I just had my wheel aligned because it was drifting to the right. I am not sure they realy solved the problem.

The problem now is that the stearing wheel is off center now. That is I have to have the stearing wheel turned slightly to the right to have it going straight. I don't know if it still drift to the right.

Is there a way they they could adjust without reduing the alignment.

ben

I had a drift problem also... the steering wheel was always off center. The problem was rear end alignment not front end alignment. The rubber grommets of a suspension arm were shot.

Replaced the arms (right side and left side of car) and the steering wheel is straight again and the car no longer pulls to either side.

I just had a Geo Storm aligned, they said that the alignment was perfect, but that someone had taken the steering wheel off and had put in on offset before I owned the car. The took off the steering wheel and put it on correctly.This may or may not be your problem

I agree that the real alignment is probably at fault. Correcting the front end has now exposed alignment problems with the rear end.

Alignments don't require the removal of the steering wheel, so I doubt that the wheel is off-center.

However, if the steering wheel was removed and installed incorrectly, then the steering wheel can be removed and reset to the correct position. The steering wheel is attached by a large nut, and the steering shaft is splined. The number of teeth on the splined shaft allows you an (almost) infinite positions to set your steering wheel.

I have done this succesfully on some former vehicles I've owned (when changing to a custom steering wheel), but I don't know anything about the proper removal of the SRS unit mounted on the wheel. Best left to a professional.



Hope this helps...

An alignment shop will center the steering wheel by shortening one tie rod and lengthening the opposite side, not by removing the steering wheel.

To see if your steering wheel has been turned during its life, remove the ignition key and turn the steering wheel til it locks. It should lock only in the straight ahead position.

The steering wheel can be recentered by the vernier method.

If the steering wheel was not straight when the front end was aligned then the steering wheel will always be off center when the car is going straight ahead.

I think the answer is no, the alignment needs to be redone starting with the steering wheel. The shop may have done only what you asked them, align the wheels. Specifically mention steering wheel centering.

Thanks for the info.
 

I looked in the paper works from the dealer. It said that they aligned the front end to factury spec. I don't know why they did not do a 4 wheel alignment.

They also balance and rotated my tires. But, I don't think it changed anything. Interms of drifting to the right. This was all done under warrentee.

The stearing wheel is slightly off center. After carefuly observing it this moring driving it to work. It want to return to the center position that is when it will drift to the right. But, that could be because of the road banking to the right.

I, don't know you guys. I almost feel guity taking it in again, to have them check the alignment in the rear. But, I will always be restless unless, I am convince that all the alignment is check out. What do you guys think?

Frustrated

Mine did the same thing, except to the left. I brought it back to the shop and they re-did it, no questions asked.

Jim what happen to yours Mercedes?
 

Jim just want to know how to talk to the dealer. So what hapen to yoru mercedes. Did it pull the the left and they align the front? When you took it back and they align the rear?

Was there something wrong with the rear alignment? Did that solved the probelm?

how did centering the stearing wheel worked into it.


Thanks
ben

I've got a 1991 190e so being off warrenty I tend to avoid the dealer. I was recommended to a local frame and alignment shop by the local work motor head (former NASCAR mechanic) after I noticed uneven front tire wear and was tired of a slight pull. They took it for a test drive on surface streets and aligned it. They did at first start with the steering wheel but in the process of doing he wheels it moved (I was watching). I didn't think much of it, they are the experts, but when I took it on the freeway it did pull to the left and the steering wheel was off center. I took it back a couple of days later and they mentioned on a re-test it wasn't quite right and re-did it and its now ok. They didn't do anything about the back, but the problems were with the front and solved with just a front alignment. They did mention something about one parameter was set to pull the car slightly to the left so it would go straight over the normal arc of a road. I did ask them specifically about steering wheel being straight and they said the alignment process does start with the steering wheel and the tires aligned to it and each other.

Very intersting, set to pull to the left.
 

Thanks Jim for your reply.

Very interesting!!!


Your mechanic said it was set to the left so it would go straight because of the arc of the road.


Maybe this is a question for the alignment experts out there. Is it normal pratice or acceptable pratice to align the car to pull slightly to the left to compensate for the fact that most road are banked to the right.

Because I am starting to think that on my mercedes, it drift to the right most of the time because the roads are arc to the right most of the time. I notice on my ML that it is very sensitive to road banking on the right and left.

Mercedes is a difficult car to align and requires considerable expertise and experience. I took mine to two different places to have it aligned and they both ripped me off. The steering wheel was not centered and the car was still pulling to the right. I was avoiding to take it to the dealer because the dealer was charging $100 to align it. The shops were way cheaper. So, I ended up wasting $50 at each shop which adds up to the same $100, and the job was still not done. Eventually I took it to the dealer and paid the $100 and the car has been fine ever since. The steering is now centered and the car does not pull to the right anymore. If I only had gone to the dealer from the beginning I would have saved myself all the hassle and the time as well as $100. Live and learn!!

thanks public enemy>
 

Thanks publidc enemy. I did take it to the dealer. They said they align it and it seem like they did. From the wrentch marches on the tire rode nuts but it still drifts to the right.

Did they have to aligh the rear on yours.

ben

To public enemy: there's two things I pay for; parts and tuition.

To the subject at hand: I've had four Peugeots, their suspensions excell Mercedes and comparing the two are tuned to being imune to the arc of the road. My 190 seems to be pretty sensative to that. Relitive to the Peugeot there is a big difference in that, but its all in the name of awareness that I'm all for. Most cars try and hide the fact that you're even on a road. Most of my driving is on divided highways in the fast lane so most of the time I'm driving on a left leaning surface so I asked them to set it for straight and level. I don't know about dealers but some shops if you make specific specifications, will follow them, but you have to be right, like if you're going to race in an oval they will set it up for you, but you HAVE to be sure they know which way. As far as your ML still pulling, you could ship your car to a left hand drive country, like England, and try it there, or file a flight plan with the FAA and try it on a level runway, I'll bet they're straight and level.

If your car has significant mileage it is likely that the rubber grommets of the rear suspension arms are worn out. If so the rear end is no longer aligned and the rear will virtually steer the car and behave precisely as you describe. The steering wheel will be off center because the front wheels have to compensate for the rear misbehaving.

Smiles.

The car only has 5K miles on it.
 

My ML only has 5K miles on it. I think it is always there even from day one.

man what a head ake.

ben

Well Ben it seems to me that the mechanic who aligned your front end messed up.

I would take the car back and ask that an experienced front end man look at it.

Smiles.

"blau" yes they aligned both the front and rear wheels on mine. I also had them give me the sheet with the before and after alignment specifications, if you are interesred I can give you the numbers. My local MB dealer "PENSKE MERCEDES" seems to be a very proffesional and knowledgeable one. I bet that not all of them are like this.

Steering wheel alignment
 

I wanted to clear up something I read on here . #1 You cannot just take the steering wheel off and align it . Here is why , There is a locking pin to put in the gearbox when doing an alignment. That locks the steering wheel in the straight position then you align the car. If you move the steering wheel to center it you will not have correct turn signal cancelation. Now if somebody did not re-install the gearbox correctly, then when you put that pin in the gearbox to lock it straight , your steering wheel will be off and you got to pull the box back out and align it correctly on the coupler. Take this advice from experience. Done alot of them. And yes the best test is to lock your steering it should be straight.

Thanks euro.. that is valuable information!

Smiles.