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Hi Henry
I have the same spec as you with no problems as yet I have to put the car on full lock to get on land off the drive
This is the full spec of my car to see if there is anythink different if pepole with problems put there full spec of there car on we might find a common diffrance.

glc sport 250d Dec 2016 ( 2017 model) 18 wheels with hancoock tryes, premium pack, off road pack, factory fitted tow bar,

Hope this helps
 
Hi David and welcome to the forum. I'm pretty sure this issue only affects RHD conversions. I suspect it has something to do with locating the steering box on the other side of the front differential. Due to space constraints in this area it is quite possible the Ackerman geometry used to set the correct steering angles is not quite the same as on LHD models and this is what is contributing to the crabbing issue. There is a thread running on MB World also discussing the crabbing problem. As it is more of a USA/Canada biased forum, I would suggest you also check there for reports pertaining to LHD cars:

The MB World tyre scrubbing thread
 
This has now escalated at Mercedes.Having just spoken to Mercedes ,they confirmed that the problem is now being investigated as a fault by their engineers at HO in Stuggart ie no longer a "characteristic". They are aware that it only affects LHD cars. Everyone who hasn't yet done so needs to register a complaint to Mercedes. The more " noise" created ,the more seriously they will take the problem and the quicker it will be resolved .Mercedes contact number 08081 565635
 
This has now escalated at Mercedes.Having just spoken to Mercedes ,they confirmed that the problem is now being investigated as a fault by their engineers at HO in Stuggart ie no longer a "characteristic". They are aware that it only affects LHD cars. Everyone who hasn't yet done so needs to register a complaint to Mercedes. The more " noise" created ,the more seriously they will take the problem and the quicker it will be resolved .Mercedes contact number 08081 565635

Hey Mark T, is their a Mercedes website to register a complaint or just the phone number?? ;)

 
This has now escalated at Mercedes.Having just spoken to Mercedes ,they confirmed that the problem is now being investigated as a fault by their engineers at HO in Stuggart ie no longer a "characteristic". They are aware that it only affects LHD cars. Everyone who hasn't yet done so needs to register a complaint to Mercedes. The more " noise" created ,the more seriously they will take the problem and the quicker it will be resolved .Mercedes contact number 08081 565635
Mark

Have you been given a reference number for the investigation, I haven't received my car yet but someone off another forum phoned MB and they denied that there was any investigation.
 
I'm told by the customer service team that MB in the UK are aware of this and are looking at it. However, the more people that phone them up to register a complaint, the more likely the fix will happen.

MB Dealers are being told by MB that winter tires are the solution, however they don't have any available in the UK and it could take months to get them. This would also not solve the problem of slippy conditions (water on concrete car park) in the spring.
 
Hi, I have the same problem with my Glc but latest from my local dealer Listers is quoted below

As there is growing numbers of complaints from other customers all over the UK I have been informed that Mercedes are looking into a more technical resolution, however there is no given timeframe by Mercedes at the moment regarding how long we will have to wait.

Keep up the pressure
 
I've ordered a 220 for March delivery and I'm fully behind those who are experiencing problems. I'm extremely worried that in March I will be collecting a very expensive motor that exhibits a 'characteristic' that essentially renders it unfit for purpose. I had three separate test-drives on cold days in December and January and ensured, much to the annoyance of sales staff, that I made repeated full-lock manoeuvres. What I can't understand is that I never experienced any negative 'characteristics'. Many drivers suggest that problems develop after several weeks or months. So what changes? Is it tyre wear? Why are there no reports of test cars being affected? (Sorry if I have overlooked them) There also seems to be some lucky owners who don't experience problems. Apologies, I'm just trying to make sense of it all having paid a deposit!
 
It's definitely something you want to make sense of for sure! But it seems this problem is hitting people right from new or not too far long after. But they're really going to have to get something done about it considering the sizable amount of complaints that just keeps increasing. As @Carjunky said.. keep up the pressure.
 
Under the sales of goods act, you can always reject the car and give it back to MB.
My 250 GLC HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE NEW. I reported it to dealership after 2 weeks, no joy. I toolkit in for inspection after 6 months , no joy .At its first service in November 2016, nothing reported back to me but the problem was still there. The dealership contacted me as to my satisfaction with service and I reported the problem yet again. The car was taken in for inspection and left outside at dealership for inspection the next day. I received a video of inspection and was told it was totally safe. THIS IS NOT THE POINT, IT IS FRUSTRATING , EMBARRASING ANDNOT WHAT ONE EXPECTS FROM MERCEDES BENZ. I suggest that owners should get together and face MERCEDES BENZ en mass as there is a definite design fault here. This needs organising not changing tyres etc which is just clutching at straws and allowing time to pass.
 
Has anyone taken this up with a head office of some sort opposed to a dealership? They may be able to provide some more insight or aid once you tell them that you're dissatisfied and find it ridiculous that you have to spend £3000 on a set of wheels just to get rid of this stupid crabbing.
have the same problem and after many trips to dealership we have now started proceedings with consumer rights act. Hey presto once we mentioned that mercedes contacted us out of the blue and offered a new set of tyres at their expense!
 
It's cheaper for them to just give you a new set of tires than replace the car. I think the consumer and lemon laws should provide them with enough incentive to suddenly have a fix for your problem. Best to check when the laws apply because I think the lemon law can be sued only if they've had a chance to fix the same thing a few times.
 
So Mercedes are prepared to placate customers on a one-to-one basis by offering to replace their tyres. Surely the very least they should be offering is 4 extra rims fitted with winter tyres. It will be a total faff if they expect you to swop tyres on to the original rims when temperatures fall below 7C. Just think of the increase in potential rim damage during the repeated changeover process. I don't think it is a workable solution myself but I guess it may appease some customers enough not to reject their cars.

For anybody not yet up to speed, this is the official statement Mercedes release on Tuesday 24th January:

"We're sorry to hear that a small number of customers have experienced an issue with certain models, generally at cold ambient temperatures while manoeuvring at low speed with steering lock applied. The experience is of the front tyres apparently 'skipping'. This is a comfort issue, and does not affect the safety or performance of the vehicle.

This characteristic comes from flexibility within the tyre sidewall, the grip between the front tyres and the type of road surface being driven over. It is something which can be felt only at very low speeds, and when a certain percentage of wheel lock is engaged for turning. This is demonstratively more evident in colder temperatures due to the changes in the tyre rubber elasticity.

Winter tyres and all-season tyres on 18- or 19-inch wheels improve this characteristic and we would always recommend their use in temperatures which fall below approximately +7 degrees Celsius. The use of 18-inch wheels with summer tyres also improves the issue.

We do, however, appreciate that is not always possible or practical for customers to fit alternative tyres or wheels, and our technical experts in the UK are investigating alternative ways to help minimise this characteristic."
 
Personally, I think there is a much wider issue. I think the crabbing problem affects all Mercedes RHD models in their range that are fitted with the 4MATIC drive system. I suspect having to mount the steering gear on the other side of the front differential may have introduced a space constraint which has let to a compromise in the Ackerman geometry used to set the steering behaviour. Yes, the additional sipes in the tread blocks of winter tyres will certainly go a long way to improve the lateral flexibility as will the additional polymer content in the rubber used to mould winter tyres. And as Mercedes note, smaller rim diameters mean taller sidewalls again allowing for extra flexibility to absorb the lateral skating forces being generated at or near full lock. But these are all solutions to mask the effect without addressing the underlying problem. Just my £0.02 worth.
 
ive got a march delivery for a car in 20" rims! I called the dealer to enquirer about this issue and they said it's nothing they have heard of. I struggling to believe him going from this thread. All he said was that he will test drive the car himself before delivery and make sure there are no noises as cluncking isn't the sort of problem I should be getting from a 40-50k car. He said the right thing there. Here is hoping now!
 
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