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#1
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w210 wanders on the highway
Whenever I drive on a highway with rutts, (long continuous wells where the tires ride caused by heavy traffic) my 210 is all over the place constently jutting right or left. My mechanic says everything up front it as tight as can be (Yes, I trust him) The last time I experienced this was in the '74 Dodge Dart I had in highschool. Please don't tell me that MB is dipping into Chrysler's parts bin from the 70's!!!
Captain, please advise...
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1996 (W210) E300D 86K - Traded in for a Lexus 1992 (W124) 300D 2.5 Turbo 202K - Sold 1983 (W123) 300D, 146K - Sold 1970 280S, 263K - Sold - Beginning of addiction |
#2
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"Wandering" can be caused by either front or rear axle alignment problems.
Mis-adjustment of toe-in the most common problem. IF the rear toe-in is off then the front tries to follow. 4-wheel thrust angle alignment should help.
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MERCEDES Benz Master Guild Technician (6 TIMES) ASE Master Technician Mercedes Benz Star Technician (2 times) 44 years foreign automotive repair 27 Years M.B. Shop foreman (dealer) MB technical information Specialist (15 years) 190E 2.3 16V ITS SCCA race car (sold) 1986 190E 2.3 16V 2.5 (sold) Retired Moderator |
#3
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Thanks, MBDOC. Can any alignment shop do this for me?
When I replaced the tie rods on my 124, the local alignment shop said I would have to take it to the dealership to have it done properly. My indy did it instead and it seemed to be okay.
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1996 (W210) E300D 86K - Traded in for a Lexus 1992 (W124) 300D 2.5 Turbo 202K - Sold 1983 (W123) 300D, 146K - Sold 1970 280S, 263K - Sold - Beginning of addiction |
#4
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Bad front suspension balljoints will cause that.
Pretty much anything loose in the steering links could cause that too. Also happens if there is play in your steering rack. While parked, is there a lot of play before the wheels react? Of course, if your mechanic is right, it must be alignment related, or a problem in the rear suspension.
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1986 300E 5-Speed 240k mi. Last edited by csnow; 08-27-2003 at 02:20 PM. |
#5
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I would be hard to image any bushing or joint going bad with only 70K on the clock. I didn't touch the front end on my 124 until 175K. If this is the case, I will be very disappointed.
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1996 (W210) E300D 86K - Traded in for a Lexus 1992 (W124) 300D 2.5 Turbo 202K - Sold 1983 (W123) 300D, 146K - Sold 1970 280S, 263K - Sold - Beginning of addiction |
#6
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As well as alignment, tire wear patterns due to misalignment can cause this. A front/rear wheel swap can diagnose this issue.
Steve
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'91 MB 190E 2.3 '08 RAV4 Ltd 3.5 '83 Lazy Daze m'home 5.7 |
#7
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Yeah, the steering/suspension setup for the 210 is very different from the 124, but one would certainly expect 70k is way too early to be looking for these sorts of problems. On the other hand, that is 7 years as well...
Had any steering/suspension problems with your 1999 Jeep?
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1986 300E 5-Speed 240k mi. |
#8
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Problems in a Jeep...you must be joking.
As long as you replace the transmission, transfer case, front and rear axles, brakes and rotors and a few hardware pieces every 30K you'll be fine. Yes, I did say REPLACE, not SERVICE!!
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1996 (W210) E300D 86K - Traded in for a Lexus 1992 (W124) 300D 2.5 Turbo 202K - Sold 1983 (W123) 300D, 146K - Sold 1970 280S, 263K - Sold - Beginning of addiction |
#9
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First, that 1996 E300 is close to eight years old, and the mileage probably doesn't mean that much. The W210 cars have known steering and front end problems including front lower ball joints that are prone to wearing. Our 1998 E300 had them replaced long before 70K-miles.
Have you replaced the tires? Different tires have different driving characteristics. Have you had a four-wheel alignment? Have it done at someone that knows these cars. Quickie chain shops have kids working under the rack, and that's the last thing you want. On our car, we had the lowr ball joints replaced and a four wheel alignment done and it cured the problem along with tossing the junk MXV4 Michelins in favour of Bridgestone RE950's.
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John Shellenberg 1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif |
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