I just recently took my 300D to Sam's Club for new shoes and just went out this am with my tq wrench and checked their work. ALL the lug nuts were tq'ed to at least 100 ft lbs. Some were over 125# and none on any wheel were uniformly torqued. I know from past experience with alloy wheels the tq should be spec and uniform. Even with steel wheels you are asking for warped rotors if not done to specs. I noticed right away that I had some slight vibration from even soft braking. After test driving after doing it to spec, the vibration is gone. As many on this and other forums have stressed, you are just asking for additional expense if the tire shops do not use a tq wrench and proper pressure guage. While the pressure called for was 29# for 195r15s I had 205s on there and the tires were 38, 40, 42, and 45#s in them cold. The prices are good there but the installation was not.

Bud

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1987 300D Turbo, 175k mi., 1998 BMW 323i Convertible, 1997 F250 4x4 7.3L PSD

I went to a tire shop, can't remember which one and the guy took a look at my tires and said they were cheap Sam's Club tires and not the same quality you would get at a regular tire shop.
Don't know if that's true or not but that's what he said.

I go to Firestone, they always use a torque wrench.

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
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Torque wrenches are the way to go.

You can also go the other way, too loose, and it'll make your car feel like all four tires are fighting each other in the road curves. Don't ask me how I know that! It is so simple to do it right and so stupid to have it wrong.

I too have noticed how sensitive these cars are to tire pressures, you can really feel it. Mine seems to feel better at the higher end of the pressure scale, and the ride feels better too. Not so on my chebie Impala, it likes softer tires, and rides like 2 ton truck on a rocky road with higher tire pressures.

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Mark
1983 300TD Wagon
Even a broken watch is right twice a day

"You get what you pay for" strikes again. Expecting quality workmanship from Sam's Club is like expecting a gourmet meal from McDonalds.

There's a guy on the MBCA board who says he has the oil changed in his E320 CDI at Wal-Mart...I just cringe thinking about it.

I don't even like PARKING at wal-mart, but letting them touch a car of mine? NO WAY. And a CDI to boot????

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

LOL.........I put the SD at the furthest point from the entrance.........and usually some $hitbox parks right next to it.

but they are a differant model that what the tire shops use. most manufacturers supply a dif series to sams to keep "price quotes" from competing with tire rack stores...
John

Sam's Club tires are different models. They are also of different quality.

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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I have heard this also,and it was in reference to Michelins from Sams Club being of less quality than a name brand store selling Michelins.Johnny

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85 300sd SOLD ,85 745i,95 740i,1972 Suburban,1938 International

The tires I bought were the Goodyear Eagles and the codes are the same at my local Goodyear store. Maybe Michelins are different. Of course, I am not stupid as I have dealt with Sam's and Costco for better than 20 yrs and I always checked my tires(usually Michelin or Yokohama) after being there. If you look carefully you will notice their prices on the "good" grade tires aren't much cheaper. They had 4 and Goodyear had 3 that particular day. It had Dunslops on there and were noisy as hell. The reason I posted was just to remind people in a hurry ro double check every shop. And to follow MB recommendation to re-torque to 80# after 500 miles.
Bud

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1987 300D Turbo, 175k mi., 1998 BMW 323i Convertible, 1997 F250 4x4 7.3L PSD

I had my front tires balanced last week, now usualy I have them balanced off the car in the spring. But this time they were on the car so I just bought it in, of course they tightened them with a freaken impact gun. Why is it so hard for them to use a torque wrench? If they bent one of my wheels they would be buying me a new one.

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2006 CL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2026 Genesis GV70
2007 Tiara 3200

I normally use America's Tires and know they will do it right but in case I am away or on the road somewhere I carry a torque stick in the trunk. 80 ft lbs. When I go into the counter to write up the work, like even fixing a flat, I carry it with me and insist I get to watch the installer. Sure enough, one time I saw a fellow getting ready to put wheels back on my car using an air tool for the lug bolts. No torque wrench in sight. I went over and said "excuse me, can you please use this"

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body. '87 300D w/ Sportline suspension. No more '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750, it was my annual driver to Texas and I sure don't miss it poor A/C heater system!

Yesterday I bought 4 new tires at Discount Tire. When I gave the salesman my order, I asked if I could inspect my brakes while the wheels were off, (pretense to watch the installers). I also told the salesman the torque required on the lug nuts, 80lbs. When the installers were putting on the new tires, on of them went to a bulletin posted in the area and was looking for the torque setting, I saw what he was doing and I said 80lbs., he said, right that what it says on the bulletin, and I watched as he torqued the lug nuts. I also asked that the front tires pressure to be 32lbs fronts and the backs 34.(Don't know why MB wants more in
back than front). When I picked the car up he said 32 in front 34 in back. ok?
Well I just checked the inflation and they put 38 front and 36 back. Go figure, maybe their guage is different than mine.
You get what you pay for? Do you mean the more you spend the better product you will get. Many times it is not so, follow this "rule" and you are going to get taken advantage of. Consumer Reports has proven this over and over again. The most expensive product is not always the best.
Firestone tires are not a good value, in fact they have the most recalls of any of the major tire manufactures. They spent 10's of millions of dollars in settling lawsuits over tire failures that caused the death of many people.

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Gary
85 300D Ivory, 202,000
Beatus exsisto Jesu, verus et Deus verus Vir

Certainly you don't always get what you pay for. But not "paying for it" all but guarantees you're not going to get it.

I recall a Consumer Reports comparison many years ago. They came to the conclusion that the Dodge Aspen was a much better car than the Plymouth Volare. Fact is they were essentially the same vehicle with a different name plate. Not that it is relevent, but I bought the supposedly not-so-good Plymouth and got great service from it for 15 years. My father bought a '77 Volare new and is still driving it today. Consumer Reports also had bad things to say about the Jeep Cherokee. My '88 is still going strong after almost 19 years of service. It's never had a major problem; it has never seen the inside of a "shop."

Wheel torque.

I have taken to removing my wheels and delivering them to the tire store
of choice and then reinstalling myslef to ensure proper torque.

Unfortunately no matter which tire dealer I pick and the promises they make about hand torque, inevitabley the newbie or lazy expert uses an air wrench
putting on wheels (when they think they can get away with it).

I split a Craftsman socket removing a wheel that my local tire dealer
installed. Socket is free to replace, but that is not the point.

I don't trust them to do the job they are paid to do.

Sad.

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80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250