I changed my 2003 C-320 front left tire to the minispare this afternoon because my tire was flat. I bought the car used about 2 years ago & found when I went to look for the jack that I didn't have a vehicle tool kit. I borrowed the neighbor's jack, changed the tire for the spare & headed off to have the flat fixed. Now I see in the owner's manual that I should have used special minispare wheel bolts with the spare. I don't have those either. The manual says that the use of the wrong wheel bolts may physically damage the brakes. What do you think? Did I screw up the brakes?

Cheryl

 

Never heard of that hopefully u didnt mess up ur brakes.

 

Unlike many ordinary cars, MB uses wheel bolts rather than wheel nuts.

As crazy as that...MB chose to use different size wheel bolts for the spare.

There are two reasons.

The first....if they were open-sided nuts, we would not have that problem.

Second.....since they are bolts, the thickness of the rim plays a major role. Light alloy wheels tend to be thicker than the steel spare rims. This condition calls for different size (usually shorter) wheel bolts for the spare, to ensure the bolt does not go deeper than it should.

Not only that....bolts for the spare wheel are different in many apsects, such as the place where the actual spiral threads begin and end. Driving the wrong bolts into the hub could bore out the hub. It happened to me once as MB sold me wrong bolts. I have discussed it in full length once upon a time with diagrams. I dont wanna dig it up now. But if you have time, dig up my posts.



SO...THIS SITUATION INDEED WILL MESS UP THE BRAKES IF HAPPENED TO THE REAR WHEELS. (hint: parking brakes.)

 

Where are these spare tire bolts normally stored in the car? I need to check whether I have them.

 

When I bought my car, they were with the tool kit lying on top of the spare wheel.

 

Thanks for your help.

Cheryl

 

You're welcomed.

If you indeed are a woman......Cheryl you are the first woman that I've ever heard of changing the flat herself!!

 

Monkey man caught in the past again.

 

I guess I'll check. I've never looked at the spare. I'm not sure I even have one. If I do, I don't know if it's flat. It's shameful, I know.

 

The time my wife got a flat a state trooper changed her tire for her. I'd like to see a trooper do that for me!