Gatorgreen
 

I had a similar type of tire wear on a chevy pickup. Cause was pulling into a parking space with the tires turned hard right or left and bumping into the cement curbing which knocked the alignment out causing excessive tire wear.

Sounds like a sales pitch to me. If this was a problem, I think that it would have been discussed on this forum multiple times. I've never heard anyone mention it in the almost eleven years that I've been here.

Many years ago up north I brought my car in for an oil change. The guy writing out the bill told me that my tires needed to be replaced. I told him that they only had about 20,000 on them and he said that that was all they were supposed to be good for. I found my paperwork and found that they had a 40,000 mile guarantee. The guy then tells me that they won't pass inspection. (All cars must have a yearly safety inspection in Massachusetts). I paid for the oil change and left.
Several months later the car passed the inspection. I asked the inspector how the tires are and he said they were fine with plenty of life left.

It's not just tire business. There are unscrupulous people in every business.

I have not had any issue with our cars tire wear. Tire pressure, regular rotation (about 5,00 mi.) and alignment checks make a huge difference.

Many Things To Consider
 

The Mercedes ML is a heavy vehicle, 6400 + pounds, with a high percentage of that weight in the front. It was available as both 2 wheel and all-wheel drive. If yours is a 2 wheel drive, the front tires will wear faster when compared to the all-wheel model.

Regular balancing, rotation, and the occasional check of the alignment are essential to getting good milage out of a set of tires. At 100K miles, your shock absorbers and bushings may need replacing, certainly the shocks. Proper inflation is essential and having low pressure in the front tires is certain to result in premature wear and an early replacement.

Finally, the Michelin Premier LTX has some unusual features. It was designed to provide a comfortable ride with good performance in the rain and short stopping distances, all while providing 60K mile of service. These things are difficult to combine in a single tire and it is likely that strict adherence to proper inflation, rotation etc is more important than with more ordinary designs.

Finally, the Premier LTX has an unusual and interesting feature in its tread design. As the tire wears, the primary grooves become wider and additional grooves open up. In this manner, the LTX maintains its performance in the rain and in stopping distance instead of suffering lesser performance. In fact, verified tests have shown that the LTX's performance is better as it wears and these additional grooves open. Thus, there is at least a chance, though unlikely, that the person who inspected your tires did not know the features of the LTX and misinterpreted what she observed as excessive wear.

Most likely, the tires did wear prematurely due to improper inflation, lack of rotation etc. The good news is that the LTX has a 60K mileage guarantee and you should get some help when buying new tires.

There is a wear rating code associated with each tire. They are just like the speed rating code letter. You can pick out high mileage tires on line - and then shop locally.

You said she needed to add air to your tires. There is the real problem, low air equals need to buy tires early. I know we don’t want to, but tires should be checked and inflated to correct pressure monthly. Yes monthly. We don’t want to do it but alas, that is what is procedure. I’m pretty good at checking them, but sometimes I let it slip too. It’s amazing after just 6 or 7weeks my tires can be as much as 5 lbs low. In practice I usually add 1 or 2 lbs every month or two depending on weather. Amount of miles driven seems to have little to do with it..