Does a wheel alignment really take 3.5 hours?
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 91
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From: England
E55 AMG Estate W210 1998
Does a wheel alignment really take 3.5 hours?
How long should a wheel alignment take please? I am about to have 4 new tyres fitted & have been quoted 3.5 hours just for the wheel alignment by a MB dealer
I realise the importance of good wheel alignment, particularly at high speed, however, does it really take that long to do?
I've had laser alignments done in the past elsewhere, for all 4 wheels on a M5 & I'm sure it took them half an hour.
Regards
Chris
I realise the importance of good wheel alignment, particularly at high speed, however, does it really take that long to do?
I've had laser alignments done in the past elsewhere, for all 4 wheels on a M5 & I'm sure it took them half an hour.
Regards
Chris
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jun 2007
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From: England
E55 AMG Estate W210 1998
Just had the wheel alignment done by my local tyre fitting company. They did a laser wheel alignment on all 4 wheels for £30. They did it in 20 minutes.
Memo to self : Do not use MB dealer for tyres etc.
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07 E63 06 CLK55 Cab 03 P-car C4S
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monowiper
yes it does take that long because they make little adjustments, test, adjustments, measure etc.
every time i took mine in they always took about 4 hrs total.
they don't charge by the hour on alignment though. $120 for the whole job.
every time i took mine in they always took about 4 hrs total.
they don't charge by the hour on alignment though. $120 for the whole job.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 91
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From: England
E55 AMG Estate W210 1998
I must say it doesn't feel 100% right. I might end up getting it done properly by MB after all! Mind you I'm still waiting for my 2 front tyres to be delivered, so that might be the problem.
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You are all being ripped right off , Tracking on any car does not change , only if there is chassis/suspension damage through an accident or Kerbing , the thing to check is the rear control arm bushes on these cars , these wear and cause rear end steering on and of the throttle, simple to replace and not expensive to buy . All these tyre centers want to check your tracking and say it wants adjustment , have them adjust it and go to another and they will most likely want to do the same . i have been in the game a long time . If your geometry is out 99% of the time its bushing wear , adjustment is not the answer . PS if you know your car and its not been in an accident or kerbed heavily , check bushing not adjustment . PS I have had a e300 TD estate for 4 and a half years , once it is right it should stay right . Dont let them have your money ! !
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Out Of Control!!
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From: around the world
monowiper
You are all being ripped right off , Tracking on any car does not change , only if there is chassis/suspension damage through an accident or Kerbing , the thing to check is the rear control arm bushes on these cars , these wear and cause rear end steering on and of the throttle, simple to replace and not expensive to buy . All these tyre centers want to check your tracking and say it wants adjustment , have them adjust it and go to another and they will most likely want to do the same . i have been in the game a long time . If your geometry is out 99% of the time its bushing wear , adjustment is not the answer . PS if you know your car and its not been in an accident or kerbed heavily , check bushing not adjustment . PS I have had a e300 TD estate for 4 and a half years , once it is right it should stay right . Dont let them have your money ! !
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Joined: Jul 2022
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BMW
Did you notice a shift in how your car handles? You could probably use a wheel alignment. Before you clear your Saturday, you probably wonder, “how long does a tire alignment take?” Don’t worry since a good mechanic can do it in one hour.
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From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
After 100,000 miles or so the bushings and ball joints will begin to show signs of wear and will greatly affect your alignment. The car will align on a rack under static conditions except under dynamic road conditions the front and possibly the rear suspension settings are flopping around very widely. You may wish to invest in a refresh of the front suspension and possibly the rear. Be advised that the right rear tire will always wear on the inside first. This is because without a limited slip differential the right rear tire will spin first and that will wear the right rear tire first. My solution is to swap the right rear and left rear tires side to side every 4 to 5,000 miles. Welcome to the joys of earning a Mercedes!
Last edited by bbirdwell; Aug 9, 2022 at 04:33 PM.
Member
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2017 C300
After 100,000 miles or so the bushings and ball joints will begin to show signs of wear and will greatly affect your alignment. The car will align on a rack under static conditions except under dynamic road conditions the front and possibly the rear suspension settings are flopping around very widely. You may wish to invest in a refresh of the front suspension and possibly the rear. Be advised that the right rear tire will always wear on the inside first. This is because without a limited slip differential the right rear tire will spin first and that will wear the right rear tire first. My solution is to swap the right rear and left rear tires side to side every 4 to 5,000 miles. Welcome to the joys of earning a Mercedes!
After 12k miles, I am seeing more wear on the right rear tire when compared to the left rear.
I had my Mercedes indy check the suspension on all four corners and he said they are in excellent condition. I have an appointment to get a 4 wheel alignment soon, but I suspect that my alignment is OK. Last time I did an alignment was about a year ago at the dealer and I drive very carefully.
Any thoughts on my situation?
I posted the pictures here: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...12k-miles.html
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Joined: May 2021
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From: North of Houston, Texas
2013 CL 63, 2002 E 55, 04 Jaguar XJ8, 66 Jaguar XKE
Right rear will usually wear faster than the left. In an open differential car it is where the power is going most of the time and therefore wears that tire more quickly. Unless one rotates the tires, which E55 cannot as they are a staggered arrangement, one will get the wear on that side. If it is wearing evenly over the surface of the tire, it is probably not an alignment issue.
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Joined: Aug 2021
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2017 C300
Right rear will usually wear faster than the left. In an open differential car it is where the power is going most of the time and therefore wears that tire more quickly. Unless one rotates the tires, which E55 cannot as they are a staggered arrangement, one will get the wear on that side. If it is wearing evenly over the surface of the tire, it is probably not an alignment issue.
Also, I was thinking about rotating the rear tires left to right, but I've never seen it recommended. So it is interesting to see that recommendation on this thread.
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From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
How much more wear should the rear right tire have under normal conditions (assuming good alignment and suspension componens)? 2/32"?
Also, I was thinking about rotating the rear tires left to right, but I've never seen it recommended. So it is interesting to see that recommendation on this thread.
Also, I was thinking about rotating the rear tires left to right, but I've never seen it recommended. So it is interesting to see that recommendation on this thread.
Your circus, your monkeys. At approximately $440 for two rear tires, it is worth it for me to sacrifice 15-20 minutes every few months...
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,702
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Mercedes-Benz CLK 550
High cambered roads also significant cause of premature inner edge wear and early replacement of right hand tires.
TODAY'S AUTOS BECAUSE OF COST CUTTING & EVER INCREASING SPEED OF AUTO ASSEMBLY LINES THERE IS NO LONGER ADJUSTMENT OF CAMBER & CASTER.
The often quoted reassuring "Full Front & Rear '4' Wheel Alignment" in fact reality is it is only Toe (directional) adjustment.
No essential / critical Camber or Caster allowing to adjust tire contact angles / spread load more evenly.
Catering for other then showroom height conditions - along with high cambered roads, altered height through load carrying or lowering leading to frustration of owners going from one dealer or align shop to the next.
Realising that Camber angle cannot be adjusted then going down the path of constantly changing tire brands looking as a solution for longer lasting tire compounds!
With KMAC FIT IT RIGHT THE 1st. TIME.
W210
Front Camber #502116-1G $345 Less then cost of 1 hi-performance tire.
Camber & Caster #502116K $480
W210 (4 MATIC)
Front Camber #502416-1G $345
Camber & Caster #502416K $480
REAR (ALL Models)
Camber (& extra Toe) #502026H $320
Delivery Worldwide $40 one kit $60 F/R
AUDI to VOLVO - KMAC Experience Of Resolving OEM Suspension Shortcomings Since 1964!
TODAY'S AUTOS BECAUSE OF COST CUTTING & EVER INCREASING SPEED OF AUTO ASSEMBLY LINES THERE IS NO LONGER ADJUSTMENT OF CAMBER & CASTER.
The often quoted reassuring "Full Front & Rear '4' Wheel Alignment" in fact reality is it is only Toe (directional) adjustment.
No essential / critical Camber or Caster allowing to adjust tire contact angles / spread load more evenly.
Catering for other then showroom height conditions - along with high cambered roads, altered height through load carrying or lowering leading to frustration of owners going from one dealer or align shop to the next.
Realising that Camber angle cannot be adjusted then going down the path of constantly changing tire brands looking as a solution for longer lasting tire compounds!
With KMAC FIT IT RIGHT THE 1st. TIME.
W210
Front Camber #502116-1G $345 Less then cost of 1 hi-performance tire.
Camber & Caster #502116K $480
W210 (4 MATIC)
Front Camber #502416-1G $345
Camber & Caster #502416K $480
REAR (ALL Models)
Camber (& extra Toe) #502026H $320
Delivery Worldwide $40 one kit $60 F/R
AUDI to VOLVO - KMAC Experience Of Resolving OEM Suspension Shortcomings Since 1964!
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Joined: Apr 2013
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Mercedes-Benz CLK 550
That's right - no essential Camber adjustment allowing to “adjust tire contact angles”, spread load more evenly.
All to do with cost cutting and ever increasing speed of assembly lines.
(New car industry's best kept secret).
To the frustration of owners having to now prematurely purchase of replacement tires.
WE SAW THE NEED TO THEREFORE REINSTATE ONCE AGAIN ADJUSTMENT FOR OTHER THEN SHOWROOM HEIGHT CONDITIONS. Day to day commuting encountering high cambered roads with excess passenger side edge wear. Along with altered height / wheel squat through load carrying or lowering. Or just having ongoing adjustment capability for curb knock damage.
REAR KIT for all W210 #502026H $320 (Camber and extra Toe adjustment).
FRONT KIT #502116K $480 (Camber and Caster)
................. #502116-1i $345 (Camber Only)
Plus W210 4MATIC Front #502416L $480 (Camber and Caster)
...................................#502216-1i $345 (Camber Only)
Both Front & Rear kits can be fitted without arm removal (bush extraction tools included).
Unique patented design allows precise single wrench adjustment (accurately - direct on alignment rack under load).
AUDI to VOLVO - KMAC Experience Of Resolving OEM Suspension Shortcomings Since 1964
Last edited by K-Mac; Nov 1, 2022 at 07:04 PM.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 63
Likes: 9
From: Waco Texas
1999 E300
Take your car to Firestone and get the lifetime alignment, it costs around $180.
It’s funny that I just got this email this morning and I’m at Firestone getting an alignment recheck.
Yesterday, I replaced the front lower control arm bushings, so I want to make sure the alignment is still good. Every time I change a suspension part, I get an alignment for free. Especially if you want to lower it, the alignment will need to be adjusted.
Good luck
It’s funny that I just got this email this morning and I’m at Firestone getting an alignment recheck.
Yesterday, I replaced the front lower control arm bushings, so I want to make sure the alignment is still good. Every time I change a suspension part, I get an alignment for free. Especially if you want to lower it, the alignment will need to be adjusted.
Good luck
