E350 rear wheel alignment

[Roger57]

Good morning everybody,
My 2011 E350 needs attention. I have had to have the O/S rear tyre replaced because the tyre was worn down to the casing on the inside if the tyre. After replacing the tyre I had a four wheel alignment check and the report shows that the toe adjustment at the rear is not within spec. This adjustment is carried out using the usual eccentric bolt/washer system (last saw that on my 1973 VW 1303) which moves the lower suspension arm in and out to adjust the toe.

Problem is that the bolts are heavily corroded and the technician didnt want to attempt the adjustment in case one or both of them sheared. There may also be an issue with removing them because of the position of various parts of the cars underside; looks like they will have to be cut and removed that way. And then of course there is the possibility that the bolts are actually corroded into the bush......hohum, eh.

So I will need a pair of replacement bolts at least to start with. If anybody has done this job before, are the adjustment bolts readily available or are they MB dealer parts only?

I would appreciate any assistance at all, please.

Regards
Steven

 

[Roger57]

Further to this matter, I suspect I am being fed some misleading information here....
As I said, the tyre was worn on the extreme inside of the tread, where the tread meets the sidewall. I know that underinflation of the tyre can cause wear like this but of course I do not know what the old tyre pressure was. Checking the new tyre's pressure shows 32 psi. That is what KwikFit inflated it to.

Consulting tyre pressure data on the inside of the fuel filler flap reveals that, according to MB, if the car is carrying four passengers and their luggage, the rear tyres should be inflated to 49 psi......

WHAT? Its an estate car, not a truck! I have never inflated a car tyre to anything like that pressure before.....

So I spoke to my local Mercedes dealer service department and explained this. His reply was...ermmm...dunno.

Is the information on the filler flap wrong, I asked him?

Ermmm...dunno, he said. Eventually he recommended 36 psi, but of course I think he was just trying to come up with some figure or other.

Does anyone have any common sense ideas?[/QUOTE]

 

[Deletedmember130310]

Consulting tyre pressure data on the inside of the fuel filler flap reveals that, according to MB, if the car is carrying four passengers and their luggage, the rear tyres should be inflated to 49 psi......

WHAT? Its an estate car, not a truck! I have never inflated a car tyre to anything like that pressure before.....

have you had a fully loaded 2011 E350 before?

Whilst I might not understand the recommended pressures, I am happy to rely on the extensive testing undertaken by the MB engineers to determine the appropriate PSI for the different tyre sizes and vehicle loadings

 

[400ixl]

Are you using your car 4 up and fully loaded? If not that data is irrelevant until you are.

What does it say for the configuration you are using it in?

Inside tyre wear can be from camber angle, Toe Out, worn / snapped springs, worn shocks, bent suspension arms etc. So a proper analysis and check of all components is required really when an issue is present.

 

[Roger57]

OK chaps. Thank you for the info. Couple of things here......

The reason I mentioned the 4up with luggage configuration is because next week four of us are off to sunny Cornwall. Normally the car carries just myself and some tools and spares.

I, too, would be happy to trust the Mercedes-Benz specifications. It is a German prestige quality vehicle after all (those of you who have had a 2003ish A-Class or a mid-2000s ML can stop laughing now; and yes, I've been there too...) but the confusion there was caused by the fact that the (presumably) fully trained service workshop technician didnt have a clue. Worse still, he couldnt seem to find anybody who had.

The manufacturer wouldnt issue instructions if they were incorrect, would they....

As mentioned at the start of the thread I have had the alignment laser-checked and the rear toe is not quite right.

Not having had the car long, I suspect that a combination of that and the fact that the previous owner was probably running the car with rear tyres at about 28psi would have exaggerated the tyre wear.

The car will be going to my local Mercedes independent specialist just as soon as I can book it in. Apparently his alignment system uses cameras, not lasers....should be interesting....

 

[rf065]

Not having had the car long, I suspect that a combination of that and the fact that the previous owner was probably running the car with rear tyres at about 28psi would have exaggerated the tyre wear.

Under inflation would usually result in both outside edges being worn, if it's just the inside, get the wheel alignment sorted & it should be fine.

 

[rf065]

Eventually he recommended 36 psi, but of course I think he was just trying to come up with some figure or other.
Does anyone have any common sense ideas?

[/QUOTE]

If it helps, my C Class estate is supposed to be 36psi all round, without any load, according to the fuel flap. This has resulted in both front tyres down to 1.6mm in the centres, while both edges have over 4 mm left. Classic sign of overinflation, so I'm ignoring the fuel flap from now on.