I'm not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me, or if the car is wandering a bit. I had a clunk over small bumps that was resolve by my local independent guy changing the sway bar links. I doubt he used OEM links. My wife had driven it in and authorized the fix before i could specify OEM links. I'd assume the current problem is either the non-OEM links, alignment, or my imagination.

Figured I'd ask for the consensus on alignment when changing links for a first step. Thanks all!

In general, no - but there's always a caveat.
Model & front/rear will make a difference.
If it was out of alignment before, tightening up the suspension might make the effect more noticeable.
In my past experience as a service writer / tech, engineer, shadetree mechanic and husband, it's likely you are hyper-sensitive right after service. I do it too even though I know better.
It could be a combination of both. I'll play good odds & bet that if you put it on a rack, you will 'need' an alignment, but I'd be very surprised if it is causing any wander.

Depending on the type of bushings, they might need to be "equalized " to remove any preload effects. If you know h, loosen the bushing clamps to let the sway bar rotate freely. Maybe a bit of lube or new bushings could help.

Sway bar links have no effect on alignment. And no one but the dealer is going to use dealer parts unless there is no alternative or aftermarket doesn't work, neither of which applies here.

Agree with the above that the sway bar in itself does not have an effect on the alignment. But if something else was touched (worked on) such as the strut,lower control arm, et cetera in order to swap out the sway bar then will need an alignment.

Helpful to know year, make and model of your vehicle.

1998 Mercedes Benz E430 V8 sedan

Kinda? Guess so? Not really?

Check with your factory shop manual if you have one.

If you don't, get busy shopping for one.

Swapping out the end links on your 1998 Mercedes and pretty straight forward and would not disturb the alignment.

If I was in your shoes I would drive it a couple weeks to let the suspension "settle in" so to speak, since it has been worked on (albeit only sway bar links). The reason I say this is because I had spring/strut assemblies replaced with new units, and then aligned, which is standard practice after replacing those guys. Problem was, after all those parts settled in after some weeks of normal driving, the car began pulling right. I'm sure it was because those parts had settled into their final resting position after some miles. I went back to the shop with this theory, and asked for a free re-alignment, assuming the original alignment was still under some type of warranty. Whether they agreed with my take on it or not, they gave me another alignment without charge, and that fixed the problem. Probably didn't hurt that I was a premium customer, our family using all older cars, which I take care of pretty well with lots of scheduled and preventative maintenance, and taking other things I can't handle to them. Anyway that's my take on it, though front suspensions are not in my home auto repair hobby pimbok, though I know lots of home mechanics do all sorts of front suspension work. Otherwise I always listen to experienced mechanics with good reputations, I have a lot of respect for those professionals.

I'll do that. This car went from a summer fun pseudo-classic 4 years ago, to my daily driver 1 year ago. I have a new car on order that is due to hit production in May. I expect to have it in June. At which point the Merc will be a 3rd car for my son to grab as needed. So I just want to get it sorted. Those links, and an intermittent tail light are its only troubles right now.