jjrho

hi, my s500S has a abnl tire wear/out side tread wear...
i usually get my alignments done at local tire shops but Is there anything i should know about alignments with regards to w220s?
i buy the lifetime alignment so i can go back every 6 months or so...

any particularities in terms of technical issues that i should tell these guys to be aware of ?

as soon as it's done, kumho ecsta asxs are going on !

thank god for tire rack....

j.rho
01 s500S
95 nsx
02 sc430
01 yukon XL

pointman

just curious, who offers lifetime alignments? may i ask how much? thanks

jjrho

yeah, here is calif, discount tire offers it.... i pay a bit more, 50% more or sometimes double.... but as long as you own the car, you can go back and do the alignment as often as you need to.

they are figuring you'll buy tires, oil changes, etc. but i buy tires from T Rack and bring 'em in for them to put on and do oil changes at home or with jiffy lube guys who 'takes care ' of me... i give 'em $20. on weekend mornings and they give me M1 oil.... i take my all other cars but do the S class at home myself with the suction cannister..... pre' simple and costco has M1 oil for cheap. yeah, it's not the european weight but it makes minimal difference for a calif. car !

j.rho

pointman

damn i got to move out to cali just for the alignments.

DMI+RY

pointman

point?

Mercedes Tuner

The dealer is the best place to have a W220 alignment done.

Depending on which options you have, Airmatic Suspension or ABC Suspension. If the ride height is off, only the dealer can check that and calibrate it, since outside shops do not have the correct equipment.

Then there are the alignment correction bolts. W220's don't come with any adjustments except front and rear toe. There are correction bolts which can be installed in the front lower control arms to change the alignment if necessary.

If you are wearing your tires on the outer edges, either you have too much positive camber on that wheel, which could mean you may have bent suspension components from a possible impact with a curb/pothole, something else, or its possible that the vehicle ride height could be off from side to side and cause more negative camber on one side of the vehicle, and more positive camber on the other side which can cause the same problem. Or the vehicle has too much toe in, however this would effect both tires on the same axle equally.

W220's also have an option for Distronic, which is the adaptive cruise control system. If you have this, only the dealer can perform a wheel alignment and adjust distronic. If a wheel alignment is done on these vehicles and the distronic unit is not adjusted during that procedure, it can result in very serious safety issues, if distronic were to be used while not adjusted correctly.

jahummer

Paid $388.00 at dealer.

Incendiary

Every 6 months? Is that how often you're supposed to get your alignment checked? I heard every 6 mo or 6000 miles for tire balancing, but not wheel alignments...

Mercedes Tuner

It's recommended that you have your vehicles alignment checked once a year.

pointman

your a mb tuner? may i ask the name of your business?

Mercedes Tuner

I'm a tech at a MB dealer and do some side work for Eurotek Designs. www.eurotekdesigns.com along with some other work out of my house.

DMI+RY

Depends on the mb tuner you use.
Some may recommend allignment once a week

pointman

that was a question for "mercedes Tuner" about his handle.

pointman

ahh, i see, very cool.

314mercedes

my car 2000 S500 call for 255/35/20 frnts , 275/30/20 rears if i want to put these on, as aftermarket....the original size is 225/60/16.. my cruise control shuts down if i try to hold it at 75mph