I hope all indies aren't like this
 

Sorry, just had to vent. I recently did an engine swap. An OM617.952 into my 1981 240D. I have been doing alot of little detail stuff and now I'm redoing the front suspension. New ball joints, upper control arms, guide rod bushings, tie rods, all wear items. All I need someone else to do is an alignment.
There is an indie shop down the street from my work. All they work on is MBZ's. I called the guy to ask him about doing the alignment. He proceeded to tell me about all the front suspension components that could be bad. I told him i was replacing all those items. He asked who was doing it, I told him I was doing the work. It was like he went into pissy mode.
"Well, my alignment machine is down right now". So I asked him if he would recommened another shop, and he tells me Tire Kingdom.

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure Tire Kingdom does a good job on most cars, but I had a bad experience on one of my MBs I had done there.

Ok, I'm off the soapbox now.

I was under the impression that it's best to have alignments done at the dealership only.

I feel you though, my luck with indies in my area has been moderately satisfactory at best.

Atleast at my dealership they treat me with some respect. They used to be an indie and are now official merc dealership. Small minded people tend to run small minded businesses......

He got pissy because he just saw his potential for $$$$$$ flying out the door.
Someone who knows the car inside and out??? blasphemy:eek:

Find another shop. Even if its the dealer. Here in the DFW area we have a few indies. I like Zims, A German indie. The dealer is good but only one or two mechanics can work on my car. We have a shop, Loeffler's, the dealer is usually cheaper and I don't like the attitude. May be very good. But I just have not had them do any work.
Firestone here in Grapevine does my alignment. Life time for $139.99. They have one mechanic who is very good. He is the only one who will do Mercedes and the 65 Mustang.
So look for another indie or check Firestone.

Dave

I've only taken my car to my local indie once but I'm very impressed with him. He's known my dad for a while and always gives me a good deal. He worked at the local dealership for about fifteen years so he knows my model extremely well.

I have been in this shop before just to BS. You could eat off the floor in that place. They solely work on MBs and all years. I 'm sure it was just as dmorrison said. He got upset because he wasn't going to make a shop lease payment off me. I always do all my own work, but I have no way to do a real alignment. Maybe time to build a bigger barn to fit a rack in.:D :D

I get around that problem by just asking for a quote on the alignment, and just let them run through thier speech. I do not tell them I replaced or am going to replace anything. That comes up when they try to say something is faulty, when I know it's a new part.

Alignments, like safety inspections, are loss leaders or work generators for most shops, especially when the car owner's know little or nothing about their cars.

Most of the time people have alignments done when they notice something is wrong, like the car pulls or a tire is worn unevenly.

So the first thing the shop will say is "before we can even do an alignment the car will need XXX" with XXX being ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings...etc.

Before you know it the $79-$119 alignment has turned into $1000-$2000 worth of work. He knew you weren't going to be a good candidate for the big upsell and the alignment itself doesn't generate enough profit on its own so the machine suddenly went "down" - OK, you learned a lesson. This shop only wants to work on your car when they can sell you something profitable...they are not interested in doing what you want done.

Find another shop who is willing to do just what you want done. The dealership is probably a good place to start - they won't turn you away and say the machine is down...just don't disclose as much information as you did to the indy when you call to make the appointment.

I am totally unconvinced of that notion. What is it about a MB front suspension that makes it so special?

Just curious as to wether or not Firestone would really be a good idea. I have one near my place and they have done quite a bit of work for me in the past. Seem to be a pretty good outfit. Anyway the manager there who used to work for an MB BMW indie was telling me the other day that the cant do alignments on Mercedes without some special tool. Is that correct and is that why folks generally recommend the dealer?

- Peter.

There is a "spreader bar" that is to be used during the alignment.

What feature of a MB suspension makes this necessary?

MB does not supply toe in specifications like your average Ford or Chevy.

They have to load the suspension and use the spreader bar to simulate driving conditions.
Only that way can the yget it right.

When the tech did my alignment I watched him( he let me in the garage)..

The bar puts IIRC 28lbs of pressure on the wheels..

I would only take my car to the dealer for the alignment.. Get it done right the first time .. plus you get to play with all the new cars..

I went to Central Florida Eurocars.. I recommend them for work on the W123.. They had no issue with my alignment or pressing my balljoint into the spindle

Why? The toe is adjusted just like a Ford. What is it about the MB suspension that is different?