C 320-Sport

Hey I have a CLK 320 and my car too is pulling to the right. But ever since I put on my 19s my car's pull to the right seems to be much stronger than it was when I had the OEM rims. I just checked the tread on the tire on the front right and it seems to be lower than the tread on the front left tire. The decrease in tread is most significant on the right side of the right front tire. Anybody know if this issue is from the CLK or maybe an allignment issue or something else? I dont think its allignment because as soon as I put on my 19s I have noticed the larger pull to the right.
Have those who complained about the pull to the right, have your tread also decreased on the right tire? THanks.


p.s. I am afraid to take it to Mercedes because I know they are going to make up some excuse that my 19s are the cause of this and void my warranty or soemthing.

clk270

The nearside front tyre on mine (with factory sport 17" wheels) started to show some feathering on the outer edge after about 1000 miles, with 4500 miles on now the minor tread block groove on the pilot sports has gone leaving the deaper one on the outer tread blocks only. The inner edge on same tyre is like new. Ditto the offside one(except for some very minor feathering, again on the outer edge)

MB are checking it next week under warranty - last week they quoted me £225 (US$400) !!.
Local tyre depot quoted free laser check and £40 for any adjustment, but they did warn me there was no adjustment for castor/camber, and if it was out I would need modified bolts - looks like MB haven't kept this one very quiet in the UK at least.

Best bet is find someone to loan you the std wheels for the day - but if the suspensions been lowered then you've still got a problem - might be worth checking with Brabus agent if they have revised settings ??

C 320-Sport

nah I didnt touch the suspension yet. Has anybody yet had this problem?? or am I the only one?

RJC

I have the exact same wear as you describe on the front tires(also pilot sports) but my outer and inner edges are both equally worn on both fronts. I'm going to have the dealer and michelin authorized tire store check it out as well. I also have about 4500 miles. The rears have almost no wear at all. My car has a pull to the right to but if I drive on the opposite side of the road crown it pulls left as it should. according to Michelin's web site wear on both edges is due to under inflation, i checked my pressures cold this evening and they are under inflated 24 lbs cold in front when they should be 30lbs according to the label in the fuel filler door. The rears are also low 26lbs when they should be 33, but the are even, I guess it's because they don't turn like the fronts. I'm off the the air pump in the AM. Hope its not too late.

allenjdmb

my 208 CLK with 18" Brabus and H&R/Koni has a definite right pull. I've installed the MB bolt kit and had it realigned at the dealer...but it still feels funny and pulls right. I think that the tires may have worn strangely on the front--and I haven't tried moving/exchanging/putting back on the OE tires. I've got a feeling two new fronts would cure it, but am skeptical. Oh yeah, I'm using SO 3 PP. If I had it to do over again, I would buy the Pilots. Just seem to operate in more "harmony" with Benz cars than the Bridgestone. Also, my fronts were worn on the inside, indicating too much negative camber. I think the whole front end was just dancing on the inside of the tires, creating a bad situation and an uneven wear problem. Would be interested in anyuone else's problems on this subject, and BTW, 2 03 E500's I have had both had a nasty right pull. One was easily fixed, the other was not. And there is a campaign/bulletin on the W211 for ride height adjustment issues that also involves right pull. Hope this helps.

RJC

Update. after closer inspection the tread on the outer edge of the drivers side front tire is more worn than the psngr front and that is also worn, although the inner edges are also worn they are not as bad as the outer, this means I too have the alignment issue. I checked with my service rep and he informed me that there is a bulliten for the S, M and E Class to change the bolts etc but not for the 209 and they suggest an alignment which will be done this Friday @ N/C. Does anyone know for sure if w209 has a bulliten out for the bolts in the US? For those that have had the alignment done using stock wheels/tires, has it stopped the uneven wear?

Thanks

xquisit

Have any of you guys incur some cost for having the car realign or have some caster or watever installed

I have notice this thing for quite sometime but I have driven the car for 3000 something miles (damn should have read these feedback b4 buying the car), would it still be under warranty if I asked the dealer to fix it now?

xquisit

xquisit

Have any of you guys incur some cost for having the car realign or have some caster or watever installed

I have notice this thing for quite sometime but I have driven the car for 3000 something miles (damn should have read these feedback b4 buying the car), would it still be under warranty if I asked the dealer to fix it now?

xquisit

allenjdmb

I believe your service advisor is talking about the bulletin for the 211 that I mentioned above. Problem is the issues are the same for most of these cars, especially when larger wheels/tires or shorter springs are fitted. There is limited adjustment in the fronts of these cars, and no adjustment in the rear. The bolt kits help that, but are not a perfect fix. The 211 problem also involves some ride height/weight issues because of the airmatic suspension.
In regards to the other question above, MBUSA's policy regarding "adjustments" is generally 10k miles from new in the US. Not etched in stone, but if you ask nicely, you might get some help. Don't hold your breath.

RJC

The alignment is covered for 12 mo's or 12,000 miles in the US.

I had the alignment done on my 03 209 and it took care of the problem at least from the pull standpoint. I'll report back on Friday with the findings from the dealer.

Nebraska99

I went a few weeks ago for this issue. They told me the alignment was fine and switched the front tires. The issue is still there.

03CLK500

I had the same problem around 6,000 Miles with my Pilots, took my car to my dealer, after inspecting it they stated that the alignment was fine, and that it was tire wear. Around 11,000 it was pretty bad, so I took it in again, once again they said it was fine, and tire wear was extremly bad and that the tires should be replaced immediatly. After hearing this, and fighting with the dealer to have them replace the tires for me for no charge, they wouldn't do it. I wrote an email to MBUSA, and told them of the problem, it took them about two and a half months to respond with 'Please take your car in to have a detailed report created to mail to us.' So, the next week I went to my dealer to set up a service date, which none were available for a month and a half. The car is now around 16,000 miles when it goes in, once again, it comes out with 'Bad Tires, etc.' and now they wont replace them because they're 'overmiles', so I wrote again to MBUSA about how the problem was created and not solved way before tire warrenty ended, still no word from them. In the mean time however, I had to go out and spend 600$ for Pirelli Pzeros, which, I hope are alot better. At this point, I dont even want MB to give me a new set of Pilots, just pay for my new tires and I'll be happy. Oh well.

C 320-Sport

man this sucks, its only been 2000 miles and my toyos arei in really bad shape, the thing is i have to spend a lot of money replacing the tires and the problem wont even be fixed. I am going to go to mercedes in two weeks, hopefully they will help me out this time.

RJC

It's not the tires its the car...the alignment is off by a small bit and that's what is causing the outer shoulder wear. When will they finally fix this on the assmbly. line? Also be careful to keep enough air in the tires as I neglected this and both shoulder sides have worn , but the outer sides are much much worse.

One more thing...Mercedes Benz customer service sux donkey ***** But they sure are good at taking our money

inthemix

RJC,

Did you ever have a problem with pulling to the right with your 2004 CLK 500.

If so, did alignment fix it or did you have camber/caster kit installed?

RJC

inthemix

My 04 and the 03 pulled to the right. The 03 had an alignment done by the dealer early on and they scratched all 4 of my rims. That's why I've been waiting so long to bring in my 04 and hoped it wasn't going to wear the tires improperly...it did

My 99, 00 and 01 clk430's never once had a pull to the right issue, nor has any other new car I purchased recently. Something's wrong here and MB should do a recall or a full tsb across the model line. In addition they should be glady replacing tires where indicated. No wonder their initial quality ratings are sooo low:o

inthemix

RJC,

I will be taking my car in this Thursday for alignment (installation of camber/caster bolts if necessary).

Will let you know the results and any bull**** the dealership tries to sell me.

We are intelligent enough to make the type of income to afford these vehicles yet they feel that we are stupid enough to accept these "it's not the vehicle" excuses for this pulling issue. It's simple logic, physics and personal experience from observing this vehicle's behavior vs. other vehicles.

MB should really step up on this because it really puts the dealership in a difficult position of trying to protect the brand name yet treat the customer fair.

When will these corporations learn that honesty and a pro-active approach to addressing issues like these is the best way to secure and retain market share, and just plain good business ethics.

RJC

Well said

Nebraska99

Please keep us informed. My "front tire swap" didnt fix squat.

inthemix

Here are the results of my pull to the right problem:

- A four wheel alignment was performed. Car tracks the road very well now. Car does not pull on minor grades. Car still pulls on moderate to major grades but not as hard.

- The before and after settings on the camber/caster are the same. The settings are slightly out of tolerance.

- Right front tire with a bad radial pull was replaced under warranty.

- The before and after settings on the toe-in and toe-out are different and a couple of these settings are slightly out of tolerance.

Service technician said that these slightly out of tolerance settings should not impact tire wear.

I suspect that installation of camber/caster bolts would probably eliminate pull on moderate to major grades but I would rather not have that mod unless absolutely necessary.

At this juncture, I am pleased with the way it is now driving and will monitor the tires for wear.

xquisit

inthemix

how long does it take for the dealer to fix the problem?
I think my car has this problem too
but have been reluctant to take it to the dealer because
I only have one car and really need it, did you get a loaner car?

inthemix

I only had an alignment performed. Just took a few hours.

Contact your service advisor and see if you can agree on a day where you can bring it in and only have a short wait.

Otherwise, if your car is under warranty, they will provide you a free loaner if you cannot wait.