cost of front end alignment for MB Sprinter 2017 3500 drw class C

[ernie1]

After changing the front struts on my 2017 Sprinter I arranged to have the front end realigned. Made an appointment with a Mercedes dealer in Stockton Ca. Was quoted $179. After dropping it off at the dealer's, I was informed that they couldn't perform the alignment because the class C body was too wide and their sensors for the rear wheels would not work.

So I called all 5 Les Schwab dealers and was informed that they also could not do the alignment because their equipment would not work on a class C rv and that they don't have the alignment specifications and Mercedes would not release them.

So I called the local Mercedes dealership in town, Von Housen Mercedes of Sacramento and was given a quote of $650. I questioned that price and said the last time it was aligned there it was "only" $459. The person simply said "well prices go up".

I'm pretty sure I could get my Tundra pickup front end aligned for about $$89-$100 just about everywhere. So I guess if you want a high end vehicle you are going to have to PAY!

[Grit_dog]

ernie1 wrote:
Grit Dog: I'm needing an alignment now because, even though I carefully marked the outline of the old struts before removing them, the new Bilstein struts have a different outline and so the van pulls to the right slightly. I had an alignment done at 20,000 miles and PleasureWay paid for it because it needed it and was a warranty issue. No I did not hit anything on the road.

Jim406: The Les Schwab store I went to said they had the proper equipment to handle my larger and wider vehicle but that the problem with trying to align it was that they don't have the alignment specs to do a complete job. They say that the specs are proprietary and Mercedes won't release it. They stated that they could do the basic toe and camber adjustment and that's it. I may go with that.

I don’t follow. Are you saying the mounts have an eccentric or a camber type bolt that allows a different effective mounting height or center to center distance?
There should not be enough camber difference between old and new to cause any apparent alignment issues. Especially due to just a slight amount of different ride height.
Does it even have adjustable camber in the ball joints?
If it pulls it pulls. Does it pull right on a flat or reverse cross slope road or only on a typical roadway with a typical 2% X slope to the right?

And regarding the alignment. You can basically only adjust toe, sometimes camber and sometimes caster. Caster, don’t touch it unless it’s showing signs of too little (floaty steering) or too much (difficulty returning to center). Camber, if the wheels are within 0.1, maybe 0.2 deg or being vertical don’t touch camber and it may not be adjustable anyway.
Toe is typically what causes a pull one direction or the other. But if it’s not wearing the tires funny and only pulls a little on a normal X slope to the right, it’s probably ok too.

[jimh406]

ernie1 wrote:
They stated that they could do the basic toe and camber adjustment and that's it. I may go with that.

I would. It's probably going to be close enough.

[ernie1]

Grit Dog: I'm needing an alignment now because, even though I carefully marked the outline of the old struts before removing them, the new Bilstein struts have a different outline and so the van pulls to the right slightly. I had an alignment done at 20,000 miles and PleasureWay paid for it because it needed it and was a warranty issue. No I did not hit anything on the road.

Jim406: The Les Schwab store I went to said they had the proper equipment to handle my larger and wider vehicle but that the problem with trying to align it was that they don't have the alignment specs to do a complete job. They say that the specs are proprietary and Mercedes won't release it. They stated that they could do the basic toe and camber adjustment and that's it. I may go with that.

[jimh406]

Next time you are somewhere with lots of DRW trucks have it aligned. It's not much larger than a DRW. Obviously, not any larger than a box van or large Class C. Fwiw, there are Les Schwab shops that specialize in larger vehicles. Maybe you can find one of those.

Seems like Sacramento has a shortage of good automotive resources and the few they have like to charge high prices. I'm glad I don't live there.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Mercedes vehicles and Mercedes service are definitely not what they used to be. I was GSM of a Mercedes/Volvo/Porsche-Audi dealership in the mid-80's through the 90's. The Mercedes you bought then was head & shoulders quality over pretty much anything else on the road, and while service costs were slightly higher, they weren't crazy. Today, you can go out and buy a new Toyota that is every bit as high of a quality product as a Mercedes. It will be cheaper to keep, and retain its value better than any Mercedes you could buy. The three-pointed star on the grille does not symbolize what it used to. Although I made a helluva living back then, I will never own another Mercedes product.

[Grit_dog]

First, what makes you think it needs to be re-aligned again? And how many times how you had it aligned? Considering it’s only 6 years old? At least once already per your post. In how many miles? Did you hit something causing it to need yet another alignment?
Changing struts does not throw an alignment off. If anything it had a bit of positive camber if the struts were sagging and now it doesn’t.
Either all the shops you called are just too busy or something. It’s just a chubby dually 1 ton van.