front camber bolt kit from mb dealer?
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Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Lone Star State
06 CTT-S
front camber bolt kit from mb dealer?
previous visit to the dealer (6 mos back), the SA suggested that since my car is lowered, it needs front camber bolt kit (charge for parts and install at $98) and then alignment. i didn't do that until a came back a few weeks for service. The SA was gone (moved?) and so another one helped me out.
now, this new SA said that the car is too low they cannot load it to their alignment machine so they can't do the (install) bolt kit and alignment. I asked if I can just purchase the kit, the service dept guy showed me a part ($28/each x 2) but he said it's the OEM bolt kit.
question is:
this is not the bolt kit i need to make the camber close to factory setting now that the car is lowered, correct?
i find KMAC camber bolt kit but it's a bit pricey.. any options?
now, this new SA said that the car is too low they cannot load it to their alignment machine so they can't do the (install) bolt kit and alignment. I asked if I can just purchase the kit, the service dept guy showed me a part ($28/each x 2) but he said it's the OEM bolt kit.
question is:
this is not the bolt kit i need to make the camber close to factory setting now that the car is lowered, correct?
i find KMAC camber bolt kit but it's a bit pricey.. any options?
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Joined: Feb 2010
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2012 C63;1971 280SE 3.5(Sold);2023 EQS 450 SUV 4 Matic (Wife's)
Is your car driving fine? Does it pull to the right? If not then you may as well leave it the way it is. Lots of guys lower their cars and get away without any issues. If you are one of them count your blessings.
I got a similar story from my dealer about doing an alignment but they did change their rack so that they could do my car. The alignment rack is set up for quick set up and a lowered car car requires they change it to a more manual set up that takes more time. They probably did not want to mess with it for your car. Alignments are generally flat rate and they would lose time doing yours so you lose. Anyway their alignment did not fix my issues so it was a total waste of time and money and I had to listen to their whinny bs about my tires being bad and radial pull. They either don't know how to fix a pull or don't want to spend too much time and not get paid for it. I got the sob story but it was obvious the tech was being paid flat rate and didn't want to get short changed.
I have K-Mac bushings front and rear. They are pricy but a lot cheaper than Renntech. They also come with some of their own issues. When I left the alignment place (non MB) the other day it felt perfect for the first time (since I lowered it on H&R springs) and yet today it feels a little off. I could drive straight and let the wheel go and it would track straight. Now not so much but better than before. I think our cars, when lowered, are particularly sensitive to any road crown, left or right. I guess I am still trying to work my way through it. 5 alignments (2MB, 3 indie) and counting.
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
I got a similar story from my dealer about doing an alignment but they did change their rack so that they could do my car. The alignment rack is set up for quick set up and a lowered car car requires they change it to a more manual set up that takes more time. They probably did not want to mess with it for your car. Alignments are generally flat rate and they would lose time doing yours so you lose. Anyway their alignment did not fix my issues so it was a total waste of time and money and I had to listen to their whinny bs about my tires being bad and radial pull. They either don't know how to fix a pull or don't want to spend too much time and not get paid for it. I got the sob story but it was obvious the tech was being paid flat rate and didn't want to get short changed.
I have K-Mac bushings front and rear. They are pricy but a lot cheaper than Renntech. They also come with some of their own issues. When I left the alignment place (non MB) the other day it felt perfect for the first time (since I lowered it on H&R springs) and yet today it feels a little off. I could drive straight and let the wheel go and it would track straight. Now not so much but better than before. I think our cars, when lowered, are particularly sensitive to any road crown, left or right. I guess I am still trying to work my way through it. 5 alignments (2MB, 3 indie) and counting.
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
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From: San Diego/San Francisco
AMG GLC63. Audi R8
Get the camber aka crash bolts. Two on each front side. Makes aligning a lowered car much easier. Also consider an adjustable upper control arm to take up too much negative camber in the rear.
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Mercedes-Benz CLK 550
Keep in mind the crash bolts are not precise. They provide one only position of adjustment and this is a miniscule 3mm (1/8 of an inch).
This is all that dealers and alignment shops have to work with to adjust both Camber and Caster on the front suspension.
It's no wonder that many owners go onto complaining that alignment problems are not resolved. They still have premature inner edge wear or steering pull!
Till the mid 90's majority of new cars had built in facilities with at least 3 times the crash bolt adjustment range and also importantly being able to precisely adjust both the Camber and Caster settings.
But with the ever increasing speed of assembly lines and cost cutting only current adjustment is front and rear Toe.
At K-MAC we saw the need therefore as in the 1990's, to provide once again adequate and precisely adjustable kits allowing continuous, ongoing adjustment to be able to return vehicles to factory specs after curb knock damage, altering height, load carrying, fitting wide profile tires/rims, steering pull.
The K-MAC patented designs provide up to 4 times the adjustment range of the one position crash bolts and are bolt on, with no modifications and no special tools required.
For the rear - instead of "adjustable upper arms" which to resolve premature inner edge tire wear have the design disadvantage of moving the top of tire outwards thereby reducing all important tire clearance to the outer fender. While the K-MAC patented design precisely adjustable Camber kit moves the lower arm inwards. Also kit includes extra Toe adjustment to compensate for the new Camber facility.
