If your tire goes flat in the middle of the road, your first instinct is likely to call your local dealership for a repair. However, one woman said she received conflicting information about what to do when encountering that situation with her Mercedes-Benz.
In a video with over 635,000 views, Gabbie Egan (@bbyegan_) says her tire pressure went to zero in seconds as she left Pilates class to pick up food.
“So I panic. I pull into a neighborhood. I call Mercedes,” she says. “I also check to see if I have a spare. No spare.”
Egan says the dealership told her she could bring the car in for a repair at 3pm. They also transferred her to Mercedes Benz roadside service for a tow, confirming that she shouldn’t drive her car with a flat tire.
But when roadside service calls her, she gets a different suggestion.
“The lady goes, ‘You literally have run-flat tires.’ Making me feel like I’m stupid for asking for a tow,” Egan continues. Run-flat tires are an upgrade available for newer vehicles, allowing you to drive your car even if an object punctures your tires.
Egan explains to the roadside service worker that the dealership told her not to drive the car with a flat. But she says the woman pushes back and claims she can safely drive the car with a flat—as long as she goes under 50 miles per hour.
“So I drive under 50 miles per hour to the Mercedes-Benz dealership,” she says.
When she arrives at the dealership, she says the service manager tells her that one of her other tires has a bubble and will soon go flat. There’s only one problem: The tires aren’t in stock.
Did driving on a flat tire damage her car?
Egan says she went to the repair bay with the service manager to take a look at her tires.
“She was like, ‘I don’t know why you drove that here. You definitely shouldn’t have driven that here,’” she says. “So I’m looking at my tire, and it looks like my rim is scuffed up.”
Egan asks the service manager if her rim is damaged, despite the roadside service worker telling her she could drive on a flat.
“She said, ‘It looks like it’s a little bit scuffed up,’” Egan continues. She asks the service manager why she received conflicting information from the dealership and the roadside service worker.
“She’s like, ‘I don’t know why they would tell you that. You should have listened to what we said. You should have went with your gut,’” Egan explains. “My gut? My gut was to call Mercedes-Benz.”
She calls back roadside service
As the service manager walks away, Egan says she decided to call back roadside service to see who told her to drive on a flat tire.
When she gets a hold of a worker, they tell her that her file doesn’t show that she has run-flat tires.
“So now I’ve got a whole case. At this point, I don’t even want the Benz,” Egan laments at the end of the clip.
Other car owners respond
In the comments, viewers discuss the value—or lack thereof—of run-flat tires.
“Is run-flat tires even a thing?” one asks. In response, another viewer explains, “Yes. But you should not drive on them. You can for a bit, but literally max like five minutes.”
“The biggest scam ever is run-flat tires,” another writes. “Ungodly expensive.”
Another pushes back, writing, “You can drive up to 50 miles, at a max of 50 miles per hour.” This echoes what Mercedes-Benz of Washington explains on their website.
However, Mercedes-Benz still recommends driving with caution—even with run-flat tires.
“It’s still a good idea to stop the vehicle to ensure no excessive damage has occurred,” the blog reads. “If this isn’t the case, you may continue driving on, but your car may not have the same performance capabilities with a leaky tire.”
Others question why Egan’s vehicle doesn’t have a spare tire.
“I can’t understand why these new vehicles don’t come with a spare!” one exclaims. “I had a flat the other day, my 2024 Chrysler doesn’t have one either.”
In response, some drivers note that ditching spare tires may be a way to cut down on shipping costs. The same viewer responds, “IDGAF about shipping costs. I need a $100 spare compared to a $3-400 tow.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Egan via email and Instagram direct message. We also emailed Mercedes-Benz for further information.
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