wvadam

Well I am reading over and over that our camber and caster are not adjustable without buying special hardware and it has got me thinking.

The last time I had an alignment done the service bill just said "toe adjusted" and it was the typical price of a fixed rate adjustment. The service for checking alignment here costs only 20 bucks without adjustments, and 100 for what they call a 4 wheel alignment. It almost seems dishonest to me that every place charges flat alignment rates of $100 like this when they can really only adjust the toe anyways (without buying camber bolts) When a lot of savvy people are adjusting their toe themselves within a tolerance acceptable for a car of this age. I realize I am talking to the specific people who do work on their cars themselves and I am saying 'acceptable' not perfect but is it really worth it paying for a professional alignment when in reality they are just adjusting the toe?

jkowtko

I believe the rear suspension on these cars have a toe adjustment as well. so technically it is a 4 wheel adjustment.

That being said, unless you hit a curb and really whacked your suspension out of alignment, and if your car drives relatively straight, then you probably can live with just a front toe check and you can do it youself with a tape measure and a couple of wrenches.

I stopped paying for alignments long ago. My tires wear very evenly and my cars steer very straight

SunnyRayToronto

If you notice car isn't going as straight as it should or see uneven tire wear then you should get a proper alignment. Mercedes should have their alignments done at MB dealership or MB indy that have specialized alignment equipment. MB Indy like McNally near Finch & Keele in North York.

C..Mr Amg

It makes sense to get it aligned...tire wear is affected as well..

jkowtko

you should put up a poll on this .... I know how I feel I wonder what the concensus is for the DIY community.

slammer111

I had the rear toe reduced to the low end of manufacturer specifications (-0.2 degrees on each side). That weird sideways skip when we go over bumps was drastically reduced. In theory one can get away with an even lower setting.

To adjust the rear toe, the mechanic needs a 12mm "triple square" socket. Why they didn't just use an external Torx or hex nut like everywhere else in the car is completely beyond me.

phister

With any suspension work you really should do an alignment imho. Why I have the lifetime alignment at Firestone plus they're one of two shops around that has an in ground alignment machine.