w210 wanders on the highway - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

slowmoe · #1 08-26-2003, 09:32 PM

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...

mbdoc · #2 08-27-2003, 08:07 AM

"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.

slowmoe · #3 08-27-2003, 09:31 AM

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.

csnow · #4 08-27-2003, 12:23 PM

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.

slowmoe · #5 08-27-2003, 12:26 PM

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.

sbourg · #6 08-27-2003, 01:42 PM

As well as alignment, tire wear patterns due to misalignment can cause this. A front/rear wheel swap can diagnose this issue.

Steve

csnow · #7 08-27-2003, 02:24 PM

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?

slowmoe · #8 08-27-2003, 02:33 PM

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!!

blackmercedes · #9 08-27-2003, 03:04 PM

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.