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Wheel Alignment before or after suspension work?

5K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  Amaze126 
#1 ·
My 560SEL definitely needs a wheel alignment and I plan on having it done at the dealership. I also plan on installing my new rear sway bar, and replacing the SLS Accumulators, front shocks, hydraulic fluid flush, new bearings/pads/rotors myself. Will lifting the car and removing the wheels multiple times/ installing new parts affect the alignment at all, or is it safe to get the wheel alignment done beforehand? It's badly needed and I'm not even comfortable driving the car until it's aligned. Also, if anybody knows of parts that definitely DO require a wheel alignment after replacing or removing, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks,
Joe
 
#6 ·
I'm honestly not comfortable driving it that much before getting the alignment done. Maybe it was just the road I was on, and granted it is a bumpy country road with potholes (as are all roads around me), but when I last drove the car a couple weeks ago, it was pulling to the right and going over even the slightest uneven surface would make it feel like the wheels were wobbling back and forth almost. It just feels like there is a massive amount of toe-in and I fear that I could be damaging the wheels or other parts of the car by driving it without an alignment at the moment.



If, as recommended, you decide to drive it 100 miles before the alignment DO NOT put new tires on it for those 100 miles.
That's part of my predicament as I just put on the Aero wheels seen in my signature. If it was still on stock wheels, I wouldn't care as much.
 
#5 ·
Semantics? Lifting the car with a jack won't affect the alignment, but lifting the the car by changing suspension components will most definitely affect the alignment.

If, as recommended, you decide to drive it 100 miles before the alignment DO NOT put new tires on it for those 100 miles.
 
#7 ·
Your description sounds like a few parts may need replacing, after checking them of course, strut rod bushings which also cause a clunk when hitting small bumps, idler arm bushings which can cause some wobble, as well as tie rod ends and center link. If you have a shop check out the front end and they grab top and bottom of the wheel to check the ball joints, that is NOT the correct way to check them. You have to use a pry bar (it's in the manual) and any joint play and they should be replaced. I did my strut rods, idler arm, and lower joints (only because the boots were torn) and after an alignment (4 wheel on a Hunter machine) this car drives like a brand new car, no shimmy, no wobble, no clunks
 
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#9 ·
I think I'm going to tackle the tie rod ends, center link, and get an idler arm repair kit for each side as well to see if that is sufficient. While underneath the car today installing a set of euro headlights, I noticed some wetness on the tie rod ends connected to the center link. Do you happen to have the part numbers for the correct tie rod ends by any chance? FCP has multiple part numbers for them and I'm unsure of which to get. Doesn't the idler arm bushing job require springs to be compressed? That might be a job for a shop to do as I'm a bit uncomfortable working on something like that, being inexperienced in that field. Also, I'm searching all over for threads on how exactly to do these jobs and am not finding much. Would it be easier to just buy new tie rod assemblies? Any info on how to do these jobs would be greatly appreciated.

Might need a steering damper too

Get all the work done then get the alignment
There's no vibration in the steering at all, so I might wait on doing that unless a lack of vibration isn't necessarily indicative that the damper doesn't need replaced.
 
#10 ·
No I don't have those part numbers, sorry. The idler arm bushing kit (only one required) is probably the easiest of all repairs, simply remove the bolt and drive out the old bushings, putting in the new ones I used the old bolt to get em close to being fully seated the I installed the new bolt

When I did the front end of the SE (SO many years ago) I did get new tie rod assemblies from the dealer as well as the center link and damper (I didn't know about online parts yet, I prefer Lemforder parts btw). There is a difference in left and right tie rods, maybe that's the confusion, one side is longer than the other
 
#12 ·
Thanks. I've ordered front shocks, idler arm repair kits, and L&R tie rod assemblies and will be installing it all later this week along with the custom rear sway bar from the group buy along with the metal stabilizer links, and new SLS Accumulators and a hydraulic fluid flush.

I managed to drive the car on some decent roads yesterday and it drove much smoother than before, even on highway speeds, so I'm thinking that the road I was previously on really was that bad (it was). Once this is all on, I'll be taking the car straight to the nearby MB dealer for an alignment.

why 4 wheel alignment, i thought with SEL's the rears do not allow for alignment... maybe sls cars differ?
I would also like to know this. I won't be cutting corners on alignment as I know the car needs it but I also was under the assumption that only the fronts would be getting aligned. The car is an '86 560SEL so it does have SLS. Does the MB dealer do 4 wheel alignments?

Also, I've heard reference of a spreader bar that must be used for alignments. Does anybody know if I need to make sure to request this at the dealership or do they have new technology that doesn't require that anymore?

Thanks
 
#16 ·
Yep the dealer does the right kind of alignment. Or a good shop familiar with MB in particular. The Hunter machine is a very good sign.
It's just called a four wheel alignment, no idea why. It's just more thorough I think.

I wasted multiple tries at all the different shops, with no difference in handling, until I read on here about the four wheel alignment. Went and got one and it was like driving a totally different car. Very MB familiar shop, although they do all makes. It cost quite a lot more but so worth it.
 
#17 ·
If the rear suspension is not adjustable, they can still do what's called a thrust alignment, where the front is aligned with the thrust line determined by the rear's geometry.

My understanding is that there is some adjustment available in the rear by adding or changing shims, but I could be mistaken.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Good point, I might as well haha. I really wish websites offered more discounts for returning customers. This will be my 4th order through FCP this week and the best they offer is $10 off $200 purchases.

EDIT: Does anybody happen to know if this Bilstein steering damper will fit? FCP says it doesn't but it's the same part number. If this doesn't fit, I'll just go with the OEM Mercedes. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/me...um=ppc&ttv=2&gclid=CPHfwuS0_dICFUK2wAodcSgEeA
 
#21 ·
Thanks. I spoke with somebody from FCP on the phone and they confirmed that it did fit and was an error on their website's end for saying that it doesn't. I wonder if it will go up in price now since it's Bilstein and does fit W126's. I snagged it for $20 instead of the $57 genuine mercedes damper which isn't a bad deal considering it's Bilstein.
 
#24 ·
No. Bilstein shocks are the best. My point is that some folks report bad results with other Febi parts. The fact is, Febi comes from FErdinand BIlstein and, in many parts of the world, the company goes by the name Febi Bilstein.
 
#25 ·
I never knew they were related, interesting. I can attest to Febi being problematic. I ordered a Febi drain pan but the drain plug threading isn't right and I think I might have stripped it while trying to put the new drain plug in. I never installed it but still wasn't impressed because of the predicament I ran into with it.
 
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