The shediest ML in the WORLD (possibly)
Discussion
J4CKO said:
So no oil of any description left in it ?
Only joking, I reckon you will make a half decent car out of that, £700, worth that for some entertainment, the cost of the slightly different interior wood or stitching on a new one.
Only joking, I reckon you will make a half decent car out of that, £700, worth that for some entertainment, the cost of the slightly different interior wood or stitching on a new one.
I was shocked though. Really did expect to see puddles of oil.
Quick q for the more mechanically minded...
The brakes are really squeaky when braking normally (ie not if I slam my foot down).
The discs and pads are fine so is it likely to be a case of needing more copper grease on the pads?
sbk1972 said:
Excellent Thread !! :-)
I have a 2003 ML55. In Black. So a virtual `fist pump`.
Rusty hatch is common, mine was similar when I brought my 4 years ago. Luckerly black smoothrite is the same colour as I use that to touch around wheel arches etc. I use a halfords gloss black for above the sill level.
Owning one these things is a joy if you accept regular maintenance and are up for a challenge by doing it yourself.
ML500 is near identical to ML55 engine, so things to be aware of :-
Cooling fan - the module goes wrong / fuse at the battery blows so be aware and now and then check that the fan comes on.
Washer fluid tank cracks at top and leaks to a certain level.
BAS errors on the dash are normally a brake switch replacement.
I replaced my shocks, fronts were easy, rears were hard. Had to unbolt the body to give me a inch more clearance to get to bolts.
Spare keys take 6/10 weeks from Mercedes to order - 200
Sunroof drains block, or disconnect meaning water runs down the A pillars over various ecus. I have to reconnect mine, then remove both wings to clear out the drains which are around both front foot wells.
Immobiliser ring, around the key ignition, can play up and show start errors
If your low range light flashes around 16 times on start then you then to give the low range a go. these motors get stuck and need cycling. Put in N, switch on / off the low range.
Ive pretty much over service mine now. I regularly do the gearbox filter / oil, diffs, ive install a secondary cooling fan system on mine as Ive had 1 fan module go, and poor connection issues which could of resulted in the engine over heating. so I have my own one to `catch` this.
I had endless rattles which took a year to fix each one so now my car is quiettttttt :-)
i love my truck. I was looking at getting a ML63 original for 16K. However I say my one for £4K. came with new tyres, private plate, 20inch alloys and had 89K miles. I get 85% of the fun at 25% of the cost.
There is a tremendous US ML forum you need to join. Packed with manuals, pdfs, and experienced owners. There is never a problem or code I upload to the group which someone hasnt had and fixed. benzworld.org
Simon
I
Ooooh you're my new best friend. Would've loved a 55 but obviously I wasn't looking to spend £4k+.I have a 2003 ML55. In Black. So a virtual `fist pump`.
Rusty hatch is common, mine was similar when I brought my 4 years ago. Luckerly black smoothrite is the same colour as I use that to touch around wheel arches etc. I use a halfords gloss black for above the sill level.
Owning one these things is a joy if you accept regular maintenance and are up for a challenge by doing it yourself.
ML500 is near identical to ML55 engine, so things to be aware of :-
Cooling fan - the module goes wrong / fuse at the battery blows so be aware and now and then check that the fan comes on.
Washer fluid tank cracks at top and leaks to a certain level.
BAS errors on the dash are normally a brake switch replacement.
I replaced my shocks, fronts were easy, rears were hard. Had to unbolt the body to give me a inch more clearance to get to bolts.
Spare keys take 6/10 weeks from Mercedes to order - 200
Sunroof drains block, or disconnect meaning water runs down the A pillars over various ecus. I have to reconnect mine, then remove both wings to clear out the drains which are around both front foot wells.
Immobiliser ring, around the key ignition, can play up and show start errors
If your low range light flashes around 16 times on start then you then to give the low range a go. these motors get stuck and need cycling. Put in N, switch on / off the low range.
Ive pretty much over service mine now. I regularly do the gearbox filter / oil, diffs, ive install a secondary cooling fan system on mine as Ive had 1 fan module go, and poor connection issues which could of resulted in the engine over heating. so I have my own one to `catch` this.
I had endless rattles which took a year to fix each one so now my car is quiettttttt :-)
i love my truck. I was looking at getting a ML63 original for 16K. However I say my one for £4K. came with new tyres, private plate, 20inch alloys and had 89K miles. I get 85% of the fun at 25% of the cost.
There is a tremendous US ML forum you need to join. Packed with manuals, pdfs, and experienced owners. There is never a problem or code I upload to the group which someone hasnt had and fixed. benzworld.org
Simon
I
Car has 3 permanent lights, one being the BAS.
No sunroof
Came with one of those non fob spare keys
On my journey the temp seemed to sit around 90 but when on the motorway, it was sitting under 80. Is that normal?
Took my dog for a walk last night and went past the passenger side and realised there is about twice as much rust on that side so not looking forward to doing that today.
Will need to go out and get more black paint but may need to buy a litre tin.
sbk1972 said:
Hi,
3 red lights normally point to an abs issue with the pump. The ABS pump is located under the washer fluid tank. If that is leaking then it leaks onto the pump. Also the wiring to the pump runs very close to the chasis and rubs away, so check that too.
These trucks run hot / cold. The temp gauge isnt like a BMW where it just stays level all the time. My temp gauge can move from 90 / 110 depending on activity. At the start this really worried me and I kept on looking at it all the time thinking my engine was over heating.
The gauge is fed from a sensor at the top of the thermostat, it isnt rad temp. The thermostat opens at 86/90 and your fan should start coming on about 99/100. The fan doesnt just come on or off it has various speeds which the car's CAN will decide. So start the car, let it get to temp 90ish, switch on the AC and that should switch the fan on. Run it without the AC and watch to see when the fan comes on under normal engine temp. Normally when modules break there is a default `fan always on` mode. If not then sometimes the fuse, at the battery terminal and is thick / square can blow.
I have a secondary system that as probe in the rad, and a `push` fan on the front of the rad pack. I set a temperture via the control relay, normally around the same temp as when the fan comes on under non ac use, to run at the same time.
You need get get yourself a cheap code scanner. I brought one from Amazon, 100, i now read all my codes, delete / clear etc. Saved me 80 quid a time at the local mercedes dealership.
Also, prepare yourself for spark plugs. i have 2x per cylinder so thats 16x. All platnium. driver's side read plugs are a pain to get too so jack the car up, remove drivers wheel, remove liner and boom there you go.
Simon
Awesome info. Thanks3 red lights normally point to an abs issue with the pump. The ABS pump is located under the washer fluid tank. If that is leaking then it leaks onto the pump. Also the wiring to the pump runs very close to the chasis and rubs away, so check that too.
These trucks run hot / cold. The temp gauge isnt like a BMW where it just stays level all the time. My temp gauge can move from 90 / 110 depending on activity. At the start this really worried me and I kept on looking at it all the time thinking my engine was over heating.
The gauge is fed from a sensor at the top of the thermostat, it isnt rad temp. The thermostat opens at 86/90 and your fan should start coming on about 99/100. The fan doesnt just come on or off it has various speeds which the car's CAN will decide. So start the car, let it get to temp 90ish, switch on the AC and that should switch the fan on. Run it without the AC and watch to see when the fan comes on under normal engine temp. Normally when modules break there is a default `fan always on` mode. If not then sometimes the fuse, at the battery terminal and is thick / square can blow.
I have a secondary system that as probe in the rad, and a `push` fan on the front of the rad pack. I set a temperture via the control relay, normally around the same temp as when the fan comes on under non ac use, to run at the same time.
You need get get yourself a cheap code scanner. I brought one from Amazon, 100, i now read all my codes, delete / clear etc. Saved me 80 quid a time at the local mercedes dealership.
Also, prepare yourself for spark plugs. i have 2x per cylinder so thats 16x. All platnium. driver's side read plugs are a pain to get too so jack the car up, remove drivers wheel, remove liner and boom there you go.
Simon
k you rust' is complete!
C70R said:
Agreed.
I suspect it was one of those situations where it felt harder to avoid buying it (although that's probably what should have happened), so the OP almost talked himself into it.
I can't wait to see the rust report on the first MOT. There's no way that thing isn't packing some serious structural rot.
I don't understand what you're trying to insinuate? It's not like I managed to punch a hole in the bottom of the door with a screwdriver when I was scraping the surface rust. I suspect it was one of those situations where it felt harder to avoid buying it (although that's probably what should have happened), so the OP almost talked himself into it.
I can't wait to see the rust report on the first MOT. There's no way that thing isn't packing some serious structural rot.
C70R said:
I don't think there are enough photos to categorically say either way. For now, I'll go with "not promising".
I'm sharing in your misfortune, honestly. I bought a sheddy CLK430 that every part of my brain told me to walk from. Sold it 6mths later, with full disclosure, after its first trip to a specialist.
Ah that's not good. Shame when a car doesn't work out. I'm sharing in your misfortune, honestly. I bought a sheddy CLK430 that every part of my brain told me to walk from. Sold it 6mths later, with full disclosure, after its first trip to a specialist.
Just want to say, I'm very happy with this car and I'm not the sort of person to buy something unless I want it.
Now the rust, seat and door card are done, I'm very, very happy with it. Best £700 I've ever spent.
Jimmy Recard said:
My ML looks like that on the outside but structurally is absolutely fine. Just coming up to two years problem-free.
Structurally it’s not much like a CLK as it has a chassis underneath. That’s quite an important difference.
How do you find the ride on yours? Mines very hard and crashy going over speed bumps.Structurally it’s not much like a CLK as it has a chassis underneath. That’s quite an important difference.
Jimmy Recard said:
Have you tried bouncing it by pushing down hard on the front wing to see if the damper is controlling it properly? Bad dampers are very possible
Just give it a sharp push down on each front wing and see if it continues to bounce on its spring more than once. Mine doesn’t
I don't want to put a hand shaped hole in the wing haha.Just give it a sharp push down on each front wing and see if it continues to bounce on its spring more than once. Mine doesn’t
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