A strange phone call ...

[BenzBoy]

This afternoon I received a strange phone call - strange in that obviously someone has listened and cares. M-B Asia Pacific phoned me a s long time customer to ask if it was true that I had rejected buying a new M-B SUV because it has only run flat tyres. The rep was very interested in my logic and when I explained that a run flat would leave me stranded in Parkes or even just the other side of the Blue Mountains he agreed it was an issue and advised that the factory in Germany was simply no listening to them in Australia. He conceded that rural sale has failed since the introduction of run flats and then asked what alternative brands I was considering.
Strange - maybe someone in Australia is listening …..even if not in Germany.
Regards,
Brian

[motec 6.9]

Interesting very interesting. In a very Freudian way.

[c107]

Originally Posted by BenzBoy

This afternoon I received a strange phone call - strange in that obviously someone has listened and cares. M-B Asia Pacific phoned me a s long time customer to ask if it was true that I had rejected buying a new M-B SUV because it has only run flat tyres. The rep was very interested in my logic and when I explained that a run flat would leave me stranded in Parkes or even just the other side of the Blue Mountains he agreed it was an issue and advised that the factory in Germany was simply no listening to them in Australia. He conceded that rural sale has failed since the introduction of run flats and then asked what alternative brands I was considering.
Strange - maybe someone in Australia is listening …..even if not in Germany.
Regards,
Brian

That is actually pretty good they are ringing you on this. You would have thought this would be a pretty easy thing to fix though, just specify the option code. I can't imagine they can be selling cars in markets like africa if they can't offer it so surely its a matter of Mercedes Australia specifying the cars that way?

Now all they need to do is listen to buyers of their ridiculously priced spare parts in Australia.

[BenzBoy]

Originally Posted by c107

That is actually pretty good they are ringing you on this. You would have thought this would be a pretty easy thing to fix though, just specify the option code. I can't imagine they can be selling cars in markets like africa if they can't offer it so surely its a matter of Mercedes Australia specifying the cars that way?

Now all they need to do is listen to buyers of their ridiculously priced spare parts in Australia.

The current GLE SUV has no space for a spare wheel - somewhat strange since it shares its platform with the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
GLEs probably don't sell well in Africa; maybe the G Wagen and the X do?
Anyway, it will be the markets in the PRC and UAE that really matter.
Regards,
Brian

[Helmet]

Originally Posted by BenzBoy

The current GLE SUV has no space for a spare wheel - somewhat strange since it shares its platform with the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
GLEs probably don't sell well in Africa; maybe the G Wagen and the X do?
Anyway, it will be the markets in the PRC and UAE that really matter.
Regards,
Brian

The W166 GLE has a spare wheel, albeit a space saver.

[c107]

Originally Posted by Helmet

The W166 GLE has a spare wheel, albeit a space saver.

I understand we are getting a W167 later this year. I wonder what it will have with regard to a spare. I am assuming it is no longer sharing with a Jeep model.

[BenzBoy]

Originally Posted by Helmet

The W166 GLE has a spare wheel, albeit a space saver.

Quite correct. The GLE350 does have a space-saver but the new GLE coming in May does not. It has run flat tyres usable up to 80KPH for 100 kilometres.
Now imagine this; I'm at Parks at a dog show and leave there just on dark to drive home. A puncture would leave me stranded for days - and with hungry dogs gnawing at my ankles....
How frequent is a puncture? I had 3 in 2018 so the Jeep Grand Cherokee with Kevlar reinforced tyre walls is starting to make sense.
Regards,
Brian
Ps: If you own a first series Goodwood Phantom (2003 - 2016) you can't even buy tyres anymore. R-R Motorcars has a solution and will sell you a new and different wheel and tyre combination for $20,000.
Regards,
Brian

[motec 6.9]

Cant buy tyres sounds like owning a 6.9 .

[c107]

Originally Posted by BenzBoy

Ps: If you own a first series Goodwood Phantom (2003 - 2016) you can't even buy tyres anymore. R-R Motorcars has a solution and will sell you a new and different wheel and tyre combination for $20,000.
Regards,
Brian

I don't know if anyone from here watches Hoovies Garage on youtube, but he purchased one of these and then had to get a new set of wheels to get tyres. I think he purchased used wheels from another RR rather than the new option...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdE...kx_4PnMZ10MVFA

[Patrick_R]

Gents,
I may be able to shed a bit of light as to why the fatherland is not listening to our distress calls.

I work for a very large OEM truck manufacturer who is based in Sweden.

The possible reason they are not listening (or willing to change the build spec) is that every single item that is engineered, approved, tested & locked in during the many years of planning a new product is more than likely unique to the model in planning.

Tyres are especially important in modern times as they are detrimental to some of the very complex and important safety packages in cars and trucks.
Mercedes Benz being one of the OEM’s at the forefront of safety would rate tyres amongst the most important things in their new vehicles.
Of course, ride handing and NVH are also attributed to tyres as well as being directly related to the vehicles suite of safety items.

Once all these engineering gates are closed, the supplier will then be given a forecast of the number of vehicles the OEM will build, and lock the supplier into a contract.
Sometimes this is for years, or sometimes it will only be for a matter of months or production units of the designed part.

Thus the tyre supplier noted here, will have them over a barrel so to speak, as they have designed something, it has been approved and accepted by the OEM, and SOP (Start Of Production) occurs.

So if an alteration to the build spec was to happen will be very hard to begin a chain of events to alter or remove the contract, let alone begin the engineering design work and approval of a possible replacement part.

The “phone call” to Brian may have been generated by complaints or in Brian’s case a “lost sale”

The salesman would have been building a case of all issues relating to the run flat tyres to submit to the product or engineering division for them to review.

I do know any OEM will listen IF there are sufficient numbers with valid cases submitted by each country affected.

However none of the above can explain the dumb reason why Rolls-Royce do not provide tyres for the Phantom VII

[-bb-]

Run flat tyres and no spare are a contributing reason we bought a Volvo XC60 over a GLC or an X5. Similar to Brian, we do lots of country KM and having a good old non hi-tech non-run flat tyres, and a spare tyre in the back, is comforting.

[Patrick_R]

Fully agree bb