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I had my 2012 W-212 4Matic at the dealer for the steering gear bolt recall. When the dealer returned the car to me I was advised to get an alignment. I didn't do that immediately but I did notice that the driver front wheel rubbed when turned to the full right lock position. The car never did that before. I attributed it to now needing an alignment because of the recall work. I finally got the alignment and it still rubs. Has anyone else experienced this?
When that service campaign (not a recall, iirc) was performed just before I took possession of my car, the steering bolts were replaced and a basic alignment was performed. For free. I'd have a chat with your service advisor and remind them that it was their work that necessitated the (included with the campaign) alignment.
Someone here will likely post up the campaign literature for ya to "remind" the SA of their duty.
When that service campaign (not a recall, iirc) was performed just before I took possession of my car, the steering bolts were replaced and a basic alignment was performed. For free. I'd have a chat with your service advisor and remind them that it was their work that necessitated the (included with the campaign) alignment.
Someone here will likely post up the campaign literature for ya to "remind" the SA of their duty.
Yes, I agree that if they determine an alignment is needed, the dealer should perform it. How else do they determine if the bolt replacement didn't cause an alignment problem?
All that said, I'm not sure how a repair to the steering rack (inside the wheel well liners) can result in a rub at the wheels?
Added thought: How did whoever did the alignment not notice and address the wheel rubbing?
Do you have OEM size tires or have you bumped up a notch or two in height or width?
All fair points raised above but I didn’t go back to the dealer right away because I was going to replace my struts and shocks. (Bilstiens all around, thanks FCP Euro). I picked up the car from getting an alignment this afternoon. The left front appears to be fine both before and after the alignment but it still rubs. The tires are stock sized (245/40/18) Pirellis so I doubt they are the problem.
2020 GLS450 / 2024 Ford Bronco / (former) W212 4-matic 350 sport package
I ran into the bolt/alignment scenario last week while hunting the droning noise issue. While
the dealer had it, they said a recall was active for the steering rack bolts and took care of it. The work order indicated an alignment. But when I picked up the car, the steering wheel was off center by ¼ inch. As someone who doesn’t have a lot of faith in a MB dealership, I had my indi do it a few days later while back to start pulling wheel bearings and so on.
I think the dealer aligned the front only, leaving the back way out of whack with the rear of the car. Indi fixed it up and straight as an arrow.
no rubbing for me, and should not be for you either. Only think I could think of that would cause it as a direct link to the bolt replacement is the bolts aren’t tight enough and the rack is moving with the steering?
I’ll check the wheel liner this AM but I don’t think that’s it. It’s not making any noise and I believe it would make some if rubbing against the wheel liner. When I turn the steering wheel all the way to the right, it feels like the tire is hitting some thing and then the tire pushes its way past whatever is causing interference.
If it were me, having the recall performed and then having the dealer tell me to have an alignment done at my expense, I would have not signed off on paperwork. If a MB fault necessitating work was completed, but in turn required more work, it's on them. And further if said work caused additional issues (rubbing) I'd firmly and politely explain that the situation needs to be resolved at MBUSA/dealer expense and ask for a loaner as needed. That just seems so odd to me.
I have had a drooping wheel liner in the front before and unfortunately I hit the highway at speed and it literally tore itself in half and I ran over it. It's worth it to check closely.
I’ll check the wheel liner this AM but I don’t think that’s it. It’s not making any noise and I believe it would make some if rubbing against the wheel liner. When I turn the steering wheel all the way to the right, it feels like the tire is hitting some thing and then the tire pushes its way past whatever is causing interference.
That may change everything. If the steering rack is binding somewhere you won't see that as a tire rubbing but you'll sure feel it. So... Can you actually SEE where the tire might be rubbing against something? It'll be the fender liner or tie rod or... something visible. If you jack up the front of the car and turn the steering stop to stop is the feeling still there?
I jacked up the car and inspected the wheel well. The wheel well liner was secure. I did not have time to pull the wheel but will do that tomorrow morning. With the wheels off the ground, there was still interference when turning to the right lock.Thank you all for the replies and guidance.
'Edited to add: I rotated the tires this AM and didn't see anything obvious on the suspension. There was a faint "clean" area on the lower control arm that could have been a rub mark but it wasn't significant. Glad I took the opportunity to rotate the tires because 1) my rear AMG valve stem caps were gone (loss of at least 10hp), and 2) a wheel lock lug bolt was missing. Yep, one wheel only had 4 bolts. I had my rear tires replaced last weekend.
If it were me, having the recall performed and then having the dealer tell me to have an alignment done at my expense, I would have not signed off on paperwork. If a MB fault necessitating work was completed, but in turn required more work, it's on them. And further if said work caused additional issues (rubbing) I'd firmly and politely explain that the situation needs to be resolved at MBUSA/dealer expense and ask for a loaner as needed. That just seems so odd to me.
Perhaps but the fault didn't become apparent until well after I left the dealership and the wheel rubbing/interference problem seems to be unrelated to the alignment. I included what the dealer said for completeness, not causation. My apologies if that is unclear. Nothing has changed, I will still address the issue with the dealership. No worries.
It's fixed! My local dealership (The Woodlands, TX) is great to work with. I took the vehicle in this morning and their head mechanic got in the car to observe the problem. His initial assessment? "That ain't right." LOL. The fix? It needed a software update. There was no physical interference with the wheel.. The resistance was within the steering mechanism.
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7. Perform wheel alignment check and carry out toe adjustment.
8. Reset the learned values for the electric power steering with XENTRY Diagnosis.
I am curious if the head techy said "Software Update" because this recall is about corrosion of the aluminum bolts only .
The service writer said software update. I should have read the invoice. The tech reset the steering zero point. I read that as something different than resetting learned values. Either way, it’s fixed, my car got a wash, and I had a cup of coffee.
04-01-2021, 06:52 PM
