OK, I don't know much about cars except check oil, change fuel filter in
my 83 300D. I don't have a spare tire, got a new job and want to be
prepared if I get a flat, to call AAA. So I purchased the tire from Walmart.
So I get the tire..the delivery guy literally left the tire on my porch.
So paperwork or packaging!...and...I thought a new tire comes with
the rim?...the other spares I've had have the rim on and they are in
the trunk. What is wrong with this picture?...Do tires usually come
without the rim?..and if I got a flat, would this tire be usable if he
had to also switch out the rim from the bad tire?
Strange to just have a tire sitting on my porch...and according to the
Walmart site, I was scheduled to get this delivery today..
Thanks
Lindjane

Yup. Used rims on an old 300d probably cost around $100 and up. As long as the tire is the correct size, you can switch the rim with another tire.

Get the tire off of your porch or it will be gone.

Look at your Car and tell us if you have steel (may have hub caps) or aluminum Rims.

Only the little reduced sizes Spare Tires that come with some cars come with a Rim.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

For emergencies it is wise to have a decent spare tire.

I have a couple of spare wheels taking up storage space at work in Oakland.
(14 inch bundt alloy rims with tires).
Send me a PM.

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78 W116 300SD 'Desert Rose' new as of 01/26/2014
79 W116 300SD 'Stormcloud' RIP 04/11/2022

The reason I am asking about what wheels you have is the Steel Wheels have shorter Wheel Bolts then the Alloy Wheels (aluminum). That means the Wheel you get for your spare has to be the same as the ones on the Car.

If you put the longer bolts on a steel wheel and drive it will damage stuff behind it.

Once you determine what wheel you have you can call a Junk Yard and they can pull a used Wheel for you. Or perhaps one of our members near you has one to sell or give away.

The attached pic is of an Alloy that is a stock one.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

The rims I have are aluminum, the all match, I think the original rims
I tried to attached a picture...but it is Not showing up!...

Attached Thumbnails

 

Oh, there is the picture...it seems I've always had a spare tire in the back
where they are placed...and have always had the rim. Is is common for triple
AAA to put the rim from the old tire on the new spare? Thanks

AAA does not mount tires on rims.

You will want to have Walmart (or any tire shop) mount the new tire on one of your current rims.
Pick the wheel with the worst worn tire (or oldest date code).

EDIT: If all 5 tires are in good shape, see if you can return the new tire to Walmart.

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78 W116 300SD 'Desert Rose' new as of 01/26/2014
79 W116 300SD 'Stormcloud' RIP 04/11/2022

So then Tires are not sold with the rims?...I always had a tire with a rim for a spare.
So now I have to buy a rim and pay to put it on, then keep as a spare.
Wonder if I can get the same rim to match the others.
SO what is the cheapest way to do this?...could I have ordered a tire with a rim,
or is it standard that for a spare tire you'll have to buy a rim and place it on so if
you get a flat, the tire will be ready to be put on...Wonder if they make those rims
anymore. Maybe I could find on ebay..

For clarity, not trying to offend....


When you buy a tire, it pretty much never comes with a rim. If you buy a tire and ship it to your house, it is expected that you bring get he tire mounted to a rim on your own. Usually, you drive your car to a tire shop where they will swap out your old tires on your existing rims. As for the spare, if you have a rim in your trunk that's identical to all of the other rims then just bring the spare rim to a shop and have them swap the new tire onto it.

If the tire on your current spare is good still, just return the new tire. Mounting tires is usually pretty cheap, like 20 bucks a tire....

If you currently have no spare tire/rim in the trunk then buy a rim from someone nearby for cheap and get the new tire mounted to that. Remember, were only talking about a spare here, so it doesn't need to be the best tire ever...

You can never offend me when it comes to Mercedes! as someone said, there is no such thing as a stupid question...As Of now I only have the 4 tires on the car with the 4 original rims. So I have to get a rim for the new tire which may be the spare. I'll talk to my mechanic and ask him about it. I thought I'd save money buying the spare myself...thinking it came with a rim...Do you have any idea how much it costs for mechanics to put them on?...but I assume it's different all over the country. He'd probably want to find a tire and rim, put it on, and have me return this tire...I wish Walmart was close...they say free returns, but they didn't even put the tire in a box! with paperwork...Linda

Make life easy on yourself. Just buy a rim from Alec and get your tire mounted onto it. The alloy 14" rims that your car has aren't worth much.

A rim will cost ya ..what, 30-50 bucks tops? Another 20-30 to mount/balance your new tire. Hell, if you're lucky, maybe Alec has an old tire already mounted to a rim (AKA a 14" Bundt)

I think a tire shop will mount it cheaper then a Mechanic will. However, I guess if you are a really good customer the Mechanic could give you a break on the price.

Or it could be the Mechanic has a less skilled person in his shop that does the Tires.

Do you have the Jack, a Wheel Bolt/Lug Wrench and a one or more wedge shaped wheel Chocks to keep in your Trunk? If you cannot use them and AAA is not around someone else may be able to change a Flat safely for you.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

You did look under the trunk cover to determine that you do not have a spare. SF Bay area should have plenty of rims available, cheap.

Talk to the fellow that posted this, it sounds like he has the rim you need.

Someone mentioned you look under the flooring in your trunk to see if you have a spare. Do that.

ONLY use a rim that is a bundt that is exactly the same as your existing wheels, be sure there are no differences.

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1981 240D Four on the floor, Orient Red over Parchment, bought with 154,000 but it's a daily driver and up to 180,000 miles, mostly original paint and all original interior.