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

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Comments

  • terberterber Member Posts: 1
    I have a suddenly very loud creaking noise under my ML 320 (2001, 80,000 miles). It has been regularly serviced and well maintained, except for a ding on the driver side). An independent service garage looked underneath and could find no problem (shocks are original and fine) no leaking, no cracks. But this creaking noise, which he thinks is the suspension and not to worry, gets quite loud. I have noticed it mostly when it is hot and is loudest at slower speeds and going over bumps. I just had it washed and now the sound is gone but it will return. Any thoughts of how to fix this? I also notice that when I put in park it sort of slides forward a bit before it is firmly in park (transmission?). Thanks for any advice
  • msonntagmsonntag Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2003 ML 500. Just installed after market trailer hitch, and now can't find anyone to wire for trailer lights. MB no longer provides the wiring harness and suggested an after market solution. However, I can't find anyone in my small town who is willing to do the wiring without the MB harness. Any suggestions?
  • losttoothlosttooth Member Posts: 12
    I have a 2000 ML-320. It has been a great car for the most part, but again I am having fuel gauge issues, and I am wondering if this is a common problem. I posted about this same issue in 2004, and seem to recall having the rig in to be fixed, but now don't remember the details.

    The symptoms are that the fuel gauge is erratic. Soon after delivery (in Oct, 1999) I had the have the fuel sending unit replaced. I recall something about MTBE being the culprit. Then again issues in 2004, and now the same. Right after fill-up it sometimes shows full, but then quickly drops to 3/4, then quickly after that to empty, even though we know there is gas in the tank.

    The dealer wants another $2000 to replace several items, but I am hoping someone here has another solution.

    Thanks!
  • blacki3blacki3 Member Posts: 1
    I am looking for a rear bumper for the '99 ML320. Dealerships are quoting $670 for just the part!
  • gboro2007gboro2007 Member Posts: 8
    did u ever resolve or find root cause on the fuel gauge problem? i am finding an increasing frequency of problems with this vehicle . . . definitely NOT what i expected when i purchased the vehicle. my wife has been telling me that the fuel gauge is having the same symptoms u describe

    btw - suggest u check the Service and Recall bulletins offered on edmunds.com
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Here's the link:

    Edmunds Maintenance Guide
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    I'm very sorry to ask this because surely it has been asked before. For a 2000 ML320, what is to be done at A and B service events?

    I've searched here and at MB shoptalk and at MBUSA and my owner's manual; no info.

    Thanks for your patience!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    There's an A Service/B Service list at the Edmunds Maintenance Guide.
  • gboro2007gboro2007 Member Posts: 8
    thanks for the link, but i haven't seen any responses to the question on fuel gauge problems. is this a regularly reported problem with mercedes or is it unique to the ML series?
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    Ours is a 2000 ML320. A few weeks ago I noticed a slight ticking noise emiting from the dashboard. The rate is about 2 ticks per second, and remains steady at any engine speed. The tick is most prominent when stopped at idle and seems to go away as the car accellerates, but I think it just seems to go away as the engine noise simply overwhelms the ticking.

    Today I noticed that the ticking stopped completely as I turned the heater control from the 7 o'clock position (max cool, where it has been most of the summer) to about the 10 o'clock position (still in the blue region). The stoppage at 10 o'clock is abrupt; at 9 and 9.5 it still ticks, then at 10 it fully stops.

    Thanks, RC in El Paso :confuse:
  • fmfc1fmfc1 Member Posts: 4
    This noise is most likely coming from the rear torsion bar mounts for the front suspension. The plastic piece in the mounts drys out or cracks. The piece is replaceable seperately
  • fmfc1fmfc1 Member Posts: 4
    The noise you hear is probably coming from the recirculation flap motor. The stop for the motor breaks causing the motor to overrun
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    My problem is fixed. There was a missing AC compressor mounting bolt. I presum at slighly higher revs the belt created some tension and the bolt didn't matter.

    And my MB dealer wanted to charge me $2,000 to fix this!
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    In the last couple of weeks, my 2000 ML320 radio will not turn on. It seems to be without power as even the automatic faceplate tilting button is inop. At night I do see the small LED in the center of the on-off-volume knob.

    When I pull the 25A fuse, then place it back in its socket
    and enter the radio code, and the unit works for a few days.

    This morning the unit showed a new symptom; I had the radio on, but turning the on-off-volume knob had no effect.... it stayed at the prior volume setting and would not turn off when I pressed the knob. It did turn off when I turned off the car. I was able to change stations and bands this morning up until until things seemed to freeze, then, no controls worked but the current station continued to play.
    :confuse:
  • pkunk1pkunk1 Member Posts: 8
    I know I should be doing it, but I am really inconvienced by taking it to a dealer 180 miles away. Most of my vehicles have been a piece of cake to drain and refill. The 2000 ML320 has a radiator drain that is impossible to reach, the block drains are invisible. Anyone have a clue how to do this? Do I have to pull the bottom radiator hose?
  • jwolfe1jwolfe1 Member Posts: 1
    how to change canbin filter 2003 ml350
  • pkunk1pkunk1 Member Posts: 8
    On my 2000 it's under the glove box in the passenger footwell. Undo the panel, & pull the old filter out. Note direction of the filter when replacing. Somewhat awkward to see the panel, but with a light & some contortions you will.
  • ovalleovalle Member Posts: 3
    hello can some1 help me here I just got me a 2002 ML320 and the stereo was not working, all it says is enter code, i contact a dealer and they give me the code but when i put it in ....all it say is WAIT and nothing happens...
  • ovalleovalle Member Posts: 3
    hello how are you iam really intersted in the 3rd row seat please contact me back
  • ovalleovalle Member Posts: 3
    hello i just bought a 2002 ML320 but the stereo was not working, its asking for a code,I has contact a dealer and they give me a code but when i enter the code all it says is WAIT and nothing happens. i was told that i need a cd to reprogram the stereo, is this true? if it is where do i get this CD from? does any1 have this cd can u sell it to me?...what can i do to fix this problem im very exited with my new vehicle but with no sound system its not the same.....thanks.
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    I had what sounds like the same problem. Mine came up because I had
    three different Radio Code cards in my car, and I used the wrong one when
    powering up after the battery was disconnected for other service.

    It seems that if one enters the wrong code more than once, then the radio enters some sort of algorithm that posts the word "WAIT" on the screen then spins off into Never Never Land. The spin can go from one hour up to 24 hours, then you will be
    prompted to enter your 5-digit code.

    So, just wait.

    Rick
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    I found my own answer at www.whnet.com/4x4/shoptalk.html, which is the ML shop talk forum.

    There, they describe the problem to be much as I was experiencing. They suggest "checking" fuse F10, which is a 10 A fuse. In addition to the 25 A fuse labled "Radio", fuse F10 is labled, "Radio, glove box light..."

    In my case the F10 fuse looked ok, but I swapped it with a 10A spare. At first, this did not do the trick, but from the following day onward, the radio has worked perfectly.

    So, the fix is to pull and reinsert the 25 A fuse (I forget the number but there is only one of these) and F10, one of the 10A fuses.
  • afaikoafaiko Member Posts: 1
    Can somebody help me out here. I lost my ML320 2000 model owner and repair manuals, If any one has it online can you help me out?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
  • jsmoreno98jsmoreno98 Member Posts: 1
    I am fast approaching the end of my factory warranty and was wondering if anyone here recommends purchasing of an extended warranty for a 2005 Mercedes Benz ML 350? I haven't had any major mechanical or electrical issues as of yet but I do know how expensive it is to repair MBZ's. The extended warranty is about $4000 for 100k miles of protection. Are there any major issues I need to worry about in the future or now? Any information will be useful, thank you!
  • pkunk1pkunk1 Member Posts: 8
    Bump.......
    I know I should be doing it, but I am really inconvienced by taking it to a dealer 180 miles away. Most of my vehicles have been a piece of cake to drain and refill. The 2000 ML320 has a radiator drain that is impossible to reach, the block drains are invisible. Anyone have a clue how to do this? Do I have to pull the bottom radiator hose?
  • phazepgphazepg Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem before all you need to do is turn your key to on position like if you are about to turn your car on and leave in this position for approx 15 minutes then it will clear (wait) you only have 3 trys to enter the right radio code
    if you do not enter the right code the radio will lock out again then you will need to repeat the same process again
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter seeks consumers who drive diesel vehicles. Please send your daytime contact information to [email protected] no later than Tuesday, December 11, 2007.
  • carlover20carlover20 Member Posts: 20
    I am looking for my first car and I really like the M-class. i am looking at a 2001 ml430. I am worried about the reliability though. Any suggestions?
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    In my opinion, the ML's offer lots of value for the money, but are not as trouble free as, say, a Lexus SUV.

    What you get are: safety, handling, smooth powertrain, true off road capability, and lots of luxury features. Our ML320 gets over 20MPG, which is probably 20% better than other SUV's of similar size and weight. The chassis design contributes to a nice ride and also extends tire life (I think) since we just got 85,000 miles on a set of Michelin Cross Terrains. So, the ML does offer certain operational economies not found in lessor SUVs. Of course, the ML430 will suffer in the MPG department... do you really need the V8?

    If you read through the 5000 posts you'll see a pattern of uncharacteristic faults which one would not expect from Mercedes. Our older MB sedan had a more of a hand-crafted feel than our later model ML (2000 ML320). But, our ML, now with
    125K miles, has actually been fairly good: we have fixed the AC compressor, the driver's seat skirting is broken, the windshield fluid tank was replaced, the fuse box fan was replaced, we hear a clicking in the heating ducts (an actuator), the power window switch failed, one door lock actuator failed, the CD unit was replaced, and our radio is now flakey.

    Balance the problems against the benefits, and the ML offers good value. Most posters comment that one should look at used ML's from 2000 up, but I'd guess that once the 98-99 models settled in they were ok too.
  • johnnyejohnnye Member Posts: 1
    A few days ago I forgot to turn off the lights of my 2000 ML 320 and the battery went dead (you'd think a Mercedes should've automatic light cut off like my 1989 Toyota camry wagon!). So I entered the wrong code a few times and it went into Cyber-land and the screen says "Wait" since yesterday morning. Even when I switch switch the engine off and on it's still says "Wait". Lately I'm not able even turn it off unless I completely switch off and remove the key!).

    I'll try your 15-minute on "on position". I hope it works! Any suggestion if it still doesn't work? Thanks. johnnye at [email protected]
  • chumsaechumsae Member Posts: 61
    I've heard that the WAIT algorthm can be anything from a few minutes to 24 hours.

    When it happend to me I think it was about a half hour.

    RC
  • cmhbenzcmhbenz Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2003 ML350 with the same problem. I went to purchase the brake light switch for about $21 and brought it home for my husband to replace per the instructions I've seen posted but he can't seem to locate it in our ML350 under the brake pedal. Anyone have any thoughts where it would be located in a 2003?? or pix of it?
  • debsmbdebsmb Member Posts: 3
    I HAVE A 2002 ML500 AND ITS IS DOING THE SAME THING , DID YOU FINALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG? I AM HEADED TO THE EUROPEAN SHOP TOMORROW TO DISH OUT $$$ TO SEE IF THEY KNOW WHAT WRONG IF YOU GET THIS EMAIL ASAP TO LET ME KNOW THANKS
  • ngml320ngml320 Member Posts: 1
    Hello Everyone new owner 99 ML320. I accidentaly pushed the LOW button on center dash and it went thru. this is conencted to what it seems a AUX FOG LIGHT SWITCH . Is this LOW switch active useable or just a indicator ligh. Thanks to all taking it in to dealership today have 30 day warranty. Thank you everyone.....
  • cneffcneff Member Posts: 65
    I had a 2000 and the same thing happened - they just readjusted something in the console. But I think that button is for low range of the 4 wheel drive system so get that fixed.

    There is an Aux button for fog lamps (not functioning), I think in upper left of center console. These fog lamps are actually there, inside the main headlamp assembly, but are disconnected (at least in US models) since the beam height was considered too high for fog lamps (what dealer told me).

    anyway, I got my dealer to reconnect the fog lamps, they just hook up wires as everything is there. Cost little but the difference in lighting the way down a dark country road was great.
  • debsmbdebsmb Member Posts: 3
    I HAVE A 2002 ML500 , THESE THREE LIGHTS JUST STARTED COMING ON BUT WHEN I PULL OVER AND RESTART THEY GO OFF BUT SEEMS LIKE AFTER IT SETS FOR OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THEY COME BACK ON , I TOOK IT TO A EUROPEAN SHOP AND PD $115.00 FOR A NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH NOW THERE BACK ON ! ANY MORE SUGGESTION ? HELP
  • amb82amb82 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2000 ML320 and while driving it the engine has died on three occassions. There was no engine noises and the engine light has neve come on. The first two times it happened I was able to get it restarted. However, the third time I was unable to restart it. Since then I have not driven it anywhere but it continues to start and the engine light has not come on once. Any ideas what could be causing this? I was going to have a diagnostic scan done but was told that it would only pull up codes if the engine light had been on so we did not do the scan. Any info you could give me would be helpful Thanks.
  • new_ml350new_ml350 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I am new with MB. Is it worth to prepaid $1845 for 52K or 48 months which ever comes first on maintenance? I figure I will be driving around 7K miles a year. Thanks.

    Vic
  • cneffcneff Member Posts: 65
    Hi Vic,

    Congrats on your new MB.
    Take a look at this forum as it is for new MLs - there is good info on other questions you may have for your new ML
    sshowitt, "Mercedes Benz M-Class: Prices Paid & Buying Experience" #1, 30 Jan 2001 12:32 pm

    You should ask your dealer what they charge for service and when they recommend you come in - they will tell you. Your ML will also tell you when to come in.

    As for prepaying that is playing with the numbers and a comfort call. ML350 service is every 13k I think, I have a diesel and it is every 10k. If you only do 7k per year it may not be worth it to prepay.

    Good luck
  • cmhbenzcmhbenz Member Posts: 5
    My 2003 ML350 doesn't have a brake light switch from what I'm told and there isn't one in the spot other forums have suggested. I still don't know what the problem is but it's going in today to the MB dealer to find out. It's never anything inexpensive when I take it in so I'll let you know what they say.
  • cmhbenzcmhbenz Member Posts: 5
    Well, My vehicle is still at the Mercedes Benz Dealership and I took it in on Wed, Jan 4th. First of all I told them to hook it up and read the codes so that was a $100 estimate right off the bat. I was told I could wait for them to do this so I took a seat in the waiting room until the Service mgr came out to tell me the bad news. He said it was a broken wire in the speed sensor harness and IF they could repair the wire it would be $600 and if not they would have to order a new harness but they would let me know. They told me that it wouldn't be finished till the next day so I requested a loaner car and went home. The next day I got a call from the service manager telling me that they repaired the broken wire but that there was still no power so they suspected that I needed a new Control Unit to the tune of an additional $1100!! But not to worry because I wouldn't be charged for any additional labor but that they would have to order it so it wouldn't be done for another day. My estimated total at this point is $1723.11 and today I recieved another call telling me that after they installed the new Control Unit it all worked temporarily but then it all didn't again but it's probably just a pinched wire or something like that but that it would have to stay in the shop over the weekend and they would work on it again on Monday. Soooooo, I still don't know if this is actually the problem or if they are just going to continue adding additional parts and labor for several hundreds of dollars a piece until the repair is more than the value of my vehicle. They insist that they are confident that this is the problem but it just takes time to repair. I'll keep you posted.
  • debsmbdebsmb Member Posts: 3
    That is ridiculous! what are these dealerships doing ? it makes me want to go as fast as i can to trade mine off, i have a slk320 and this ml500 and i have gotten afraid of both of them, I had a honda accord for years and never spent the money on it like i have these two vehicles . I am being to think your just buying Mercedes just for the name not for the quality, If there not careful they will be at the bottom of the junk list along with hummer and ranger rover! **
  • kcassaveteskcassavetes Member Posts: 1
    Since my ride is an 86 E series, it may be apples and bowling balls but never the less I had a similar problem. Turns out it was as simple as replacing a small black box called a "CDI" in the electronic pannel on the passanger side of the motor. The part cost me $50.00 and the guy at the Mercedes shop (not dealer) said they need to be replaced every year or two or "when seasonal weather changes occur." I simply pulled the old one out, plugged the new one in and away I went with no further problems. That was about a year ago.
  • cmhbenzcmhbenz Member Posts: 5
    You got that right! I am considering taking my lumps with this one just to get it fixed (if they ever figure it out) and getting rid of it. I will not buy another Mercedes, like you, I thought Mercedes meant quality but that is obviously not the case. The dealer said that if you're going to own a high end vehicle you have to be prepared for the cost to maintain it! You wouldn't think you would have so many problems with a "high end" vehicle. Isn't that the reason you would buy one?
    Anyway, the next one might be a Lexus, I too once owned a Toyota and a Honda and never had these kinds of problems.
  • cmhbenzcmhbenz Member Posts: 5
    Initially it was thought to be a brake light switch ($21 at the dealer/parts dept) but that all changed starting with the 2003 models. Same thing with the ABS relay ($15 part), nothing is the same anymore. I think that once they figured out that people were able to fix their own with inexpensive parts they changed them!
    Anyway, thanks for your post and I will mention it to the teenager that is working on my vehicle at the dealer!
  • pkunk1pkunk1 Member Posts: 8
    2nd bump....I can't believe that noone on this forum has never changed their antifreeze! Well, I haven't & I want to. Any Ideas on where I can get the info/pic of the drains & how to access them?
    Quote:
    "I know I should be doing it, but I am really inconvienced by taking it to a dealer 180 miles away. Most of my vehicles have been a piece of cake to drain and refill. The 2000 ML320 has a radiator drain that is impossible to reach, the block drains are invisible. Anyone have a clue how to do this? Do I have to pull the bottom radiator hose?"
  • lynnejacob2001lynnejacob2001 Member Posts: 9
    I have a '98 320 with 207K miles. We had our first serious issue this weekend. I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered the same.

    We don't use the low range often. We tried to activate it and the truck didn't seem to want to go into low range. It finally did and the check engine light came on. Then we couldn't get it out of low range. The low range inficator went off but it wouldn't shift properly. I think we finally got it back into high range but the check engine light is still on.

    Anyone else experience this?
  • fmfc1fmfc1 Member Posts: 4
    You can try to cycle the transfer case from low to high range a few times. if this doesn't fix the problem the transfer case motor will need to be replaced. the check engine light is on because the transfer case motor didn't respond correctly
  • mwithoutmwithout Member Posts: 5
    Can anyone help? My wife's 2003 M-Class started this morning without a problem. However, it made a wheezing and not very loud noise after a half a mile of driving. The noise sounded like a decompressing sound of an electric motor. Then the power steering was no longer functional and the car was difficult to steer. I called a Mercedes Dealership and the service rep said that this model has tendency to “pop off” a hose in cold weather. I did indeed look under the hood and saw some fluid spray on the engine in the general area of the reservoir, but I didn’t see a loose or disconnected hose or clamp.

    Any ideas? Is there any place on line for drawing or pics of the hose schematics? Just in case I missed something when I looked.
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