Advise please.
Finally got around to cleaning up the car after CAA6, upon removing the right rear wheel I found that the inside of the tire was almost to the cord. The left rear was fine.

Should I :

1. get a new OEM non-adjustable camber arm.
2. order the parts for the < $100 camber set as detailed by sifi in his DIY.

 

Bump.
Removed the right camber arm and put both ends in a vise and did rocking and twisting test. Nothing wrong with those bushings.
Guess I'm looking at adjustable arms, I do not want to tackle that adjustable kit where you have to press out the bushings.

 

I had the same rear camber problem on the right side. I certainly can understand why you would not want to go with the pressed in adjustable bushing. I did do it that way. Luckily I had the spring compression tool and a press to get the bushing out.


Here is a set of adjustable camber arms on ebay that you could use.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Benz-Rear-Camber-Kit-Adjustable-97-12-SLK-R170-R171-R172-Made-In-USA-/301453835690?hash=item46300c7daa&vxp=mtr

 

So is the camber different (more extreme negative) on the right than the left?
If the camber link is in good shape (as it seems to be) and the cambers are in the same ballpark visually you might want to look at the toe link on that side. A bent toe link could wear the inside shoulder of the tire. I would have the alignment checked to what's what.
These camber links are good and pain-free. (Direct replacement of upper arm/ no modifications needed)
Megan Racing

 

Thanks Toolman and ZX2 Nick, I think I will try to find someplace to check the alignment before I have the new set of Hankooks installed.

 

G.,

I was going to suggest the toe link too. Got beat out!

 

Don't bother with either of the ebay or Megan setups. Both use 4-bar ends that have the threaded rod welded to the end, and are known to corrode & fail. And the aluminum shafts will corrode & strip. Going on over 2 yrs with the DIY setups on both of my XFs and tires are wearing perfectly across the flats. And @ 1/2 the price. Plus the 4-bar DIY ends are solid forged. And still completely silent!

Mike S

 

OK, so I 'think' I fixed it myself.
The camber link was fine, so I started looking at the toe-in, this IS adjustable, here's what I did :
1. raised and supported rear on jack stands, removed the wheels.
2. clamped an "L" channel aluminum bar to the left rear brake disk at the bottom, put a level on it and measured 3 feet back from the center of the spindle and marked it.
3. Hung a plumb bob down the center of the rear using a strong magnet (on a microfiber towel ) holding the string to the spoiler. ( the string centered on the Chrysler logo and the point molded into the center of the bumper cover.
4. Measured from the 3' mark on the bar level to the string : 28 1/4 "
NOTE at this point : the left tire shows completely even wear, so I am assuming the toe-in is correct on this side.
5. moved the same setup to the right side and measured 27 3/4 ", which means the tire was pointing out at the front. This explains why my roadster always hunted to the left.
I could not take my hands off the wheel to fasten my seat belt without it wanting to head out in the front yard.

6. I stood a pointer at the end of the bar for reference and adjusted the toe by loosening the 18mm nut and turning the T55 bolt.
7. Once this side also measured 28 1/4", I clamped it all down and remeasured.

I am still going to take it in and get the alignment checked, but I think it will be pretty close now.

( It was the 'cupping' on the tire that led me to think it was a toe-in issue, not a camber issue )

using simple math, .5 / 36 * 100 = 1.38 degrees : the amount the toe in was off on the left rear wheel.

 

I'm having too many discussions trying to find a source for wheel alignment. What else is new. Every repair is a dissertation on auto repair for the Crossfire. Went to Sears after they first said they could align a Mercedes only to discover they could only do 2 of 3 adjustments (not the Camber adj due to needed bolts and a tool for the bolt. Now I'm talking to Firestone who seems a bit more knowledgeable trying to avoid wasting their time and mine. One Chrysler dealer can't do it, another "says" they can starting at $189 (plus parts if needed-Camber bolts) Firestone: $89.00 Anyone have some suggestions of where to do to have a 4 wheel alignment? Thanks for any direction!

 

I have had my local Chrysler/Chevy/Ram/Dodge dealer do it for me 2 times lately on their Hunter machine .
The first time, Lee ( the technician ) couldn't adjust the right rear camber due to the OEM non-adjustable links.
I ordered parts from SpeedwayMotors.com for a total of $79 ( before shipping ), set them to OEM spec ( 30 CM center to center ), installed them and took it back.
The first time they charged me $69, this time only $49, and I am now within specs on all 4 wheels !
The car now drives better than it ever has since I bought it.
( Lee stated that the adjustable links I installed were better than any he had ever seen, said they looked like $300 links )

 

The reason you see thread after boring thread on self/owner-repair is kinda' all we got.

Having to come here to ask "who can do my alignment"? is pretty telling.

Very few. That's why we do this, sir.

 

When I got my latest Crossfire the tires were badly worn on the front and just plain worn on the back. As soon as I got new tires on I went looking for an alignment and have the steering wheel centered.
My Chrysler dealer said they could not do it as did other shops I asked. Finally one shop said they could do it and I took the car in, I waited for the car and after an hour or so the manager said that he was sorry but they lacked a part for the machine, something to do with the wheels if I remember correctly. As a result the front was aligned, the steering wheel centered and for goodwill it was done for no charge.
After nearly 10,000 miles the wear is very even, the rears obviously did not require to be aligned, I guess the even wear on the original rear tires showed that fact.
Alignments are a pain for this car, the number of threads on this subject alone attest to that fact.

 

Picked up a set of Ground Control adjustable toe arms from Rob-NeedsWings and never had anymore toe problems with the back tires. Squirrel Crusher

 

Just thought I'd list where I got all the parts for the rear camber links from one source :
NOTE: Be sure to give both the inside and outside of all the nylon inserts a GOOD coat of white lithium grease !

Free Shipping @ Speedway Motors, The Racing and Rodding Specialists

 

I went to 3 different Firestone stores and ask to speak to their best alignment tech ,, found one that would do custom alignment he aligns drift cars,, and now mine too. went for the lifetime for 169.00, have used it 10 to 12 times so far,, every time i make a change, and that could be once a month. i take it for alignment ,, I have set the distance from front to back to be both the same after centering all 4 wheels,, here is a pic of my rear setup ,,well Rudy"s setup anyway. jim

 

I like the idea of the offset ends on these rods. James

 

Thanks ALA, for the resource on camber parts. I finally did have an alignment, at Chrysler. BUT, the other Chrysler dealer was not able to perform an alignment but the other Chrysler dealer was able. Sears, who SAID they align the SLK 320, detrained they did not have the parts and tool for the camber alignment (rear). When Chrysler did perform the alignment, they determined that the rear did NOT need the rear camber adjustment. They also centered the steering wheel that frankly I had no idea was out of alignment. The moral of the story here is it's a crap shoot to find a dealer that CAN do certain work on CF. Based upon forum stories, it's a crap shoot all over the country. Good luck to us finding good resources beyond the forum to do actual needed work on CF. Other moral of the story, all alignment specs may be different depending on the technician and the accuracy of their equipment. Oh yes, Firestone quoted over $500 (including rear camber work) while Chrysler was $189- no rear camber work needed based on their assessment. They had no problem working on the CF. Very nice to work with, btw.

 

I too like the offset, however the tubes are aluminum.
I prefer steel swaged tubes for additional strength ever since I saw the aluminum one strip out 3 years ago on Hellbender, don't recall who that was.

 

Thanks for posting that info/parts George.