Mercedes-Benz M-class (ML320, ML350, ML500 and ML55) 2005 and earlier

primitive

Thanks for that URL. I was fooled by the housing! MANN calls out 2 filters: HU718/1x (common) and GT718/1x (can't find specs). At 300 miles on my '01ML320, I have to spend more time poking around under the hood..or should I relax for once in my life and let MB worry about the vehicle! :-)

bob259

If your like me, you'll poke around. I'll tell you this is my first MB and so far I'm real happy with the vehicle. I think the last time I was this happy with a vehicle was when I owned a Porsche in the mid 70's so it must say something about the way the German vehicles are built.

tracy_leb

Re oil change: a friend of mine who is a 10 year veteran MB technician and recently became a service manager at Phil Smart in Seattle, says that the first 500 miles in the life of an engine by and large determines the longevity of the engine. He STRONGLY recommends an early & frequent oil & filter changes. I did my first change to Mobil 1 at 400 miles and have been doing it at 4000 mile intervals since (car has just under 7000 miles).

Re stopping distances: I drive about 9K miles per winter on mountain roads and have been doing so for decades. The important things to remember when driving on snow/ice are to a) SLOW DOWN, b) SLOW DOWN, c) increase your following distance 4x to 5x or more than you would on dry pavement, d) always remember that the main advantage to ABS braking is that it permits you to steer the vehicle better than non abs braking, and, of course, e) SLOW DOWN.

Re mileage: I've averaged about 15-17 mpg in about 80% city driving over the last nearly 7K miles. Trips to/from the mountains are at about 18 mph. Long freeway trips are about 20. No surprise, really, given the weight and volume of air a ML displaces….

Re MB brake life: they characteristically wear faster than a lot of other vehicle's brakes. The trade off is that they outperform most other comparable braking systems because of the comparatively softer compound used on the pads. The real bad news is that the rotors will need replacing at a comparatively low mileage as well (between 30K and 50K miles, depending on use). Again, that's the price of performance.

Cheers

...tracy

rexconde1

...about poking around in a German Car. I dont care if you have a MB, BMW, AUDI, the interiors are the cleanest. That is unless you look at a ferrari, then that just looks EXOTIC!

Robert

primitive

You're right. I missed how fun it is to drive these vehicles too (last 10 years Japanese and American vehicles). My wife grew up driving Porsche (her Mom used to race them on ice!), so she basically stole the ML from me this week declaring that she is better suited behind the wheel of a German driving machine. So now I'm trying to justify the purchase of another AWD SUV or Sedan (Merc, BMW or Audi/VW)...an easy thing to do!

ron320

First time on snow and ice with my 00 320. I don't understand how the system(s) works but it does. Fantastic truck w/ driver in complete control even when the triangle thing is lit. I'm a safe driver but I play in parking lots if no one is around.

bargamon2

15k on 00'320, mpg is 16-18 depending on whether or not im driving. I have heavy foot, wife gets about 18, she is average driver speed wise. highway can be 20-23. Pay little attention to first 1-2000 miles, and cold weather does effect.

Ice: yes, slow down. Please drivers, suv, eps,4wd,etc does not make you invincable, rubber will not stop very well on ice. Some laws that mercedes or anyone else cannot change. A few years ago I nearly had a bad head on with a new expodition. They went into a ditch, and I went to help them if hurt, kill them if not (just kidding), they apologized for nearly killing me, and were just amazed that they did not have better stopping power. Im sure that the majority of you understand, but the few that are new to this technology or a suv, please respect gravity.

beetlebug62

...Mercedes' ESP, ETS-4, and related systems will surprise many new owners, by the increased traction to get going. HOWEVER, this may lead to a false sense of security, that they will also get increased braking performance. Braking performance is still limited by weight, tires, brake size and ABS. The main factors are weight, which is a big negativegiving the ML's size relative to a typical sedan, and the tires. Better rubber, or more appropriate rubber will have a big effect upon braking. If your all-season tires, are rockhard when cold, their performance will be impaired. If your safety is paramount, then by all means get yourself a set of snowtires. You won't regret it.

Having driven for over 20 years in snow country, my own anecdotal experience is that many SUV owners are lulled into a false sense of security by the "go-anywhere" mentality propogated by the marketing of the auto manufacturers. SUVs aren't cars, they're trucks. Bad weather is bad weather. Better traction to go, doesn't necessarily mean better stopping power.

A safe holiday to all

cardreamer

In the past, I have bought using an Automobile
Consultant. I called them up, told them what I wanted and they got back with me within a couple of days with a price that I could not have gotten. Because they usually deal in volume buying, they can usually get you lower prices on any vehicle and eliminate all the hassle with shopping around,etc. When I bought my truck, the consultant even delivered it to me from about 100 miles away. A good one is Better Way Auto Buying (their website is www.automobilebuylease.com). They are more of a "buyers agent" and will research all the
incentives, rebates, hold-backs,etc. that are
available (both to customers and only to the
dealers)and then actually negotiate the best deal
for you. Because they negotiate between dealers
and use all the available incentives, they can
often get prices below invoice. Then they make all the arrangements for test drives, picking up the vehicle and can even help in financing options.
You never have to deal with a salesperson.

slanglois

I have an interesting question. If you do change your own oil, does this length the mileage between service visits? I was told or read the the MB actually uses oil quality to determine the service interval. If I change the oil, wouldn't that affect (lengthen) the service interval because the oil would become better. I know that the service interval algorithm is also based on time but if the MB really uses oil quality, it makes sense that the service interval would lengthen.

Steve

jeff1114

thanks for the info. i've already sent them an email and hopes i can really get a good deal from them. i will post what i get.

kenyee

slanglois:
Yes. But only by a few thousand mi.

aling

Uh, that's a little optimistic. It only went up 500 kms for me (from 14,500kms to 15K kms) after the 3500+ km change to Mobil 1. I wouldn't touch the FSS after the unscheduled (earlier) oil change since that's probably the most accurate way to tell when to bring it in for Service A/B.

aling

WRT your question, yes the MY2K bumpers are different (slightly lower, I believe) than the '98 and '99 bumpers. The brushguard wouldn't fit at first since I had one of the first MY2Ks to arrive at the dealership. Luckily, the dealership received a special adaptor a couple of hours later, and it was installed. I'm not convinced that it's a straight plug and play install though.

aling

I believe the nozzles and fluid are heated, but obviously the ML needs to be running for that to happen. Did the temp. drop down low enough in your garage for the fluid to be able to freeze in the lines? Usually the good stuff (fluid) doesn't freeze at 0 degrees C. Does it work after the engine has been running for a bit?

aling

Yep, ESP can only do so much if your tires don't have enough grip and the vehicle is sliding laterally on ice. That's where chains or winter tires are very beneficial. Slow is the way to go...of course, if you hit a patch of black ice while going slowly downhill, there's not much you can do. Ken, been there and done that with the curb too :-)

aling

They're made by Trimbrite and I found them at Canadian Tire. You should be able to find them at any autoparts store, I would think. CDN$3.99 for a pack of two strips. I used 3 packs in total, and had 1 strip left over. Yup, they come in black (I have the black ones on the front doors of my van - very subtle).

The front doors used one strip each (I had to cut it 3/4 of the way and join it below because of the rub strip running across the length of the body), and the rear doors used 1.5 strips.

Installation is a snap. You basically clean the area very well (I used alcohol) and then press the strip around the edge of the door. There is pressure activated adhesive inside already, so you simply set it and leave it.

aling

Thanks for the update. Yup, the lock actuators are basically the "brains", which is why the lock knobs mess up when the actuator goes wacky. Since your ML was one of the earlier MY2K ones, it was affected. The newer part should work okay. Enjoy the snow! We'll be getting some tonight too, but it will rain on Friday :-(, so I'll have to get my fill of it tomorrow morning. Better get up earlier for that "virgin snow", as the guys in the Subaru topics call it :-)

aling

No scribbling :-)

Drew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host

kenyee

Drew:
Hope it wasn't in an ML. It'd probably be a more expensive lesson that the $400 one I had w/ my Integra :-)
BTW, for those of you who have side steps, be careful when parking. Some of our curbs in Boston are so badly installed that the curb is at the same height as the top of the side step. I've been forcing myself to park further away than the 2-3" I usually get to.

aling

No, it wasn't. It was in the van and I wacked the left wheel hard enough on that very high and aggressive curb to take a 2" chunk off the aluminum alloy rim, bend the lower control arm, and ruin both front wheel bearings. Luckily it missed the front spoiler, or I would've needed new foglamps and a new bumper!

Yes, it was an expensive mistake (about $1.5K) since the control arm + wheel had to be replaced. The guys at Chrysler were nice enough to replace both wheel bearings under warranty :-)

aling

Your ML's engine is really still at its infancy. MB engines take a while to truly be broken in, so hang in there. Colder weather tends to drastically reduce fuel economy.

FWIW, I was getting about 21 mpg on the highway today, but only 13-15 mpg around downtown Vancouver with stop and go traffic. It's quite impossible to time the lights seeing how the people still park in the carpool lane after the 3:30pm. Grrrr....Climbing up the hill to my neighbourhood, I was getting about 7-8mpg. Premium gas was at CDN78.9 cents/litre today (which is the lowest it has been for a while).

aling

Only 30-50K miles for the rotors? I take it that's the other (older) MB vehicles, right? I think one of the ML gurus, Harold or Wolfgang mentioned that the ML's rotors may last up to 100K.

aling

How about an E320 or E430 4-matic? Basically the same AWD system as the ML (minus the low range gearing and a more RWD biased torque split - 38% front/62% rear vs the ML's 48% front/52% rear), and lots of fun! Our buddy Bargamon should be able to tell you about his new E-class experience. :-)

Drew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host

kenyee

Drew:
Guess I was lucky w/ my Integra. I ground down the rim of the wheel (needed replacing) and all it needed was an alignment. :-)

You mean my mileage won't get better? Your mileage is roughly what I get now. My FSS interval is in 9700mi because of all the short trips I make :-P

Doesn't the 4Matic have a fishtailing effect because of the power split just like the X5 does in snow?

aling

Wolfgang posted an interesting article on his website today about MB offering ESP for 5 years already (standard across the lineup as of MY1999), whereas many other manufacturers have not even started to implement it on their vehicles.

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/esp5y.html

Drew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host

aling

Oh right, I needed a 4 wheel alignment too :-)

I think your fuel economy will get better as the vehicle gets broken in. I do a lot of short trips too, BTW. As they say, "your mileage may vary".

Yes, the 4-matic MB cars do have more of a tendency to oversteer if you are too agressive on the gas in a corner because of the more severe RWD bias.

However, the MB enginerds seem to have built in enough understeer for it to feel safe. Also, as you already know, MB's ESP can intervene more severely/earlier than BMW's DSC, so it's not really an issue if you use common sense and have some experience. BTW, I think BMW's AWD systems are more RWD biased at 32% front/68% rear vs. the MB's 38% front/62% rear.

noelb1

I think aling's door guard look very nice. I know they also come in tranparent (no color). I put a transparent one on my wife's van since she always opens the door against the wall of my garage.
By the way, what is that white label thing on the door handle of aling's passenger door?

mlx52

How can I tell if a part is backordered on the Clairparts web-site? I'm frantically trying to find all-season floor mats.

Thanks

mlx52

Drew,
What is the name of book that you own that is about the M-Class? I think that this would make a great Christmas present for one of my friends who is planning to buy a M-Class. Is it available on amazon?

Thanks
Jamie

P.S. those silver door edge guards look great! Much better than the standard rubber guards.

aling

Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad they turned out well.

Do a search for "M-class" or "John Lamm" and you should be able to find the book. The MBUSA website also sells it (http://www.thecollection.mbusa.com), as does the MBUSI factory website (www.mbusi.com).

kenyee

Jamie:
Call them and talk to them :-)

aling

Tomorrow hopefully...

* * *
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Drew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host

bfeng

Hi Ya'll,

I've been away from the forum for a long time, and WOW, up to part 19!
Anyway, during this week's medium blizzard, our ML got bumped into
both in back and in front. In both cases the police ruled it no fault
due to weather (steep hill, long line of cars, many people behind
us sliding into the end of the line and pushing us all together).
The damage is very very minor, but I want to replace both bumper covers
(and get them painted body colour, it's a '99). Any suggestions on
where to get the best discount on these parts?

Also, there's a 33% discount coupon at carparts.com (coupon # 1963005)
right now.

Thanks!

John Feng

P.S. The ML is immeasureably better than my 540i (6spd). There will always be
an ML or X5/7 in my garage. Nevertheless, the BMW was pretty good. Only a handful
of SUV's were going faster than me in the 540i (and I was being safe), in the height of the blizzard.
Driver skill is still the most important ingredient to safe driving.

ometofu

Not sure where u live.. I got my done last year from the dealer... they just simply swapped it with body colored bumper (and I have them painted side strip. The new set of bumper cost me 1200.00 dollars and you can keep your old one... not sure what color your ML is, but why don't you get the latest sport bumper that has the integrated foglights...

Check out my ML at
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=851026&a=6556675&p=21950289

drew_

Hi all,

How do you like the new software? All of the topics seemed to have survived intact so far.

Drew/aling
Edmunds.com Townhall host

ddykes1

We got 8 or 10 inches of snow today driven by high winds =
interesting driving conditions! A moron in a GMC half-ton slid all the way through an intersection (against the red light of course) across my path, giving me an unintended chance to sample ABS, ESP, (and XYZ I'm sure) - not to mention the ability of pucker power to work despite vented leather seats. My respect for MB's engineering of our wonderful trucks continues to grow! Congratulations on the promotion Drew!

Dave

sydney6

Just a test of the new look.....

sydney6

Testing again!

scott902

Drew

The ones of me and Robert have not come thru nor the new one I attempted to post a little while ago

scott902

Robert

I attempted to test the PIAA H3 bulbs, that MB said did not work, I worked about an hour to get the damm connector off and gave up. The PIAA boxes , once was completely sealed the other partly opened from me, to read the directions.
I concluded MB did not bother to use them. PIAA would take them back anyway in the event the auto parts store did not. I got store credit and bought a ton of Xymol waxes for body and weeks, was on sale as well.

Silver lining was MB dealer did not charge me since, I never ok'd there bulbsl, will live with it.

The thumping, sound still happens, MB to get engineer to look at car. i also observed the sound while working to get the H3 connector loose. I guess there is a trick of some kind or they are easier to put in rather than take out.

Thanks for your help

rexconde1

Yes they are a little tight to remove. I have the same bulbs in my PIAA 510s and finger slipped and I cut myself. Work on the passenger side of the car (if you arent doing so already. )

If you have the sound while you are working on the front of the ML, jump up and down in the front of the ML to see if it happens. Interesting that it did it while you were working on the front of the ML.

Just get that zymol on before the salts hit it.

Robert

rexconde1

Is there still a way to hide? Okay I havent read the manual yet, but I never really opend the manual for my ML either. why read when you can post?

Other than that It looks pretty good

Robert

ometofu

Many of the my favorite sites indicated that Hella no longer make H7 bulb... damn... should of bought 2 more sets... I'm forced to put back the original ML bulb. Anyone has any suggestion to any other 55w alternatives... help... my ml looks wired now at nites with different color bulbs............. arhhhhhhhhhh....

thanks.

ometofu

I missed the option to see all the messages (I use that feature for offline reading...especially sometimes hundreds of msg can go by for just a day)

thor3

Anyone know if the larger MY2000+ front brake calipers and rotors are interchangeable with the 1999 ML430 or were there strut/knuckle mod. in addition? I'm sure there was at least a caliper bracket mod. but this would be fairly easy to purchase and install... if further mods. were made then it might be much more expensive and difficult.

Thanks - Frank

atomic80

I think the calipers from the MY2000 should work with the MY1999 ML430 as long as you have 17 inch rims.

Jason

atomic80

Is there any way to completely clear the memory of the MCS GPS? I heard someplace that would solve the "hunting" problems with the MCS.

Jason

atomic80

Not sure I like the new format either...it's kinda confusing.

Jason

atomic80

got to 400 first! and no scribbling this time...or "deleting"

Jason