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The hitch receiver is just another way of referring to the trailer hitch opening. Do you have the trailer hitch installed? If so, then yes. If not then no, you don't have a "hitch receiver.
The Kleen wheels brake dust covers are not recommended as they severely diminish air flow to the brakes (despite what the ads say) and can cause the brake rotors to warp.
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
If you haven't read Edmunds.com's confessions of a car salesman, I highly recommend you do so. I found it very entertaining, and yet enlightening as to what goes in the auto sales business.
it was mentioned on here that the rear bumper has to be removed !?GREEEEAT.
dt77
there is an alternative solution, if you do not plan to do heavy towing: HiddenHitch makes a Class 2 hitch that bolts on to the frame using existing holes. They claim it can be installed in 15 minutes (which I believe after seeing the fitting instructions):
and the installation does not involve removing the rear bumper.
I would probably have opted for this had I known - I mainly used my trailer hitch for a bike carrier, and the Euro factory mounted (removable) hitch is a whopping 540 $. As it turns out, I'm going to get a trailer for my wife's MCC smart cabriolet - so the money may have been well spent after all.
Hope this helps you - I don't know how much this hitch type costs, though.
Kind regards,
Birger
PS: Maybe the fitting instructions can't be seen until you click on them - it's a .pdf file
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
What do you mean by "removable"? That is quite expensive. We can get ours for US$250 from Clairparts.
Many thanks.
George
by "removable" I mean just that. The ball part/drawbar (no jokes, please) is shaped more or less like an umbrella handle. It's inserted from below, after you remove the trim piece in the bumper. There's even another trim piece to fit when you use the drawbar. In normal use, this trim piece and the drawbar are stored in the right rear of the cargo area (below the CD changer). I'll see if tonight I get around to scan the relevant pages of the manual, which explains the system better than I do.
On my T&C minivan, I had the Class 2 hitch below the bumper. You're right, Drew, it didn't offer much in the way of "urban protection", unless you left the drawbar in place.
Birger
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
We test drove the 320 and 430 this past weekend. We have looked at the MDX and an X5 too, but she likes the ML 430 the most.
The sales guy told us Sat. that he could give us a discount off the sticker of $1000. On Mon. he called us and he told my wife that he could increase the discount to $1650. The price on the sticker for this car is $52345. It's loaded w/almost all options.
My question to you is: Is this in the ballpark of what you all had to pay? Enquiring minds want to know?
Mark
Wally
Jeff,
Contratulations on your Unimog. A word of caution, be sure you are protected by having some kind of writen agreement in regards to the condition of the vehicle, there are some good guys and then some bad boys dealing with Unimogs.
You will find out that Unimogs are adictive. You should look around in your area for an off-roading club, they are a good crowd, that likes to play rough with their toys like a bunch of kids and spend time outdoors, is a good clean pastime that the whole family will enjoy. I guess I should post a pic of my Moggs, but rigth now they are in pieces, going thru a complete restoration, hopefully it will be ready in a few months, I have my own shop at home and I enjoy working on it. My favorite Mogg is the 406, is compact, one inch shorter than my porsche, the best part is that although my moggs are 21 years old all the parts are available, all the way down to the rubber trim for the cab.
In case anyone is interested I know of a 406 Mogg that can be had for 10k or less, the bad thing is that it needs work in the engine for lack of use and condensation damage and extensive cosmetic work for being out on the wheater for 20 years, the good thing is that it only has 68 miles. Definitely is a project for the mechanically inclined with the facilities but it all in all is a good deal, considering that a replacement today cost around 120K.
Or maybe I should bring it to the dealer ha?
Any suggestions welcome! thanks for your help!
dt77
Someone on the M-Class Mailing List just did this. You can see his posting on the E-scribe Archive.
When you do your install, can you take digital pictures?
BTW, what did it cost and did you get the skidplate, too?
If you're buying it privatley, and the truck is close by, see if the seller will allow you to take it to an MB dealer and have them go over the it prior to purchasing.
There are also some online services that allow you to plug in the VIN to see if any insurance claims or major recalls have effected that truck. I'm sure someone on this site can recommend one of them.
I also saw a service in Automobile magazine a couple of months ago that will go on site and give the truck a pretty good going over. I would also ask to see the service records, or find out what dealer has serviced the truck and go to the service manager to see if they can check the records.
My experiences have been that sometimes people "forget" a few "minor" items that aren't discovered until it's too late. I would also go to your local MB dealer and look on their used lot. I stumbled onto mine as it was being driven onto the lot. Three others that were there all had been painted in various places, and had roughly the same price. After doing some checking (calling my friend), I was willing to pay a little more for the truck that was there as opposed to saving $1,000 at the auction and maybe having to wait for a few weeks to find one that was as clean as this one. Don't be afraid to haggle, the worst thing they can say is "You have a deal!" Good luck - randy
http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/03/01/home_auto/q_auto_mercedes/
have no clue what he's talking about.
my baby don't do that.
dt77
http://fullspeed.to/ml
1. oil change comes free it correct ? and synthetic mobil 1 will be used ?
2. what else will be done on my ml ?
dt77
Tire rotation, I did it myself coz. they will charge you for tire rotation as well as wheel balancing,if you want your wheel to balance. I didn't do that because my tire is look fine and its not rocking like what CNN said. Also if you have some other minor complaint, tell them, so they can do it at the same time, I had one minor, my back sit wasn't coming down/folding smoothly..just the driver side, they adjusted it, now is working fine.
How many miles do you have now on your FSS? Because here in San Diego they won't change your oil not until your FSS reads less than 999 miles. They said thats the MB policy since they are the one who's paying.
dt77
interesting...
dt77
So dealer will do my service A at 10000 miles.
I"m about 9800 miles now.
Apparently, it's not such a big deal. FSS only monitors oil so ... or at least that is what my SA said. For example, he said they must definately do Service A before the ML has reached it's first b'day or 12000 driven miles. FOr realignment and rotation etc...
so my FSS is kinda screwed up now. he plans to reset FSS ...it displays two spanners and no services A or B have been performed..heheh...
I can't recall how much I have left on FSS now, but it's pretty high. Some 6000 miles. But this number doesn't mean anything now...the understanding between my SA and me is that they will perform Service A pretty soon. right about 10000 miles on odometer.=)
dt77
Very simple; see manual.
You will then be better prepared to control your own maintenance intervals especially oil changes if you intend to keep the vehicle past its warranty period.
While it is true that new oils of all kinds maintain viscosity for a much longer period and the FUSS will confirm this it is not necessarily true that filter elements continue to filter as efficiently as when new.
Why not eliminate for a few dollars the long term worry about causing what can be considered easily preventable wear on so many finely machined engine parts.
Called the dealer and they can't get me in till next Tuesday. Hopefully it won't be another two day wait for parts to try and fix it right again.
I'm getting to know the service area far to well.. While I love this vehicle, I certainly didn't expect it to be in the shop so much.
Instead of the old one which says 1999.1, it says 2000.1 now. Once you place the new CD in, a software download actually takes place for about a minute ...
dt77
Other safe SUV'S to consider:
BMW X-5: Great SUV but probably WAY TOO SMALL
Lexus RX-300: Great car-like/mini-van like choice with decent interior room.
Mitsubishi Monetero - OK crash scores but has 3rd row seat
RX300 - floats like a boat
ML430 - inbetween, just right
depends what you like.
again, i recommend test driving all !
dt77
Steve
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"RX300 - floats like a boat"
I suspect this statement is based on a MY2000 vehicle. For 2001 the suspension is a bit tighter, and a set of Michs or Pirellis make the handling even better (the stock GY Integritys are poor when it comes to sport handling). Plus there is the SilverSport Edition for folks who want a "euro-tuned" suspension.
But you are absolutely right, drive all for yourself and decide.
Having driven in that environment a lot over the last few years has tought me a lot about how to drive in those conditions.
Wally
Don't use low range in the snow (since the front wheels will lock), and use engine braking to help to slow you down.
Have fun! I'm jealous...no snow or rain out here today :-(
Take care!
Sorry to hear about that. Any chance you have pics of both cars? Sorry...morbid curiosity. :-)
There probably wasn't anything you could do. I've had people do that to my Integra in the rain here in the Boston area...where "safety gap" means no one can safely cut you off (I get cut off a lot)-:
M1 package
Heated seats
Power skyview top
Alpine in-dash CD
Azure blue metallic
Sticker=$41,995
Invoice=$39,129
The salesman agreed to a price of $39,500. + tax. $371 over invoice.
The car has to be ordered and will take about 8 weeks.
Am I getting a good price, or can I do better?
Thanks, Mark