Mercedes Benz at Tire Kingdom for engine problems

[Dave Hess]

I was at Tire Kingdom yesterday getting a tire patched due to a nail / slow leak.

A guy with a Mercedes CLS 500 talking to service writer that his car has an engine misfire, check engine light and oil leak. Customer was approx 30 years old and asking if Tire Kingdom can check what’s wrong / estimate for repairs. Customer says “oil leak looks like steam near fuel rail “.

The service writer told customer they can only do the basics, NO engine repairs:
Tires, brakes, alignment, oil change, air / cabin filters, wiper blades, batteries, etc…

Is this the classic case of someone buying a car they should not be buying ?


What year Benz is this ?
I only saw the CLS 500 badge on the trunk.

 

[KGMtech]

This is evidence the owner doesn't know what is meant by " Tire" and "Entire"

 

[edyvw]

I was at Tire Kingdom yesterday getting a tire patched due to a nail / slow leak.

A guy with a Mercedes CLS 500 talking to service writer that his car has an engine misfire, check engine light and oil leak. Customer was approx 30 years old and asking if Tire Kingdom can check what’s wrong / estimate for repairs. Customer says “oil leak looks like steam near fuel rail “.

The service writer told customer they can only do the basics, NO engine repairs:
Tires, brakes, alignment, oil change, air / cabin filters, wiper blades, batteries, etc…

Is this the classic case of someone buying a car they should not be buying ?


What year Benz is this ?
I only saw the CLS 500 badge on the trunk.



View attachment 268228

Yes. Classic example. Buy CLS and go to tire place. That thing has more sophisticated architecture than 90% of 2025 models on the market.

 

[wings&wheels]

...and then complain about how bad European cars are.


Maintenance costs are a function of original price, not what you just paid the 5th owner for the car off Craigslist.

 

[Chris142]

Yes. Classic example. Buy CLS and go to tire place. That thing has more sophisticated architecture than 90% of 2025 models on the market.

X2. Most shops do not have the tools or knowledge to fix that car. The shop I'm at does and it still takes hours of diag sometimes and they even get things wrong occasionally.

We are getting a slew of MB cars with bad timing chain tensioners that allow the gears to slip a tooth or 2. One guy specializes in fixing that and it still takes him 2 full days with the special timing tools needed.

 

[Hall]

Is this the classic case of someone buying a car they should not be buying ?

No, many of the "tire" shops around here are 100%, full-service auto repair facilities. All Goodyear locations are full-blown repair shops (services here), the chain "Tire Discounters" (services here), and so on. That said, are they likely more familiar with domestic and Japanese brands vs Euro brands ? Most likely, yeah.

 

[Dave Hess]

This is evidence the owner doesn't know what is meant by " Tire" and "Entire"

LOL

 

[edyvw]

No, many of the "tire" shops around here are 100%, full-service auto repair facilities. All Goodyear locations are full-blown repair shops (services here), the chain "Tire Discounters" (services here), and so on. That said, are they likely more familiar with domestic and Japanese brands vs Euro brands ? Most likely, yeah.

They are not. If you find one that has full diagnostic tools for MB, BMW, etc., it would be a surprise!
Autel and other stuff, regardless "how sophisticated," does not count.

 

[97prizm]

That looks 2012 or so. They made an amg version which was very quick. If I remember correctly they were in the $140k back then. Add $40k for AMG.

 

[Dave Hess]

They are not. If you find one that has full diagnostic tools for MB, BMW, etc., it would be a surprise!
Autel and other stuff, regardless "how sophisticated," does not count.

What about MB software and diagnostics ?

I’m sure few tire shops have this for troubleshooting emission problem(s)….

Suspension and air ride system they could work on.

 

[flanso]

A 30 year old guy with a very expensive car. He may not know where to go for repairs but I bet he is still having the time of his life.

 

[edyvw]

What about MB software and diagnostics ?

I’m sure few tire shops have this for troubleshooting emission problem(s)….

Suspension and air ride system they could work on.

I am not familiar as much with MB diagnostic systems as with BMW. @The Critic might give you more info.
It is not only OBD reader, it is access to the network. BMW for example, has live access to engineers in several locations around the world when they hit the wall; it is called the PUMA case. I would say MB is probably doing it similarly. Some things could be easily diagnosed, but there is always danger of shop misdiganosing it, and then you end up throwing parts at the problem until something works out. That is how these cars get bad reputation.

 

[eljefino]

When I was in college I did odd jobs. Whilst painting one lady's house I found some rotten wood that the paint would not stick to. I pointed it out to her and mentioned how it needed replacement. To her I was her "handyman" and she wanted me ripping right into the carpentry which was way above my skillset.

Some people just don't know the size and scale of their problems. Honestly if the customer had a good repoire with that tire shop and trusted the manager it would be a good first stop for triage, and the shop was honest enough to punt work they didn't feel qualified for.

 

[wavinwayne]

That car needs to go to a good indy Mercedes mechanic. There are literally tens of them.

 

[Dave Hess]

Hopefully the check engine light was just an O2 sensor.
Customer didn’t mention the mileage of his car.

The TK service writer told customer to look for Indy MB shop in central Florida would be his best bet.

 

[goblin]

We have an ACE Tire in my neighborhood which is known as a good place for expensive Germans. They have a guy that comes a few times per week. I wasn't impressed on what they looked at on my BMW, but I suspect it's because it's too crappy and/or whoever looked at it had a bad day or was learning. Their reviews are good.

One has to think outside of the box - more than what brand the shop is, it matters tremendously what the most driven cars in the neighborhood are. I live in East Coast Suburbia and the most driven cars in my neighborhood are Germans, Teslas, and what seems to be an endless supply of first gen SVT 150 Raptors. Pretty much any shop in the area probably knows more about these than a BMW dealership in some other states / areas.

I wouldn't set foot in a Midas, but that's just because my local ones thought they can feed me the usual BS on what I need to replace. Now, I love to be lied to as much as the next guy, BUT I want some effort to be put into it.

 

[Dave Hess]

I noticed Mavis (TK) now has their own line of tires.
This was the first time seeing Mavis branded tires.

Maybe indy could help this 30 year old MB owner.

Shop labor at Tire Kingdom $150 per hour which is reasonable.

 

[Chris142]

I noticed Mavis (TK) now has their own line of tires.
This was the first time seeing Mavis branded tires.

Maybe indy could help this 30 year old MB owner.

Shop labor at Tire Kingdom $150 per hour which is reasonable.

That's cheap!

 

[Kira]

Their reviews are good.

As a BMW shop or more generally?

I'm with you regarding predominating cars.
All but a few specialty shops have moved "around back" as their businesses have gotten smaller.
There are two Land Rover shops near me, as well as a few other "Europeans".

I will take a run down Rt. 21 in Newark and take note of the car services offered.

 

[goblin]

As a BMW shop or more generally?

They have a gazillion positive reviews, and many of them specifically state "They fixed my /fill German car here/ ". Fairfield county, CT.
Once again - I was very unhappy with the diagnostic they did on mine, but I'll consider my case an outlier. I wasn't there to speak with them, it was a drop it in the evening, drop the key in the box, get it back the next night after work with the key under the floormat, etc. So maybe there was some miscommunication involved.