Stearing advise needed

[Dappa]

When i picked my new C63 coupe the other week it pulled to the near side so it was booked in for a wheel alignment. It went in today at MB newcastle. They informed me that the camber was out and has now been corrected. However on the motorway it still very slighty tends to drive towards the near side if you release the grip on the wheel. As this is my first MB and first RWD car is this normal?
Another thing souldnt this all be inspected / setup before the car leaves the factory

 

[This is Pete]

This is most probably due to the natural camber of the road. I wouldn't worry about it.

Take a read of Definative explination.... Pull left

 

[Dappa]

Well I took the car back to dealer today and the head mechanic came with me. He has confirmed the car does pull to one side. He informed me that he needs to order a longer bolt to set the chamber to the max limit.
Anybody else had this problem

 

[jaymanek]

If I were you I wouldnt mess with it too much... they do pull slightly and thats normal..
You may well find that actually getting it to drive straight will cause your tyres to scrub...

There are plenty of experts that will disagree but thats my observation from experience.

 

[142 TPL]

+1 with the above

 

[Steve C250]

I had the same question with my recent purchase C250, although a completely different beast, the sales person did say that all automatic mercedes have a slight drift to the left and it was normal.

Although my experience of the car thus far is somewhat indifferent. Good luck with your car though, i'm sure it will be simply stunning as a driving experience.

 

[st4]

Unless the road is perfectly flat the car will pull left or right depending on what side of the road you are driving on.

The car unless modified shouldn't need additional camber bolts etc and being so new should be well within spec

 

[Dappa]

Unless the road is perfectly flat the car will pull left or right depending on what side of the road you are driving on.

The car unless modified shouldn't need additional camber bolts etc and being so new should be well within spec

When i went out with the engineer we were on a perfectly flat road doing around 60 (dual caridge) and thats when he stated that the does pull / drift to the left. Thats when he said that he personnely carried out the tracking and it was perfect after he adjusted it and the only other thing to try is this additional longer bolt. He did state that he has done this a few times to correct this problem.
I understand the car will drive different to my last car (focus RS) which was like being on rails.

 

[Steve C250]

When i went out with the engineer we were on a perfectly flat road doing around 60 (dual caridge) and thats when he stated that the does pull / drift to the left. Thats when he said that he personnely carried out the tracking and it was perfect after he adjusted it and the only other thing to try is this additional longer bolt. He did state that he has done this a few times to correct this problem.
I understand the car will drive different to my last car (focus RS) which was like being on rails.

Wow, i huge change in cost, type and driving experience from a Focus RS to a C63

Then again, i've gone from an M3 to a C250CDi so am still adjusting

 

[Dappa]

Wow, i huge change in cost, type and driving experience from a Focus RS to a C63

Then again, i've gone from an M3 to a C250CDi so am still adjusting

I bet the adjustment in fuel costs is easier for you though

 

[Steve C250]

I bet the adjustment in fuel costs is easier for you though

Haha yeah just a little!!! But the compremise in performance is equally staggering!

So taking me a while to adjust.

 

[Davidkn]

Wow, i huge change in cost, type and driving experience from a Focus RS to a C63

Then again, i've gone from an M3 to a C250CDi so am still adjusting

I've just done a similar thing going from a megane 250 to the slk55.

And I too have a car that drifts to the left, I took it in and asked them to check the tracking, my main concern was uneven wear on the tyres forcing me to change them early. I also had a steering wheel that wasn't straight.

They said they sorted it, but they didn't, so now it's back in for them to fix the rattle in my roof so I've asked them to have a look at the steering wheel again, to go straight, I have the steering wheel tilted to the right.

They have the car for the week, so I'm hoping its going to come back rattle free and steering in a straight line

I've told the dealer I am not going to reply to the Mercedes customer experience email until they sort my issues, I know how important that thing is for them to get their proper bonuses......

 

[Steve C250]

I've just done a similar thing going from a megane 250 to the slk55.

And I too have a car that drifts to the left, I took it in and asked them to check the tracking, my main concern was uneven wear on the tyres forcing me to change them early. I also had a steering wheel that wasn't straight.

They said they sorted it, but they didn't, so now it's back in for them to fix the rattle in my roof so I've asked them to have a look at the steering wheel again, to go straight, I have the steering wheel tilted to the right.

They have the car for the week, so I'm hoping its going to come back rattle free and steering in a straight line

I've told the dealer I am not going to reply to the Mercedes customer experience email until they sort my issues, I know how important that thing is for them to get their proper bonuses......

In reply to what you said at the end, about the customer care service email / call, i too have said i won't be dealing with it until im fully satisfied with my purchase.

Re the steering, all i keep hesaring is its a Mercedes trait!?! Not convinced, but it does seem to be the common thing said!?

 

[Steve C250]

As for the Megan 250 to SLK55, nice switch

 

[paul m]

Find a quiet road drive on the right, see what happens if it steers to the right its following the right camber on the road ?

 

[Dappa]

Find a quiet road drive on the right, see what happens if it steers to the right its following the right camber on the road ?

I can understand what people are saying re the chamber on the road but how come I've only ever noticed this in a MB. As others have said the engineer that came out with me also stated that MB cars tend to 'drift'
How can this be when the front wheels only have to steer

 

[markdotward]

New C63 today. Pulls noticibly to the left. Some good ex platoons on this thread but want to get it on writing from my dealer in case they charge for realignment at a service and on case my tyres are adversely affected.

 

[gIzzE]

I thought Mercedes said they design their cars to pull towards the inside, so if someone drifts off they will always go away from on coming traffic?
Or was that a Merc urban myth?

Wheels In Motion can sort this for you, never hear of a single Merc dealer getting it pulling straight without causing problems elsewhere, ie uneven tyre wear.

Mercedes Pulling Problems | Car Tyres Fitting and Wheel Alignment Specialists

 

[moff]

Alignment can be a bitch to sort.

I prefer to use an independent laser alignment centre who basically do little else other than wheel alignment.

They key is to ensure that the wheel is PERFECTLY straight before they start work.

I know from my experience that your mind plays games with you and you are constantly paranoid that it is not correct after it's fixed.

All UK cars should have tendency to drift to the left which is more a safety thing than anything (that's what I was told!) and as mentioned above camber in the road plays a huge part as do the tyres.

 

[Orwic]

Mine pulled to the left slightly, when I first got it, and steering wheel wasn't straight either. Following recommendations on this forum, I took it to wheels in motion - sorted. Steering wheel straight and no drift. If you can get there, well worth the visit.

Orwic