Steering Wheel Centralised for C-180 (W204)

[Guest echodeltax]

I noticed that when i drive my new C-180 on expressways, my steering wheel is pointed slightly to the left about 1-1/2 degrees.

My alignment seems ok, no pulling left or right. so it seems that the steering wheel is not centralised because is made in Germany due to left-hand drive??

Is this normal, when driving on expressways and straight roads, does your steering point straight or slightly angled to the left??

[Guest colrc]

i think it is impossible to hv a perfect centre. but the things that may affect are the out of alignment of the steering wheel and uneven front tyre pressures. as you say, there seems to be nothing wrong with the car as it is going straight. think of this as "natural", just like our body - where one side is larger than the other (you know which part!)! : :)

hey, also the road is sloping. you may be compensating this by turning the steering wheel slightly off centre. as you know, all roads are not absolutely flat, need slight hump or gradient to run-off the water. try driving along the crest of the road. the off centre should be much less.

[Guest echodeltax]

i think it is impossible to hv a perfect centre. but the things that may affect are the out of alignment of the steering wheel and uneven front tyre pressures. as you say, there seems to be nothing wrong with the car as it is going straight. think of this as "natural", just like our body - where one side is larger than the other (you know which part!)! : :)

hey, also the road is sloping. you may be compensating this by turning the steering wheel slightly off centre. as you know, all roads are not absolutely flat, need slight hump or gradient to run-off the water. try driving along the crest of the road. the off centre should be much less.

Where is the "crest" of the road?? Which lane?? Which part??

So I guess SG roads are slope from right down to left due to run-off water and so my steering should be facing left right??

Today when I tried on the ECP stretch where there is straight stretch with flower pots in the middle. my steering still faces slightly to the left leh... i thought that should be the flattest and straightest road in SG.

[Guest tategoi]

Singapore roads are mostly sloping downwards from right to left. My car will drift slightly to the left if I let the steering wheel free, and the steering wheel also pointed slightly to the left. And on such roads, to keep the car going straight, my steering wheel had to be pointing slightly to the right. Like you, I am pretty annoyed by such thing as well. I can only deduce that W204 steering wheel is very fidgety. My previous BMW E60 did not have this problem.

[Guest echodeltax]

Singapore roads are mostly sloping downwards from right to left. My car will drift slightly to the left if I let the steering wheel free, and the steering wheel also pointed slightly to the left. And on such roads, to keep the car going straight, my steering wheel had to be pointing slightly to the right. Like you, I am pretty annoyed by such thing as well. I can only deduce that W204 steering wheel is very fidgety. My previous BMW E60 did not have this problem.

I am very particular about the steering wheel because of the driving sensation. It feels weird if my steering is pointing at an angle and I am driving straight.

If a car engineer cannot even make this simple thing properly alignment, it makes me wonder all the other parts of the car is "straight" or not. hehehe...

And now with audio controls on the steering, it makes even more sense to make it very straight!

[Guest holmiumz]

bro, mine also to the left abit but I guess it is normal...

btw how come audio on steering will affect u to make it straight ah? :D

[Guest echodeltax]

bro, mine also to the left abit but I guess it is normal...

btw how come audio on steering will affect u to make it straight ah? :D

What i mean is that it is more "SHIOK" (good feeling) if everything is perfectly center since now the car comes with audio controls... if it comes with gear shift paddle, it is even more important that is straight!!

tilting to one side while driving straight destroys the pleasure of driving such a wonderful car!!

well, i dont know if i am being too fussy... but it feels like; for example using your mouse, if you move upwards, you expect the cursor to move upwards right, and not in another direction.... hehehe... so just like i point my steering wheel straight, i expect my car to move straight and not turn slightly to the left or right.

i think all cars in the future should allow the driver to fine tune the steering wheel on our own to make sure is properly align.

[Guest angela]

i think all cars in the future should allow the driver to fine tune the steering wheel on our own to make sure is properly align.

u can go to MBM or any other motor workshop to do alignment of the steering... i think its abt $30 odd if you're a regular customer, but don't quote me... just what i heard from a friend...

[Guest echodeltax]

i think all cars in the future should allow the driver to fine tune the steering wheel on our own to make sure is properly align.

u can go to MBM or any other motor workshop to do alignment of the steering... i think its abt $30 odd if you're a regular customer, but don't quote me... just what i heard from a friend...

Wow that's really cheap!! I wonder how long it will take.

Can i just wait while they do it on the spot?? I didnt want to go back C&C cos i think it is going to take them the whole day.

[Guest angela]

Wow that's really cheap!! I wonder how long it will take.

Can i just wait while they do it on the spot?? I didnt want to go back C&C cos i think it is going to take them the whole day.

depending on how "off" it is.

yes, at mbm u can wait... should be just a while, my friend was able to go ard with the technical advisor to do his merc... on the spot, but need to tune a few times...

[Guest echodeltax]

Thanks bro! will go to MBM maybe next week or so to get it fix. in the mean time i will monitor how much "off" is my steering.

Maybe i am too fussy lah...hehee... actually i noticed that on normal roads my steering is perfectly straight, cannot tell if is off left/right.

it is only on expressways then can feel the effect. i hope the mechanic is super experience and patient enough to go drive with me for a longer time to check..... hehehe....

[Guest echodeltax]

Anyone knows how the mechanics center the steering wheel?? Do they have to remove the steering wheel or adjust from outside the car??

[Guest Sareve]

Anyone knows how the mechanics center the steering wheel?? Do they have to remove the steering wheel or adjust from outside the car??

I had this exact same problem with my car. It was previously in complete alignment, but after C&C performed some repairs on my car, they completely SCREWED UP the steering wheel. You can bring it back to them and ask them to do for you, it may take a few attempts, but don't paiseh, just insist on them getting it right, don't take their crap about how it's normal for cars to drift to the left or the right. I don't know how much it costs though, it was free for me because they made a mistake in the first place.

I can't remember the name of the shop, but there's this alignment shop near MBM, you can try that shop too, it's on the other side of the complex opposite a tyre shop if I'm not wrong. I believe even the japanese car tuner shops can do this for you though, it's not a Mercedes specific problem.

You are right in saying that the steering wheel can be off-centre but the car can still travel straight. The reverse can happen as well, so just make sure the mechanics take care of both issues. They might need to remove the steering wheel, it's not such a straightforward issue, I remember the mechanic had to check like some steering pump or some other thingy before he found the problem.

On a side note, my mom's Toyota Estima had this problem as well, it's immensely irritating and totally detracts from the driving experience.

[Guest mmkm]

Anyone knows how the mechanics center the steering wheel?? Do they have to remove the steering wheel or adjust from outside the car??

I had this exact same problem with my car. It was previously in complete alignment, but after C&C performed some repairs on my car, they completely SCREWED UP the steering wheel. You can bring it back to them and ask them to do for you, it may take a few attempts, but don't paiseh, just insist on them getting it right, don't take their crap about how it's normal for cars to drift to the left or the right. I don't know how much it costs though, it was free for me because they made a mistake in the first place.

I can't remember the name of the shop, but there's this alignment shop near MBM, you can try that shop too, it's on the other side of the complex opposite a tyre shop if I'm not wrong. I believe even the japanese car tuner shops can do this for you though, it's not a Mercedes specific problem.

You are right in saying that the steering wheel can be off-centre but the car can still travel straight. The reverse can happen as well, so just make sure the mechanics take care of both issues. They might need to remove the steering wheel, it's not such a straightforward issue, I remember the mechanic had to check like some steering pump or some other thingy before he found the problem.

On a side note, my mom's Toyota Estima had this problem as well, it's immensely irritating and totally detracts from the driving experience.

My Brother had such bad experience too from his previous C-Class. When CC re-alignment, car got worsen; then returned to them many times. After much complaints, they changed spring, shocks, joints link...etc, but still unable to solve totally. Now he gave up and changed to BM, BANNED Merc...haha, when I got my C-class , he says: Good luck to me ! After driving for 8 mths, condition still good, Thks God. I believe it could be batch related, not the design or build of the car.

[Guest echodeltax]

I think it is a matter of patience and effort to adjust the alignment and steering of the mechanic. They always say road condition, ground not level, water sloping...etc... because it takes a lot of time to accurately adjust so they give all sorts of excuses that cannot do it properly.

Also another part is the car owner. some people just simply accept it that is "normal" they cant be bothered by it even though is off. To them, the overall and other issues of the car is more important than that.

For me, i am more into the driving experience. The brand, the shape, the shine, the ICE, ...etc... are just extra. It is the driving pleasure is most important to me!! Power not so important cos how fast can we go in sg?? But at least please let me have a perfectly align steering so that when i point straight, the car will go straight!! hehehe...

So far i have yet to find an understanding and dedicated workshop to do my steering alignment. All my other cars always go back to authorised dealers cos got warranty and also i cannot trust outside workshop to do. And sad to say they are all disappointing. In the end car still not perfectly centered.

Sometimes i wonder if is the manufacturers fault. I have driven Jap and Conti cars, it seems like most cars also cannot be properly align.... it takes many attempt to go back to workshop to adjust again and again.... it is really waste of time and makes me feel like i am very fussy.... maybe I AM!! HAHAHA!!

Now my current C-180 is slightly off by 1/2 degree to the left on expressways. but on normal roads is hard to tell.... so i still dont know if i should go back again to C&C and spend 1 day to adjust it or maybe go to MBM like some bros here has recommended.

[Guest echodeltax]

Dear Bros, can we all have a simple vote here....

Is your steering wheel perfectly centered?? Pointing left/right??

Thank you!!

[Guest m1122]

Dear Bros, can we all have a simple vote here....

Is your steering wheel perfectly centered?? Pointing left/right??

Thank you!!

My W204 C180 - steering very slightly to the left when on expressway onlly. Does not bother me.

[Guest Sareve]

2 of my family cars had steering wheel alignment problems, both pointed left and have been corrected. You could try taking your car to MBM, I think their quality of service is slightly better than C&C, and they charge less too.

The steering wheel of my SL used to point to the right because the wheels where kinda out of alignment, after I got them re-aligned at this shop Kompressor recommended, the car drove beautifully. Unfortunately, after some maintenance to replace worn out parts at C&C, they messed up my alignment/steering wheel and it very obviously pointed to the left (ie When I held the steering wheel in the straight position, I'd jump off to the right).

This was even more glaringly obvious after I drove my dad's cars, the steering wheel was in perfect alignment and the driving experience was just amazing. IMO authorised dealers don't necessarily do the best job, the shop that Kompressor recommended me uses these laser systems to do alignment, so they're incredibly precise. They only take about half an hour, PM me if you want to know the costs, but I found that it was a fantastic price.

Like you, I feel that the driving experience is the most important. Most cars I've driven are properly aligned and those that are not usually have a very good explanation as to why they are not (usually someone bumped into something). I suggest you bring your car back to C&C ASAP, it is very possible for new cars to have manufacturing defects. I remember the hand brake didn't work and the aircon filter DROPPED OUT on one of our new cars and the 5th gear synchromesh was simply not working on my brand new RX-8 the day I drove it out of the showroom.

[Guest echodeltax]

2 of my family cars had steering wheel alignment problems, both pointed left and have been corrected. You could try taking your car to MBM, I think their quality of service is slightly better than C&C, and they charge less too.

The steering wheel of my SL used to point to the right because the wheels where kinda out of alignment, after I got them re-aligned at this shop Kompressor recommended, the car drove beautifully. Unfortunately, after some maintenance to replace worn out parts at C&C, they messed up my alignment/steering wheel and it very obviously pointed to the left (ie When I held the steering wheel in the straight position, I'd jump off to the right).

This was even more glaringly obvious after I drove my dad's cars, the steering wheel was in perfect alignment and the driving experience was just amazing. IMO authorised dealers don't necessarily do the best job, the shop that Kompressor recommended me uses these laser systems to do alignment, so they're incredibly precise. They only take about half an hour, PM me if you want to know the costs, but I found that it was a fantastic price.

Like you, I feel that the driving experience is the most important. Most cars I've driven are properly aligned and those that are not usually have a very good explanation as to why they are not (usually someone bumped into something). I suggest you bring your car back to C&C ASAP, it is very possible for new cars to have manufacturing defects. I remember the hand brake didn't work and the aircon filter DROPPED OUT on one of our new cars and the 5th gear synchromesh was simply not working on my brand new RX-8 the day I drove it out of the showroom.

Thanks for your suggestion. May i know where and name of the shop to do the laser alignment.

[Guest Sareve]

I forgot the name -_-" It's in the sin ming auto care building on the other side of the ground floor from MBM. I think some of our other members can show you where it is if you ask around, quite a few of us went there to do the alignment on our cars before track day.

[Guest echodeltax]

I forgot the name -_-" It's in the sin ming auto care building on the other side of the ground floor from MBM. I think some of our other members can show you where it is if you ask around, quite a few of us went there to do the alignment on our cars before track day.

Thanks bro! will go check out the shop. Maybe just ask them to do laser test will do first; since some of the bros here also feel that car is more prone to left on expressways. Maybe it is inherent in all C-180.

[Guest angela]

Thanks bro! will go check out the shop. Maybe just ask them to do laser test will do first; since some of the bros here also feel that car is more prone to left on expressways. Maybe it is inherent in all C-180.

SE say that a slight left on straight roads is for safety, incase u dose off, car won't head "right" into the traffic...

personally like dan and a few others, i perfer if the wheel was aligned straight, so after my accident they aligned my wheel straight and i loved it from that day onwards...

[Guest Sareve]

sillywilly ]

Thanks bro! will go check out the shop. Maybe just ask them to do laser test will do first wrote:

SE say that a slight left on straight roads is for safety, incase u dose off, car won't head "right" into the traffic...

personally like dan and a few others, i perfer if the wheel was aligned straight, so after my accident they aligned my wheel straight and i loved it from that day onwards...

Moral of the story: You gotta bang something before you'll be straight :)

[Guest angela]

Moral of the story: You gotta bang something before you'll be straight :)

:offtopic: hoi... who say i :sex: anyone? i neh bang anyone or anythin' ley...

however i will admit i was going along a CURVED path before I had an ACCIDENT, and walked away STRAIGHT... :P

[Guest Sareve]

In all seriousness, the whole automatically drifting off to the left for safety is a load of crap that your SE told you just to avoid fixing the problem. Think about it logically. There are 3 lanes on most roads, if you drifted left on either the middle or right lane, you'd be hitting someone to your left. If you drifted left on the left lane, you'll be smashing into a lamp post, tree or perhaps even a pedestrian if you're really unlucky. All these situations would not happen if the car just went straight as it supposed to.