Took my airmatic W211 to get a 4 wheel alignment at an INDY. Was told they could not do rear suspension, not having the right tool. Tech showed me the bolt for which they did not have tool. I'm pointing to it with a white arrow. Looks like a torx 45 and a 21mm wrench. Are they 2 tools in one? I did not think these were specialized Benz tools. Any ideas?

 

My indie shop also cannot do an alignment on my two Mercedes. Neither can my tire dealer. I just take them to my dealer. Usually cost about 120.00 for a 4 wheel alignment at my dealer.

 

Rear camber is not adjustable. The arrow in your picture points to the toe adjustment. Place 21mm box-end wrench on 12-point hex head to keep it from moving, use Torx bit to loosen the lock bolt (that's what it is). The 12-point hex-head is an eccentric cam that, when rotated, moves the toe arm in or out.

Once toe is set, keep the box-end wrench on the hex-head bolt so it does not move, use the Torx bit to tighten the lock bolt.

FWIW, I had to remove the exhaust hanger on the rear and in front of the rear axles so I could drop the exhaust far enough to get a Torx bit and ratchet in there.

 

After holding our W211 wagon (rear air) for 4 days - doing alignment only MB of Oakland still gave it back to us with 3 adjustment in red zone giving me BS about worn bushings.
Having 2 reports, look to me that adding minutes to degrees is not strong point even with high-tech technicians.
Isn't the camber adjusted by changing the car level?

 

"Isn't the camber adjusted by changing the car level? "
No.
As the car's height changes, the camber changes with it (i.e., as height decreases, camber goes more negative ). At a specified height, the camber should be of value "x" degrees +/- an acceptable error range. One can raise or lower the car to adjust camber but if is not in the acceptable range for that height, one must adjust or replace parts.


And the "worn bushings" sounds correct. Very little adjustment in the stock suspension. As the rubber bushings collapse with time, all you can do is replace the bushings. If in the rear, you can use SPC adjustable bushings or make your own adjustable camber bar to buy you a few years before having to replace everything. In the front, "eccentric" bolts will buy you a bit of time but eventually you'll need to replace the bushings and/or control arms.


There is KMac but their stuff is very pricey; I have a set I plan to install this month with some trepidation. I'll be posting on my experiences with them after the installation.

 

Lucky me I never had to do extensive work on MB suspension, but noticed on few cars already that when MB sedans wear out inner tire edges due to negative camber, their 4WD siblings make perfect tire wear, while sitting about 1" higher.
There MUST be something to it?

 

Outstanding information!!!

 

As for the Torx 45, is it a regular torx bit? I saw a Schwaben set selling for $35. Wondering if that is what I need.

http://schwabentools.com/site/index....s-1254-m10-m16

 

It is a standard Torx, not a security Torx. FWIW, it is worth every penny to get all the Torx sizes in standard and security flavors.

Also, in the small sizes, there are 5-point and six-point. I discovered this when I removed the mirrors from my car to install new gaskets. Buy a set of each in small size just in case.

 

The pictures don't show for me anymore.
Additional question. Is anyone having toe chart for those cars?
As mentioned above, I had pretty bad experience with our 4M getting alignment at dealer.
Few thousands miles later I noticed uneven tire wear and having oldfashion toe scale in the garage measured pretty negative toe on 4M that I am trying to adjust to tolerance I got on dealer's sheet.
Now we have other RWD car and the toe is 4 degree. This car has uneven wear as well and I know 4 degrees is on high side. I would like to adjust it, but what are recommendations?

 

Front: 0.03 to 0.13 degrees
Rear: 0.05 to 0.29 degrees

The above is for each individual wheel, not total. Rear wheel drive: Sedan/Estate AMG Models with Air Suspension Europe/USA (Code 489). E class 2003-09 Sedan, 2004-09 Wagon.

 

Thanks bb. Just confirm this is for RWD?
I have toe listed in this range for 4M and RWD usually have bigger.
Regardless -looks like with 4 degrees I am way over.