took the ML for more off-road this weekend. I found an awesome little trail in the park covered with about 3-5 inch of wet mud. I crossed the mud w/o switching to low range. ML was drifting sideway for about 6-7 ft (about 15-20 degree off straight course), but the ESP triangle wasn't flashing at all. found that interesting.
more, guess what! we may have snow on tueaday here in FW!! can't wait to get my ML on the snow like many of you guys have done already =P
GO TO STAR MOTOR CARS !!!. ASK FOR CURT RICH !!!I got my 430 sport 2 weeks back. Good guy, no pressure, no B.S. Is up front with everything. Park Place was closer to me but I chose Curt. I Don't regret it. Go to his site. www.curtrich.com and you will understand. I shall tell him to be on the look out for you. Raj
When my dealer was stepping through the new-car orientation with me in the ML320, we checked out the Tele Aid system. In passing, he quickly noted that there is a yearly time limit (about 30 minutes) to use the system then you get surcharged. Is this true? Does anyone know what the surcharge is? Can you use "i" for emergency directions or is that an additional charge? I'll spend anything in an emergency, but I'll eat up 30 minutes in "showing-off" the system !
Did your service department not replace the door actuator the last time? I'm sure that you're correct that it is the problem. Have you tried manually opening the door with the key?
Good luck and let us know how it goes. Drew/aling Edmunds.com Townhall host
Took delivery of my new '00 430 a few weeks ago. I already have clocked almost 1K. Only problem to date is a low pitched brake squeal when coming to a complete stop. Dealer says it is normal, brake dust build up.
I never had a brake problem on my '98 Ml 320 which I traded in at 44K for the 430. I'm enjoying the extra power and host of improvements made all over.
I wish there was a cargo mat you can keep in place while using the 3rd row of seats. I am using the weathertech cargo mat from my '98...fits fine, but if I use the 3rd row it needs to be removed.
Obviously, I enjoyed my ML if I'm on my 2nd one. I did have some problems with my '98 but overall it was great. We ski and it was the best vehicle I ever had in the snow and wet. (Prior was a '97 Landcruiser-stolen, '94 Jeep Grandcherokee, '92 BMW 525 5 speed.) We also currently drive an Audi A6.
My sister just got an X5- 6 cylinder. What a great ride. Much tighter and sportier than the Ml. I wish the cargo area was larger. I would love driving it every day. Anyone know how it will compare in the snow to the ML? The sport package is a firm ride. Even with the 6 cylinder the X5 seems quicker than the ML430 out of the gate. You really have to jump on the ML to get it going and there seems to be a little lag. Also the "manual shifter" is not as crisp as the X5 or even the A6, especially when accelerating strongly from 2nd to 3rd. Anyone find same thing?
If the truck flipped 4x, why didn't airbags deploy? I know there wasn't a front-end impact, but I would still expect the front and side airbags to go off.
After driving around today - below 0F and plenty of slick streets, - I wished my truck was less sophisticated.
I do not want to come to a complete stop in the middle of an intersection while making a lefthand turn - all with traffic barreling down on me. It is not a "safe" feeling. BTW, my foot was firmly on the gas, so it was definitely truck's decision, not mine!
hogster21: I am also interested in them because they tell a complementary story to the ones done by U.S. agencies. In particular, real-life cases show how the ML does w/ rollovers (what the Ford Exploder *really* does badly) and how accessories affect the ML during crashes (e.g., Robert being rear-ended).
Hello all, i am very interested in getting a '01 ML430 which has sports, convenience package, xenon light, sunroof and black on black. i test drive it and it's smooth and powerful. i have been doing many research on it in these couple weeks. and i saw an article which says that MB will revise the engine line in the summer of '01 and a new ML500 will replace the ML430. and a new face-lift bumper too. if so, i may wait until the new one comes out. anyone have some information or advice about that?! and i also want to get the black burl wood trim for the steering wheel and shift knob from ML 55 cus' it looks really nice. the dealer said it takes about $2400 to get it done. also, i live in SF. and those dealers won't even give me a penny off and they said there's no negotiation for MB cars now. everything is sticked to the price list. but i saw some previous posts which said that dealers just gave them a CD changer and floor mats, etc. anyone knows where and how i can get a better deal?! thanks, Jeff
Jeff: The new engine and facelift won't be until the 2002 model year. You can get the steering wheel and knob at wholesale price from www.clairparts.com For better deals, go to a dealer north of you (away from the city and valley).
I was in the garage tonight preparing my car for the oncoming Chicago snowstorm, when I realized that I had left my remote in the house, but had the valet key with me. Go figure? Anyway I tried to unlock the car, however when I turned the key to unlock the car the alarm went off, since I had locked the car with the remote. However I quickly turned it off so as not to disturbed the neighbors, but when I was running upstairs to get my remote key, so as not to do it again I noticed that my phone was ringing. When I picked it up it was Mercedes-Benz CC asking me if there was anything wrong with the car, since they had gotten an alarm signal. Pretty cool! Does anyone know if the Tele-aid system will reset by itself? Something that I also noticed about the car is that when you are in the back seat of the car and you try to open the door when it is locked. The car will not let you. The door will only unlock and open when the door is unlocked by the center console or someone opens one of the front doors. You can also pull up the plunger to unlock the door. So I guess you could call it a partial childproof locking system.
Hope you can spend more time exploring ESP with your upcoming snow storm. You may also want to try the special low range ABS algorithm (you have to be driving slowly for it to activate) that cyclically locks the front wheels.
You can turn off the alarm (if you open the door with the valet key) by starting the ML with that key. This will automatically deactivate the honking. Yes, TeleAid should reset itself.
Congrats on your new ride! Did you get the Sport Package? Or just the wider tires?
Interesting that your Xenons use H1 bulbs for the high beams. Does this mean that there are integrated foglamps in the headlamp assemblies!?! What type of bulbs are utilised for the city lights? I assume they're located through the high beam reflectors?
FYI, the '02 models will not arrive till late fall '01. So, just under 1 year from now. Can you wait that long? It won't be a new ML500, just a larger engine (the engine is from the S500 - 5.0L V8). Note that prices will also go up slightly though.
Ugh, I don't particularly care for that wheel design. The tires are a little TOO wide, IMHO. I like the ML55's much better. The exhaust tips also look a little strange. The straight out design is almost like what one would find on a Mustang!
Drew: I just hope the city just doesnt shovel the snow. What is the maximum permittable speed? or the speed for the front to lock... Dont want to really BREAK-in my ML in the snow.
No, the front wheels will lock like when you're doing a hard stop in a car without ABS. This special ABS algorithm is supposed to decrease stopping distances on loose surfaces since it allows a wall of snow (or whatever else you're driving on) to build up in front of the locked front tires and slow the vehicle down.
With regular ABS, the vehicle will keep pulsating the brakes and this doesn't always work to your advantage. Just make sure that you're in a large open area since steering ability will be compromised. I recommend that you tryDrew/aling Edmunds.com Townhall host
Robert: I'm not sure if Drew was explicit enough. You have to turn on low-range mode via the switch on the dash before this will happen. It's meant for off-roading in the sand where you get better stopping ability if the wheels actually lock up for a little while and build up small dunes in front of the tires. How about pics of you running loops around the snow plows? :-)
I have only turned on the Low range acouple times when I was off road, as a precaution. One thing that I never experienced with the ML that I did in the JGC was the binding (more so in LOW). That was more annoying than anything!
<<#273 of 307: Beetlebug (rexconde1) Sun 10 Dec '00 (07:27 AM) I still think that it may be wise to keep on the throttle a bit even for less experienced drivers. It wont cause more slippage than it is, and when a wheel comes into an area of traction the ML will pull itself into line/control quicker than if the throttle had not been applied. Otherwise the ML will only be working with the brake component (and slowing at an increasing rate), thus if you oversteer into traffic there will be nothing to pull you over to your intended line. If you have the throttle on a bit, some of the traction may have been there to pull you along and assit in the turn, lessening the oversteer. And the same goes for pushing/understeer.>>
...that one must be careful in advocating a driving style to everyone. Think about the oversteer. Sometimes it's the 2nd wiggle that gets you into trouble. Imagine someone who experiences the oversteer, keeping their foot on the throttle and steering into the direction of the oversteer, all of a sudden finding grip, and the truck waggles in the opposite direction. Either they correct their steering, again, for the overcorrection, or hopefully, the ESP kicks in. Sometimes this 2nd waggle is more severe than the first.
That's my reason for cautioning this approach to everyone, unless they have experience with oversteer, and possibly have experienced a driving school.
<< #284 of 308: Three Letter Acronyms... (hogster21) Sun 10 Dec '00 (04:28 PM) After driving around today - below 0F and plenty of slick streets, - I wished my truck was less sophisticated.
I do not want to come to a complete stop in the middle of an intersection while making a lefthand turn - all with traffic barreling down on me. It is not a "safe" feeling. BTW, my foot was firmly on the gas, so it was definitely truck's decision, not mine!>>
...system has been criticized for being too intrusive. It's threshold for activating being lower than similar systems in BMWs, etc. However, while it may be disconcerting that your ML came to a stop in the middle of making a turn, it is also possible, that the ESP sensed you were applying the gas on a slick surface while the truck still didn't have the necessary grip. Applying the throttle too early while exiting a turn on a slippery surface, can lead to snap oversteer. Now, i don't know whether this is your situation, but it's something to consider
I guess you have a point, I still think that the ML will prevent the second wiggle too. I guess I'm more used to the driving.
The first time that I drove in the snow here in the ML in Chicago. I have to admit that I had to get used to the system. More importantly to know HOW MUCH to correct your steering. Like you said someone could over-input the steering wheel, and that would come back on them. This is the part where I think that the driving school will come in for most people, so they know the percentage of corrective steering is needed.
@ 4:30 there wasn’t much snow yet on the ground yet so I couldn’t play much. In my area there are a few islands, which I highly recommend people to use as a training tool to control your amount of throttle and counter steering that you use. It will help you understand what the system will / will not do on the snow.
One of the first things that I wanted to test this morning was my steering input. On a left turn, plenty of throttle, left input almost to lock: rear end slid perfectly around the bend as expected. Second time I did the turn, left input almost to lock: as soon as I started to slide I counter steered to negate the rear-end slide. Still on the throttle BUT the brakes kicked in to pull me gracefully inline with the road. . . AMAZING.
Here in Calif, when the snow gets bad (no where near as bad as you get it back east!), they require you to put chains on, and depending on the circumstances, even on a four wheel drive. Question is, do you put them on the back of an ML? And where can I get them. The 255/65R16 tires are such that I have not found chains in the stores. Suggestions?
President of Ford was interviewed on the Firestone tire issues and he raved over how well the Explorer is rated "outside" of Ford and the next model will far outbeat the other s. He forgot to mention how the Explorer can not sustain it's roof when rollover
I am not sure if this allowed by Edmunds rules, but for me the tell-tale is to see an actual side by side comparison picture, of let's say Explorer, RX300, X-5, etc. after a rollover vs. what Drew posted earlier.
Without a refrence point, a fair empirical assumption would be that all SUV's after a rollover look like pictured ML.
Naw, you guys in Chicago won't see much 'cause we were promissed a lot here in the Twin Cities and got nothing - as usual. It is colder than a mother-in-law's kiss, though!
I wonder if MY01 with its improved ETS2(?) programming has the same "power lag" when in a "save-yer-a**" mode. I also wonder if I were to deactivate ESP if it would help in this specific controlled - left hand turn at an intersection - situation. Will report when I get a chance to try it.
My FSS indicator says that I am due for a service in 2200 miles. The total milage then would be about 37000 miles. How dow I know if it is an Schedule A or Schedule B service.
Has anyone heard anything good or bad about Mercedez-Benz of Manhattan. I am thinking of doing my service there and any suggestions wil be appreciated.
Okay, I know this question has been asked 50 million times on this site =P I got about 2000 miles on my ML 320. Called today to shedule an oil change. The service adivor told me to wait. He said it's BETTER for the engine not to have new oil at this time. There is some sort of property in the oil, he mentioned, should be kept in the new engine for breaking-in. The oil "SHOULD NOT" be changed until the FSS A light comes on.
I never heard that we should keep dirty oil in new engines for proper break-in. I'm all confused now @_@ Thanks in advance.
Myself and most of the others here changed our oil to Mobil 1 at around 5,000 miles.
IMHO, if you plan on keeping it and not having premature problems change your oil and filter every 5K, then let the dealer do it (but provide the Mobil 1 to him) at the FSS mileage, etc. You can't go wrong that way. Enjoy.
first of all, thanks for the info. it helps a lot and i'm gonna wait for the more powerful '02 ML in the coming Fall. and here's some stupid questions: where did you guys get all those information about the new ML?! and any negotiation tricks? cus' it's my first Mercedes vehicle and i've no idea how to deal with them at all. Thanks a lot!!
jeff1114: Info gets leaked in magazines and Internet sites. As for negotiating, it depends where you are. If you are pre-ordering something that's not on the lot, it's usually hard to get anything except for a few accessories thrown in. If you want last years ML when the new ones roll out, you can get an awesome discount. It also depends where you are. If SUVs are hot in that area (silicon valley, etc.), discounts are impossible.
thanks again. then i think the negotiation is impossible cus' i want to special order one and i live close to silicon valley too. too bad... i will try going up north (maybe Sacramento) to see if i can find something better. do u have the sites about those new leaking information? i tried to search for couple days and still couldn't get anything new. thanks!!
Not really sure how to tell them apart. If you look at the Townhall info concerning equipment and options for the ML it shows that the M4 Off Road Package has a 'polished stainless steel brush guard' but it is not as specific about the side rails - they most likely are too. After hearing about the ground clearance concerns with the Maniks, I think I'll go with the the MB ss ones from Clair.
Comments
more, guess what! we may have snow on tueaday here in FW!! can't wait to get my ML on the snow like many of you guys have done already =P
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Drew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host
I already have clocked almost 1K. Only problem to date is a low pitched brake squeal when coming to a complete stop. Dealer says it is normal, brake dust build up.
I never had a brake problem on my '98 Ml 320 which I traded in at 44K for the 430. I'm enjoying the extra power and host of improvements made all over.
I wish there was a cargo mat you can keep in place while using the 3rd row of seats. I am using the weathertech cargo mat from my '98...fits fine, but if I use the 3rd row it needs to be removed.
Obviously, I enjoyed my ML if I'm on my 2nd one. I did have some problems with my '98 but overall it was great. We ski and it was the best vehicle I ever had in the snow and wet. (Prior was a '97 Landcruiser-stolen, '94 Jeep Grandcherokee, '92 BMW 525 5 speed.) We also currently drive an Audi A6.
My sister just got an X5- 6 cylinder. What a great ride. Much tighter and sportier than the Ml. I wish the cargo area was larger. I would love driving it every day. Anyone know how it will compare in the snow to the ML? The sport package is a firm ride. Even with the 6 cylinder the X5 seems quicker than the ML430 out of the gate. You really have to jump on the ML to get it going and there seems to be a little lag. Also the "manual shifter" is not as crisp as the X5 or even the A6, especially when accelerating strongly from 2nd to 3rd. Anyone find same thing?
If the truck flipped 4x, why didn't airbags deploy? I know there wasn't a front-end impact, but I would still expect the front and side airbags to go off.
I do not want to come to a complete stop in the middle of an intersection while making a lefthand turn - all with traffic barreling down on me. It is not a "safe" feeling. BTW, my foot was firmly on the gas, so it was definitely truck's decision, not mine!
I am also interested in them because they tell a complementary story to the ones done by U.S. agencies. In particular, real-life cases show how the ML does w/ rollovers (what the Ford Exploder *really* does badly) and how accessories affect the ML during crashes (e.g., Robert being rear-ended).
i am very interested in getting a '01 ML430 which has sports, convenience package, xenon light, sunroof and black on black. i test drive it and it's smooth and powerful. i have been doing many research on it in these couple weeks. and i saw an article which says that MB will revise the engine line in the summer of '01 and a new ML500 will replace the ML430. and a new face-lift bumper too. if so, i may wait until the new one comes out. anyone have some information or advice about that?! and i also want to get the black burl wood trim for the steering wheel and shift knob from ML 55 cus' it looks really nice. the dealer said it takes about $2400 to get it done.
also, i live in SF. and those dealers won't even give me a penny off and they said there's no negotiation for MB cars now. everything is sticked to the price list. but i saw some previous posts which said that dealers just gave them a CD changer and floor mats, etc. anyone knows where and how i can get a better deal?!
thanks,
Jeff
The new engine and facelift won't be until the 2002 model year. You can get the steering wheel and knob at wholesale price from www.clairparts.com
For better deals, go to a dealer north of you (away from the city and valley).
NoelB
How about that...?
Is this Vaeth-design
going to add to the lines?
Tarik
Looking for fat tires, go there.
Tarik
Something that I also noticed about the car is that when you are in the back seat of the car and you try to open the door when it is locked. The car will not let you. The door will only unlock and open when the door is unlocked by the center console or someone opens one of the front doors. You can also pull up the plunger to unlock the door. So I guess you could call it a partial childproof locking system.
Interesting that your Xenons use H1 bulbs for the high beams. Does this mean that there are integrated foglamps in the headlamp assemblies!?! What type of bulbs are utilised for the city lights? I assume they're located through the high beam reflectors?
Drew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host
So the front differential will be kicking in?
Jamie: Pray for LOTS o'SNOW!
With regular ABS, the vehicle will keep pulsating the brakes and this doesn't always work to your advantage. Just make sure that you're in a large open area since steering ability will be compromised. I recommend that you tryDrew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host
BTW there is a high school lot near me
Robert
Robert
Mark
I'm not sure if Drew was explicit enough. You have to turn on low-range mode via the switch on the dash before this will happen. It's meant for off-roading in the sand where you get better stopping ability if the wheels actually lock up for a little while and build up small dunes in front of the tires.
How about pics of you running loops around the snow plows? :-)
I'll try tomorrow morning :-)
Robert
I still think that it may be wise to keep on the
throttle a bit even for less experienced drivers.
It wont cause more slippage than it is, and when a
wheel comes into an area of traction the ML will
pull itself into line/control quicker than if the
throttle had not been applied. Otherwise the ML
will only be working with the brake component (and
slowing at an increasing rate), thus if you
oversteer into traffic there will be nothing to
pull you over to your intended line. If you have
the throttle on a bit, some of the traction may
have been there to pull you along and assit in the
turn, lessening the oversteer. And the same goes
for pushing/understeer.>>
...that one must be careful in advocating a driving style to everyone. Think about the oversteer. Sometimes it's the 2nd wiggle that gets you into trouble. Imagine someone who experiences the oversteer, keeping their foot on the throttle and steering into the direction of the oversteer, all of a sudden finding grip, and the truck waggles in the opposite direction. Either they correct their steering, again, for the overcorrection, or hopefully, the ESP kicks in. Sometimes this 2nd waggle is more severe than the first.
That's my reason for cautioning this approach to everyone, unless they have experience with oversteer, and possibly have experienced a driving school.
After driving around today - below 0F and plenty
of slick streets, - I wished my truck was less
sophisticated.
I do not want to come to a complete stop in the
middle of an intersection while making a lefthand
turn - all with traffic barreling down on me. It
is not a "safe" feeling. BTW, my foot was firmly
on the gas, so it was definitely truck's decision,
not mine!>>
...system has been criticized for being too intrusive. It's threshold for activating being lower than similar systems in BMWs, etc. However, while it may be disconcerting that your ML came to a stop in the middle of making a turn, it is also possible, that the ESP sensed you were applying the gas on a slick surface while the truck still didn't have the necessary grip. Applying the throttle too early while exiting a turn on a slippery surface, can lead to snap oversteer. Now, i don't know whether this is your situation, but it's something to consider
dt77
The first time that I drove in the snow here in the ML in Chicago. I have to admit that I had to get used to the system. More importantly to know HOW MUCH to correct your steering. Like you said someone could over-input the steering wheel, and that would come back on them. This is the part where I think that the driving school will come in for most people, so they know the percentage of corrective steering is needed.
@ 4:30 there wasn’t much snow yet on the ground yet so I couldn’t play much. In my area there are a few islands, which I highly recommend people to use as a training tool to control your amount of throttle and counter steering that you use. It will help you understand what the system will / will not do on the snow.
One of the first things that I wanted to test this morning was my steering input. On a left turn, plenty of throttle, left input almost to lock: rear end slid perfectly around the bend as expected. Second time I did the turn, left input almost to lock: as soon as I started to slide I counter steered to negate the rear-end slide. Still on the throttle BUT the brakes kicked in to pull me gracefully inline with the road. . . AMAZING.
Tonight Adventures into LOW RANGE
robert
Without a refrence point, a fair empirical assumption would be that all SUV's after a rollover look like pictured ML.
I wonder if MY01 with its improved ETS2(?) programming has the same "power lag" when in a "save-yer-a**" mode. I also wonder if I were to deactivate ESP if it would help in this specific controlled - left hand turn at an intersection - situation. Will report when I get a chance to try it.
Has anyone heard anything good or bad about Mercedez-Benz of Manhattan. I am thinking of doing my service there and any suggestions wil be appreciated.
Thanks,
99 ML320 35K (trouble-free miles)
Okay, I know this question has been asked 50 million times on this site =P I got about 2000 miles on my ML 320. Called today to shedule an oil change. The service adivor told me to wait. He said it's BETTER for the engine not to have new oil at this time. There is some sort of property in the oil, he mentioned, should be kept in the new engine for breaking-in. The oil "SHOULD NOT" be changed until the FSS A light comes on.
I never heard that we should keep dirty oil in new engines for proper break-in. I'm all confused now @_@ Thanks in advance.
IMHO, if you plan on keeping it and not having premature problems change your oil and filter every 5K, then let the dealer do it (but provide the Mobil 1 to him) at the FSS mileage, etc.
You can't go wrong that way. Enjoy.
Info gets leaked in magazines and Internet sites.
As for negotiating, it depends where you are. If you are pre-ordering something that's not on the lot, it's usually hard to get anything except for a few accessories thrown in. If you want last years ML when the new ones roll out, you can get an awesome discount. It also depends where you are. If SUVs are hot in that area (silicon valley, etc.), discounts are impossible.
i will try going up north (maybe Sacramento) to see if i can find something better. do u have the sites about those new leaking information? i tried to search for couple days and still couldn't get anything new. thanks!!