I didn't even know Pep Boys offered that kind of service. I just thought they were a chain store like Autozone only with a tire department.
Taking your Mercedes-Benz to a place like that for suspension work is risky. I've never been to one but it doesn't sound like a safe decision. Perhaps you'll luck out and God will miracle them into not screwing it all up, but I doubt it.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

Let me defend myself a little. The plan was to get a quick alignment before a long trip. Local Goodyear tire and alignment place $80. Bavarian (BMW and merc specalty indy. ) $110, pep boys $60.
Pep boys starts getting into it and says they cant go further cuz of worn bushings. They quote me $160 per side to do all of the bushings with an alignment included which sounds pretty good cuz I had a quote of $650 just for lower control arm bushings. Not sweating details like compressing springs or pressing out lower control arm bushings seemed worth throwing money at as cheap as I am.
I get $200 worth of parts from fast lane. Next day after dropping parts off at pep boys they call back and say they cant go further because of another worn part. I figure out that it is called the guide rod mount and bring them one from the dealer. Then we had several days of them not being able to get the old guide rod mount out.
I called a few minutes ago and they said that they had it out and work was plowing ahead.
We will see how it works out.

__________________
84 300SD 274K
38K miles on flatplate heat exchanger and various diesel/veg blends. prior to that 4K miles on unheated veggie blends with kero and DinoD.

Yeah but still. Everybody knows these cars need specialized attention. They are not engineered like other cars! That's elementary. I don't blame you for wanting to save a few bucks, but the only way to save a few bucks with a Mercedes is to do the work yourself. Otherwise it's bite the bullet.
It is absolutely critical that you take the car to a dealer or otherwise qualified independent mechanic to get the alignment done. There is a special spreader bar needed and the Pep Boys don't have it. Everybody on this forum knows this.
Just like somebody else posted earlier- prepare to fix it again, and prepare to pay more than you did the first time. Just about everything with the suspension requires a special MB tool. That's the price of good engineering. Old MBs may have a cheap cost of entry but the upkeep is a serious issue. If you can't deal with that then you need to stop pretending and get a cheaper car. I shudder to think about how many sweet MBs have been ruined by posers who want the prestige of The Star but can't afford the proper upkeep.

I do hope that when you get your car back that it isn't fuxxored beyond repair. Learn a lesson from this and take your maintenance more seriously. Guess that $60 turned in to a whole lot more eh? If you had taken it to the MB indy like you should have it probably wouldn't have inflated like that. Think about it.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

All the bushings up front on a W126 would be:
Upper control arms
Lower control arm bushings
Guide rod mount and bushing
Sway bar bushing
Guide rod subframe bushings

Also if you are rebuilding the front you should do:
Shocks
Brake lines
Calipers
Wheel bearings
Tie rods and drag link
Steering shock
idler arm

I would expect a complete front end rebuild to run about $1500, maybe more.

That $160 estimate is a joke that won't even cover upper control arms.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Hey,
I didn't know about the spreader bar.
In fact I thought it was possible to do a DIY alignment. I found this doing a quick search:
DIY.. front end alignment?

Of course I would never try this myself

Were all at different levels and for some people different jobs are easier than others that would be more difficult to others.
I think besides doing research on a particular project that we come here before we do anything and state out intentions. Because some things that seem perfectly logical to one person is totally rediculous to another.

For example. If Angst had come here and said "I'm planning to take my car to Pep Boys for an alignment, what do you all think?"
We would have slapped him silly. In a friendly way of course
And he would have wound up doing something different.

sometimes we learn our lessons the hard way.

Danny

__________________
1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

Well I got the car back tonight. After waiting in line behind two irate customers who had big problems with the Pep boys work I get to the counter. After I pay my $270. I go get in my car and there are all of my parts in the front seat I had left to be put on. Turns out they didnt even touch the left hand side of the car and on the right side they only did some of them. After a big rigoramore with the manager he said they are not going to do any more to the car.
I leave and immediatly upon starting to drive see that the alignment is just as off as when I brought it in.
Moral of the story is if I had known I would not have gone. So dont hang me out to dry just learn from my mistake. I was just out to get an alignment before a trip. My mentality is normally not to let anyone but me touch my car but the allure of having them do all of the bushings seemed like a big convience in a busy week and I was willing to pay for it.
Well of course I paid for it. $270 for their labor, heaps of trips to pep boys, trips to the dealersip for parts, several shipments from fast lane and literally hundereds of dollars of left over parts that wern't installed and the end result is still my front end is not aligned.
Don't worry I will kick my own ass.
Eric Z

__________________
84 300SD 274K
38K miles on flatplate heat exchanger and various diesel/veg blends. prior to that 4K miles on unheated veggie blends with kero and DinoD.

Sorry to hear that.

After wasting $270. for absolutely nothing, I'd take them to small claims court.

You only need to waste $15.00 (typically) to do it, and, you have the potential to collect $270. They did absolutely nothing proper to the vehicle and you can prove it.

Yes; an MB alignment requires special equipment.
Glad you found my DIY thread helpful, there is a better version http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W126GuideRod
I use a hydraulic press to remove and install the guide rod from the mount pod.
Yes, it comes out the back plate.
I can't believe they want to use a torch on aluminum steering parts; can we say """LAWSUIT"""...

Get your car away from them.
Tow it home or to the local MB dealer.
Do not pay more than half price for the incomplete job, tell them that you have found out that they do not have the tools or training to do the job correctly.

That's a good writeup Roy. BTW, you have a missing word in step 15.

Additionally, wouldn't it be advised to do the subframe bushings once you made all that effort to get the guide rod mount out of the vehicle?

sorry to hear that Eric. Well, chalk it up to experience. Now I wish I had told you what I REALLY think of them.

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

So nobody's had a positive experience with Pep Boys? Rotella on sale? I wouldn't take my car there, but I don't think it fare to condemn this individual for making a judgment based on economics. What gall! To imply that every technician at every Pep Boys is incompetent - - however possible - - does a great disservice to all automotive technicians. There are hacks everywhere. Everywhere. A lot of kids grow up with cars; grow up working on cars. Unless their dad owns a shop, the only place they may have the opportunity to gain experience, and possibly BE a Mercedes tech someday, is Pep Boys. Ever seen a nineteen-year-old tech at an MB dealership??????

If Pep Boys gets a Benz, their best wrench gets the car. If you're lucky, s/he will have a remotely good idea where to find the information s/he needs. Otherwise....

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with a chain store. If it makes you feel any better at all, it probably wasn't a party for the guy who tried to do the work. It seems unlike there was any malice intended.

Jay.

If you paid with a credit card you can try to dispute the charge with them. When you go to a get it aligned again, copy that work order with the numbers showing the alignment is out. Then send that in to the cedit card company with a copy of Pep Boys paperwork and a written statement of how you were charged for services not rendered.

__________________
Greg Schwall

1983 300SD - 465,000 miles

I went back in the morn and insisted that they get the alignment right since that was a line item on my bill. The tech messed with it a couple times and tested it a couple times. He switched the front tires and everything seemed to work out. It drives straight and doesnt pull. I inquired about switching steel belted to another side and they dismissed it.
So for now Im screwed but at least the car goes straight. I guess I can look at it as as paying $270 for the tie rod bushing and swing arm bushing replacement. I am the kind of guy to spend $2 chasing $1 on principal but I gotta let it ride. Hopefully some will learn from my mistake.
Eric Z

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84 300SD 274K
38K miles on flatplate heat exchanger and various diesel/veg blends. prior to that 4K miles on unheated veggie blends with kero and DinoD.

Suspension is nothing to skimp on. It would definitely be in your best interest to take the car to an independent shop and have the "work" evaluated. They will charge you for the time. To me, the $100, or whatever they charge you, will be worth the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing your wheel won't fall off at 80mph going hard through a corner on 101.

Jay.