[Rucky]

in the rear cargo area there is a hatch that opens to reveal what would normally be the area where the spare tire is carried. MB thinks the run flats obviate the need for a spare and have elected to put the Harmon Kardon unit there. towards the front is a very large plastic assembly that holds the tow bolt. Does this thing have any other function besides keeping that bolt from rattling around? If that is all it does, I will remove it and find a better place for that small piece of hardware:

 

[Tiger]

Don't think it has any other function really.. MB should have placed it a more hidden area. Even under the rear cargo storage where they put the Harman Kardon unit would have been a better area with some smiple velcro straps - along with the standard tool kit.

 

[strafe1]

In the GLA45, which does not have run-flats, the box contains the electric tire inflator unit and tire seal.

 

[Rucky]

winner winner chicken dinner

In the GLA45, which does not have run-flats, the box contains the electric tire inflator unit and tire seal.

that has to be the answer. One size fits all, instead of designing a separate plastic box for the base model.

 

[Tiger]

Regardless of having run-flats or not that GLA should come equipped with the electric tire inflator and tire seals on all models - should be a standard feature.

 

[Adolini]

Regardless of having run-flats or not that GLA should come equipped with the electric tire inflator and tire seals on all models - should be a standard feature.

Yes but when it comes to getting extras for a lower model its going to cost ya. Thats MB for you

 

[natrat]

runflats are expensive and add road noise to an already not too quiet car. MB really should have put a donut spare in that space and run real tires

 

[Boris_Balkan]

Take it to an audio install shop see what they quote to move the sub and amp under the seat or some other creative approach. I think it is completely plausible to move this stuff around to suit your needs. You could eliminate the sub and amp altogether and go aftermarket, or you could just eliminate the sub, and move the amp. There's so many skinny subwoofer options for front floor, under-seat, etc.



I need to take a pic with the bottom part of the seat removed, but as you can see, there is a lot of room to play with.

 

[funkur]

Take it to an audio install shop see what they quote to move the sub and amp under the seat or some other creative approach. I think it is completely plausible to move this stuff around to suit your needs. You could eliminate the sub and amp altogether and go aftermarket, or you could just eliminate the sub, and move the amp. There's so many skinny subwoofer options for front floor, under-seat, etc.

I believe the HK digital amp not only powers the sub, but all the speakers as well. The audio system ties into the car's MOST fiber optic network, so extending that wiring could be tricky. But one could remove the just the sub and do an aftermarket mono amp + shallow sub pretty easily.

 

[bluemerc]

What exactly should be in my spare tire compartment - or compartment where spare tire would normally be?
I have a 2015 GLA with run flats.
All I find in the spare tire compartment are the tow bolt and a long metal rod.
I find no jack, no lug wrench, no key for anti-theft lugs, no spray can to pump air into a flat. Is there anything missing or is this all that was supposed to come with the car? I.e., the tow bolt and long rod.
How can I tell if my wheels on the car have anti-theft lugs? I think my salesman told me that they were on all of their cars. Looking at the lugs on my right front wheel, they all look the same. On the Acura MDX I traded in, one lug on each wheel had a lug requiring a key that fitted on the end of the lug wrench. And I supposed to have a key for my lugs? If not, and if these are anti-theft lugs, how in the world would an average tow truck or non-Mercedes dealer repair shop be able to change a flat on this car?
And what is that long metal rod?
Love the car, but this part is a mystery, and I don't see answers in the owner's manual. Thanks.

 

[Espresso machine]

What exactly should be in my spare tire compartment - or compartment where spare tire would normally be?
I have a 2015 GLA with run flats.
All I find in the spare tire compartment are the tow bolt and a long metal rod.
I find no jack, no lug wrench, no key for anti-theft lugs, no spray can to pump air into a flat. Is there anything missing or is this all that was supposed to come with the car? I.e., the tow bolt and long rod.
How can I tell if my wheels on the car have anti-theft lugs? I think my salesman told me that they were on all of their cars. Looking at the lugs on my right front wheel, they all look the same. On the Acura MDX I traded in, one lug on each wheel had a lug requiring a key that fitted on the end of the lug wrench. And I supposed to have a key for my lugs? If not, and if these are anti-theft lugs, how in the world would an average tow truck or non-Mercedes dealer repair shop be able to change a flat on this car?
And what is that long metal rod?
Love the car, but this part is a mystery, and I don't see answers in the owner's manual. Thanks.

Apart of the run flat tire theme, how does it feel having GLA in comparison with Acura MDX?

 

[bluemerc]

Let me try a long answer to your short but good question.
It's my wife's car, and it's brand new, but I have some thoughts.
The MDX AWD and our GLA 250 FWD are VERY different cars, apples and oranges. In actuality, the the GLA has more in common with my loaded 2015 Cherokee Limited.
Our Acura MDX was three and half years old with 38,000 miles on it. We got it for a bargain price because the model was just about to change substantially and it didn't have the tech package --- no nav, for example. It was a $40,000 plus car that we bought new for just over $35,000. We traded it in and got about $25,000 for it, a great deal based on the use we had gotten out of it and what we paid originally. AND we got a great deal on our new GLA, almost $4,000 off MSRP based, I think, on the facts that: it was the last new 2015 at the dealer, it is FWD and not AWD (4Matic), and it is a color that a fair number of people don't care for - Universe Blue, which we love.
Now the car to car comparison with the MDX:
Our MDX was primitive techwise as compared with our GLA, which has nav, blind spot monitor, etc.
The MDX feels/drives like a luxury SUV. The GLA feels/drives live a combination small sports car/sport wagon. It's a buzzy 4 cyl. that is fun to drive.
I just said that the MDX was a luxury SUV. Our GLA really feels like a luxury car apart from the small buzzy engine. The interior from the steering wheel on up feels and looks luxurious.
I am an old guy, not very bendable, and our MDX was very tough to get into --- the pillar for the windshield angle and where it met the roof line always seemed to get in the way of my head climbing in. The smaller Mercedes is much easier. (Although not the AMG version that I climbed into at the dealer; that was really a struggle to get into and out of -- something about the seats).
Lastly, I remain interested in getting an answer to my question about the contents of my GLA trunk. Is it really only supposed to have tow hook and a long rod in it? And what is that long rod? Thanks.

 

[Boxster986S]

I don't recall the long rod in my GLA250. It may be there. On the rest of your questions, there is no spare tire, jack or tire tool. For US spec cars with run flats there are no other emergency resolutions for a loss of air pressure. Without run flats I believe those cars come with a sealant and inflation kit.


If all of your lug bolt heads are the same (17mm hex) you do not have anti-theft lugs. With anti-theft lugs you have as you mentioned a 17mm hex with a pattern that fits the one odd lug on each wheel. I know this because I recently had a GLA loaner when my wife's GLK was in for service and found a box with the key and standard lugs in the glove compartment.

 

[SSBGLA45]

To illustrate what Boxster986S is noting>>

 

[bluemerc]

Thanks for the photo. Very nice of you. I don't have wife's my car here at the moment, but I took a close look at the lugs on her wheels, and they differ from this. All of the lugs on the wheel I looked at look the same as each other so far as I could see. None of them has the intricate key pattern like the one shown here on a single lug on the wheel, but all of them have a hollow center as opposed to a flat top center. Almost looks like you could turn them by fitting lug wrench INTO the center of the lug instead of over the top of the lug.

 

[Boxster986S]

Right, the standard lug bolts on GLA250 are depressed in the center, but would not advise trying to remove them that way. The outside hex requires a 17mm socket.

 

[bluemerc]

Got it. Very helpful answer. Looks like I have the standard lugs with no anti-theft lug and that a lug wrench for 17mm would be the right size. That just leaves the question of what the long straight rod in my trunk/wheel well is.

 

[SSBGLA45]

Does it look something like this>>>


When you say long…how long. Maybe a picture would help ID

 

[bluemerc]

Oh, no. Nothing like that. Doing from memory as my wife is out with car, but is longer and thinner. Maybe 2 1/2 ft. long or more and not much thicker than a fat pencil. Looks sort of like a strut to hold hood open. Or perhaps the rods you see some time that people turn to elevate a car jack; but those jack rods usually have big bends in them to assist with cranking them, and I don't recall that being in this thing.

 

[Espresso machine]

Having GLA 250 after the MDX

What exactly should be in my spare tire compartment - or compartment where spare tire would normally be?
I have a 2015 GLA with run flats.
All I find in the spare tire compartment are the tow bolt and a long metal rod.
I find no jack, no lug wrench, no key for anti-theft lugs, no spray can to pump air into a flat. Is there anything missing or is this all that was supposed to come with the car? I.e., the tow bolt and long rod.
How can I tell if my wheels on the car have anti-theft lugs? I think my salesman told me that they were on all of their cars. Looking at the lugs on my right front wheel, they all look the same. On the Acura MDX I traded in, one lug on each wheel had a lug requiring a key that fitted on the end of the lug wrench. And I supposed to have a key for my lugs? If not, and if these are anti-theft lugs, how in the world would an average tow truck or non-Mercedes dealer repair shop be able to change a flat on this car?
And what is that long metal rod?
Love the car, but this part is a mystery, and I don't see answers in the owner's manual. Thanks.

I hope you figured out how to deal with run flats change. My question is slightly different. How do you compare driving and having the GLA 250 with driving the MDX?