Hello, I am looking for info for my mother-in-law regarding her 2007 Crossfire. We recently bought her new tires and noticed the front were wearing weird, so I suggested she take it in for an alignment. They got it as close as possible but couldn't get front in spec without new camber/caster bolts. They said that OEM ones were junk and hard to find and said that we needed to do the aftermarket upgrades in order to get it in. Keep in mind, this is a bone stock 07 Crossfire Limited with 50k miles. It is not lowered, I am not sure why the stock ones couldn't bring it in spec. Am I being fed a line to buy more or is it true?
Here are the specs: LF Camber came in at -1.9 degrees. Looks like( -.9) to (-1.5) are within spec.
RF Camber came in at -1.6 degrees, with same parameters
RF Caster came in at 4.6 degrees with 4.7 to 5.7 being within spec.
Theses measurements are after alignment everything else came in.


Thank you in advance!!

 

The Crossfire suspension is Mercedes, as is almost all of the mechanical's in the car. I'm very surprised they are saying the OEM bolts are junk. You can get the Mercedes eccentric alignment bolts from a Mercedes dealer. But they will likely ask for a VIN number from an SLK320. Some members have just picked a VIN from a car listing on the internet.

The part number for one bolt is: 2023300118. The part number for two bolts is: 2023300118OE. Depending on the alignment requirements two fit on each side.

I have a 2007 as well and it had some alignment issues. The first national chain that looked at it could not do anything with the rear camber because it is not adjustable as the car comes from the factory. They recommended taking it to the dealer. I bought a rear camber and toe kit made by KMAC and installed the camber bolts/bushings. The KMAC kit is very expensive $380.00, but it worked well. There are other options with adjustable arms. I also needed the Mercedes eccentric bolts for the front.

autohausaz.com sells them:

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pro...ber=2023300118
If you use ebay do a search on the part number above. I did a search this morning and there are many listings.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sop=...3300118&_rdc=1

 

They were probably refering to the OEM original bolts that came on the car from the factory. They only allow a little adjustment. The aftermarket/OEM eccentric bolts will allow +/-1.5 degree adjustment which should be plenty to get you in spec. The OE p/n is just Mercedes putting their name on it and doubling the price. The Febi-Bilsteins are essentially the same bolts as the OEM Mercedes eccentrics. The Febi ones I got from AutohauzAZ were stamped with DYTSA which is a well respected vehicle bolt mfg. You're better off sticking with the Febi price wise.

||- D Y T S A -||

 

Be aware the shop is going to charge you to install the bolts. Drop the control arms, take out the springs, install the new bolts, then reassemble.

 

Ok, I think that answered my question, I didn't realize the oem MB bolts would allow for more adjustment and knew the crossfire oem only allowed for .5 adj. which would have barely brought it in. I can install myself, just didn't want to shell out 380$ for aftermarket if there were others available that would bring it in, thank you !

 

After I installed the rear camber kit I took the car back to the alignment shop. BTW, I did have to remove the lower control arm on the rear as the extraction tool that came with the kit to remove the bushings did not work. I had to put the control arms on a press to get the factory bushings out, and even with that they did not cooperate at all. They said they would not give me the lifetime alignment with aftermarket parts. When I talked with the technician he also admitted he did not have large Torx bit required to remove the old bolts.

I took it to Firestone and they said they would give me the lifetime alignment. I suspected they would not have the front alignment bolts if needed, so I purchased a set and took them with me. They wanted to charge me $180.00 to change the bolts saying they had to remove the control arms to replace them. I said no, they can be replaced without removing the control arms, and that I would take the car back and install them, and bring the car back. They dropped the installation price to $90.00 which I thought was reasonable, and I would avoid a second trip.

Here are the instructions from the factory service manual on changing the bolts:

Note: Inspect for prior installation of the alignment bolt.
3. For camber, compress the front spring (1). Refer to Page
2-42.
4. Install the repair bolt (2). Screw on the nut from the repair
kit as far as it will go, but do not tighten it so that the rubber
mount on the wishbone can turn when the suspension
is compressed and rebounded.
5. Release the front spring (1).
6. Lower the vehicle and settle the suspension by pulling and
pushing firmly several times.
Note: Inspect for prior installation of the alignment bolt.

7. For caster, compress the front spring (2). Refer to Page
2-42.
8. Install the repair bolt (1). Screw on the nut from the repair
kit as far as it will go, but do not tighten it so that the rubber
mount on the wishbone can turn when the suspension
is compressed and rebounded.
9. Release the front spring (2).
10. Lower the vehicle and settle the suspension by pulling and
pushing firmly several times.

 

So the MB bolts with that part number says up to 04, I am assuming that that will still work since you also have an 07. And that part number has more adjustment than the ones that originally came on her car? Just making sure I am understanding correctly, thanks again

 

Correctamundo. The SLK320 which our chassis are based off of ended production in 2004 but our cars use mostly the same parts all the way through the 2008 crossfire production. (The motors in the 2008 Xfires were assembled back before 2004 for the SLKs). So yes, same bolts and yes, the eccentric bolts will allow +/-1.5 degree more adjustment over the OEM ones on the car right now. From your alignment readings these should be plenty to get you in spec. For those who want further more extreme adjustments (say for autocrossing) your only choice would be the K-Macs at around $300 a kit.

 

What he said. That's what I used in mine.