Mercedes tech said alignment done only at Mercedes dealership!!!

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Nov 5, 2009
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orlando,FL
Hi everyone,

2020 glb250 4matic (14k miles)

I took my car in for trunk not closing and staying open halfway. Service advisor said that might not be cover under warranty. Anyway they are looking into it and I hope they fix it instead of BS with me. Well service advisor inspection my both of my tires and came back with me saying that front tires need to be replace, need balance, then alignment. I told him no then he said do rotation and alignment. Both front tires are wears out due to common wears ( Really at 13k mileage, he said first tire wore out quickly then 2nd set of tire , he also said tire I have is softer tire). Rear tires are good so he want to put rear tires on the front then do alignment, If I don’t want to buy new tires. Rotation,balance,and alignment came out to be $290 plus taxe. Told me only do alignment at the Mercedes dealership and wouldn’t let nobody else touch the car.

At 6k miles they replaced both of the wheel bearings on the front then they only did toe adjustment not full alignment.
No warranty for tires.
Continental tires. 235/50/19 all around
 
Two years old and 14k miles…I can see why people pay so much for the superior quality of these cars. 🙄

Imagine if the OP said 2020 (Nissan, Kia, Dodge) with 14k and the rest of the story the same…what would the comments say?
 
It is not the cars, it is the hammer heads working on them at these dealerships, they make a pigs ear out the job. AKA creative work.
I did one car the dealer said it needed ball joints tie rods and had a steering rack that was leaking internally because the steering was tight, huge shopping list that turned to nothing more than a rusted upper strut bearing.
 
Some benzes are somewhat special, the w123 needs a jacking fixture doohickey between the front spindles to simulate being under load on the road.

IDK enough about your car to comment, aside from I hope you get the tire wear you're expecting.

As for the trunk, what's the bumper to bumper warranty? That's a bigger concern to me, how they treat you over that.
 
Two years old and 14k miles…I can see why people pay so much for the superior quality of these cars. 🙄

Imagine if the OP said 2020 (Nissan, Kia, Dodge) with 14k and the rest of the story the same…what would the comments say?

I would say the exact same thing I just did.......Quality manufacturing, I tell you what.
Crappy manufacturers should be called out.
However, drive what you like and keep the discussions going! That's why we're all here.
 
There's a LOT we don't know here. I've NEVER heard of wheel bearings going out that soon. Was this car driven into the ocean? Don't laugh, a woman did this in Daytona a few years back, with kids in the car!
Was the rear hatch forced open? Forced closed? Closed on too large an item? They are supposed to be automatic, but you never know what kind of abuse can happen to a car.
 
At 6k miles they replaced both of the wheel bearings on the front then they only did toe adjustment not full alignment.
And I thought that KIA dealerships were terrible. At least around here they are. Go to a different dealership and get them to do right by you, or ask to talk to the service manager. Ask the service manager for the owner's contact info if you don't like what you hear. I bet he'll change his tune.
 
Hi everyone,

2020 glb250 4matic (14k miles)

I took my car in for trunk not closing and staying open halfway. Service advisor said that might not be cover under warranty. Anyway they are looking into it and I hope they fix it instead of BS with me. Well service advisor inspection my both of my tires and came back with me saying that front tires need to be replace, need balance, then alignment. I told him no then he said do rotation and alignment. Both front tires are wears out due to common wears ( Really at 13k mileage, he said first tire wore out quickly then 2nd set of tire , he also said tire I have is softer tire). Rear tires are good so he want to put rear tires on the front then do alignment, If I don’t want to buy new tires. Rotation,balance,and alignment came out to be $290 plus taxe. Told me only do alignment at the Mercedes dealership and wouldn’t let nobody else touch the car.

At 6k miles they replaced both of the wheel bearings on the front then they only did toe adjustment not full alignment.
No warranty for tires.
Continental tires. 235/50/19 all around
Sounds like a upsell. Tire tread depth gauge is available in auto parts store just for few bucks, pick one and use it as service writer lie detector : )
Tire balance can be done in Walmart or tire store, way cheaper and get same result.
Alignment, do you feel obvious pull to one side? If not, and you haven't hit something that could mess up the alignment, you probably don't need one. I always ask for before/after report for alignment at any place to make sure the shop did do the job.

My 2 cents.
 
Wheel bearings at 14K miles? Fishy
Not really. Like all German car manufacturers, Mercedes sometimes sources parts from shady (as in cheap) suppliers. Cutting corners on bearings by making them from improperly hardened steel has been common practice by said automotive parts suppliers for a long time. An issue that many are familiar with is the HEMI roller-lifter issue, which is essentially a supplier-related problem.
 
Not really. Like all German car manufacturers, Mercedes sometimes sources parts from shady (as in cheap) suppliers. Cutting corners on bearings by making them from improperly hardened steel has been common practice by said suppliers for a long time. An issue that many are familiar with is the HEMI roller-liftet issue, which is essentially a supplier-related problem.
Agreed, it's a supplier related issue if it happens for one or two years. If it continues occurring, it falls squarely on the shoulders of the manufacture (which it should anyway because the consumer bought from the car manufacturer, not the parts supplier) and passing it off as a supplier issue is being disingenuous.

I haven't read of this vintage Merc having these issues in numbers that would suggest a supplier or bad batch issue.
 
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Most if not all dealerships will tell you to only go to them. That's to generate business.
Wheel bearings probably led to early wear. Only toe in adjustment and not full alignment probably didn't fix the issue that existed with the front end.
Obviously they don't do thorough work or they would have checked, or recommended checking, the front end for other than toe in adjustment
Front really can't be full aligned unless you do a four wheel alignment on a Merc.

I only go to one shop that specializes in alignment. He's got all the special tools for different brands/models that some shops don't have (which may be why the dealership said don't go to indy shops). He doesn't upsell, he has plenty of easy alignments to keep his business alive.

I've used "soft" tires like Bridgestone, Kumho, and Geeneral on my Mercs, BMWs, and VWs. They've all lasted at least 50k miles.

Do the old guys remember when "Merc" meant Mercury, not Mercedes? When a BMW was a "Beemer" not a "Bimmer"?
 
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