Uneven steering feel

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mike2002

New Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2020
Messages
8
Location
Leeds
Car
E220d (W213)
I have a 69 plate e220d AMG line with 19inch wheels - W213. I purchased the car new back in October. The car was delivered with the steering wheel off centre (quite far to the right). The car was taken back by the dealer and adjusted. The steering was centered but the car was left with a problem where the feel in the steering is uneven. It is slightly easier to steer left than it is to the right. I have attempted multiple times to align the wheels to remedy the problem. My last alignment but one, the steering wheel was off centre again (to the right again) and the steering feel was normal. I took it back and the steering was centered, however after this the feel in the steering went back to how it has always been over the last few months (i.e easier to steer to the left). It seems that I can't seem to get the car to a state where both the steering wheel is centered perfectly and the steering feels even

All the alignment is in spec with no cross camber or caster. The toe is perfect. I am at a loss to explain the strange steering behavior. The dealer has basically told me there is nothing wrong and refused to investigate it further (a complaint has been lodged, however, COVID has delayted further progress). Anyone have any ideas about what the matter could be. Your help would be appreciated
 
One of the steering wheel tie rods is almost certainly slightly bent. This will result in having to choose between equal-length tie rods with steering wheel off-centre, and uneven-length tie rods and centred steering wheel. it will also make it feel that it is easier to turn the steering wheel to one side than the other.

That said, if this does prove to be the case, then I would be surprised if the wheel alignment people didn't pick it up.
 
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BTW, in the olden days the quick fix (i.e. rather than replacing the bent tie rod) was to remove the steering wheel and put it back on one notch to the left (which incidentally would have meant the car would now have a tighter turn radius on one side).
 
Come to think of it.... if someone removed the steering wheel for whatever reason and put it back one notch to the right instead of dead centre, you'll get the same effect, but then you won't get the feel that the steering wheel turns more easily in one direction than the other.
 
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So.... I would say it's either a bent tie rod, or (less likely) a steering wheel that was removed and not replaced properly aligned.
 
Hi. Thanks for your reply. It is interesting you say that. When the car was delivered the steering wheel, despite being off-center, did not have the feel to it that I described in my first email, it only developed after being with the dealer for 4 days about a month after I bought it. They have not been at all transparent about what work was done to the car. I was initially told that the steering wheel was removed and adjusted (as you mention could be an issue), when I pushed them on this and why they would have to do that to a brand new car they turned around and said actually we just did a toe adjustment. Despite multiple requests, they have refused to give me any paperwork regarding what they actually did to the car. I am highly suspicious that the steering wheel has been removed and put back wrong. Is there any easy way to ascertain this myself. I am having real issues as private garages do not want to touch the car and Mercedes have basically told me to get lost. I have lodged 3 complaints with Mercedes Benz UK and have written to MB finance regarding the issue but I am being fobbed off. I have had to pay for a private inspection of the vehicle at the cost of nearly £300 just to get someone independent to say that the vehicle does not feel right. This is my first Mercedes and I really have to say the experience has been very disappointing.
 
Hi. Thanks for your reply. It is interesting you say that. When the car was delivered the steering wheel, despite being off-center, did not have the feel to it that I described in my first email, it only developed after being with the dealer for 4 days about a month after I bought it. They have not been at all transparent about what work was done to the car. I was initially told that the steering wheel was removed and adjusted (as you mention could be an issue), when I pushed them on this and why they would have to do that to a brand new car they turned around and said actually we just did a toe adjustment. Despite multiple requests, they have refused to give me any paperwork regarding what they actually did to the car. I am highly suspicious that the steering wheel has been removed and put back wrong. Is there any easy way to ascertain this myself. I am having real issues as private garages do not want to touch the car and Mercedes have basically told me to get lost. I have lodged 3 complaints with Mercedes Benz UK and have written to MB finance regarding the issue but I am being fobbed off. I have had to pay for a private inspection of the vehicle at the cost of nearly £300 just to get someone independent to say that the vehicle does not feel right. This is my first Mercedes and I really have to say the experience has been very disappointing.
Wheels in motion are some experts in this area of alignment , but they will mean a bit of a drive
 
Could your tyres also be playing a part ie. are they run flats. If this is your first Merc I would suggest getting someone else who owns a Merc to have a little drive to see what they think .Just for info the steering on my W176 feels numb in the centre and I asked Merc to check it when it went in for service and they said it was fine but it’s still there with 5k on the clock. I’ve just got use it.
 
It's not so much that it is numb. It is just that it is noticeably easier to make a left turn than a right one. I even feel it to a certain extent when the car is stationary. I've not managed to try another identical car but I can't imagine that's a normal charachteristic?
 
Come to think of it.... if someone removed the steering wheel for whatever reason and put it back one notch to the right instead of dead centre, you'll get the same effect, but then you won't get the feel that the steering wheel turns more easily in one direction than the other.

This is pretty easy way to get error light on... steering reading offset triggers a fault. MB steering wheel alignment must always done by under the car...

Edit: I remember reading couple of cases where steering has been very stiff only another direction... just can't remember for sure but after ruling out power steering pump it might have been steering rack itself...
 
Ah there's no error light but would it trigger an error if it were a matter of maybe a couple of splines. The difference between the central position where I get the strange feel and the off to the right position where I did not (when the car was delivered) is only maybe 1-2 degrees.
 
This is pretty easy way to get error light on... steering reading offset triggers a fault. MB steering wheel alignment must always done by under the car...

Edit: I remember reading couple of cases where steering has been very stiff only another direction... just can't remember for sure but after ruling out power steering pump it might have been steering rack itself...


Main issue in having at the moment is the dealer refusing to acknowledge there's an issue. All they're doing is test driving it and having a quick look underneath and telling me it's fine.
 
Ah there's no error light but would it trigger an error if it were a matter of maybe a couple of splines. The difference between the central position where I get the strange feel and the off to the right position where I did not (when the car was delivered) is only maybe 1-2 degrees.
If the steering wheel is only one or two notches off,-centre, it won't trigger any ESP or SRS fault (ask me how I know.....).

But I still think that a bent tie rod is more likely. There wouldn't normally be a reason to remove and reseat the steering wheel on a nearly new car (on older cars this may have been done to replace the clock spring etc).
 
If the steering wheel is only one or two notches off,-centre, it won't trigger any ESP or SRS fault (ask me how I know.....).

But I still think that a bent tie rod is more likely. There wouldn't normally be a reason to remove and reseat the steering wheel on a nearly new car (on older cars this may have been done to replace the clock spring etc).

Yeah I can't see a reason why they would have taken it off, unless there is something they are not telling me. Could the bend be so subtle it is not noticeable on a visual inspection?
 
..Could the bend be so subtle it is not noticeable on a visual inspection?

Yes. You normally notice that it is bent when you adjust it, as you turn it, and you can then see that it isn't rotating true. See also:
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Yeah I can't see a reason why they would have taken it off, unless there is something they are not telling me...

Try this: from the centre position, turn the steering wheel slowly to full lock (with the engine running) in either side, the final resting position of the steering wheel on one side should be mirror-image of the other side. But this will only highlight a noticeable difference, i.e. if the steering wheel is only one notch out, the method above might not be precise enough to spot it.
 
Try this: from the centre position, turn the steering wheel slowly to full lock (with the engine running) in either side, the final resting position of the steering wheel on one side should be mirror-image of the other side. But this will only highlight a noticeable difference, i.e. if the steering wheel is only one notch out, the method above might not be precise enough to spot it.

Yeah it isn't noticeable when doing this. Could be like you say just a few notches out.
 
Yeah it isn't noticeable when doing this. Could be like you say just a few notches out.
...or a bent tie rod. The adjustment required to keep the steering wheel centered means that the bent tie rod will actually be shorter than the straight tie rod on the other side, resulting to a pull when the steering wheel is centered.

That said, is possible that there's no problem with either the steering wheel or the tie rods, and that you car simply pulls to one side? There could be many reasons why a car might pull to one side. But in this case, what will happen is that as long as you keep the steering wheel firmly in the centre, the car will drive straight, but as soon as you let go of your grip on the steering wheel, the car will slowly start pulling to one side.
 
No the car does not pull it just exhibits this strange steering behaviour. I know Mercedes can have issues with pulling left but I am not experiencing this. If you let go of the wheel the car pretty much goes in a straight line. It is just quite noticeable an annoying on turns (not surprisingly the two non Mercedes people that drove it can feel it and the Mercedes mechanics swear blind that it has nothing wrong with it and they can't feel anything strange with the steering).
 

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