Alignment can't be done?
 

The front and rear tires on my '85 300TD (wagon) have been wearing more on the inner side. So, I take it in for an alignment. The dealer says that I need the front end rebuilt. They don't want to do an alignment as "it will make no difference until the front is rebuilt." The dealer charges $55 for an estimate. I get the $55 back if I have them do the work.

The car drives fine except for the uneven tire wear.

Is this normal dealer behavior?

Does their explanation make sense?

Is there a way for me to inspect the front end to see if a rebuild is needed? Is it just parts wearing out?

I got the same thing from my local dealer. It was explained that to warranty their work, they need to have acceptable, to them, parts on the car.
You can inspect for obvious wear at all rubber parts, bushings, ball joint boots. That may or may not indicate a problem.
I took my car to Sears, they have a laser set up, no problem.

Yes, that is normal behavior for most dealerships. The dealership refused to align my wagon until it got new ball joints.

My local dealer handed me an estimate for $5500 for a partial front end rebuild, but did the alignment. The service manager didn't even know what one of the items they wanted to replace was, he just said it was a superspecial part they had to order from Germany. I figured out from his description that it was guide rods and mounts. Still haven't done the work, its now 6 months later, and the car has a nasty vibration that makes the whole front end skip up and down, until you hit a pothole in the road.

So, hitting potholes helps?

If you have parts worn beyond their service limit, no alignment place will align it without replacing the bad parts.

Its not just a dealer thing.

Tom W

On the front tires, inner wear is often caused by sagging upper control arm bushings, which results in negative camber. Replacing the upper control arms is a fairly easy job.

The quick and easy check is look at the rubber boots on all ball joints connections, ie;upper and lower on the steering knuckle, tie rod ends, break support rod end etc. If a boot is torn or missing then dirt gets in there and grinds the joint and the grease gets washed out.
This is not the perfect way to check but it is a good start.
Also try shaking everthing you can grab under the car to see if anything feels loose and look at all bushings for worn or missing rubber.

Let's hope so.

This is the most honest evaluation of wheel alignment you'll ever get.

MOST of the time, wheel alignment is a ripoff.

It's patently impossible that a car needs wheel alignment if it was done correctly the last time unless something is bent or worn out.

It's patently impossible, then, to perform wheel alignment--when it's truly needed--without replacing parts. Anyone doing anything different is ripping you off.

This is why it's so silly to have a wheel alignment done anywhere except the dealer, because you can take to the bank an independent shop doesn't stock Mercedes parts.

Sorry, but parts don't just "move" out of alignment and then stay in that position. If they've moved out of alignment they have either been bent--and you had an accident and you should remember it--or they are now loose and you can likely feel it and perhaps hear it. Changes in feel are subtle and occur over time, of course, so you perhaps don't always feel it.

And, you cannot "adjust" for worn or bent parts. It's a ridiculous concept.

Thats because you probably do need a front end rebuild, at 223k miles its certainly time.

I just had the dealer alighn my car, asked them how the front end looks they said fine nice and tight. But I have replaced a ton of stuff up their.

You have obviously never compared an old rubber bushing to a new one. If the vehicle's alignment never needs to be adjusted except by replacing parts, perhaps you could explain why it is adjustable?

Can he just replace bad bushings and rubber parts or is that not an option?

Sure, thats pretty much with a front end rebuild is, except for a couple of ball joints, and tie rod ends.

This kind of work is all labor, if you DIY you can probably replace everything and bring it back to new for under $500.