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W204 wheel alignment woes at Kw**fit

H

hebdenwill

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2023
Messages
33
Location
West Yorkshire
Car
C220 CDI 2011
Hi all,

A little while ago I had a suspension part replaced (nearside front cross strut) and a mechanic mate told me I'd need my steering aligned, I didn't bother as the tyres on it needed changing soon. Come a couple of weeks ago with two new front tyres fitted, the old passenger side one had worn right down on the outer edge. So, I duly asked my local Merc Independent if they'd align my wheels, as I'd read that C classes are tricky to get right. They don't do it sadly, so I took it to Kwikfit as they had a slot, and I don't have time in my week to take it to a better local garage. I mentioned that I'd really like to have my steering wheel pointing straight, as that's never happened the first time after an alignment before, he chuckled and assured me I didn't need to worry. Can you guess what happened next readers!?

I've now taken it back to them twice, three visits in all, and while I'm pretty sure the steering wheel is now centred, or as near as damn it, it seems to be pulling quite strongly left -or rather, if I don't hold the wheel the car pretty eagerly seeks out the left kerb. I'm sure it wasn't doing this before, or if it was, it wasn't anywhere near as bad. I might just be now noticing it as I'm hyper aware of it, and I do know that C classes tend to pull left - but as said, I'm sure mine didn't before.

Has anyone had issues using Kwikfit before?

My next step is going to have to be finding the time to take it to a trusted local garage, getting them to issue proof that the alignment is out, then demanding a refund of my £75 from Kwikfit head office.

Thanks in advance if anyone has any suggestions or advice!
 
21 years ago I got my first c class - w203 on the 53 plate. Boy, did it pull to the left, MB under warranty changed ball joints and other suspension parts and it always pulled to the left to a degree. Then I changed tyres took it to Kwikfit and on their Hunter machine, and for the first time the car drove almost straight and I did not have to keep a heavy hand on the steering wheel

A few years later I got a facelifted model in 2008 a 2007 car - it had a slight pull as time went on took it to Kfit and the did adjustments and it was almost 100%

I bought a brand new gle in 2016 - FSHMB - I felt that started to pull a bit a few years ago - took to to Kikwfit, they said it was fine
Last year a recall on GLE, steering rack bolts was changed by MB FoC. They had to reset settering and I asked them if they had, they said yes.
However,, it was not the case IMO as car that previously drove straight wandered to the right. So another appointment with them 2 weeks on, this time they actually did the tracking properly, it did the trick

Many will slag (because they've had a poor experience)off fast-fits but it is down to the equipment they have and Hunter machines IMO are almost fool-proof.

If there is a garage with a Hunter machine and knowledgeable technician they should be able to sort it

It could be a suspension part is worn, have the suspension looked at as well.

Good luck as I've experienced the pull to the left and it takes away the enjoyment of a good car, harder to driver
and wears out expensive tyres early.

Have you checked tyre pressures when cold? Uneven worn tyres can make a slight difference as well
 
Last edited:
S203 2006 C55 AMG 150K+ on the clock. You can have a look at my posts on here (if you have trouble sleeping) but here is my local KwikFit experience (repeated).

All new struts/springs/levers / arms/ and other 'ride' related gubbins replaced by yours truly.

Long story short . We have 2 Kwik fit places in my town , both with Hunter machines , my car went back and forth between the two at the insistence of one of the KF employees (Ben) who by his own admission was 'totally anal' about wheel alignment issues , I even let him take it for a test drive , we used my iCarsoft to set the wheel to zero degrees during the process.

When we (finally) completed the 4 wheel alignment the car felt very different and spot on , a marked difference.

Prior to this experience I wouldn't have normally given KwikFit the time of day.

Just lucky I guess with local KF employee Ben being a 'car guy' who had never had the pleasure of a C55 before.

I only paid for one visit.

With Franchises like Kwik Fit I suppose it's luck of the draw.
 
My problem with Kwik-fit is that they don’t know the car model designation and put the wrong information into the Hunter machine. 204 instead of 203 and 245 instead of 246. Once corrected, the results were excellent.
 
If anywhere has a decent alignment machine (Hunter etc,) the poor service comes down absolutely to the operators training / attitude / ability regardless of the name above the door.

I use Halfords for all my MOT`s and never had any issues with their work or practices , many wouldn`t cross their threshold to buy an air freshener.

K
 
I recently had a very positive experience at a local Kwik Fit. They calibrated my 'Lane Keeping Assist' camera using their ADAS system. The fella doing the work seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and the whole place seemed clean and professional.
 
KennyN said:
If anywhere has a decent alignment machine (Hunter etc,) the poor service comes down absolutely to the operators training / attitude / ability regardless of the name above the door.

I use Halfords for all my MOT`s and never had any issues with their work or practices , many wouldn`t cross their threshold to buy an air freshener.

K
Click to expand...

I totally agree
I've posted before re Kwik-fit and hunter machine, and got good result
I use Halfords for our MOT's, the manager there who used to be the assistant manager, known him for a good 12 years. I had my battery done at Halfords
the same branch and had droplinks done on my c class about 10 years ago.

As you said, its training and attitude goes a long way in my estimation
I've had BS from a main dealer.
Using the main dealers biggers, better-known fast-fits IMO, they will try to address your concerns

The bottom line, I ask questions and politely try to ensure/direct them to what is needed and what car it is and what my concerns are - works for me. Having said that, some don't like being told even in a very polite and reasonable and friendly manner and place like that, I would not give them my business.


Re Halfords, all of my children go there for their car mot and two have had brakes and discs replaced on the "for-life" offer not sure if they do it now and it's worked out for them

Before I got my brand new GLE in 2016 - they used to change the oil and filter at a very competitive price on my c classes from the 4 year onwards.

The GLE, as it a big and complexed machine, I've stuck with MB but I will not being going to MB for the next serive on the GLE, not decided who to use as yet
 
colinallcars said:
My problem with Kwik-fit is that they don’t know the car model designation and put the wrong information into the Hunter machine. 204 instead of 203 and 245 instead of 246. Once corrected, the results were excellent.
Click to expand...
Noted . The KF guy I mentioned spent a lot of time making sure he had the correct info for my car as he had never done (or even seen) a C55 AMG before. He could have just banged in any old S203 info and carried on . But as I said he is a 'car guy' so I was lucky I suppose.
 
Thanks for all the input everyone, I've now had my 4th visit to KwikFit and the car still pulls badly to the left - not nice for the 600 mile journey I had this weekend.

The last thing they said was maybe the tyres need swapping front to back (as the fronts are all seasons and the rears are summer) could the extra grip on the front be causing pull to the left?? I was hesitant to believe them as it was the last thing they suggested after not sorting it several times but maybe they're onto something? I should add the front tyres were fitted 3 weeks ago and the rears 7 weeks ago - both new, of course.

I should add they mentioned they'd examined all suspension components but found nothing amiss.

On Friday I'm taking it to a guy recommended on here, Paul Wighton at Drury Lane services in Oldham, let's see what he says.

Ideally I would like my car not to pull heavily left, it drove beautifully before and now it doesn't!!
 
hebdenwill said:
The last thing they said was maybe the tyres need swapping front to back (as the fronts are all seasons and the rears are summer) could the extra grip on the front be causing pull to the left?? I was hesitant to believe them as it was the last thing they suggested after not sorting it several times but maybe they're onto something? I should add the front tyres were fitted 3 weeks ago and the rears 7 weeks ago - both new, of course.
Click to expand...

Cross the front wheels righ-to-left and see which way the car pulls. This will tell you if it's a tyre issue or not.
 
hebdenwill said:
Thanks for all the input everyone, I've now had my 4th visit to KwikFit and the car still pulls badly to the left - not nice for the 600 mile journey I had this weekend.

The last thing they said was maybe the tyres need swapping front to back (as the fronts are all seasons and the rears are summer) could the extra grip on the front be causing pull to the left?? I was hesitant to believe them as it was the last thing they suggested after not sorting it several times but maybe they're onto something? I should add the front tyres were fitted 3 weeks ago and the rears 7 weeks ago - both new, of course.

I should add they mentioned they'd examined all suspension components but found nothing amiss.

On Friday I'm taking it to a guy recommended on here, Paul Wighton at Drury Lane services in Oldham, let's see what he says.

Ideally I would like my car not to pull heavily left, it drove beautifully before and now it doesn't!!
Click to expand...
Why have All season tyres only on one axle? If you need them then they should be on all fitted wheels.
 
From your picture the left front camber is still in the red. You need special fluted adjustment bolt to correct that. The other thing with these cars is that they naturally follow the road crown to drift left. This can be corrected by adjusting the left front caster to a larger angle than the right front. Again, you’ll need a fluted adjustment bolt which you can buy from the dealership or Febi also do them. These cars often need an unsymmetrical caster setup to correct the drift. There isn’t anything wrong with doing that.
 
Jobsworth said:
From your picture the left front camber is still in the red. You need special fluted adjustment bolt to correct that. The other thing with these cars is that they naturally follow the road crown to drift left. This can be corrected by adjusting the left front caster to a larger angle than the right front. Again, you’ll need a fluted adjustment bolt which you can buy from the dealership or Febi also do them. These cars often need an unsymmetrical caster setup to correct the drift. There isn’t anything wrong with doing that.
Click to expand...
Thanks Jobsworth, it's good to know I'm not totally imagining it! There shouldn't still be an adjustment in red should there, I'd have thought? Would a camber angle in the red cause pull?

I think they must have been set up asymmetrical as you mention as I'm absolutely sure it didn't drift before
 
Sadly you are a very long way from me, otherwise I’d sort it out for you.

Camber in the red won’t be helping. That tyre is “up on it’s edge” so to speak
 
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