently looking at the MB GLA and MB GLC.

 

As for the MB GLC - I have found several reports about tire skipping issues for Right-Hand-Drive GLCs when significant lock is applied and which are making noise and potentially present a safety hazard.
More can be read here:  http://mercedescrabbing.org/

From the website, I'm not entirely impressed with the way MB handles the issue. It seems MB only admitted to do something once the issues were brought to the medias.
 

I far I understand it, then this issue is only seen for RHD GLCs.

 

Anyone on the forum that have any experience with the MB GLC in Thailand in general and particular related to the tire skipping issue?

 

BR
Namlakhorn

[ExpatOilWorker]

Have a look at the BMW 330e. 252 HP for 2.6 million, is good value for money.

BMW 2017 Price List.pdf

[namlakhorn]

6 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Have a look at the BMW 330e. 252 HP for 2.6 million, is good value for money.

BMW 2017 Price List.pdf

Hello ExpatOilWorker

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

what do you mean with value?

Value for money in terms of HP?

Or in terms of size of vehicle?

or in terms of no tire skidding?

 

BMW makes good cars but my post was about Mercedes Benz, specifically about the experiences of the GLC in Thailand and the reported issues of tire skidding on forums from UK and Australia (with RHD).

 

Regards Namlakhorn

[Robert24]

Not sure if I understand the issue. "Significant lock applied " meaning that your steering wheel is turned to the max, i.e. do U turn?

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[canthai55]

https://www.mercedescrabbing.org/2017/02/26/mercedes-uk-glc-rhd-difference/

We can assure you that our technical specialists, as well as independent experts such as DEKRA, concur that the cars remain completely safe to drive.

 

https://www.mercedescrabbing.org/2017/02/07/official-mercedes-tyre-skipping-waiver/

I understand and agree that I have been fully informed by my Retailer that my car registration: [left blank]    may experience a characteristic known as “tyre skipping”.

 

Does this car have some sort of diff lock i.e. Positraction ?  If so, in a turn, the outside tire must travel further than the inside tire, making the inside tire 'skip' The diff tries to make both wheels turn at the same speed - in a tight turn this can not happen due to the different radius that each wheel travels

[VocalNeal]

I would recommend that the OP not buy that car if he is not happy with it. 

 

That being said if he absolutely must then buy that vehicle and take it to Cockpit for a full four-way laser alignment.

 

Quote

 

One owner who regularly suffered the problem on a roundabout in Australia (where the temperature never falls below 8 degrees), eventually persuaded Mercedes-Benz Australia to put his car through a full four way laser alignment, where all four wheels were found to be out.

This almost entirely cured the problem and the owner has driven a further 12,000 kilometres with “crabbing now minor on the same roundabout.”

 

 

---------------------

 

Quote

 

Have a look at the BMW 330e. 252 HP for 2.6 million, is good value for money.

BMW 2017 Price List.pd

 

MB GLA and GLC are both SUV's or at best crossovers. BMW is a sedan.

Edited April 19, 2017 by VocalNeal

[Jai Dee]

19 hours ago, namlakhorn said:

More can be read here:  http://mercedescrabbing.org/

I wouldn't buy one at all with those symptoms.

 

A mate of mine just bought a GLE 500... he's totally happy with it.

 

OK it's a bit more expensive than the GLC or GLA but it's much bigger and has a 3L power plant too.

 

MB Pricelist-white_EN.pdf

[Rdrokit]

Love the look of the CLA Shooting Brake. I could live with the skipping issue.

[namlakhorn]

20 hours ago, Robert24 said:

Not sure if I understand the issue. "Significant lock applied " meaning that your steering wheel is turned to the max, i.e. do U turn?

Sent from my SM-J710F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Yes, as I understand it is exactly like the situation when you make u-turns (which are common in Thailand), or when parking or exiting narrow sois. 

[namlakhorn]

19 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Does this car have some sort of diff lock i.e. Positraction ?  If so, in a turn, the outside tire must travel further than the inside tire, making the inside tire 'skip' The diff tries to make both wheels turn at the same speed - in a tight turn this can not happen due to the different radius that each wheel travels

I have no idea. This is way to technical to for my understanding being a simply chemical engineer.

But the baseline for me is that I don't like imperfections, particular not unavoidable ones. Paying +3,2mio THB for a car is a grab into my pocket - and I would not expect issues like the reported for RHD GLC in UK and Australia. I actually find it funny that MB says it only affects the comfort of driving.... I know you pay for the MB badge but I wish to believe you also get a comfortable ride with MB cars.

 

I'm in love with the GLC, so I seeking ways to justify why I should buy it.

 

Warm Regards

Namlakhorn

[namlakhorn]

17 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

I would recommend that the OP not buy that car if he is not happy with it. 

 

That being said if he absolutely must then buy that vehicle and take it to Cockpit for a full four-way laser alignment.

 

 

---------------------

 

MB GLA and GLC are both SUV's or at best crossovers. BMW is a sedan.

Anyone that can provide the cost of a socalled Four-way laser aligning at Cockpit in Bangkok and may recommend a good shop of the Cockpit?

BR

Namlahorn

[namlakhorn]

12 hours ago, Jai Dee said:

I wouldn't buy one at all with those symptoms.

 

A mate of mine just bought a GLE 500... he's totally happy with it.

 

OK it's a bit more expensive than the GLC or GLA but it's much bigger and has a 3L power plant too.

 

MB Pricelist-white_EN.pdf

GLE is a nice SUV. To big for my wife. Maybe the GLC is already pushing it. She is very much inclined toward the GLA for its smaller size, and maybe we end up there due to my fear of issues with GLC. 
In principle the car will mainly be used to bring our son to kindergarden, but I would like the car also to handle the occasional trip upcounty. GLA can do that, but with 4 pax in our household the GLC would be better sized. I think?

[canthai55]

2 hours ago, namlakhorn said:

I actually find it funny that MB says it only affects the comfort of driving.... I know you pay for the MB badge but I wish to believe you also get a comfortable ride with MB cars.

My biggest concern - they want you to sign a waiver !! I would run from that ASAP !!

[Robert24]

GLE is a nice SUV. To big for my wife. Maybe the GLC is already pushing it. She is very much inclined toward the GLA for its smaller size, and maybe we end up there due to my fear of issues with GLC. 
In principle the car will mainly be used to bring our son to kindergarden, but I would like the car also to handle the occasional trip upcounty. GLA can do that, but with 4 pax in our household the GLC would be better sized. I think?

I like the GLA, would consider it as well and is certainly enough for what you describe. But it's a small SUV, not one where you have lots of space, fit 7 people etc. For a big SUV I would go for one of the Japanese brands.

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[Jitar]

I reckon the GLA is more hatchback than SUV.  The back seats are ok for small kids or very small adults but that's about it. 

[Ace of Pop]

Jitars right ,stupid little ting for the money,the Mazda is more use..[emoji604]


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[VocalNeal]

8 hours ago, namlakhorn said:

Anyone that can provide the cost of a socalled Four-way laser aligning at Cockpit in Bangkok and may recommend a good shop of the Cockpit?

BR

Namlahorn

Where do you live? There is a good one on Sukhumvit 71 very near Jusco supermarket.

[namlakhorn]

6 hours ago, canthai55 said:

My biggest concern - they want you to sign a waiver !! I would run from that ASAP !!

Hi Canthai55, thanks.

yes that is also a red flag to me, but I would never sign such a thing. But do you know (or anyone else on this forum) if that waiver is also presented when buy the GLC via MB Thailand?

 

can anyone confirm with real life experience the tire skidding problem

is actual also for MB GLC assembled in Thailand - any owners here?

 

namlakhorn

[namlakhorn]

28 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Where do you live? There is a good one on Sukhumvit 71 very near Jusco supermarket.

Thanks VocalNeal, appreciate your info.

I am based just across the river from saphan taksin station.

namlakhorn

[namlakhorn]

3 hours ago, Ace of Pop said:

Jitars right ,stupid little ting for the money,the Mazda is more use..


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Thanks for sharing your opinion that you like Mazda more than Mercedes. But as

per above I am more interested in What is your real life experience with MB GLC assembled in Thailand?

namlakhorn

[Ace of Pop]

That is a real life experience,just looking at the little grubby mini is enough..My Wife has a 2 door Ragtop, and thats a rip off here too.!! 

[Dagnabbit]

Have a look at the BMW 330e. 252 HP for 2.6 million, is good value for money.
BMW 2017 Price List.pdf

Isnt that the combined power of the petrol and electric engines?

Are both powering the car at the same time?


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[ExpatOilWorker]

22 hours ago, Dagnabbit said:

 

 

Isnt that the combined power of the petrol and electric engines?

Are both powering the car at the same time?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 

With a gasoline/electric total of 248 horsepower at your disposal (versus 180 hp in the aforementioned 320i), the 330e is a sparkling performer. It hauls to 60 mph in a fleet 5.8 seconds and to 98 mph in the quarter-mile in just 14.3 seconds, beating the regular 2.0-liter model by 0.7 second and 0.8 second (and nearly matching the 240-hp 328i we ran through our 40,000-mile regimen). Hold the go pedal down, and this BMW tops out at 140 mph.

 

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-bmw-330e-iperformance-tested-review

[frankphuket]

Have a GLC 250d here and can't report any issues, but only 2000KM on it, so just a few U-turns here and there. Very nice car though....except the annoying European feature that you always have to switch the circle air inside on again after a while driving....

[Jai Dee]

10 minutes ago, frankphuket said:

except the annoying European feature that you always have to switch the circle air inside on again after a while driving....

I know what you mean... using the Recirculation button helps get your car as cool as possible when it’s hot outside and you have the A/C on.

It recirculates the kind-of-cool air that you get from the A/C when you first turn it on, and the longer it’s on, the cooler your car gets until it’s as cool as the system can possibly be.

European climatic conditions are a little different to hot and sweaty Thailand.

[Pdaz]

Yep my bloody aircon does that too. Took me a few trips to work out what was happening. Switch to recycle all good. Return to the car after shopping A/C not that cold.. Oh, recycle switch is off again 

Almost as annoying as the car returning to it's default "comfort" mode when left in Sport+

Edited April 21, 2017 by Pdaz

[Jai Dee]

Default startup procedure for Mercedes Benz in Thailand:

 

1. Press Engine Start/Stop button (or turn the ignition key)

2. Press the A/C recycle button

3. Press the Eco button (to turn Economy mode off!)

[Pdaz]

2 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

Default startup procedure for Mercedes Benz in Thailand:

 

1. Press Engine Start/Stop button (or turn the ignition key)

2. Press the A/C recycle button

3. Press the Eco button (to turn Economy mode off!)

Mine is more complicated  Press start button twice - So instrumentation comes on. Select sports exhaust and turn off park assist. Select sport and press A/C recycle button. Turn on media to pair with music app on my phone. Put foot on brake and press start again to get the engine going.

only good news is the car will remember these settings ( apart from the A/C ) for 4 hours when parked.. I only wish it would remember them forever.. 

Alternatively I could select sport + but then I'd need to set the damping to comfort.

 

when did cars become this involved ? In the past I only had to pull out the chokevand pump the throttle once.

[Jai Dee]

11 minutes ago, Pdaz said:

In the past I only had to pull out the chokevand pump the throttle once.

Don't you just love technology?

[Jitar]

38 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

Don't you just love technology?

No

 

1 hour ago, Jai Dee said:

Default startup procedure for Mercedes Benz in Thailand:

 

1. Press Engine Start/Stop button (or turn the ignition key)

2. Press the A/C recycle button

3. Press the Eco button (to turn Economy mode off!)

    4. Turn off the stupid stop start system that also keeps reactivating every restart.

 

Why do Benz think they know what I want better than I do?