pbsry

The alignment report in question


I had to replace my steering inner/outer tie-rod assembly due to normal wear. I eyeballed it, and then took it to the local dealer for a 4-wheel alignment (Had a coupon...why not). I'm typically a DIYer, so I'm not accustomed to dealing with Mercedes dealer service departments. Looking at the report, I hope the community might make a comment.

1.) The car still doesn't feel...right. If there's any bank to the road or a strong wind, I have to counter steer to compensate far more than I would expect. Note that those expectations were set by my previous car, a '00 E320 (W210), which has a very different steering setup (rack and pinion vs. pitman arm on the W208) Also, the car feels...loose? Not sure how to describe it, except that it's like the top sways side to side too easy. I just replace the front sway bar bushings, and it feels tight when at rest, but driving on the interstate it doesn't seem as "calm" as I expect.

2.) I'm not sure what's up with the "Front axle vehicle level ready for driving" being manually entered, or being so far off / not in the same units as the spec. Is that just a measurement of the front-to-back angle of the car?

3.) I asked about the rear toe, and was told "it was too rusty to adjust". Fair enough. I've never really heard much about rear toe-in effects....could that be contributing to the "twitchyness"?

This car is nearly old enough to vote, so my expectations aren't huge, but it didn't feel like the attention to detail I would have expected. My service manager could explain nothing, and getting any further answers was an exercise in futility.

P.s. Final price was $205 after coupon and $45 of "shop" expenses. Is that normal for an alignment?

2MERKS

Seems that the price is dependent on locale and shops hrs, best to always get a pics quote from shop before work is paid.
Best,
2merks