Where to go for alignment??
 

I'm getting new tires and I need an alignment. Any recommendations on the tire chains Goodyear, Firestone, Sears, Mavis...anyone do a decent job? All I hear is more about bad alignment jobs. I have a 97 E420, why are Mercedes more difficult to align?

The only decent alignment (decent not great) I have ever gotten was from MB of North Haven.

Other than that I have just about given up on getting a good alignment on any of my vehicles, my MB was never right and now they can't even get my truck right. Your almost better off doing it yourself, I'm about to take a tape measure to my trucks front end to get it right.

Maybe a high end speed shop where the guy running the machine actually knows what he is doing, cares, and gets paid more than $9 an hour?

What did MB charge, $100?

I don't know of any chains that are worth a damn, especially a Goodyear. Find a reputable specialist that does custom alignments or the dealership. Anywhere else and you are paying money to have them learn Mercedes.

Ever notice the chains all have kids working there? Cuz that's the only labor they can afford.

rp

If it has 4X alignment, go to the MB dealer.

There are DIY threads on alignment if you choose to go that route.

The MB dealer 4X alignments I've gotten have all been right on in accuracy.

4X ?

Yup, your count is accurate.

edge, a MB dealer is the only place I trust to do an alignment correctly, same for mounting/balancing tires. A MB tech uses a Hunter Road Force Balance Machine and genuine MB balance weights.

Why do you need an alignment? Is it a drivability or a tire wear issue?

About $100, they also do a good job balancing tires.

FYI the alignment on the newer models (W202, W210 and I'd guess all successive models) isn't really very adjustable at all in the conventional sense.

In the later models geometry is fixed for caster and camber, there are small adjustments that can be made for both parameters but the adjustment process is actually to remove the lower control arm bolts and reinstall them with specialized offset bushings. Determining the number of bushings and their orientation is a non-trivial process that would be way beyond the skill set of the average chain store tech.

Fortunately most of the time the caster and camber values that were 'preset' at the factory at build time will hold for the life of the vehicle (assuming things like control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rods ect, ect are in good repair) It's been my experience that when dealing with these later model cars issues that are attributed to 'bad alignments' are more often caused by worn and/or broken steering or suspension components.

The exception to this is toe-in, it is still fully adjustable in the later cars and it is a critical parameter for good front end performance.

I'm thinking about taking my 201 to the dealership to have it aligned. I used my tire place and it was all good and well then a few weeks later it got sloppy in the center and felt really light and sensitive. I had them fix this, now it feels really heavy and follows the road more than I'd like. Its also not very responsive to small adjustments from center but go anywhere past center and its quick to turn. Its quite annoying. My tires are also about done for so I'm sure thats playing into this as well.

My tires wear issue was all messed up on my fronts, uneven outer wear. Turns out I had suspension repairs done 4 months ago, now I'm buying new tires and don't want to screw them up so I assumed that I needed an alignment, maybe I don't after the suspension repairs. Maybe I should just see if they ride straight and balanced with the new tires before I pay $140 for an alignment specialist. The local dealer wants $250 for 4 wheel balancing.

I can get Michelin Primacy MXV4 for $149 + $11 Bal & Mount - $17.50 Michelin rebate card (today is the last day for the offer) = $142.50 plus 6% tax at my tire dealer or the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position for $132- $17.50 Costco instant rebate +$15 Bal & Mount = $129 plus 6% tax. Any thoughts which is a better deal. Costco has free lifetime rotation. Thanks.

You can get your tires at Costco, but I would have it aligned at MB. All dealers have a "Road Force Machine" but MB also uses clip on weights. My 140 is vibration prone so I use the Hunter machine. My 210 is oerfectly happy with Costco balancing.

The only way to know if a shop can do a proper alignment is to ask them if they use the Romess tool. If you get a puzzled look then keep on walking. The Romess tool is an inclinometer that reads the angle of the control arms and axles to determine individual ride height for each corner. With this information the correct specs are calculated for the alignment. Given that changes in ride height will affect camber, caster, and toe, there is no way to align that car properly without the Romess tool.

FYI, the likelyhood that a shop will have the Romess tool is virtually nil unless it is a dealer or a very specialized independent such as I work for.