# Pulling to the left! Driving me nuts - Literally!



## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

My wife's 2004 Mercedes C220 CDI pulls to the left! Once in a week I am required to drive my wife's car - whenever I do, its a PITA as it needs to be steered to the right to keep it going in a straight line!

I thought alignment issue - well, got that done and it made no difference. The car still pulls to the left, seems to be wearing out the offside tyre more than the nearside tyre and its generally a pain to drive. 

I got it checked by the Merc dealer who said its normal - wtf? 

Anyone had this issue? or know how to resolve it?


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## jackssc (Oct 14, 2014)

Tyres need balanced? Worn wheel bearing?


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Tracking is out

What did they adjust? As the toe is out


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## possul (Nov 14, 2008)

when you can, drive on the wrong side of the road an if it pulls to the right you know its ok. or the middle and it should drive straight.
its either following the camber of the road, or there is something more going off.
tyre pressure ok?
any redness on the brake discs? signs of heat?


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Lower arm bush or track rod ?


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

jackssc said:


> Tyres need balanced? Worn wheel bearing?


Wheel bearings checked in MOT - They're all good. No noise coming from them either when driving.



Kimo73 said:


> Tracking is out
> 
> What did they adjust? As the toe is out


No idea - had the sensors on the car and they did something or other. Im only practical with injections and scalpels!



possul said:


> when you can, drive on the wrong side of the road an if it pulls to the right you know its ok. or the middle and it should drive straight.
> its either following the camber of the road, or there is something more going off.
> tyre pressure ok?
> any redness on the brake discs? signs of heat?


tyre pressures all at 36PSI all around. No redness to the brake discs - theyre shiny silver . No other signs of heat I can see anyway



SteveTDCi said:


> Lower arm bush or track rod ?


No idea what that means or how to check it - will need you to clarify thanks!


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## jackssc (Oct 14, 2014)

Get underneath the car and have a poke around at the track rod. Rhe piece that connects the hub assembly to the steering rack. Check for excess play and if you can see, if the bushes look worn out at all


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

Bent steering arm?

Initially I would have said the tracking was out but you say you've had that checked so I'm stumped as to what it could be.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

jackssc said:


> Get underneath the car and have a poke around at the track rod. Rhe piece that connects the hub assembly to the steering rack. Check for excess play and if you can see, if the bushes look worn out at all


Just googled it and checked, looks good to me - not much play at all. Suspension bushings seems fine too


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## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

Toe out is off I think, meaning the wheel, when straight is pointing ever so slightly to the left, which will be evident due to excessive wear of the tyre.

I'd have it hunter 4 wheel aligned before checking for anything else.....check for toe in/out & camber/castor


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

VW Golf-Fan said:


> Bent steering arm?
> 
> Initially I would have said the tracking was out but you say you've had that checked so I'm stumped as to what it could be.


I should clarify that there is no vibration from the steering wheel even at 70mph+, steering wheel never shakes or shudders, there arent any rattling or clunking sounds inside the car and the steering itself is accurate.


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## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/175

Any help?


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## jackssc (Oct 14, 2014)

Could possibly even be the aftermath of hitting a pothole/kerb and something has bent. Everything may seem and look okay but something may be bent


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## Bazza85 (Mar 14, 2015)

Agree with Andy_g. Places like kwik fit usually have a hunters alignment system, which measures camber, toe in/out as well as tracking. 
Would recommend anyway as tyres will last longer with this set up and my car handles like its on rails after having a sport set up after lowering my car on the hunters.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Andyg_TSi said:


> http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/175
> 
> Any help?


Very helpful. Been through that and it appears that the offside toe may be out. However, I would have thought this would lead to the nearside toe being out too as shown by the pic on that site but the nearside tyre is wearing equally all around.



Bazza85 said:


> Agree with Andy_g. Places like kwik fit usually have a hunters alignment system, which measures camber, toe in/out as well as tracking.
> Would recommend anyway as tyres will last longer with this set up and my car handles like its on rails after having a sport set up after lowering my car on the hunters.


Ive had that done at Kwik Fit. My mate is the manager, got his best guy to do it and hasn't made a difference. Apparently its a common problem on Merc's of all ages, even the 15 reg ones. He mentioned its probably worth going to the dealer for adjustment but they're trying to get me to pay £1k + for adjustment with no guarantee of it working lol.


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## DLGWRX02 (Apr 6, 2010)

I know when i had a Subaru the geometry was out on that, it was taken to a dealers for an alignment but it still pulled and just felt wrong, a friend recommended a local company in norwich, specialising in geometry set up, I booked it in and they sorted it with a few adjustments made, and a folder full of printouts etc ( which i can not begin to translate) and it was fine, also didnt help who ever installed the coil overs didnt had them at even heights (which dealership failed to notice) they said there was some issues with toe in etc but i had not got a clue what he was on abou that the time..lol


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

Something I've always noticed with Mercs specifically, and that's when they are parked with their wheels turned (fully I presume), it always looks like the wheel is about to fall off due to the funny angle it is left at.


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## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

Rayaan said:


> Very helpful. Been through that and it appears that the offside toe may be out. However, I would have thought this would lead to the nearside toe being out too as shown by the pic on that site but the nearside tyre is wearing equally all around.
> 
> Ive had that done at Kwik Fit. My mate is the manager, got his best guy to do it and hasn't made a difference. Apparently its a common problem on Merc's of all ages, even the 15 reg ones. He mentioned its probably worth going to the dealer for adjustment but they're trying to get me to pay £1k + for adjustment with no guarantee of it working lol.


Sometimes the factory settings are out, and a unique toe in/out can be set up by a skilled technician using a hunter machine.

When I bought my car I didn't realise the alignment was out & it ate 2 new front tyres within the 1st 500 miles. Both inside edges were bald when rest of tyre was 5mm of tread.
The tyres were literally being crabbed along the tarmac.

Have mine hunter aligned every 12 months as part of the service or MOT check.

Anything can throw the alignment setting out......hitting pot holes or going up/down kerbs & over speed humps too vigorously. Something to watch for.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Hmm Ive had the alignment done every service too or whenever tyres need changing - its never gone away. Been like this for a good 3 years I think but my wife doesnt drive much so it doesnt bother her.


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## knightstemplar (Jun 18, 2010)

Doesn't happen on my 2014 E Class, I know that doesn't help, or does it? Proves they all don't do it I suppose


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

knightstemplar said:


> Doesn't happen on my 2014 E Class, I know that doesn't help, or does it? Proves they all don't do it I suppose


Seems to happen on the C class alot and some other Mercs. No idea what it could be. Yours is pretty new though, my wife's is just over 10 years old.


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## NeilG40 (Jan 1, 2009)

VW Golf-Fan said:


> Something I've always noticed with Mercs specifically, and that's when they are parked with their wheels turned (fully I presume), it always looks like the wheel is about to fall off due to the funny angle it is left at.


That's due to the caster angle.


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

Take a technician out in the car and show them how bad it is?


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Done that. He said it was normal and happens on Mercs after about 30k miles. The car in question is nearly at 74k


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

Good to know in any accidents involving Merc's then, lol


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

Rayaan said:


> Seems to happen on the C class alot and some other Mercs. No idea what it could be. Yours is pretty new though, my wife's is just over 10 years old.


I had a new W209 CLK back in 2003 - I remember that used to drift to the left more than other cars i'd had up to that point (mostly BMW 3 series). Now my memory isn't what it was but I'm sure I was told it was deliberately set that way to go to the side of the road as a safety precuation (forget road camber). Back around that time there was a road safety campaign about falling asleep at the wheel too.

You geometry may well be within factory tolerances, but perhaps having it adjusted to a bias to the right might reduce the issue. I'm sure someone like Chris at CentreGravity could work magic on it.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

percymon said:


> I had a new W209 CLK back in 2003 - I remember that used to drift to the left more than other cars i'd had up to that point (mostly BMW 3 series). Now my memory isn't what it was but I'm sure I was told it was deliberately set that way to go to the side of the road as a safety precuation (forget road camber). Back around that time there was a road safety campaign about falling asleep at the wheel too.
> 
> You geometry may well be within factory tolerances, but perhaps having it adjusted to a bias to the right might reduce the issue. I'm sure someone like Chris at CentreGravity could work magic on it.


The logic behind that does make sense - however Ive been searching forums and it appears the American Mercs seem to go to the left too which would put them straight into the path of another vehicle if they fell asleep :wall:


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

No car is set up to drift to the left or right, the effect on fuel consumption would be massive for manufacturers trying to get the last drop out of each mpg figure.

As for all Mercs do this after 35k miles...the tech is telling bull. A car is a fairly simple mechanical object, if something wears (yes it will still pass an mot) the car will behave different when brand new.

3 series e36 BMWs loved to tramline when they got older, people would say, yeah the cars passed an mot so its got to be the design! Personally I'd trust the BMW engineers over any mot tester. The culprit on most e36s were the lollipop bushes, they like fresh good quality ones not cheap copy parts.

Get the Merc into someone who knows the cars inside out...this usually isn't the main dealer who have a high turnover of younger spanner monkeys. And take it to a good alignment centre who know what they are doing. Most hunter equipped places will keep adjusting a car until you are happy. One me local to me adjust to spec and then say have a drive for a week and come back if your not happy with anything and we will adjust until it feels right, as long as its not going way out of tolerance.


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## knightstemplar (Jun 18, 2010)

Rayaan said:


> Done that. He said it was normal and happens on Mercs after about 30k miles. The car in question is nearly at 74k


I can't really get my head around what he said? So what changes after 30k miles? Is there a component that only lasts that long then the car starts pulling to the left? Doesn't make sense to me, think he was talking out of his a..e


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

knightstemplar said:


> I can't really get my head around what he said? So what changes after 30k miles? Is there a component that only lasts that long then the car starts pulling to the left? Doesn't make sense to me, think he was talking out of his a..e


His exact words were that "it's more common on Mercs over 30k". Although he did take me out in his car which was a Merc C220 2013 with less than 20k on it and it had the same issue


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

On a flat road the Merc we have drives as straight as the Vauxhall, Skoda and Pug does. All have over 30k on them, the Skoda has over 130k on it.

After hitting a huge pothole about 2 years ago the Skoda started pulling but after £60 spent on a Hunter Alignment and 2 sets of adjustments it now drives nice and straight again.

The worst car I had previous was the e36 as mentioned, after looking on forums the amount of bull spoken was untrue...battery located on 1 side making them unbalanced and all rubbish like that!...Internet gotta love it.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

robertdon777 said:


> On a flat road the Merc we have drives as straight as the Vauxhall, Skoda and Pug does. All have over 30k on them, the Skoda has over 130k on it.
> 
> After hitting a huge pothole about 2 years ago the Skoda started pulling but after £60 spent on a Hunter Alignment and 2 sets of adjustments it now drives nice and straight again.
> 
> The worst car I had previous was the e36 as mentioned, after looking on forums the amount of bull spoken was untrue...battery located on 1 side making them unbalanced and all rubbish like that!...Internet gotta love it.


It may be a W203 thing but Im aware of it happening on even the W205 even though its so new. Dealer said they adjust those under warranty but mine has no such warranty so he's asking exactly £897 lol


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Gheezer said:


> Try swapping the front tyres side to side. Any difference in drift could indicate a tyre issue, rare but I have experienced this. I believe it is a casing alignment anomaly when in motion but can't confirm it.
> 
> If a dealer representative told me that drifting was an acceptable characteristic after only 30k I would on to the customer service desk.


I might try that actually - cheers. TBF the front has crappy Sunny SN3800's which my wife got talked into buying when she had a blowout on Goodyear Eagle's back in 2009. Ironically, it was on the left side . The Sunny's sing at high speed - a kind of humming, whirring sound which disappears at speeds over 40mph, very odd.

They look like they're pretty much giving up in the coming months so will get some Dunlop Sp sport fastresponse on the front to match the rears which have been awesome and I guess ill get an alignment done too to see if that fixes it!


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Get a full geometric alignment. These Hawkeye/ Hunter machines are only as good as the operator. Tony Bones is the man to see if it isn't to far for you, but i guarantee your car will drive better than it has ever done before.http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

He crashed :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Sorry, couldn't resist


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Gheezer said:


> Any update on the drift to the left issue?


OK, well I swapped the front tyres around and it made no difference. Still pulling to the left. I had another wheel alignment done, still pulls to the left :wall:

Dont know what's going on here now!



bidderman1969 said:


> He crashed :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
> 
> Sorry, couldn't resist


HAHA very funny! :lol:


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## techman56 (Aug 10, 2013)

Get rid of the Sunny tyres first. Make sure all 4 wheels are balanced as well.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

techman56 said:


> Get rid of the Sunny tyres first. Make sure all 4 wheels are balanced as well.


I thought it might be the tyres. Its not as I put the sunny's on the back and the dunlops at the front as the wheel size is the same all around.

This still made no difference so I dont know what it is


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## [email protected] (Jan 9, 2006)

Similar issues to my corsa only i have a knocking too which might be inner track rod balljoints but this would also cause wandering pulling etc.

On an extra note have you checked to see if you have a binding brake?


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

[email protected] said:


> Similar issues to my corsa only i have a knocking too which might be inner track rod balljoints but this would also cause wandering pulling etc.
> 
> On an extra note have you checked to see if you have a binding brake?


I dont have a knocking at all. In fact, the only noise is from the rattling interior rear view mirror and I think the belt is on its way out too. Apart from that no noise.

No binding as far as I can tell. Its not making any clicking sounds or anything even after washing.


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Maybe take the rear brakes off and give them a clean mate. Squeaks, rattles and cabin noise does my head in hope you sort it. Good luck.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

DJ X-Ray said:


> Maybe take the rear brakes off and give them a clean mate. Squeaks, rattles and cabin noise does my head in hope you sort it. Good luck.


Rear brakes are new :O. Yeah it does my head in too, luckily the diesel engine in the Mercedes is so gruff that it gets masked quite well


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Geometry on toe in and out, sub frame alightment to the arms need to be checked should be fine though plus the shape of your tyres and alloys, everything needs a close examination, more likely it sounds like your geometry buddie.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Trip tdi said:


> Geometry on toe in and out, sub frame alightment to the arms need to be checked should be fine though plus the shape of your tyres and alloys, everything needs a close examination, more likely it sounds like your geometry buddie.


What would be a reasonable price to pay for that?


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## The_Weasel (Nov 23, 2006)

If you want the alignment re-checking definitely get it on a hunter machine.

I recently used the guys here http://allcartyres.com/ and they did a great job for me.
I'd had a new outer ball joint fitted so it needed setting up again. As my car is now 10 years old I though it would be interesting to see how far out everything was. They had to do both sides at the front and my offside rear, everything was obviously seized up but when they'd done it was perfect.

It was £65 for mine (MINI) and worth every penny, your Merc might be more but if you give them a call they'll tell you. Takes around 1 hour for it to be done


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