gman.too

Greetings, great forum. Wish I found this MB Forum before my purchase.
I can use the forum's help and expertise.
I recently purchased a 2001 S430. Three questions I cannot find a satisfactory answer.
1) My right passenger wiper tip is missing. Does the entire wiper need to be replace or the tip can be replace? How does it remove? It is the T shape end wiper.
2) I was told Mercedes Benz dealer could only handle the front wheel or 4-wheel alignment. Can another alignment shop perform this service? Is it the equipment?
3) When my tires wear to replacement, I may replace the standard 7.5j x 16” wheels. I do not want to replace with staggered wheels. Should I replace all 4 with 17” or 18” wheels so I can rotate? Should the wheels be 8” or 8.5” wide? Is there a range of offset for the wheels I can install? The vehicle does not have an AMG body kit.

I’m eyeing AMG type wheels.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jayhawk

Welcome to the forum! As for your questions:

1. I don't know but would have your dealer replace them. MB has excellent blades and yours probably have not been replaced recently. They are really a safety item and I wouldn't mess w/ trying to fix part or all of them myself.

2. That's crazy. Your dealer should be able to handle all alignment issues, but maybe I am misunderstanding your question.

3. I would definetly go to 18" AMG wheels and high preformance tires. I have my original 16" wheels mounted w/ Micheline X-Ice winter tires (don't know what your weather is like though) and 18" double-spoke AMG wheels w/ Goodyear Eagle F1 tires for summer (staggared). If, for some reason, you feel you have to rotate, and don't want to staggar, you could probably go the same all around. I would recommend that you post this question on The Tire Rack part of this forum and ask Luke for help. He helped me w/ my setup, and I have been very happy w/ it. Specifically, here's what I run:

225/60QR-16 Michelin X-Ice
18x8.5 AMG Double Spoke Bright Sil
18x9 AMG Double Spoke Bright Sil
245/45WR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 XL
275/40YR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3

Good luck, and welcome again!

gman.too

1) The wipers are new, I guess the tip was defective or improperly installed. I will discuss with the MBZ dealer.
2) Sorry I wasn't clear, wrote the questions late at night. I was told that the dealer is the only ones that have the expensive equipment to handle the wheel alignments at $300 to $400 charge. Any truth to this or can I use a reputable alignment shop. I have the air suspension.
3) I will post with Tire Rack on this forum, thanks.

Jayhawk

1. My Operator's Manual suggests letting the dealer do wiper replacement, but they do give some info on replacing them, in general. It does not mention "the tip" though.
2. I haven't heard that but would not be surprised because of the Airmatic suspension.
3. Good!

This online interactive operator's manual for the S-class might be of use:
http://www4.mercedes-benz.com/e/cars...detail15a.html

enter

kind of offtopic, but what does staggered/rotate setup mean for wheels?

Jayhawk

You will probably get a much better explanation on The Tire Rack forum or by doing a quick search of this site, but basically staggered tires/wheels are slightly larger in the rear. This gives much better traction, handling, ride, reduces over-steer, etc. And w/ this differential fitment setup, you can see why tire rotation is not possible or practical. (The tires are not only staggared but directional.)

My setup for example is:
18x8.5 AMG Double Spoke Bright Sil, front
18x9 AMG Double Spoke Bright Sil, back
245/45WR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 XL, front, and
275/40YR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, back.

enter

oh cool thanks bud!...so its not the rim being a larger size...its just a wider rear wheel?..can u explain the last part again, i didnt really understand it?

and why wouldnt/cant the orginal poster have a staggered setup?

thanks!

srknutson

Why do you think you need your car aligned? Is it recommended by the owners manual, or are your tires wearing uneven?

sprink49

OK....here's the deal...what Jayhawk has done (and what I will probably do) is use the AMG double spoke rims in 18" diameter x 8.5" rim width on the front and 18" x 9" rim width on the rear. This set up is what is referred to as "staggered". That's because of the different rim width front vs. rear. This offers advantages for ride and handling but does not allow front to rear rotation because you would not run wider on the front than on the rear....plus it would look goofy...sort of like wearing your pants backwards.

If you go for the AMG rims 18" x 8.5" at all four positions you could rotate front to rear. This will help even the tire wear but you would loose a bit of handling in extreem situations.

In Jayhawk's situation he's not running his best tires year round 'cause of his climate so his "show off" rims and tires get a break during the winter. The ability to rotate is not as big a deal to him. In my case...I will not need winter tires so rotation is a consideration for me.

I hope this ramble helps you some.

Jayhawk

Thank you! That was very good. I hope it helps our confused friend.

P.S. To further confuse the matter, enter asked if "...its not the rim being a larger size..." By size I'm sure he meant diameter. And I need to point out that my OEM wheels were only 16" whereas my AMG, "show off" wheels, are 18" so they are larger. But w/ regard to the "show offs," the front and rear are BOTH 18" diameter, but the width is a 1/2" wider in the rear. I won't even ask if that helps.

enter

lol thanks guys, i understand now!....ya when i said larger i meant diameter size...lol im such a newb when it comes down to this...

i have another question though, what are offsets?

i ask this because im planning on getting 19 x 8.5 and 19 x 9.5 for the front and rear respectively and frmo my searches the term 'offset' keeps coming up..

basically, i jsut want to know if i buy this set up, if it will fit directory onto my w220 without any modifactions/complications..

thanks again fellas!

Jayhawk

Sorry enter but you are going to have to go to The Tire Rack forum here to get that answer, unless someone on this thread has the answer for you. I don't know from "ofsets."

sprink49

OK...when you leave the world of OEM wheels (Original Equipment Manufacture) you do need to seek the advice of a pro with regard to offsets. The offset or backset not only affects fitment but also can have a great affect on handling and suspension component wear as well as wheel bearing stress. The Tire Rack guys live and breath this stuff and "know it like the back of their hands". They will treat you right.

Skylaw

I had my '00 aligned at a plain vanilla tire shop when I put Michelins on it. The biggest problem was that the shop wasn't sure they had the proper specs loaded onto their computer. Cost for a thrust alignment was about $75; I had them do it because I knew I had bad alignment (the wear pattern on the old tires) and faced a long drive.

Upon return, the dealer checked my alignment - again, around $75. The alignment done by the plain vanilla shop was dead on.

These were 1-time alignments, not "lifetime" arrangements. $300-400 sounds way excessive to me for a 1-time, but if the price includes alignment and balancing for multiple visits, it may not be too bad.

gman.too

1) I discussed the wiper problem with MBZ Dealer in Oakland, CA. Wow, what customer service and product support. Was given a free wiper replacement. Need more companies that think this way.
2) Response to srknutson, I purchased the used 2001 S430 with brand new tires, steering wheel is about 1" off center. As precaution and before a long trip I better have alignment check, otherwise I will ruin the new tires. Plenty of pot holes in CA Bay Area after raining the entire month of March.

Jayhawk, thanks for the S-Class manual link, very helpful.

sprink49, thanks for the help with "enter". I'm leaning toward the 18" x 8.5" for all four. S430 belongs to the wife, she lets me drive it occassionally, so the "extreme situations" will not happen (hope not). Cousin attempted to sell me his 20" chrome flashy rims this weekend. Wow, very flashy, but not our taste. LOL!

Skylaw, thanks for your feedback. I will call the MBZ dealer for a quote and/or appointment. Somehow I get the feeling I will get hosed for this alignment in CA.

Great forum, thanks to all of you.