Have the 99 at Firestone getting the snows removed and summer rims/tires put on. They had significant difficulty with one of the wheel studs. Had a bit of difficulty following what they were saying, but basically sounds like, if it breaks off, it's really difficult to get out. They called me to explain the problem, said they were going to call the dealer to get advice, but called my indie instead and he told them exactly what they needed to do. He told them that it's a poor design and that, in cases like this, he charges an hour of labor per stud to rectify the issue.

Just thought I'd see what anyone else's experience has been...sorry I'm not able to be more specific as to precisely what the issue was. Also, they said they thought there might be a recall on the issue....but as far as I know there are no outstanding recall issues on my cars.

Edit: Found this on Benzworld: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210-e-class/1333329-help-lug-bolt-broken-wheel-how.html

What puzzles me is how, when the wheels were off the car just four months ago, it could be so difficult to get things apart. Their explanation (which certainly sounds plausible) is that the brutality of this past New England winter translates into lots of salt and sand and they're seeing a higher incidence of this sort of thing. With most cars, it wouldn't be a big deal...but the design of that stud makes it a real PITA.

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06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 178k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 145k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

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