I love my 2012 E350 sedan. But about 6,000 t o8,000 miles ago I started noticing that the car is pulling to the left. At first I thought it was in my mind or that I typically drive in the left lane which has a grade in South Carolina to direct stormwater towards the median. Anyway, I had the car aligned by my Indy shop and it continues to pull to the left. Got out yesterday and the light hit my tire at just the right angle with dirty tires and I can see the outer edge wearing at a faster pace. Does anyone have a suggestion aside from alignment as to what this could be? I feel like I have done the logical thing by getting it aligned (and only toe was slightly out of spec). It's weird that it just developed a pull to the left and I want to get it corrected.

 

Take it back and have them do it again. Probably some worn suspension component which they didn't notice but they're suppose to check all that. Wear items would be spring, strut, ball joint, tie rod, etc.

 

Agreed. If they did not provide it to you, demand the alignment printout which shows the before and after values. With that in hand, you will be able to tell if they really adjusted anything during the alignment. You would be surprised - I have busted a couple of shops that charged me with a stone face and when I saw the report, the values were identical, meaning they did not adjust anything whatsoever. If you are satisfied that they aligned it within specs, then there's definitely a worn or damaged suspension component. Have them re-check it and if they insist nothing is wrong, it's time to look for another shop.

Finally, if your tire is already showing signs of uneven wear, that might be what's causing the pull - you might be better off trying a fresh set of rubber.
[EDIT] A cheap way to check for this is to swap the 2 front tires. If it stops pulling or starts pulling to the right, It's definitely time to change them. Best to do both tires at the same time.

Hope you get it resolved - keep us posted.

 

Do need to point out - Dealer has nothing to adjust.

Other than front and rear Toe (directional) adjustment !

OEM there is no front Caster adjustment needed to correctly resolve steering pull.

No front or rear Camber adjustment allowing to adjust tire contact angles to compensate for obvious signs of excess edge tire wear.

Owners further frustrated by being advised (because of broad alignment parameters) “is within specs”.

Its all to do with cost savings and ever increasing speed of assembly lines.

We saw the need therefore to re-instate from the early 90’s once again full alignment capability.

Front Camber and Caster. Rear Camber (and extra Toe).

Bolt-on, precisely adjustable (accurately under load, direct on alignment rack).

Catering for other than “showroom height” conditions - day to day commuting encountering high cambered roads, wheel squat through
load carrying or lowering, fitting wide profile tires/wheels, curb knock damage etc..



W 212/S E200-500, E63, E65 AMG

Front Camber & Caster kit #502916K $480
Rear Camber (& extra Toe) kit. #502226K $480

Rear uprated bushings for the 6 multi link rear arms - less twice, flex loss of traction. Especially when applying power to lane change/overtake. # 502628K $480

Note: For Performance/Track Days also manufactured Front replacement top strut mounts (coil spring models). Precisely Camber & Caster adjustable (from engine bay).
Additional 3 degrees Negative Camber, 1.5 Positive.

Stage 2 (Street/Race) #502916-2L $545 Pair
Stage 3 (Full Race) #502916-3L $545 Pair

Delivery $40 one kit ($20 each additional).

PayPal, Visa or M/Card

 

Stupid I am sure, but check tire pressure. When my drivers tire is low...it pulls. That said, review the print out that shows before and after to see the situation.

 

I had a 2012 W212 e350 and around 80k miles i had the same issue. the dealer told me the suspension parts needed to be replaced because the car was very heavy and over time the parts actually bend - so it cant be brought back into specs and this was with new properly inflated tires. so it was more than just struts / springs / coils. i ended up getting rid of it around 90k. the list of items was starting to grow and I estimated $3k - $4k to fix everything...i was getting tired of steering away from the pull!! when i would go on trips and rent cars i was like this is amazing it steers straight!!

 

Outer edge wear? That’s strange. What are camber and toe settings?