Tire/wheel incident
 

Long and short of it.....flat tire on I 95 in NC late Saturday , the MORON that AAA sends out puts the "doughnut" spare on (more about that later) unfortunately he uses the bolts that are meant for the alloy wheel, not the ones supplied for the "doughnut" (the alloy ones are too long). That causes the wheel to be unable to turn....but at that point he has taken off
Call AAA again now we need a flatbed, because the lugs are stripped...
Car is Towed to the M/B dealer, they are closed till Monday AM !!
So here we are stuck in Fayetteville NC...fortunately we get a ride from the tow driver to the airport, (everything else is closed) rent a car and are fortunate enough to get the last available room at a good hotel.
Monday morning, M/B doesn't have all the parts needed to do the repair, new hub, bearing etc. Hopefully the parts will arive by overnight on Tuesday...
So, AAA says they will pay for the repair, $950.00 but not responsible for our 3 night hotel or car rental bill about $550....
So because the ****** at M/B have saved a few $$$ we are screwed
Needless to say...this will be a factor in our new car purchase........

I wouldn't be so quick to blame MB. Dealers don't stock every part. A few years ago I hit a huge pothole in Bloomington IL and the Pontiac dealer had to order a new wheel. It arrived the next day. AAA should have paid for at least one night, if not all three.

What exactly did Mercedes (I assume) do to save money that you are blaming this on? I don't see it.

Also, how old is the Mercedes? I thought they all came with roadside assistance.

If anything, it sounds like you should have known how to change your own tire--if you had, you would be home by now. Don't project your problems on others.

I have to agree with telekinetic--I had to demonstrate to my mother than I knew how to change my own tire before I was allowed to drive the car by myself. This skill has saved my own bacon--and that of others--a few times. It astounds me how many people don't know how to change a frickin' tire. It's not rocket science.

Telekinetic, Snowy, Craven
I would certainly expect the dealer to have a WHEEL BEARING in stock for a common model CLK 320...(2004) and as far as changing the wheel, do you expect a 75 year old disabled vet (granted only 30%) to change a tire on the side on a busy highway in 97 degree heat....GET REAL that is WHY I PAY FOR AAA
So before you shoot off your mouths...get the facts.

On the topic of facts, if I owned a vehicle that required peculiar spare tire installation procedures to prevent costly vehicular damage, like using special bolts other than those holding on the stock wheel, I'd be damn sure I communicated them to the 'AAA moron' about to change my tire. Why expect them to know something about your car that you apparently either did not know yourself or choose not to disclose to them?

This failure you experienced cannot occur on any American or Japanese vehicle, or (as far as I can ascertain with some quick googlery) anything other than certain years and models of Mercedes. Sorry you had to find out about that particular Mercedes quirk in this manner, but blaming the AAA guy is hardly fair. Requiring separate bolts for the spare seems ridiculous...why they didn't just weld sleeves to take up the extra distance onto the spare to make the arrangement failsafe is beyond me.

As far as the dealer not having parts, from my friend's experiences, Mercedes generally has loaner cars available, giving them time to order parts rather than stock every part for every model and year at every podunk dealership. The edgecase where a road-trippers to whom a loaner vehicle would be useless urgently needs a part is unpredictable, and to build a business model around it would seem financially unsound.

Anyways, that sounds like a terrible design feature that resulted in a miserable extended weekend...I hope your situation got resolved without too much additional hassle!

I'd go after AAA and see if they will agree to pay for more nights. The MB may have a quirk but one that should be known within the industry. Even though you are the vehicle owner, you aren't trained on the mechanics of your car so your lack of knowledge is excusable. However, a professional organization that you have contracted with for that purpose SHOULD.

But they did have the facts, your OP, those are the facts. You didn't post the rest of it.

I pay for AAA for the same reasons, but I believe it is MY responsibility to understand how to care for my vehicle because no one will care for it the same way that I do. You get a vehicle owner's manual with every new car purchase. You should know and understand how to operate or how things function within your vehicle as per the owner's manual.

I have a father that did the same thing for my driving. I couldn't drive until I knew how to and could change a tire. Now, being disabled gets you a pass on the could change the tire, but not on the know how part.

Craven, I disagree, a tow truck operator should know all the nuances for all vehicles? Remember that AAA doesn't have their own trucks, the sub contract to mechanics or garages who own their own trucks.

Why would the dealer stock a wheel bearing? In the last 20 years of driving wrecks, I've replaced 2. One of them on an old lifted blazer, one of them on a Nissan Sentra that was close to 15 years old. I've repacked my share of them, but it's not like they are a common wear item like brake pads.

Seems like a small enough item ...a wheel bearing that likely fits half the models sold in the last few years...
Care for my vehicle? Yes, it gets serviced according to the schedule set by Mercedes (or by whoever manufactures the car)
If AAA contracts with local garages to do their service work I believe it their RESPONSIBILITY to be sure that they train their mechanics....not for me to do.
Good idea about the spacers,however, I guess the germans expect mechanics in other countries to be trained as they are...

getting serviced according to schedule isn't the same as knowing how to operate the vehicle and using the items, such as the radio, GPS system, run flat system or even the spare tire system.

By what you're suggesting is that every AAA mechanic needs to know nuances to every single vehicle out there. That's impossible if not impractical.

Daka, AAA is responsible for the damage to your vehicle, not the subsequent "losses" you suffered. They've said they'll pay for their contractors mistake.

On a side note, you seem to complain about stuff a lot.

Jazz, not responsibe for "losses" b/s we would have been home on Sunday, instead of spending 3 extra days due to the stupidity of their "mechanic" THROUGH NO FAULT OF MINE,
If in my career as an architect I designed buildings that failed...I'd be responsible
Seems that now that I am retired I have the time to complain about how society is heading downhill...inconsideration and lazyness are the order of the day...
PS: I have no problem with the GPS the stereo or any other systems that I woud use in the operation of the vehicle, as far as the repairs and maintenance....that's what I pay other people to do
When "you" have been on this EARTH for 75 years lets see how you suffer fools...

ok first, I doubt that AAA sent a mechanic. They sent a tow truck driver.

In your career as an architect, I doubt that you ever expected the cabinetmaker to paint your gypboard walls. Yeah the cabinetmaker would get the paint on the wall, but not with the same results a painter would. This situation is similar.

A mechanic likely would have seen the issue immediately, it's what he does. However, you paid AAA for a tow truck driver. I seriously doubt that AAA EVER agreed to send a mechanic. If you didn't know that AAA wouldn't send a mechanic, that's your fault as a consumer.

AAA should pay for the damage that their agent caused to your vehicle. The fact that you chose a repair facility who did not have the parts is not AAA's responsibility. It is your responsibility to determine who can complete the repair while meeting your schedule and your expectations. You cannot expect AAA to pay for your lodging because you chose a repair shop that can't get the necessary parts .

I would suggest reading the details of your AAA contract. They do offer trip reimbursement for certain meal, lodging or travel expenses for when a vehicle is damaged... knowing what you have agreed to will them will aid you in dealing with them.


Reading your owners manual is always a good thing to do... I've made it a point to read every car / motorcycle's owner manual front to back that I own or commonly drive... and I'll pull it back out to verify directions for even the simple things such as jump starting it and triple checking what motor oil to put in it... even if I'm not the one doing it.

Thank you all for your KIND COMMENTS....hopefully you will all live long useful lives with NO DRAMA.
AND, that is the END of that story....

au contraire mon frere were just gettin started ~

No, Mercedes is NOT the only one that does this. I had a 1989 Honda Prelude with alloy wheels which used a flat bottom lugnut, while the stamped steel spare used the domed or rounded bottom lugnuts typical of steel wheels. Honda provided these in a little nylon bag attached to the spare wheel. As I recall, the owner's manual clearly stated that you should not use the lugnuts from the alloy wheels on the spare, or vice versa.

Lindy