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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!
btw - suggest u check the Service and Recall bulletins offered on edmunds.com
Edmunds Maintenance Guide
I've searched here and at MB shoptalk and at MBUSA and my owner's manual; no info.
Thanks for your patience!
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:
And my MB dealer wanted to charge me $2,000 to fix this!
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:
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
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.
Where To Find Your Car Owner's Manual Online
Online Repair Manuals
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?
if you do not enter the right code the radio will lock out again then you will need to repeat the same process again
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.
I'll try your 15-minute on "on position". I hope it works! Any suggestion if it still doesn't work? Thanks. johnnye at jntscrl@yahoo.com
When it happend to me I think it was about a half hour.
RC
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.
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
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
Anyway, the next one might be a Lexus, I too once owned a Toyota and a Honda and never had these kinds of problems.
Anyway, thanks for your post and I will mention it to the teenager that is working on my vehicle at the dealer!
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?"
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?
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.