akbro93704

I have 350 miles on my C300, and I've noticed since brand new that the steering wheel is always cocked to the left slightly. Should I take it to the dealer to get an alignment check? Or is this "normal"?

Oh Cool

That's not normal take it back to the Dealer immediately.

wingless

It is very easy to correct, by adjusting a link.

Even with the 12 o'clock position off, the alignment may be dead-on.

amdeutsch

Unless the roads you drive on are crowned badly. Then you will notice a slight shift.

jrct9454

Yeah, take it in for an alignment.

Funny thing is that this used to be a real bugaboo with MB - for awhile there, every MB we took delivery of had the steering wheel off center, and I always noted this on our acceptance test and made sure they fixed it either before delivery or shortly thereafter. The '08 C300 Lux is the first MB we've had in twenty years that didn't need an alignment for one problem or another right from the get-go.

I can remember standing at the end of the Sindelfingen production line in the mid '80s watching cars roll off, and at least one in three had the wheel off center to one degree or another.

Anyway, it's easy to fix....drives me crazy, so I wouldn't wait.

narky

What to do when an alignment doesn't solve the issue?

alexyanglaw

Check your tire pressure, maybe one of the tire have different psi than others.

akbro93704

I'm taking it in tomorrow anyways because I can't be heard on my end when I'm using bluetooth. And yes, the tire pressures are all correct and both front's are equal PSI's. So annoying to be driving with an off center steering wheel!

jrct9454

Narky, this can ALWAYS be fixed - ALWAYS. The reason is that centering the steering wheel is the easiest thing you can do on the alignment rack - just use the lock bar to hold the steering wheel in place, and adjust the steering arms until you get it right. This is unrelated to the various other alignment maladies that are harder to deal with.

However, that reminds me that I wanted to find out whether you had followed up on any of the suggestions you got for other shops to take your car to fix your pulling problem. Any progress reports?

narky

I've been pretty busy at work, so I haven't been able to take the car anywhere to fix it. I'm just waiting for a week/day to open up... ack. This off-center steering wheel is driving me nuts. I'm glad to hear that it's an easy fix though. I really hope so.

I've had two alignments done on this car already to fix it, both to no avail. Should I still ask for another, third alignment when I go into the next shop? Or should I ask them to look at other components in the car? Remember, I did get into an accident, so things might be bent up here and there. Anything specific I should ask them to take a look at and/or replace with new parts? TIA!

jrct9454

My advice is to try the shop that was recommended on the other thread. Give them a complete and exhaustive rundown on ALL the symptoms you're experiencing [I thought it was just pulling, but now you're saying the wheel is cockeyed, as well], and that you want the steering dead center and the car tracking straight.

If there is something bent that needs to be fixed to make the above happen, a good shop will find that and tell you.

Incidentally, the things we are talking about here would drive me crazy in a week - I simply cannot abide a car that doesn't move straight down the road with the wheel in the center position. I can assure you that the technology exists to make this happen.

And as a postscript, if Walnut Creek gave the car back to you with the steering wheel off center after they claimed they did a complete alignment, that is the final straw - these people are worse nimcompoops than even I remember. I won't bore you with my personal experiences at their service dept, but it was not pretty.

akbro93704

Just an update, I took my car to the dealer yesterday, of course they couldn't detect that the steering wheel was off center. So today I took it to an alignment shop, they said the toe was slightly off on one side, so they adjusted it very slightly because they didnt want to screw with a brand new MB. But, that didnt solve anything, its still as cockeyed as ever.

So I'm taking my car to the dealer tomorrow again, and I'm going to show them EXACTLY what I'm taking about and that I expect it to be FIXED this time.

This car drives PERFECTLY, one of the most solid, stable and refined cars I've ever driven. This one little problem just annoys me to no end and definitely detracts from the driving experience....

tanktube67

depend how crooked it is, the car was design for flat streets, the Germans don't have crowned streets

dalazernet

You know what -- I've noticed this a tad bit with my car. I was going nuts with my steering wheel having to be turned slightly to the right while driving on Rt 80, or Rt 46 here in Jersey, but then I got off on some side roads and discovered that I could drive it with the wheel just about straight and it seemed to be just fine! Although, I still think the steering wheel may need a slight adjustment, but I guess I just never paid enough attention to notice if my last car did this or not.

On a side note -- my car went an entire day without any funky suspension/brake noises - go figure... I have an appointment on monday to be the boy that cried wolf. The place this car ALWAYS made those noises was in the parking garage when I go to class on saturdays, so this week (before my appointment) I'm taking my video camera with me and am recording my driving through the garage complete with sounds so that I can play it back for them on monday. Here's hoping!

Sorry for the slight off-topic...

wingless

It is a simple fix to adjust the 12 o'clock steering wheel position.

If the vehicle has two adjustable tie rod ends, rotate both the same number of turns, the same direction, until the steering wheel is at 12 o'clock. If only one tie rod end is adjustable, then rotate the drag link until the steering wheel is aligned.

These adjustments do NOT affect the alignment and only fix this problem.

jrct9454

Wingless, above, has said it, and I will repeat for the third time that fixing an off-center steering wheel is the most basic thing an alignment tech can do, and it is easy.

I am positively floored by the level of **** that seems to be out there these days - no, German roads are not different from American roads, and no, Mercedes steering wheels are not supposed to be off-center and no, the car is not supposed to wander to one side or the other, etc, ad nauseum.

The tech should put an adjustable rod that holds the steering wheel in the center position, which is braced against the front seat back to hold it in place; then he/she should go to the alignment screen and adjust the steering links [and yes, toe-in/out] until everything lines up. This is called Alignment 101 where I came from....If the tech is not using the locking rod before trying to change anything, then of course the steering wheel will still be cockeyed. This is as basic as it gets. [Or someone can sit in the driver's seat and hold the steering wheel in the center position while the tech works under the car - but the rod has been std equipment in every shop I've ever visited.]

I should also say that I insist on talking to the technician who is actually going to do the work - any service dept that won't let me do that doesn't get my business. Then there should be no doubt in anyone's mind what needs to be done.

narky

I think I'm gonna ask to do this at the next shop I visit. That way I'll know and can watch what the hell they're doing. Grrrrrrr. Maybe next week I can find the time somehow...

One more question: I feel a difference in steering feel. It's easier to turn left than it is to turn right. Feels kinda lighter, if that makes sense? What could be the cause of this? It's quite disconcerting when I have to make some quick maneuvers, and I have to do so not too infrequently, thanks to idiot drivers/pedestrians/bicyclers in my area.

Thanks much for the repeated and continued help.

akbro93704

My car is currently at the dealer again, and I rode in my car with the shop foreman driving and he definitely noticed the wacky steering wheel. He did come to realize that the alignment is fine, its just the steering wheel if off center. So I'm hoping and praying it's fixed when I get it back today!!

and Narky--- I have noticed it on my car too, that it seems easier to turn it left that right. Very slightly, but noticeable.

narky

Did you SA say what may be wrong, or what adjustment may fix the problem with the steering feel? My SA and technician kept (multiple visits/rides) saying, "Oh, that's normal. M-B doesn't even fix things like that." So I switched dealers.

akbro93704

Well finally, my dealer fixed it! The alignment was fine, but the steering rack was off center. So they recentered the steering rack and now it tracks perfectly. How many miles are on your car and how long have you had it? Mine obviously was covered under warranty, but I believe alignment it covered for 1 year/12k miles, from what I remember.

jrct9454

Well, I'm happy to hear that rationality has prevailed for at least one of you, anyway.

Narky, keep us informed as your situation changes....

dalazernet

Could it be that your right hand is stronger than your left? I have no idea how that could happen but perhaps this explains it?

- Eric

narky

I have a manual transmission, so during much of local driving, only my left hand steers the car.

Of course, both hands are firmly planted on the wheel while at high speeds, and most definitely during all highway driving.

I still haven't been able to go somewhere to fix this stupid steering problem. I just gotta find a day................. annoying the #$%@ out of me though.

The Mercster

I have the same issue. The steering wheel was pointing at a 1 o'clock whilst going straight. I was so obvious from the star badge on the steering wheel, not pointing dead 12 o'clock. So took it to the dealer, and they said that if it's the steering wheel mis-aligned to the chassis, then it's covered under warranty. But if it turned out that the wheel geometry () was out, this would not be covered under warranty as it is most likely caused by hitting a pothole or curb etc etc etc. In that case it would cost £300/$600 to fix. Luckily for me, it was the former and they fixed it. However, since having it back, I now feel that it's pulling in the other direction.. They are now saying that the chassis and steering is as aligned as can be, but I may have to pay the $600 to get them to check and fix the geometry. They may well be right, given the number of potholes and the general state of the roads in the UK. But I would have thought that a Benz can take those knocks without costing the owner $600 to fix.

melbourne tim

Hey I've got the same problem. My car is brand new (got it last week) and right from the start the steering wheel is very slightly turned to the right when going straight ahead. Interestingly my wife's CLK has the same problem also from the start. We never bothered to get it corrected... it was extremely slight and hardly noticeable. There is no pulling to the side and handling and steering feels right. But now I will take it in next time and get it centred correctly.