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Also, do you leave your hatch open when you lug all that stuff? I've lugged some long things that have barely fit w/ the 2nd row down, but I could have user more length...
guys, how often should fuel injector cleaner be used? My Toyota Sienna van was making a funny noise until I used 2 bottles of fuel injector cleaner in 2 tankful of gas, it has about 27,000+ miles on it.
Do you leave the vehicle in Drive or neutral at the stoplights? I leave mine in neutral at the longer stop lights (30 seconds or above) and sometimes the transmission won't let you move till it has properly engaged the gear, so as to protect itself from damage. I do get some occasional hesitation if quickly shift from Neutral to Drive and then step on the gas, but it's not that noticable. I do know that the earlier (4 speed) MB transmissions used to shift into 2nd gear when at a completely stop, so as to reduce vibrations from idling. I'm not sure if the ML's does though.
If this issue is easily replicable, I recommend that you bring the service department shop foreman or technician + your service advisor along for a test drive, and actually replicate the problem for them and point it out right there and then.
I hope this helps!
Drew
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Most interesting about Castrol Syntec Oil as well. I have used it for a long long time, but will now reconsider using Mobil 1. (Got bad gas from a Mobil station once, caused a serious inconvinience, have avoided them ever since, lets see...that was in 1977!)
Ask your neighbor if the Michlins make more or less road noise than the OEM tires. Those are a bit beefier looking, and I would expect they may be a bit louder as well. Does it come in a 17" model for the 430's? (Never mind, I still have quite a few miles left to go on my OEM tires.)
For on-road, I'd suggest looking at the new Dunlop SP5000s that will be standard for MY2002 on ML320/ML500.
A couple of years ago, one of the French auto manufacturers (Renault, I think) designed an auto tranny that would automatically go into neutral at stoplights and that saved up to 2 mpg in heavy stop and go traffic! I would think that it's better for the transmission too for longer periods, as you're not holding it back by using the brakes.
Drew
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"MB M-Class Owners: Photo Gallery DVD Entertainment System Pictures"
BTW, how does MB vehicles keep the fuel injector clean if no cleaner is to be used? Just curious.
There's a cdic here also. Maybe you mean him/her?
Drew
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Thanks.
cdic asked if XPCs were available in 17" for his ML430...
Back to the point, simple, when u shift it out of netural, do u get a higer RPM? higher rpm means more air & fuel mixture, that in turn will drive the specific fuel comsumption up (fuel burn).
there are some few tricks I learn when I get my aircraft A&P license, It is helpful,
battery installation +ve first, removal +ve last.
oil filter(can type, not applicable to ML320 or canister type) - put some oil inside filter housing before screw it in the block.
Any ideas? Is this a frequently occurring problem for others?
While you on this subject, I would like to point out the window switch on 98 model, With the way it design, anyone can open or close the windows without even lifting your finger. Its a single point operation switch. I kind of like it. Too bad they change it afterward.
BTW, the 2002s must be close. We ended up paying $2k under factory invoice.
does a find on keywords over old posts in this forum?
2nd: Is there a consensus on best oil to use (Mobil 1 and what weight?)
3rd: Anything particular to watch out for when changing the oil filter?
4: Anyone unhappy with the "Topsider" oil changer?
5: Anyone replace their dust filter themselves? Since I've not seen a good
aftermarket service manual for the ML, any advice would be appreciated.
John Feng
I hope mine stay fine.
Thanks,
jim
OIL EXTRACTOR:
I opted for the Tempo Oil Extractor instead of the Topsider. The Topsider looks to me like a gas can with a vacuum pump tacked on it. The Tempo unit is designed like a garden pump sprayer. I know they both work just fine, well worth the money. The Tempo unit has a disadvantage that the bottle will not remove the contents of the ML crankcase in one effort. It takes 2, the thing just doesn't hold that much oil (5 liters), but the extraction hose is easily removed where you pour out the contents. You will need another can to transfer the oil to before heading to the recycling center. You can see it here:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=201&prrfnbr=5591&outlet=
OIL FILTER:
This is a messy job, much more so than the oil extraction itself (unless you mistakenly remove the oil pan drain plug - now that is messy). Getting the o-rings off is a little difficult. I suppose you could cut the old o-rings off without getting oil all over your hands. Just have some paper towel hand before you start.
I Don't car what the dam thing looked like, as long as it can suck it out in one application. To have to pour it out before finishing is absurd.
Also, if you use surgical gloves when working on a car you will enjoy the lack of grime and grease yer hands accumulate....
...Tracy
our 00 ML430 gets approx. 300 miles per tankful
10 you don't have to get your car numb before working on it.
9 your car will never complain about the 3' long tube you insert via it's dip stick to the bottom of it's oil pan.
8 your car will never waste your time trying to blather on through numb lips and a rubber dam.
7 you don't have to give your car a brush or toothpaste after you are done.
6 you won't have to wait 120 days for your car to pay you for your work.
5 your car won't flinch at the whine of a pneumatic drill.
4 your car will never die in the chair
3 your car will never call you at 3 in the morning wanting pain medication.
2 your car will never skip out on an appointment
1 your car will never cop a feel of the nurses behinds, unless you take them to lunch...
one of my colleagues here drives an '01 E-Class wagon in what MB describe here as "Jaspisblau metallic" - a color that has recently been made available on the M-Class:
but AFAIK not on the E. Knowing that this colleague does not want to spend more than necessary, I wondered if it was a Designo color, and asked. Great surprise: If you INSIST! and are prepared to wait an extra three months for delivery, you can - at no extra cost apart from the usual metallic surcharge here - get ANY standard MB color on ANY Europe-produced MB vehicle (except the ML's built in Graz, I suppose). Interesting (but admittedly not very relevant).
On a more annoying note: My ML has been hit by the "gunk-on-sunroof" syndrome, too. We're having quite a heatwave at the moment here, and last Sunday a 5 x 5 in piece of the black asphalt tape which is used to sound deaden the roof was stuck to the outside of the glass sunroof when closing it. I'm scheduled to bring it in next Thursday and truly hope they'll be able to fix it without creating additional noises and without leaving asphalt fingerprints all over the interior.....
Apart from that, the diesel experience gets better and better. I just passed 10 K miles, and the engine has freed up notably.
Drive safely everyone!
Birger
I had some glue stuck to the moonroof glass, but I cleaned it off (it's a PITA, and I had to use a strong chemical glass stripper to get rid of it completely; no damage to the glass, just had to use a lot of water). What the service tech did was to remove the insulation without dropping the headliner. I think he did it by removing the moonroof shade and pulling the insulation out from behind. There were two pieces removed...5" wide by 2" thick, and 2 feet long each. However, they did not replace these pieces because they assumed that it would get stuck again and that I wouldn't want that. I nearly immediately noticed more wind/road noise, albeit not terribly more but just a slight increase, from the rear roof area once I drove about 90 km/hr.
In any case, I'll have to bring it back to the dealership again to get them to put it back up. The MB glue doesn't seem to work well in hot temperature, so I will ask if I can bring the 3M black or yellow weatherstripping adhesive for them to apply in addition to the existing sticky backing. Things to look out for are fingerprints on the outside moonroof glass surface, proper alignment of the headliner with the various pillars, and fingerprints on the headliner fabric. And of course, make sure that all of your overhead lights and trip computer works properly after the service.
It appears that here in Canada, our paint situation seems to be similar to in Europe. We can get any colour (additional metallic surcharge does apply too), but with a limited selection out side the normal ones. The two that come to mind are Bourbon and Jasper Blue.
LOL, I wonder if my dentist is reading this. I've told him about this site afterall ;-)
Drew
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