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Old 12-27-2015, 07:09 PM   #1
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Default Sprinter Alignment Shop Recs? in TX?

After searching & reading older threads, did not see specific recommendations on where to get a quality & knowledgeable Alignment.

Now that the '15 Era is loaded and has been driven over 2k miles, thought it makes sense to check it.
In addition, a long leg last week in strong cross-winds was not a pleasant experience. I've also read some of the other threads regarding suspension upgrades which sound promising however not ready to venture there yet. Realize that an alignment will not cure all "ills" / stock behaviors of this vehicle.
Not saying it is awful, just twitchy in certain situations. Also want to prevent some of the uneven front tire wear that many have experienced

I'm in Texas now (San Antonio at the moment) & would like to get an alignment done before continuing on (east bound).

So:
1) Any Shops or Dealers (MB Sprinter Shop) that have been able consistently do your Alignment correctly?
2) Any Shops or Dealers in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston or nearby that an owner(s) would recommend based on experience / track record?
3) Is it necessary to find & bring along your Specific (Mfg yr) Alignment Specs to the Shop.

Thanks in advance!
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Old 12-27-2015, 07:13 PM   #2
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Check with the MB Sprinter dealer in Boerne. Huge Sprinter service facility. Have used them more than once and all was good. Didn't do an alignment so can't comment on that..
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Old 12-27-2015, 07:19 PM   #3
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THANKS for response & suggestion. Passed the dealership (it is huge - hard to miss even at highway speeds) coming into San Antonio last Sunday.
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Old 01-04-2016, 04:16 AM   #4
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After about 17,000 miles on our rig, we noticed a tire wear pattern that concerned us. Basically the front tires were wearing on the outside considerably more than the center and the inside.

Our Sprinter dealer, Lynnwood Mercedes in Lynnwood, WA said the rig might need alignment, and since they didn't do it there, they sent us to a tire shop down the road a bit (actually QUITE a bit).

Anyway, it cost us $150, but we consider that as money well spent since there was a noteworthy change in the way our 2013 GW Legend SE tracks the road.

Here are a few of the things I found out:

(1) The tire dealership said that they get a bunch of Sprinter Vans in for this service, and they all but eluded that nearly every Sprinter out there needs that service.

(2) Again, according to the tire dealership, the original tires used on Sprinter Vans are not very good quality. (I think they are "Continental", but I'm not sure.

I'm just wondering if it is common for them to go out of alignment when being shipped, or if the addition of the RV stuff puts them out of line. Can anyone address that issue?

If all, or most of them need it, shouldn't it be a warranty type of item. I wasn't going to submit it because who knows what we might have done in the 17K miles that we've owned it, but if everyone is experiencing this, MB or the outfitter (GW in our case) should cover it.

Does anyone else have experiences or thoughts on the matter?

(I think I'm going to re-post a duplicate of this as a separate topic. I hope MarkO is O.K. with that.

............Rocky

Oh, and to answer the OP, we got the recommendation from our MB dealership and verified that the tire store was O.K. online.
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Old 01-04-2016, 06:37 AM   #5
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Both Sprinters we've owned have needed an alignment from the first day. The second one, our current van was way out. The MB factory warranty covers 1yr or 12k miles. They covered the van price the first time at 10k. Not the second one at 25k miles.
Yes, the Continentals are not very good tires.
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Old 01-04-2016, 01:59 PM   #6
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In over 154,000 miles and three Sprinters I have never had an alignment. That's Pleasure-way, Great West Vans and Advanced RV.
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