W164 Merc ML320 - Write off rebuild project
Discussion
So I’ve recently embarked upon on a new project, I’ve been after a W164 for a while now for towing and thought I’d take advantage of a relatively simple rebuild project.
I started a thread on the MB owners first, so apologies.. the beginning will be copy paste.
After some scanning of Copart for a while, a relatively clean looking 320CDI came up with Cat N non structural damage to the front.
Some quick maths on repair costs and a rough budget was set, although I ended up bidding slightly more after a VIN check revealed some nice features.
I’m hoping I can recover the history/books although realise that it’s a long shot. Plan A is contacting the previous owner, plan B is the MBUK route.
So onto the car, 2008 facelift 320CDI Sport 104k, 20” wheels, Nav, Power tailgate and heated seats.
First sight looked like it needs:
Bonnet
Wing
Grille
Headlamp
Bumper & grille
Plate plinth
PDC sensor
Grill support frame & upper slam panel
I’m sure more will surface post tear down!
I started a thread on the MB owners first, so apologies.. the beginning will be copy paste.
After some scanning of Copart for a while, a relatively clean looking 320CDI came up with Cat N non structural damage to the front.
Some quick maths on repair costs and a rough budget was set, although I ended up bidding slightly more after a VIN check revealed some nice features.
I’m hoping I can recover the history/books although realise that it’s a long shot. Plan A is contacting the previous owner, plan B is the MBUK route.
So onto the car, 2008 facelift 320CDI Sport 104k, 20” wheels, Nav, Power tailgate and heated seats.
First sight looked like it needs:
Bonnet
Wing
Grille
Headlamp
Bumper & grille
Plate plinth
PDC sensor
Grill support frame & upper slam panel
I’m sure more will surface post tear down!
Some progress on the strip down, and the parts list is growing 
The OS bumper beam crush can and towing eye seems to have taken the brunt of the shunt and is wrecked, along with a nasty ding in the beam too.
Hoping I can remove it, without having to remove the entire front frame assembly as access looks tight behind.
The horns have been pushed into the intercooler, which looks like it may be pierced. There's an oily looking residue around the impact point so I'll need to pressure test it. May just buy a complete used cooling pack.
The radiator has taken a whack in the bottom corner and is split... found this out before stripping down when I put some coolant in only for it to come straight back out again!
And the plastic frame & seal around the cooling pack is mullered.
After sifting through bits of Hyundai from within the bumper I've salvaged as much headlight bracket shrapnel as possible and hopefully I can rebuild the brackets as the headlight lense / housing are intact.
Unfortunately, the passenger side bracket has snapped near the bumper mounting and seems to have disappeared so I'll need to get creative as it's a waste to scrap it.
On the plus side, the chassis rail is straight as an arrow and it looks like all repairs will be bolt on / bolt off.
The lower rad support looks ok and will just need a bit of straightening out.
List now becomes:
Bonnet
Wing
Grille
Headlamp
Bumper & grille
Plate plinth
PDC sensor
Grill support frame & upper slam panel
Bumper bar and OS crush can
Horns x2
Radiator
Intercooler
Cooling pack frame
Headlights (Potentially)
4.7k resistor and clean/reseal to fix swirl motor / oil ingress issue!
The OS bumper beam crush can and towing eye seems to have taken the brunt of the shunt and is wrecked, along with a nasty ding in the beam too.
Hoping I can remove it, without having to remove the entire front frame assembly as access looks tight behind.
The horns have been pushed into the intercooler, which looks like it may be pierced. There's an oily looking residue around the impact point so I'll need to pressure test it. May just buy a complete used cooling pack.
The radiator has taken a whack in the bottom corner and is split... found this out before stripping down when I put some coolant in only for it to come straight back out again!
And the plastic frame & seal around the cooling pack is mullered.
After sifting through bits of Hyundai from within the bumper I've salvaged as much headlight bracket shrapnel as possible and hopefully I can rebuild the brackets as the headlight lense / housing are intact.
Unfortunately, the passenger side bracket has snapped near the bumper mounting and seems to have disappeared so I'll need to get creative as it's a waste to scrap it.
On the plus side, the chassis rail is straight as an arrow and it looks like all repairs will be bolt on / bolt off.
The lower rad support looks ok and will just need a bit of straightening out.
List now becomes:
Bonnet
Wing
Grille
Headlamp
Bumper & grille
Plate plinth
PDC sensor
Grill support frame & upper slam panel
Bumper bar and OS crush can
Horns x2
Radiator
Intercooler
Cooling pack frame
Headlights (Potentially)
4.7k resistor and clean/reseal to fix swirl motor / oil ingress issue!
Nice, I'd love an ML55
I've got a lot more to come, just getting all the pictures together is taking some time!
No worries, I paid just over £3.7K after the auction fees, VAT etc.
I'm budgeting max £2k for the rebuild, I've got almost all the parts I need now.. just chasing a grille and maybe a front bumper if I can't repair mine.
Even if I have to buy both, and after a service I'll still have a some left in the pot, and that's not counting all the spares I have left over that I can potentially sell.
If I can get it on the road for £5.5k I'll be happy, as the earlier pre-facelift cars with a lower spec and higher mileage were £6-7K
I've got a lot more to come, just getting all the pictures together is taking some time!
No worries, I paid just over £3.7K after the auction fees, VAT etc.
I'm budgeting max £2k for the rebuild, I've got almost all the parts I need now.. just chasing a grille and maybe a front bumper if I can't repair mine.
Even if I have to buy both, and after a service I'll still have a some left in the pot, and that's not counting all the spares I have left over that I can potentially sell.
If I can get it on the road for £5.5k I'll be happy, as the earlier pre-facelift cars with a lower spec and higher mileage were £6-7K
Ive done the odd salvage rebuild :-) I love it, i find it fun stripping it down, then rebuilding. I once rebuilt a salvage car with cable ties :-)
Costs are decided down to how pretty you want the truck to be. Personally I would replace the mechanical parts that are buggered but reuse panels / bumper. I would hammer out dents / straighten bends / etc. :-)
Costs are decided down to how pretty you want the truck to be. Personally I would replace the mechanical parts that are buggered but reuse panels / bumper. I would hammer out dents / straighten bends / etc. :-)
My S13 has a lot of cable ties holding her together, I'd like to believe the Merc is a bit too posh for that (only just though).
I'm a cost engineer by day, so I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't wring every penny possible out of the project!
Plus any money saved will go in the 300BHP fund!
I'll share the cost breakdown at the end of the project
I'm a cost engineer by day, so I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't wring every penny possible out of the project!
Plus any money saved will go in the 300BHP fund!
I'll share the cost breakdown at the end of the project
All I can say so far, is working on this car vs some of previous has been a really good experience.
Touch wood only two sheared bolts so far, both minor and possible to fix.
It's helped me a lot that these cars are designed with a "walk in" front end, everything forward of the engine front ancillary drive is pretty accessible, and to remove the entire front end was something like a total of 14 bolts!
I viewed a lot of W163s originally, but really good ones were few and far between... and even those seemed to have a checkered MOT history.
Was totally sold the first time I viewed a 164.
Touch wood only two sheared bolts so far, both minor and possible to fix.
It's helped me a lot that these cars are designed with a "walk in" front end, everything forward of the engine front ancillary drive is pretty accessible, and to remove the entire front end was something like a total of 14 bolts!
I viewed a lot of W163s originally, but really good ones were few and far between... and even those seemed to have a checkered MOT history.
Was totally sold the first time I viewed a 164.
My Ml55 required a ton of work. It wasnt a Cat S/N but some many common issues. Youtube / US forums are your friends here as these have all the information you need.
Ive had the front end off mine, front / bumpers, rectifly issues.
Funny really as I never truly know a car until I've stripped it. It then feels like my car ;-)
Ive had the front end off mine, front / bumpers, rectifly issues.
Funny really as I never truly know a car until I've stripped it. It then feels like my car ;-)
The previous owner called me after receiving my letter and we had a chat about what happened. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, his wife hit a Hyundai of some kind, writing both cars off in the process.
The bad news, he's binned the books and history. He also told me of an issue with the car (which will save me time down the line I guess) which put's it into limp mode sometimes.
His mechanic told him there was a module under the turbo that breaks down when oil leaks on it, now I'm assuming this will be a well documented issue so although it's an inconvenience.. it's better to know now! Another one for the list......seems to be well covered on here thankfully.
So the good news, he has the second key.. which he'll send me.
I also spoke to MB UK who can give me all service records that they have on file once I get the V5 back in my name and can prove ownership. (even though a V5 isn't proof of ownership lol).
The bad news, he's binned the books and history. He also told me of an issue with the car (which will save me time down the line I guess) which put's it into limp mode sometimes.
His mechanic told him there was a module under the turbo that breaks down when oil leaks on it, now I'm assuming this will be a well documented issue so although it's an inconvenience.. it's better to know now! Another one for the list......seems to be well covered on here thankfully.
So the good news, he has the second key.. which he'll send me.
I also spoke to MB UK who can give me all service records that they have on file once I get the V5 back in my name and can prove ownership. (even though a V5 isn't proof of ownership lol).
Had a nice surprise, the previous owner came through with the second key and it has the emergency key within it too. That should save some faffing with lock codes etc, and the blanks are cheap enough on ebay.
Hopefully I can get a new 1/2” drove torx bit over the weekend to get the bumper beam crush can off. Looks like a T50 or a T55 as the T65 I have is way too big.
Have been looking for a workshop manual that lists bolt/nut sizes but so far not had much luck.
Hopefully I can get a new 1/2” drove torx bit over the weekend to get the bumper beam crush can off. Looks like a T50 or a T55 as the T65 I have is way too big.
Have been looking for a workshop manual that lists bolt/nut sizes but so far not had much luck.
Edited by Tom-jl5iv on Saturday 16th March 09:04
Tom-jl5iv said:
The previous owner called me after receiving my letter and we had a chat about what happened. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, his wife hit a Hyundai of some kind, writing both cars off in the process.
The bad news, he's binned the books and history. He also told me of an issue with the car (which will save me time down the line I guess) which put's it into limp mode sometimes.
His mechanic told him there was a module under the turbo that breaks down when oil leaks on it, now I'm assuming this will be a well documented issue so although it's an inconvenience.. it's better to know now! Another one for the list......seems to be well covered on here thankfully.
So the good news, he has the second key.. which he'll send me.
I also spoke to MB UK who can give me all service records that they have on file once I get the V5 back in my name and can prove ownership. (even though a V5 isn't proof of ownership lol).
That will be an inlet port shut off motor, the part is about £40 and not hard to fit, it just takes a while to get to it. The bigger problem is that the oil leaks from the turbo so I would keep some budget set aside for a turbo at some point.The bad news, he's binned the books and history. He also told me of an issue with the car (which will save me time down the line I guess) which put's it into limp mode sometimes.
His mechanic told him there was a module under the turbo that breaks down when oil leaks on it, now I'm assuming this will be a well documented issue so although it's an inconvenience.. it's better to know now! Another one for the list......seems to be well covered on here thankfully.
So the good news, he has the second key.. which he'll send me.
I also spoke to MB UK who can give me all service records that they have on file once I get the V5 back in my name and can prove ownership. (even though a V5 isn't proof of ownership lol).
Tom-jl5iv said:
The previous owner called me after receiving my letter and we had a chat about what happened. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt, his wife hit a Hyundai of some kind, writing both cars off in the process.
The bad news, he's binned the books and history. He also told me of an issue with the car (which will save me time down the line I guess) which put's it into limp mode sometimes.
His mechanic told him there was a module under the turbo that breaks down when oil leaks on it, now I'm assuming this will be a well documented issue so although it's an inconvenience.. it's better to know now! Another one for the list......seems to be well covered on here thankfully.
So the good news, he has the second key.. which he'll send me.
I also spoke to MB UK who can give me all service records that they have on file once I get the V5 back in my name and can prove ownership. (even though a V5 isn't proof of ownership lol).
If you're going to fix that do the oil cooler seals at the same time when you have the whole thing dismantled.The bad news, he's binned the books and history. He also told me of an issue with the car (which will save me time down the line I guess) which put's it into limp mode sometimes.
His mechanic told him there was a module under the turbo that breaks down when oil leaks on it, now I'm assuming this will be a well documented issue so although it's an inconvenience.. it's better to know now! Another one for the list......seems to be well covered on here thankfully.
So the good news, he has the second key.. which he'll send me.
I also spoke to MB UK who can give me all service records that they have on file once I get the V5 back in my name and can prove ownership. (even though a V5 isn't proof of ownership lol).
Bought the GF a high miler one a few months back and just spent nearly 1k on
Oil cooler seals
Inlet port motor
Glow plugs
4 X tyres
Gearbox oil flush
Rear handbrake cables
Oil & filter change
Diesel filter
Turbo seals
Cabin filters
Matt Cup said:
Reminds me of a samcracc rebuild! Keep up the good work.
Thanks, and actually it was after watching some of his videos that I decided to have a go myself.Joshsl said:
That will be an inlet port shut off motor, the part is about £40 and not hard to fit, it just takes a while to get to it. The bigger problem is that the oil leaks from the turbo so I would keep some budget set aside for a turbo at some point.
Yeah, certainly seems so... I think I'm going to go for a seal repair, and delete. I want to take the inlet manifolds off to clean all the EGR gunk that will no doubt be inside. I'm planning on a tune, so this will help!Paddymcc said:
If you're going to fix that do the oil cooler seals at the same time when you have the whole thing dismantled.
Bought the GF a high miler one a few months back and just spent nearly 1k on
Oil cooler seals
Inlet port motor
Glow plugs
4 X tyres
Gearbox oil flush
Rear handbrake cables
Oil & filter change
Diesel filter
Turbo seals
Cabin filters
Cheers dude, that's a great should. I'll be doing a fluids change so will def do that at the same time. I also seem to have at least one faulty glow plug as the indicator on the dash is illuminated for longer than normal.Bought the GF a high miler one a few months back and just spent nearly 1k on
Oil cooler seals
Inlet port motor
Glow plugs
4 X tyres
Gearbox oil flush
Rear handbrake cables
Oil & filter change
Diesel filter
Turbo seals
Cabin filters
You did well for 4x tyres included in that price, I'm looking at some Pirelli Scorpion Verde and they are about £200 per corner!
Edited by Tom-jl5iv on Saturday 16th March 09:09
A little road trip to London, and a return with a small haul of bits for the first steps in repair.
First stop was to collect an almost complete front slam panel assembly, with the bumper beam, radiator, intercooler, horns (only one grr), cooling pack frame and various metal work that I require.
There’s also plenty of bits that I don’t need, so hopefully I can recoup some of the investment by selling those. By buying to complete I saved a good £200-300 on buying separate.
The bonus is the radiator looks to be in fantastic condition.
The guy also had a tidy passenger wing in the right colour so snapped that up too.
Second stop was to pick up the bonnet noted by JBell on the MB forums, done deal at £260 which i’m happy with as again the condition of it is very good.
There may be a few bits I can strip off it to recoup some cash.. we’ll see.
Itching to get stripping down, so will hopefully get some more garage time!
Loaded Up:
Back at base, front end & wing:
Bonnet:
First stop was to collect an almost complete front slam panel assembly, with the bumper beam, radiator, intercooler, horns (only one grr), cooling pack frame and various metal work that I require.
There’s also plenty of bits that I don’t need, so hopefully I can recoup some of the investment by selling those. By buying to complete I saved a good £200-300 on buying separate.
The bonus is the radiator looks to be in fantastic condition.
The guy also had a tidy passenger wing in the right colour so snapped that up too.
Second stop was to pick up the bonnet noted by JBell on the MB forums, done deal at £260 which i’m happy with as again the condition of it is very good.
There may be a few bits I can strip off it to recoup some cash.. we’ll see.
Itching to get stripping down, so will hopefully get some more garage time!
Loaded Up:
Back at base, front end & wing:
Bonnet:
Complete slam panel assy:
Spent most my time stripping off all of the parts that I don’t need, and checking the quality of the replacement bits.
It quickly became apparent that the radiator is different, I can only assume it’s come from a lower power model or that the spec of the older cars is different.
Mine has what looks like an oil cooler that sits in front of the a/c condenser, and it’s mounted on bosses on the rad.
It looks like I could mod the rad and plastic weld some nuts, but I’m kind of thinking it’s best to change the rad for a new one while it’s all out and save potential headaches later in life.
I’m glad I got a complete slam panel assy as I hadn’t realised how crumpled this area was until I compared it to the replacement. I could have pulled it out, but would have been a lot more effort.
The aluminium bumper beam is also a lot more distorted that it seemed, I’ve put the new on top here so you see just how bad it is!
A very long lever bar was required to prise it off of the crushed impact absorber.
Got to use my new tap and die kit too, the bolt holding the washer bottle on was ready to shear but plenty of wd40 and some back/forward action and I was able to free it off. Chase the thread in the hole, and on the bolt and it’s good to go again.
Same can’t be said for the radiator air guide bolt that sheared almost instantly.
Never mind though, one sheared bolt in a afternoon has to be a record for me...but then again I’m used to working on crusty 90s Japanese metal!
Spent most my time stripping off all of the parts that I don’t need, and checking the quality of the replacement bits.
It quickly became apparent that the radiator is different, I can only assume it’s come from a lower power model or that the spec of the older cars is different.
Mine has what looks like an oil cooler that sits in front of the a/c condenser, and it’s mounted on bosses on the rad.
It looks like I could mod the rad and plastic weld some nuts, but I’m kind of thinking it’s best to change the rad for a new one while it’s all out and save potential headaches later in life.
I’m glad I got a complete slam panel assy as I hadn’t realised how crumpled this area was until I compared it to the replacement. I could have pulled it out, but would have been a lot more effort.
The aluminium bumper beam is also a lot more distorted that it seemed, I’ve put the new on top here so you see just how bad it is!
A very long lever bar was required to prise it off of the crushed impact absorber.
Got to use my new tap and die kit too, the bolt holding the washer bottle on was ready to shear but plenty of wd40 and some back/forward action and I was able to free it off. Chase the thread in the hole, and on the bolt and it’s good to go again.
Same can’t be said for the radiator air guide bolt that sheared almost instantly.
Never mind though, one sheared bolt in a afternoon has to be a record for me...but then again I’m used to working on crusty 90s Japanese metal!
Tom-jl5iv said:
Have been looking for a workshop manual that lists bolt/nut sizes but so far not had much luck.
https://nemigaparts.com/cat_spares/epc/mercedes/1/Don't know if you're aware of this site or not but it has exploded diagrams with part numbers and descriptions. Hopefully it's of use to you.
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