How can I diagnose worn tie-rods or idler arm bushing on my E500?
 

Hi,
I am having monster problems with my third child... :-(
Need help. Dealers here are borderline useless.
My 245/45/17 AVS DBs are feathered to the point that they make a horrible rumble at 5mph and high pitched whine at high speeds. Also ride rough.
However, when the car hits an irregularity in the road, its follows the irregularity, yanking the wheel almost. Car also feels unsettled on anything but a smooth minimally cambered surface. For example, on a country one lane road, which is appreciably cambered, it will sometimes drift to the centre, because of a mild road irregularity. Just had alignment done and everything is in spec.
Dealer also looked at idler arm and tie rods, etc. and felt nothing was wrong.
What is the best way for me to confirm that this is the case. What should I look for on tie rods, idler and wheel bearing? Could tires explain symptoms?
thanks in advance
farrukh

I use the "four P's," Poke, Pull, Pry and Prod. If you do, you will find anything that might be loose.

Good luck,

First.. Yes. Your lo-pro 17"ers DO enhance every little bump in the road and generally makes the ride harsher.

Second.. My local dealership had a look at my 300E with the exact same symptoms and told me nothing was wrong. Then i took it to a small shop specializing in older Benz'es and they found THIS! :eek:

Now my Benz drives like new!:D

Freestyler

Follow Steve's advise from your other post. The feathering as a cause and should be fixed. Also, I had 195/65 VR 15 Yoko AVS dB's and they made noise on the third day. The gripped good, but were loud and only get louder. Search on tirerack.com and you'll see others say the same. Its also possible that the alignment was not done properly. Just because the dealer did it doesn't mean its right for your wheel/tire size. I believe camber has a bit of a balance to it, e.g. -0.1, +0.1 side to side to account for road crown 1.2, 1.2 might be part of your problem. Its also possible that suspension parts are worn. Jack up the front end and pull wheels at 12/6 (wheel bearing wear) 3/9 (tie rods/steering). When parts are bad you should feel play and be able to see the ball joints or idler hopping around.