Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Problems

You’ve hit the nail on the head Alan. The 48-volt mild-hybrids weren’t taken up by M-B Australia, purely because the plug-in hybrid GLC300e will have a bigger battery than before (for more range) and is a better fit with where the brand is going in this country. Watch out for the plug-in GLC in showrooms in the second quarter of this year.

The dealership has now sharpened the quote but most companies now only sell headlamps as complete units. Yours is among the highest of the hi-tech, including a set-up to turn the lights for corners, so it's costly.

All Mercedes vehicles are tested in Europe and issued Type Approval certificates for each regulation. The relevant Type Approval certificate for GLC states that the maximum download is 100 kg.  The masses and capacities in this certificate are used for the Australian certification to GCM, towing capacity, dimensions, etc. Without local testing facilities or engineering department, the company must use the European figures, and cannot rerate vehicles locally.

We asked Mercedes-Benz for an explanation and a spokesman told us that the GLC SUV tow rating has always been 2000kg, which is what is reflected in the company's technical documentation delivered with the car, and on the Australian website.

The overseas rating is 2500kg, which is what you may have seen on the German site.

The company doesn't adopt these numbers due to our local towing rules. As a result the towing rating for Australian-delivered cars is less.

From the research, my pick is definitely the Benz. It's a development of the classy GLC wagon but with improvements including better suspension. The Benz costs a little more but there is stock in showrooms now so you should jump quickly if you want one.

The law in Queensland suggests (because it’s not totally clear from the website) that you can fit larger wheels, although I couldn’t find a definitive limit to how much bigger you could go. But, the rules also state that the overall diameter of a replacement tyre on a car like the GLC 220d can be no more than 15mm more than the tyres fitted as standard to that car. So, while that suggest you could go up to 22-inch wheels (from the standard 20-inch wheels) the tyres fitted to them would have to be a much lower profile to keep within that 15mm diameter increase requirement.

This would have a fairly big impact on the cost of the tyres when you need to replace them, but also on ride quality as you’d be sacrificing a lot of sidewall flex with the lower-profile rubber. And there are other considerations: The replacement tyres can not be more than 1.3 times as wide as the standard tyres, must not protrude from the wheel arch at the straight-ahead and must maintain speedometer accuracy.

The best advice is to buy the new wheels and tyres through a proper tyre specialist who will be able to give you the full story on what’s legal, what’s not and what’s advisable. Plenty of car owners have discovered the hard way that the wrong replacement wheels and tyres can ruin the driving experience.

Start by asking your Mercedes-Benz dealer for their assistance. Explain to them that you want to tow a caravan and that the factory towbar is not suitable. If they cannot help seek the help of towbar companies, such as Hayman-Reece. If might be a case of modifying an existing towbar to suit.