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I have had my GLC 205 AMG line for just over a year. I have tolerated the juddering, and learned to live with it. It's only when someone else drives the car and they comment on it that you are reminded just how bad it is. My Father recently commented that if you stand and watch the car move when on full lock, the wheels are literally shaking.

I took the opportunity of today's FIRST SERVICE to raise this issue. I was given a couple of different responses, the first being "It's because the wheels are so wide, they all do it, the GLE is the same". A more lengthy conversation with an engineer at the end of the day was more helpful. He was cagey at first saying "yes I am aware that some customers have experienced this, we have raised it with MB and the corporate line is that the car needs winter tyres and then the problem with disappear". I pointed out that the problem doesn't just happen in the winter, and asked if they are suggesting winter tyres for all year round use? His response was that the problem only occurs when the temperature drops below 6C - I assured him that this wasn't the case as it happens all year 'round. He said that he hasn't had another customer say that they experience the problem during the summer. He warmed a little and agreed that after driving my car he too noticed how bad it is, though he assured me that it wasn't a safety issue. It seemed like they have been told to not comment too much on the problem. I asked his advice on how to deal with this and he said they could take the car back in and investigate further, though he wasn't enthusiastic about this saying "Mercedes take forever to deal with this kind of thing". I asked if they have any experience of customers changing to winter tyres but he said not.

Having read everyone's comments on here I can see that this is an issue that MB need to address, it is simply not acceptable. I'm going to write back to the dealer and MB documenting my concerns and asking for further investigate to take place in the Spring once the weather has improved. In the meantime I'm going to keep a log of the air temperature and juddering and save my pennies up for a new Discovery.
 
Unerstand where you are coming from but be careful not to jump out of the frying pan into the fire with a discovery. The discovery is a new model and I bought a discovery sport again a new model in April 15. I am changing my car and going for a GLC as you wouldn't believe the issues the Discovery sport has had, have a look at there forum. Lots of them have been rejected because of quality issues and Land rovers response is about as good as Mercedes. Hopefully the D5 will be better but somehow I doubt it.
 
Thanks for the tip. Though after a Freelander, two Range Rovers and two Discovery's I am really disappointed that I made the switch to the GLC. Not just because of the juddering but for many other reasons too - I really wish I hadn't made the switch. I wanted a smaller car now that my children are at full time school and I don't need the boot space for buggies and Mummy clutter, but didn't want an Evoque. The GLC seemed the answer, generally the car is good but it's just not doing it for me. I hope that you are happy with your GLC when you get it.
 
Hope all goes well for you with the DS, it would be a great car if they sorted the quality issues.
 
Just thinking about it from a cost perspective they have more room for spending to ensure build quality is better. With brands like this poorer build quality lower down the range is always the case. The Mercedes CLA is a good example of this but still people are buying and there are more reasons for buying than not.
 
Just thinking about it from a cost perspective they have more room for spending to ensure build quality is better. With brands like this poorer build quality lower down the range is always the case. The Mercedes CLA is a good example of this but still people are buying and there are more reasons for buying than not.
I think LR have plenty of money to spend as they can sell all the cars they make with very little discounts, my view is that they think it is cost effective to fix the cars that customers complain about and keep churning them out. Hopefully this attitude will come back to bite them.
 
The new car sales manager at my dealer called me to say that after receiving dozens of complaints from GLC customers, he decided to test the GLC C43 for himself. He said it the worst low speed juddering and bouncing he'd experienced in a MB, it felt like the car was doing an 'Irish Jig' - I thought this was quite an appropriate way of putting it :)

He has been receiving the same - fit winter tyres - response from MB HQ, but doesn't believe this is really the answer. He also admitted that none of the sales people have told prospective GLC customers they will need to fit winter tyres, and nobody in a relatively warm UK should need to read the user manual before buying a ÂŁ50,000 MB car - fitting a new set of tyres at <7'C temps in the UK is nonsense.

We also talked about the rapid tyre wear on our 250d AMG Line GLC - after 8,500 miles the fronts show excessive edge wear that will probably result in a total life of around 11 - 12,000 miles maximum - This is my Wife's car, it's being driven quite cautiously, averaging approx 43 mpg. She's not racing to and from the shops! As the GLC is relatively new model, the sales manager couldn't give me an answer on whether this was an acceptable level of wear, but did agree it was on the low side for a mid-sized car. He did not accept that the wheel juddering and tyre wear are related, but I believe they are.

He doesn't have any answers but is hoping, like all of us, that MB find a fix soon!
 
At least you got it from him that there definitely is something wrong and the winter tires won't fix it ! With all of this I can't see why they haven't issued a recall... I wonder if they have customer care people that go through these forums ..
 
They have customer care people on the Land rover forums, they offer help but without a lot of success. Most of their replies are "consult your dealer", even after posters putting in their posts that they have been to the dealers.
 
Well that's a pretty ineffective way to go about things. I wonder if they still make notes in their databases though, like a list of complaints for head office to go through and try to find patterns and what not to issue recalls.
 
This is a great video which irrefutably demonstrates the clonking/juddering/crabbing is most definitely a fault and not a "characteristic" as MB would have you believe:



Mercedes has now gone against an adjudication by the Motoring Ombudsman to allow a customer to reject the car as "not fit for purpose". If anybody is suffering the same symptoms, the Honest John motoring website has run the full story and offers affected customers the opportunity to register their support for a Class Action to be taken out against MB. You can read about it here:

The GLC Crabbing Issue
 
Hi, I'm sorry to hear about the issues you are having. I am about to purchase a new GLC 350 but stumbled upon the "crabbing " issue and wondered if you felt that on 18" wheels this problem would not be apparent at all and if it is therefore safe to keep moving forward with the purchase. I very much much appreciate any advice you might be bale to offer.

Best wishes.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I don't think the definitive criteria as to the cause of the crabbing problem has yet been established. It is certainly true that rim size is one factor, the larger the rims, the lower the height of the tyre sidewall. These lower aspect ratio tyres have less flex in the sidewall to soak up the lateral forces the steering geometry is subjecting the wheels to at full lock. Another factor is the effect temperature has on the rubber of the OEM all-season tyres. The colder the weather, the less elastic the tyre becomes. MB has discovered by recommending the fitting of winter tyres with their more pliable rubber compound, the problem can be masked. Winter tyres a designed to operate best at temperatures below 7 Centigrade. If the vehicle is fitted with run-flat tyres this will also exacerbate the crabbing issue as they need a far stiffer sidewall to be able to run when deflated. And finally, the way the differentials share the torque between the front and rear axles may also be a contributing factor. I believe the 43, 350 and 250d models have a 31:69 front:rear torque split whilst the 220d has a 45:55 split. None of the LHD models sold on the Continent or USA are reporting this issue which indicates the Ackerman geometry used to set up the steering in the RHD conversions is fundamentally flawed.

So will your 350 have the crabbing problem? All I can say is my 220d in Sport trim runs on 18" rims shod with 235/60R18 Hankook Ventus EVO S2 OEM tyres and DOES NOT suffer from crabbing. Owners with 250 models and 18" rims are reporting the problem and I suspect opting for the AMG trim with stiffer suspension and bigger rims only compounds the likelihood of you being afflicted. My advice is to only enter into a purchase contract if the dealer is prepared to acknowledge in writing that the crabbing issue renders the vehicle unfit for purpose and will allow you a penalty-free rejection of the car. Good luck, I can honestly say my GLC is the best car I have ever owned but then again, as it is a "bucket list" purchase, my terms of reference may be far lower than others.
 
Hi Toobad,

Thank you very much for your answer. It is very much appreciated. My dealer has just received a demo model so I'm going to see how that one fares and will report back. Thanks for taking the time .
 
mine is in with merc at the moment, they have used the term, characteristic and now saying " just add winter tyres" shame they dont say that before you buy. the noise is horrid and when pulling off my drive is quite disconcerting and unstable, I wonder why merc feels its acceptable !
 
Hi all,

After discounting several other cars I decided to go for a GLC. Then stumbled across the posts and videos of this juddering issue which I found to be very alarming. I 'was' going to order a 350 Sport but also need the off road pack as we live quite remote in the Brecon Beacons. The OR pack has 18" wheels but probably has a different set of tyres and my chance of finding a demonstrator with this setup seems pretty remote to me. I really don't know what to do right now, I think I might try to find a second hand 220 / 250 in this guise and give it a good testing with full lock in every direction !

Thank you so much for making this information known - I feel much better informed now and will be very cautious about placing any order until I feel fully satisfied with the car - I am retired now and if I buy a car I will be keeping it for 5+ years at least so cannot 'afford' to get this purchase wrong. Will let you know how I get on.....
 
Another disappointed GLC driver

Hello. I have been following this thread and similar in other forums and am actually quite shocked at the response from Mercedes to this problem.


I picked up my GLC on 1st Sept 2016 and experienced the clonking, judder within a week (Winter tyres??). I only notice it when turning very slowly into my drive on full lock. It happens most of the time but not always and I have only been able to reproduce it occasionally in a car park. I did notify the dealer but on discussion I decided to wait until I could find circumstances where I could demonstrate it to the service people. Unfortunately I have been otherwise occupied for the last few months and have not got round to it yet. But I will do especially after reading, seeing and hearing the more serious problems experienced on this forum.


My car is a standard Sport model with the Off Road Pack with the slightly raised suspension (not air suspension) on 18 inch wheels and Hankook tyres.


I know there has been discussion on the 4matic torque split and so you all might be interested in this section of the GLC part of the Mercedes UK website under Driving Dynamics


"The GLC handles with all the precision and composure you expect from a Mercedes-Benz. Even in challenging driving conditions, 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive is on hand to optimise traction and ensure superb response. The system has even been specially tuned for right-hand drive vehicles, with a 39:61 torque distribution between front and rear axles to enhance driving enjoyment and control."



 
Hello, I'm considering purchasing the AMG version of the GLC here in Canada. I am very alarmed to find this issue with the GLC but appears this is isolated to right-hand drive models, as I've haven't been able to find similar complaints here in Canada/U.S. Would anyone know if this issue is indeed isolated to right-hand drive models?
 
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