Only dealers can do an alignment? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

stevebfl · #1 08-13-2006, 11:45 AM

A few years ago I wrote an article for a technician trade publication "Import Car": http://www.continentalimports.com/ser_ic4232.html

In preparation for the article I worried heavily about the issue of spreader bars. I even called a number of MB alignment specialists to see their experience. It worried me a lot as I had aligned MBs for 30 years including a number of years at the dealer and never had used the spreader bar.

So I bought a spreader bar! I have used it about 5 times since. Most of those times were in preparation to write the article. In the article I gave the spec change that occured with and without the bar. It was about one millimeter. The range of accepted toe adjustments varies but always is atleast double that. If there is play in the steering it will make a big difference and maybe some techs would need such a help to discover such.

In my small survey of others doing MB alignments one one out of 5 consistantly used the bar.

The real issue of bars and Romess devices is secondary to the finding of a tech who knows what to do. It is a benefit to know MBs, but I'd take a good alignment tech anyday to do my car rather than someone doing an occasional alignment at a dealer. I do 2-4 alignments a day and have done near that amount for 30 years. I am an experienced alignment tech. I solve problems for other shops that bring me all manner of vehicles. I did a church van for a shop that had taken it over a number of years to numerous tire stores, even taking it as a known tire wear problem to them. The problem turned out to be the lift that loaded wheel chairs was mounted in the right rear and the change in ride height due to assemetrical weight was the problem. The shop added a leaf to the rear spring and fixed the problem after an alignment anyone could then do.

A good alignment is technician dependent not frachise or equipment dependent! A good alignment tech is where you find him!!