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#1
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Can an alignment be done as a DIY?
I have a W124, 1991 300d, needs an alignment. Now that I have a hydraulic jack, I didn't know if it was even possible to do an alignment by yourself. I think a shop would charge about $80.
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#2
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$75 or so is about right for the shop rate these days.
Do you have a Bear or Hunter machine or access to one? I can't imagine how you could get it done right without the proper equipment, you need the camber and toe in just right. (But that's only *my* opinion. If you can save money on repairs or maintenance by doing it yourself, fine, but I wouldn't think this is a good area for you to try to do it)
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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ... 1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold) 2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp 1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k 2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold) |
#3
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I would not recomend trying to align the car yourself. Getting alignments spot on is as much an art as it is a science. Guys who have been aligning cars for 20 years will know All the in's and out's, what works best for your driving style etc..
Do some research and find the shop w/ the guy who's been on the alignment rack the longest. Jonathan
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Blue Ridge Mercedes Jonathan Hodgman http://www.blueridgemb.com/ Enthusiast Service, Restoration & Tuning. Follow Us on Facebook! Located in the Atlanta area Specializing in all pre and post merger AMG's including Hammers and DOHC M117 engines. Mercedes Repair Atlanta |
#4
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Well, it is possible to do tie rods without getting an alignment, if the car was in alignment before. I replaced mine and measured very, very carefully when replacing. I took it to an alignment shop anyway, the car was in their computer, the mechanic was amazed how easy it was (he was worried that it was an MB), and I was "off" - by less than 1/2 of a turn of a nut.
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86 560SL With homebrew first gear start! 85 380SL Daily Driver Project http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm |
#5
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Answer:
wheel alignment DIY
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/134630-wheel-alignment-diy.html#post988903 54 Pontiac DIY Wheel Alignment http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54pontiac/alignment.html Everything Auto http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/article.asp?article_id=60130 http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ab_tires/article/0,2021,DIY_13697_2271482,00.html http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wheel+alignment+DIY+&btnG=Google+Search Have a great day.
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ASE Master Mechanic asemastermechanic@juno.com Prototype R&D/testing: Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician. Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Dynamometer. Heat exchanger durability. HV-A/C Climate Control. Vehicle build. Fleet Durability Technical Quality Auditor. Automotive Technical Writer 1985 300SD 1983 300D 1984 190D 2003 Volvo V70 2002 Honda Civic https://www.boldegoist.com/ |
#6
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I don't know what the hydraulic jack has to do with it since the alignment needs to be done with the wheels on the ground.
Technically you can do an alignment but you will have to get/make specials tools and it will take quite a bit of very "picky" work. Toe-in is the easiest and I have done it a couple of times. As stated below, if changing parts you can take measurements before and get it real close. Also I have even "eyeballed" toe-in before and gotten pretty close. With toe in there is the issue of the "spreader bar". Caster and camber get trickier. Probably not worth doing unless you are really interested in taking the time to figure it out!! Mike
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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine) 1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow) Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra |
#7
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Old School Method
I don't know the difference between toe-in or camber. Nor do I have a clue how to do an alignment, but I used to watch an old man align front ends with a 2X4, a length of staging twine, and a framing square, in my boyhood hometown. People came from all over for his services, and swore he was the best in the business. It wasn't until I went off to the big city for college that I even knew alignment machines even existed.
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1980 300SD 146K miles. |
#8
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I would not try to do it myself and would go to a professionnal with equipped with laser alignment tools (I tried several times and will not do it anymore) just because by design the adjustment of the angles are not indipendent, for sure on my W124, 260E, 1988.
Then the few euros / $ are worth spending. Moreover if it has to be corrected you can claim to the professionnal to have it redone for free.
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Keep us posted especially if your problem is solved Present cars: My car: E-class 420CDI, 2008, W211, V8, 180 000km Wife's one: C-class 220CDI Sport Coupé, Euro, 2002, W203. 345 000km Son's one: GLK class 220CDI, 2009, W204 Sold E class 260E, W124, 1988 beloved car sold after 489 000 kilometres of reliable services (engine M103, clutch and 5 speed manual gear box all original). E-class, W210 320CDI, 2000[/B], 225 000km, Sold |
#9
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Quote:
So the answer is, "Yes", you can do it yourself. But don't expect to get results that measure up to an exceptional tech with years/decades of experience. An alignment on these cars will "hold" for a decade. So the $80 is a good investment in my humble opinion. If you do it yourself and are off by a little (which is more than likely), you could cause more than $80 worth of wear on your tires... and the alignment still wouldn't be right. jp
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Jeff Pierce Current Vehicles: '92 Mercedes 190E/2.3 (247K miles/my daily driver) '93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (263K miles/a family truckster with spunk) '99 Kawasaki Concours Gravely 8120 Previous Vehicles: '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow (226K miles)'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon '53 Willys-Overland Pickup '85 Honda 750F Interceptor '93 Nissan Quest '89 Toyota Camry Wagon '89 Dodge Raider '81 Honda CB 750F Super Sport '88 Toyota Celica '95 Toyota Tacoma '74 Honda CB 550F |
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