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Comments
- Mark
Dealers tend to wildly over-service the brakes (replacing pads only half-worn) and usually replace serviceable rotors, which can double or triple the cost of brake maintenance. My CD changer simply doesn't work if it hasn't been used lately, but I live with it. ML's have a lot of cooling fan problems and the sticky throttle cable problem seems to be something that all of them develop regularly - it is supposedly repairable by some strategically placed grease, rather than replacing the cable all-together). And 15K inspections at MB can be $800 or so, just for the inspection.
If you want to scrounge and find a good indepedent mechanic, you can reduce these costs by about 2/3rds. But if you're happy and they're doing a good job, then that's more important than penny-pinching.
Good luck with your truck.
- Mark
I agree with everything you say. We will most definitely start servicing the car in a place that comes highly recommended. It will not quite save 2/3s, but even 40% saving will add up very quickly! I just want to make sure my wife's car is thoroughly inspected and always safe to drive, but that does not mean it must be serviced at the dealer's service, which -I agree- wildly overcharges.
the carpoit comparison confirms 400lbs of additional weight on the recent ML. The dealer also confirmed additional heft - some of it goes for very good stuff, such as additional airbags. The new engine also has some very nice pull. The '04/'05s are very nice, just for our particular situation not quite compelling enough given the fact my wife's car looks very well and got some after-market stuff installed that she really likes.
Now the power windows go up and come back an inch or two after doing an auto close. Sometimes the auto close does not work. Also, since I had the Coolant Leak 4 times in 2 years I was just checking under the hood for the coolant level and realized that the radiator is lose - it can be moved back and forth slightly !! Damn another visit.
Every time I take the car for service I think I should get rid of this and get something else. But, my SA keeps telling me that we have replaced so many parts on your car that its like a new car with all latest and greatest parts. He advises me to keep it since all the known issues are fixed. At times I tend to agree with him but then there's something else which comes up. My dilemma is - what will break next vs I have gotten everything fixed so now it should be more reliable.
Anyway, was checking out the 2004 Acura MDX for my wife and the sales rep wanted me to trade my ML500. The Trade In value comes to $30k - thats a steep depreciation of 40% form its original price of $50k. The cost of owning this car has been around $1k a month. Thats pretty expensive. Don't know what to do - keep it or sell it. I love the ride and the power but am sick of the dealer visits !! Decisions decisions.
Sorry for the long post - Happy Motoring !1
Regards,
Rahul
If I had the issues that you have had, I think I would trade.
Mark
- Mark
I'd sell it. I have an MDX and it has been as reliable as a rock. It holds its value extremely well too. I also have an E-Class that has given me plenty of headaches. I guess MB quality is definitely not what is used to be. Good luck.
Dealers buy your car for cheap and sell it retail for much more. There are a lot of private owners who want a MB, and don't care about maintenance.
They just want agood deal.
By the way, the MDX is a good choice, I know 3 people with them (two female relatives) who love the trouble free experience.
Anybody who doesn't have 100k extended is bungee jumping without a rope.
It seems as though people expect perfection from autos. Why? Everything fails at some point. Everything, even the sun. This is the way of life.
Anybody else have this happen?
Mark
There is a check that can usually warn of the problem well before it actually fails. You shine a flashlight down the front of the engine and onto the lower pulley with the engine idling. If the lower pully appears to wobble, then the balancer is probably going.
- Mark
I guess I should check in here more often. Used to post here as "Sydney6".
Other than some generally minor problems, (the usual found here) no major issues with reliability.
IMO, MB should issue a recall on this issue.
Failure is somewhat common, but in watching the various ML boards, I don't think it is any worse than the machine-gun door locks or fuel pump issues, none of which have been covered either. All cars have issues like this, so it is a matter of degree. Without hard data, it is difficult to know whether this is a 1%, 5%, or 20% of the fleet problem.
A lot of V8s seem to have the issue too.
- Mark
Seems excessive...But I saw this on another related forum:
2000ml320 "MB M-Class Owners: Problems & Solutions" Sep 3, 2004 12:44pm
So perhaps this really is a problem. Hope this helps...
On the spark plugs and gas filter/hoses, I'd do what the book says - no more, no less.
- Mark
Is this normal for the ML?
Thanks
Well brake squeal comes and goes and generally is an annoyance rather than a problem. I would live with it unless it is pretty loud. If it came after the last brake repair, likely they didn't use the special paste on the back side of the pads that keeps them from vibrating.
Reduced brake capability probably means a spongy pedal. If you confirm her assessment I'd have the brakes inspected for leaks, bled and if the problem returns, then you've got to figure out where air is getting into the system.
Brake life is highly variable. 12K is very short, but MLs are hard on brakes and some drivers and environments are pure hell on brakes so it is possible. I get about 25K-35K. Dealers routinely overprescribe new pads because it is a high-profit fix. The sensors are actually pretty conservative, so unless they are broken or were not installed properly after the last brake job, you should have 30%+ of your brake life left even AFTER the sensor starts showing a problem.
I'd try and look yourself at the brake wear - it is pretty easy to do with a flashlight. If you can see something left of a slot in the middle of the brake pad right in the center where it touches the rotor, then you don't need replacement.
If you can correlate your issues with the last brake service, I'd find another dealer or cultivate a relationship with an indpendent shop. Often a simple pad change for a $150 or so is all that is required rather than the pads, rotors, etc. changeout that is $600 at the dealer. $1000? That sounds out of line unless something is broken and anything broken should be covered by warranty.
Good luck.
- Mark
The dealer says that MB is switching to new bigger gas filter due to our extreme winters here in the Northeast. Due to this new larger filter some of the hoses need to be replaced at my expense. It sounds fishy to me. I also think the spark plug price is a rip-off.
I also inquired about the valet key and was told by both the service advisor and the parts department that the "flat" valet key was NOT available.
That's too bad since it is so low tech (robust - does not break) and fit ON my key chain instead of ANCHORING it like the electronic key.
George
Holding a mfg to a standard where they they have to retrofit the entire fleet for free every time they make a change to a car doesn't seem reasonable to me. It would also stifle incremental improvements.
- Mark
Thanks for the feedback on the gas filter and plugs. They were both recomendations from the service rep. I am under warranty up to 100K. I will ask about the emissions warranty and see how they handle that. I have to bring the ML back for a loose ball joint and a broken glass faulty sensor. Both are under warranty.
I'm sorry, that's not what I meant in my previous post. I was under the impression from gortiz's post that the service advisor was saying the updates were "required" and "required" means (to me) they pay, if under warranty, not the user. I didn't mean to imply that I would require MB to update my vehicle if next year's ML350 had something different/better. I would not - that's why one buys new cars, no? : )
There was significant surface corrosion in and around the battery tray area, and I told the technician that I had just had (three weeks before) the Service B, wherein this problem should have been brought to my attention.
I also mentioned that the week before I had a harmonic balancer failure, and that that was a second opportunity to note the battery problem, AND I mentioned that I had heard (didn't tell him I heard it here) that a visual inspection of the balancer can detect an imminent failure. I told him that I am disappointed that the dealer didn't notice the potential HB failure as WELL as the battery problem. he said that they have had lots of problems with batteries and HB failures.
As he replaced my dead battery, and as I told him of the HB issue, he looked at the HB (the car was running) and said that it looked 'wobbly' and that he would have it checked ASAP, and not to drive it too much until checked.
I was flabbergasted that an MB technician would recommend that course of action, given that the HB had JUST been replaced one week before!
To make a long story a bit shorter, in the end the dealer was very good about it, and replaced the battery tray and cleaned the area at no charge. They had about 4 journeyman technicians check again the HB, and they felt it was in perfect shape. The told me that a visual inspection is a good 'first indicator of potential' failure, but that only a more thorough inspection can truly indicate a problem.
So, the moral is: if you have a 2002 (?) or older MB, have your battery checked for leadks and corrosion. Also, a visual inspection of the HB (if it's wobbly looking while running) can indicated that further inspection is warranted, but it may not indicate a real problem.
Good luck
Looks: Improved over the 2000 with nicer bumpers, fog lights, headlights, wheel well bump-outs, and tailgate formation. This one has nicer wheels but these are likely part of the Sport package. The interior strikes me as being much the same with the exception of the center console, which now has some reorganization of window and mirror
switches.
Features: Improved over the 2000 with a good A/C
vent to the rear through the center console, and
(finally), a decent cup holder/miscellaneous
compartment where the "old" window switches once were. The old cup holders are still there, they just added a 3rd choice in the front seat area. The storage area in the center console has changed to a 2-compartment/2-latch arrangement which provides 2 layers of storage, one on top for
shallow and one underneath for deep. The side mirrors have been updated to provide the side marker turn signal lights, which formerly were on the front side fenders between the wheel wells and the front doors - looks better to me. I did miss the slightly larger mirror area provided on
our 2000 ML.
What's next: The CD magazine is still in the boot,
rather than the dash. We all hopped into the ML loaner and our 11-year-old son handed me his Lord of the Rings soundtrack CD, (expecting some progress in this department).
Performance: Engine noise and general highway noise seemed a couple-to-a-few decibels quieter. The 350 makes a small but noticeable difference in spunk over the 320 in normal driving. The handling and ride seems stiffer and more jittery around town and on the highway compared to our ML320, and here, we prefer our ML... probable difference due to Sport package. The A/C is much better in the ML350... this one has automatic climate control (which our s does not and it is missed) with ice cold air and very, very, nicely lighted control dials. The A/C on our 2000 ML320
has always been "just adequate" in terms of temperature and airflow and back seat coverage. For comparison, we have a Lexus LS400 that has always put out cold air and lots of it... our ML320 doesn't come very close. Maybe we will get lucky and have super A/C when our ML is returned by the dealer, but I suspect it is a weaker system
than the LS400 and the ML350.
The ML350 has 10 airbags versus our ML350 which has six. So, a great safety oriented vehicle gets even greater with the ML350. All of us need to remember that Mercedes is the one car company that has never patented a safety innovation; they make all of their work in this area available to
all automakers. Given this, I have a bias that helps me forgive Mercedes-Benz for the occasional service blip or quality issue. I just have to respect them for that. Finally, at least ONE of the other manufactures - Ford Explorer - has adopted car-height bumpers to help reduce repair costs and injury to other vehicles and occupants. This is a feature the M-B designed into the ML in 1998.
In short, a great vehicle gets better.
Five Decades of Safety Development at Mercedes-Benz (MBLink)
Steve, Host
But does the ML350 really have 10 airbags? I thought it's 8 (front driver, front passenger, side driver, side passenger, side left 2nd row, side right 2nd row, left side curtain, right side curtain.
Unless the side curtains for the 1st and 2nd row are counted for each position.
head areas, and another 2 near the rear passenger
head areas.
head areas, and another 2 near the rear passenger
head areas.
Technically it's just two airbags, they happen to be multi-chambered. One side curtain deploys on the left, the other on the right. Each side curtain protects both the first and second row occupants' heads on that side. Using this as a measure, competitors like the XC90 have only six airbags compared to the ML's eight.
If one were to count it as 10 in the ML350, then Volvo and Acura could claim to have 10 airbags. This because their side curtains protect the heads of occupants in the first, second, and third rows (the MB protects the first and second). They do not have thoracic side airbags in their second row like MB's, however (else they'd have 12 using the ML350-has-10-math!).
Whan is the new ML bodystyle expected in the US? Anyone have any links/photos of what it may look like?
Thanks
Also, they are asking 33,900 for the car and it has 22,000 miles, is this a decent price?
and on the first page of Edmunds you'll find a TMV
pricing model; just enter the target car, mileage,
color, options and your zip code and you'll see
a fairly reliable valuation.
Key elements include:
- knowing the vehicle history.. at least through carfacts, and have a local dealer run a servide history on the VIN.
- eyeballing the car for negatives.
- estimating the value of the existing warranty.
- knowing your options... Our 2000 ML320 had a $42,000 sticker, and our recent loaner 2004 ML350 Sport had a $48,000 sticker with a $37,000 base.
Hence, in 2003, the ML350 sticker could be anywhere between $37,000 and $50,000; a big window
of value.