A UK MB Owner needing expert help !
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Newbie
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6
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A UK MB Owner needing expert help !
Subject : Camber and Pull.
I have a 2001 C220 CDI Avangarde with a problem thats odd. It pulls to the left!!!!
Having had rear toe angle and tracking checked this problem still exists. Its a mild but irritating and somewhat dangerous problem when I take my hands off the wheel the car goes left.
I have rulled out radial run out after changing over and swapping tyres over....
Here are some ridiculous notions I have been told so far .. your comments please....
1. A Tyre Bay person
Nah mate crap tyres you want some good tyres on there mate thats whats causing the problem.
2. Another tyre person.
Well we can change the tyres if you have been advised but they are new, been balanced twice and swapped and I dont know if it will help much.
3. Most ridiculous head of service at an MB dealership
Well its characteristic of the C class , all mercedes are built to do this so that if you fall asleep at the wheel you wont drive into on coming traffic!!! You can drive any of our new ones and they will all do the same ( which I already did and they do not )
So I put it to the experts , you... here is my dilemma. My local dealer says odd things, and is reluctant to solve the problem, I am three months away from my end of 3 years MB warranty, and I want this sorted...
Can you help me ?
I have a 2001 C220 CDI Avangarde with a problem thats odd. It pulls to the left!!!!
Having had rear toe angle and tracking checked this problem still exists. Its a mild but irritating and somewhat dangerous problem when I take my hands off the wheel the car goes left.
I have rulled out radial run out after changing over and swapping tyres over....
Here are some ridiculous notions I have been told so far .. your comments please....
1. A Tyre Bay person
Nah mate crap tyres you want some good tyres on there mate thats whats causing the problem.
2. Another tyre person.
Well we can change the tyres if you have been advised but they are new, been balanced twice and swapped and I dont know if it will help much.
3. Most ridiculous head of service at an MB dealership
Well its characteristic of the C class , all mercedes are built to do this so that if you fall asleep at the wheel you wont drive into on coming traffic!!! You can drive any of our new ones and they will all do the same ( which I already did and they do not )
So I put it to the experts , you... here is my dilemma. My local dealer says odd things, and is reluctant to solve the problem, I am three months away from my end of 3 years MB warranty, and I want this sorted...
Can you help me ?
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 687
Likes: 1
C320 Coupe
I can tell you for sure it is not #3.
I will say my Michellin Pilot Sports that were originally on the car where very good tyres, but they trammelled from day one. This feels like the car is pulling, but the tire is following the road, even a smooth road. The Pirelli PZero Nero AS tires don't trammel on any road and the car has stopped pulling. Most roads in the US are crowned to the right, so the car pulled right unless the road was rutted deep enough, then sometimes it would pull left.
I will say my Michellin Pilot Sports that were originally on the car where very good tyres, but they trammelled from day one. This feels like the car is pulling, but the tire is following the road, even a smooth road. The Pirelli PZero Nero AS tires don't trammel on any road and the car has stopped pulling. Most roads in the US are crowned to the right, so the car pulled right unless the road was rutted deep enough, then sometimes it would pull left.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,211
Likes: 2
From: Laguna Niguel, CA
Most of our cars pull to the right in the U.S. That's because we drive on the right and the roads are crowned for drainage. I would assume the opposite is true in the U.K. as you drive on the side of the street that's not right, hence, the cars would tend to drift slightly to the non-right (left as you call it). A sharp person doing a wheel alignment knows this and can compensate for it but all roads have different degrees of crowning so it's a compromise.
If that's not it, it is possible you do have something wrong causing drag on one wheel. For example a bad wheel bearing, sticking brake caliper, bent spindle and you should lift the two front and then the two back wheels off the ground and spin them by hand to see if the resistance is the same....
Also, see if some of your mates in the UK can answer your questions - http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/index.php?
If that's not it, it is possible you do have something wrong causing drag on one wheel. For example a bad wheel bearing, sticking brake caliper, bent spindle and you should lift the two front and then the two back wheels off the ground and spin them by hand to see if the resistance is the same....
Also, see if some of your mates in the UK can answer your questions - http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/index.php?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,304
Likes: 0
From: Anaheim California
2001 C320ss, 2005 Ford F150 Supercrew, GSXR,
Originally Posted by zishan03
Your name does not match the way you replied you, deception!!!!!!
Just excuse him like we do 
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 678
Likes: 1
From: Vancouver WA
'14 GLK250 Diesel
Pulling
Our '02 C240 sedan had a pulling problem at delivery. The first attempt to fix it made it slightly better, and the tech showed me the numbers from the alignment rig that indeed indicated it was within spec. However, it was still not behaving properly [all MBs will track like a train if properly set up]. I asked the Service Mgr to put his best man on the case, and this guy solved the problem by resetting the CASTER so that one side has a bit less caster than the other. This is not a textbook solution, but works perfectly.
Caster is the angle, viewed from the side of the car, that defines the line from where the strut attaches to the chassis at the top, to where it meets the suspension at the bottom. A higher caster angle makes the car RESIST directional change; a lower caster angle makes the car easier to turn. Thus, he made one side just a bit more resistant to directional changes than the other, and voila, problem solved.
IF you can find an alignment tech with the proper equipment and enough real knowledge [as opposed to just doing it by the numbers] of suspensions to try this, then this technique is my first suggestion. This always assumes that everything else [tires, the rest of the alignment specs] is fully sorted. Let us know if this helps.
Caster is the angle, viewed from the side of the car, that defines the line from where the strut attaches to the chassis at the top, to where it meets the suspension at the bottom. A higher caster angle makes the car RESIST directional change; a lower caster angle makes the car easier to turn. Thus, he made one side just a bit more resistant to directional changes than the other, and voila, problem solved.
IF you can find an alignment tech with the proper equipment and enough real knowledge [as opposed to just doing it by the numbers] of suspensions to try this, then this technique is my first suggestion. This always assumes that everything else [tires, the rest of the alignment specs] is fully sorted. Let us know if this helps.
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