I have signed the papers for a '98 E320 at a dealership. I complained
about the steering and road noise so they put on new front tires(Michlein MXV4 Energy, 32psi) and claimed that they
aligned the car. The car is smoother but still floats to the right slightly, and the
steering wheel appears to be turned slightly off center when going in a
straight line. I expect a car to hold a straight line for a good while
when you let go of the wheel. Is this not true for the E320? The
salesman claims the road is not level. I took my old car over the same
roads and it holds pretty straight. I still haven't given them the check
or taken possession of the car. They want me to take the car, and have
it looked at under the Starmark warranty next time I get it serviced. Am
I being too picky? I want to get the car, but figure my only leverage is
right now, before I pay them. Any advice or comments would be welcomed.
Thanks, GouxMan

Gouxman,
Search the shop forum archives for references to W210 alignment problems. I believe some of the topics were titled "E430 alignment woes" or something similar. You may also want to talk to MB DOC. I've driven W210's on street and track and (especially with Michelin tires) they have seemed among the most stable cars even among their own breed. I don't know if there is anything wrong with the car you describe. Perhaps new Michelin tires on all 4 corners? Mixing and matching tires can make for odd handling behaviors. As for the wheel/alignment issues...talk to MB DOC or Benzmac.

Hope this helps...Lee

I have previously posted the same problem. My 98 E430 has been aligned six times in 15k miles. I am tired of taking it in for alignments. It always floats to the right, never tracks straight on smooth level roads and the steering wheel is never on center. One mechanic at the dealer told me that all W210 tend to pull right and they have to "play" with the specifications to get it right. The toe-in is not correct and the tires outside edge is highly worn. I can tell that the front tires are toed-in just by looking at them from the front.

Indistinct steering, floats to the right...sounds familiar. Oh yeah, thats why I dumped my 97 E320! What a tiring car to drive long distances, always correcting the steering and fighting the tendency to "tramline" along every crack and groove in the road. I've heard this complaint enough to believe its inherent in the design.

With my 94 E500, even though it has bigger rubber, it drives straight and true so you can concentrate on going fast.

I don't think it is inherent to the design as I've driven many W210's that tracked quite straight/true. Though I will grant that there seem to be a bunch of W210's that are not. That same bunch also seems to be very tricky to get "back to good". The steering on the W210's is VERY boosted compared to the W124. Dean hit the nail on the head with the 500E/E500 tracking straight and feeling so much more stable. I do remember being able to position the wheel straight and take my hands off the wheel (not too far mind you) and the vehicle would track straight on both level roads and roads where there is a bit of a crown. Then again, the W210's have rack/pinion vs recirculating ball in the W124. Some of the difference is steering "feel".

Just my observations...Lee