Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Disgusted Tarik
Wally
How about the lower wing being a release mechanism for the spring loaded hockey stick on top of the hood, leaving an imprint of the three-pointed star on your forehead?
Can't imagine what those folks were thinking... ...how would you describe it... ...contest "go"!
Tarik
I'm surprised that it caused that much damage. When I was rearended by a tahoe last summer the rear hatch was caved in, the galss didnt break, but they replaced the whole rear hatch. I do think that the Tahoe was going much faster than yours because he was coming from highway speeds. I think that the hitch took most of the impact as the tahoe bumper had a huge pinhole dent that looked to hit the structure of the Tahoe.
At the same time the hitch probably caused more dmage to the ML as well... It bent teh rear member that holds the hitch reciever, thus bent it. Total cost for the other guy was about $$8000
Like you said though the bumper of the Ram is higher so it probably didnt do internal damage.
Glad no one was hurt,
Robert
Das ist häßlich!
Robert
Click for a bigger pic:
Robert
wrong filter or is it a new design for the filter.
Thanks
Mark
To sound like a complete brat, for the winter, my parents gave me their ML320 (paranoid Jewish mother...not necessarily a bad thing in this case). I'm in Cornell, where it's winter 11 months a year (it snowed 6 days in a row this week...and as I speak too), so the car gets COVERED in road salt. Would mudflaps help keep dirt and salt off the side steps? Whenever you get out of the car, the bottom of your pants have a nice white line on the back. I just brought myself to wash it, but I know it's just going to get dirty again in 4 minutes. Thanks.
Oh yeah, about post 2004, I had no idea that Pontiac designed accessories for the CLK.
-Todd
They are item #565254324
Side note, 4-6" of snow here in upstate NY and they are calling for over 24" by Tuesday. We're gonna leave the Volvo XC home tomorrow and take the ML for the additional ground clearance. I am ready for SPRING!!!! I hate not being able to keep the cars clean.
Supposed to go in Tuesday for the coolant leak and inspection. 8,065 miles and just about 1 year old now and except for this recent coolant leak and a bad door actuator it's been a great car.
Edmunds comment was that the transmission was 'lethargic', that maybe OK if it is reliable? The Auto show magazine also indicated that the major problem areas are Engine, transmission, electrical system, the minor ones are final drive, suspension and brakes.
I Have not read any poor review in these areas in the discussion.
Can any one shed light?
thanks
Nnay
But while you are here why not consider what seems to be a far superior choice? An Mercedes ML!
Comfort, safety, power, luxury and 4WD all rolled into one! Where elses can you get this?
Robert
Thanks,
Jamie
Your tires should be inflated at 29psi when cold (read: after sitting overnight, or at least stationary for 4 hours) and when carrying a normal load. At 32.5 psi, the air will expand even more (vs 29psi) when the tires are heated up after driving for a few minutes and the ride will be even stiffer.
If you were driving something like a Lexus LS or Toyota Camry before the ML, the change in ride quality will be very obvious. If you were driving another firmly tuned German car before, the difference will probably not be too vast.
Jamie
Good luck with your new ML320. Because of the sky roof mine has to be special ordered. I'll get it in about 8 weeks. We have a jeep also so the snow is no problem.
I've read posts from people claiming they got the ML320 below invoice. There's a 3% dealer holdback, so the dealer makes $1200 if the car is sold at invoice. I'm wondering how much lower I can go than $371 above invoice.
Getting an ML below invoice will get more likely as you get closer to end of year production. The fact that you are having to wait 8 weeks may put you very close to this point. If and when Mercedes finally announces the 2002 ML with new features and minor facelift the dealers will be very willing to deal on 2001 models.
You are getting a very good price for the moment but this will change with the above mentioned. Using holdback for a greater discount is not as likely as getting an "additional" discount due to an increased end-of-year holdback or manufacturer to dealer incentive. Remember that the sales person does not likely get any of the normal 3% holdback - this is a dealer incentive and is not paid at time of dealer purchase but is usually paid at specific times during the year depending on the dealers allotment and floor planing. In other words, the dealer does not see the 3% at the time of your purchase.
Anyway, you will certainly be following the upcoming model changes and this will start the dealers dealing the way they are with you currently. Don't be surprised if a month or so after you take delivery the ML even greater below dealer invoice pricing is common. At some point this year Mercedes will likely determine an increased dealer holdback or incentive is necessary to clear out the 2001's prior to the new 2002 ML's arriving. I think the severity of the discount will be determined by how significant the changes are and how this impacts dealers inventory. If 2001 inventory stops moving due to customers waiting for new models the incentives will be greater.
My final comment - It seems to me that if you are able to wait 8 weeks and you already know that there will be significant amenities changes and a minor facelift that you should hold out a bit longer. This way you can either take advantage of above mentioned end-of-year discounts or if you see the 2002 ML has a better standard appointment package you might decide to wait. I have said this here more than once - it is a bummer to purchase a $40K vehicle of any sort to see it replaced a few months later with new appointments and such. 2002 will be one of those significant years in getting the latest and greatest Mercedes has to offer in the SUV line.
Good Luck - Frank
Kind regards from rainy Luxyland
Birger
It also looks like maybe the trailer balls are standardized in Europe Vs North America where we have a great number of ball sizes used by the different manufactures and weight's of towed vehicles here.
Thanks for the photos!!!!
All the hitches here look like hollow bars (square hole you plug something into). I like the bike racks that plug into our hitches.
Does your hitch have a maximum weight rating (our are rated for 5000lbs)? It doesn't look like it would be that strong from the width of the hook.
Is the first picture of a plug for the hitch hole so it doesn't get dirty?
Thanks.
Even if the above was true for your GM truck, but that's not exactly how the ML works. It sounds to me like you were going too fast and your GM truck's transmission did not want to shift to a lower gear to gain revs as it would've hit the rev limiter (you probably need to have the overdrive switch off in order to force it to downshift). That's why you noticed no increase in engine speed.
What I do is slow down far ahead of time using engine braking and ABS. It seems to be the best way to get the vehicle to stop on a slippery slope.
FYI, the ML knows that it is sliding because it has a stability control system that monitors the angle that the steering wheel is being turnedl vs. the direction that the vehicle is actually going (using lateral and yaw sensors in addition to the wheel speed sensors). It will apply the brakes to the necessary wheels and reduce throttle if needed.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
BTW, the MCS on this ML-320 only has CD functionality. Is there an aftermarket upgrade so I can enable Nav & cell?
TIA.
d.
Here's a link to a recent test by Car & Driver:
www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver
/comparisontests/2000/December
/200012_comparisontest_designerutes.xml
Unfortunately, this lousy discussion software is forcing me to break the link up because it is over 100 characters??
http://www.curtrich.com/november1999.html
Tony, you cannot post the C&D link above because it's over 100 characters. The reason why we have the character limit is because anything longer will mess up the screen width.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
Plus, the review is dated Nov 1999 and many of the statements are outright falsehoods when applied to the MY2001 vehicles.
For all EU ML's (270/320/430/55AMG) the trailer specs are as follows:
Trailer with brakes: 3365 kilos
Trailer without brakes: 750 kilos
Max. tongue load: 135 kilos
Ball diameter is standardized in the EU: 50 mms
- and because of this, we also have easy-fit bike carriers, that fit universally = they clamp the ball, where yours are fitted with a peg in a [square] hole. I didn't know this when ordering my JGC = US ball, too large to match my EU bike carrier. And the EU 50 mm ball's attachment was larger than the hole in the US ball-carrying thingy = major PITA. (No pun intended - although this one comes out PG++) ;-)
Birger in Luxyland
QUESTIONS TO MERCEDES>
1)WHO WILL BUY THEM?
2)IN MY OPINION CURRENT ML OWNERS IS A STRONG POSSIBILITY.
3)HOWEVER WILL MB GIVE US A CUSTOMER INCENTIVE?
Drew and I like healthy debate ;-)
By the way, the ABS certainly does know the speed and can adjust accordingly. The ABS system also knows if a wheel starts to skid and can released the brake if needed to prevent lock up (skid).
The ML works just as this GM truck under these conditions. Please don’t mislead readers! Even my owner’s manual states NOT to down shift on slippery conditions!
The stability system in the ML would **NOT** compensate under the above conditions. You are correct in your analysis of the ML system, but have no idea on the conditions of that road. I will try to give you an idea of what it was like. No guardrails, pure ice over a dirt road, slight amount of snow on sides of road, about a 100 foot drop off on one side, and rock edges on the other side. When I was trying to descend in low gear I was not truning the steering wheel and the truck was sliding slowly. The only way to prevent a slide under this condition is to keep the wheels turning at the same speed as the truck. If the ML were in low gear, low range, the stability system would actually have to give the engine throttle to prevent a skid (to speed up the wheels- remember you started from a stop and the truck has started to “gain” speed because of the ice). There is **NO** stability system on the market that can handle this situation, but your ABS system can.
As I stated before, I doubt an ML will ever be in this situation, but the basic rules still apply, DO NOT down shift under slippery conditions!!! Your owner’s manual should have more information on how to ascend steep grades safely. Good luck!
PS. I have driven on and off road for many years under very bad conditions from Death Valley to the mountains. I had more experience then the average person to descend that mountain and even I should not have done it, but I was out of cell phone range and was not able to turn around or back the truck up the mountain because of the ice. I am not sure what I would have done- but I would NOT do it again.
I think you misunderstood. I'm not saying that you have to choose between engine braking and using the brakes. I'm saying to use both together. I think you're getting your terminology mixed up here. A locked wheel is just that...locked. It's not the same as skidding. When you said skidding, it sounds as if you're referring to oversteer or understeer.
I've been in a similar situation as you have. I was already in 1st gear and going down the snow/ice covered slope below 10 km/hr with the ABS cycling all of the way down to the stop sign. WRT oversteer (i.e. fishtail), the ESP (electronic stability programme) would've detected the rear end starting to slide out and it would've redistributed braking effort to prevent this from happening in the first place. Yes, ESP works under throttle and under braking.
"Under very slippery conditions (like ice) the engine braking from the lower gear wants to hold the speed steady or even slow it down, this can cause the tries to skid and loose steering control."
What I don't understand is the above. Why would engine braking cause the wheels to lock up? It wouldn't AFAIK. I do agree with that with locked wheels, you loose all directional control.
"The traction control system may or may not engage under these conditions, because it may not be "informed" of a skid if all wheels are sliding equal."
As mentioned before, if the vehicle is not going the direction the driver intends it to go, the ESP will recognise this and brake the appropriate wheels to compensate. Again, I don't understand why you think that engine braking will cause the wheels to lock up by themselves.
When you shifted into drive, did you leave your transfer case in 4WD low range? The reason I ask is because many 4WD systems disable ABS completely when the centre differential is locked (such as when low range is activated). The whole idea for ABS is to modulate each wheel individually to prevent lockup. With the centre differential locked, the front and rear axles (and wheels) are mechanically bound together and forced to spin the same rate, hence defeating the purpose of ABS.
Since the M-class has open an open front, centre, and rear differential, ABS works all of the time.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
AFAIK, The ML system will not apply gas in any ituation unless prompted to. It [esp] will only apply braking power to correct for yaw.
Also, if you are going 5MPH you would be in first gear?>! How Much lower do you expect to go? ( I actually just tried it...bored )
Robert
It does this in a downshift in emergency police mode.
I can see shifting BEFORE the ice and riding the ice. But maybe shifting in the middle of the slide wouldnt be a good idea because of such said jerk. I know this isnt a good thing at the apex of a corner, which is why you should have your shifting done before the apex of a high speed turn. But again the speed thing is throwing me on this point.
Robert
GTH!
Robert
(Glad to HELP!)
I own a 2001 ML320 with the NAV system installed. How do you set your route using the Nav CD if you travel between two regions which are on two different CDs, e.g travelling from Texas to Florida?
Also, has anyone installed the 6.8 inch LCD drop down entertainment system (has options for VCR, DVD etc) in their ML yet? I saw that in the 2001 ML accessories catalog.
Thanks.
Akwasi