Hello i;m new to this forum and wanted to say hello to everyone.. i currently have a 2000 ML320 which gives so many problems.. first thing is i was @ a family bar b que and had my music on for like 4 hours and forgot to start the car, well needless to say my battery died.. i know not to jump start the mercedez becasue of all the computers it has in it so what i did was took the battery out fo the car and had my friend charge the battery up.. when i reinstalled the battery and started the car it ran like **** .. well after about an hour of the car starting and shutting off.. and starting and shutting off etc.. i then tried holding down the throttle to see if maybe that would work.. well sure enough i held it down between 20 to 30 for anout 1 to 2 mins and it began idling.. bad an idle as it was.. but it was @ least working. Well after about 15 mins of idling bad i shut it off and started it again.. an it worked fine.. except now.. my radio didn't work and the check engine light was on.. but at least i was able to get home from the place i was, which i must say was pretty far from home.. and no mechanic shops for @ least 25 miles. Well anyway i'm a lil mechaniclly inclined so i figured i could figure out the problem .. so i replaced the oxygen sensor with a mercedez benz oxygen sensor not aftermarket.. and the check engine light was still on .. so then i figured maybe it needed to be reset so i paid $95 to get it reset.. it went away .. and came back 2 hours later.. and has been on ever since.. i'm not a rich guy so basically i should not have gotten into a benz but the dealer actually convinced me to take the car saying it was very low maintenance etc.. so i traded in my 99 expedition for it.. and now i find i am having far more problems with it than i ever had with my expedition. i really luv the ML but i don't know what to do on a budget @ this point.. also i find that even after 5 to 10 mins of warming up the drive is sluggish, transmission feels like its slipping spuratic shift changes etc.. for like about 15 mins then ti rides smooth after that. what can i do @ this point? Pls help i would like to try and fix it also if it isn't too much to ask.. are their any recalls for this year and model

You have come to the right place to learn more about your ML. The best thing to do is use the search feature. You should be able to find answers to many of the issues you raised. Good luck.

Check your battery voltage. Low voltage could cause major havoc to any modern car.

I do not recommend a benz for you. The cost of maintaining a european car is higher than Japanese or American brands.

By the way, if you are a 'lil mechaniclly inclined' - you should brush up on OBDII and the like. Swapping O2 sensors because you saw a check engine light is frankly kind of silly. You need to read the code and interpret it before swapping parts.

Secondly, you should also realize a dead battery doesn't charge up properly.

Thirdly, the car has an adaptive transmission. It has to relearn driving style.

Finally, you probably have a bad MAF sensor if there's a lot of hesitation.

People who buy MB's or BMW's or Porsches can either afford the high maintenance cost or are very mechanically inclined so they know how to diagnose, buy parts and do the work themselves - or both...

Hey roadsession your kinda hard on Jealous.
Here's my take on the deal Jealous--
I'm a poor working class slob with a little mechanical ability and access to the Web. Three years I have enjoyed my 1999 ML320.
I have paid under $1000 for parts over 3 years doing my own maintenance.
Of course paying the pro's would have cost me several times that amount.

Here's a few things I did to have my ML320 run good.
$300 for the upgrade fuel pump, filter and lines. I cleaned out the EGR tube totally plugged. I Burn Mobil Premium gas. Mine has 105,500 miles and last changed oil at 100,000 not low on stick. I replaced the squeeky shocks myself $300. $55 for the CPS (common failure rate). $50 window switch panel.
There are a half dozen weak ponts on the ML320, but Ive never driven a tighter truck with 100,000+ miles on it. When you find out what your problem was..post it so we can all learn from you., Happy Trails.,sincerely steve the poor working slob that drives a Mercedes..

PS Your Radio needs to have the code punched after a dead battery.
Ive had dead batteries charge up just fine, not sure why roadsessions was talking about. Maybe his Y2K surplus can goods are starting to spoil.

__________________
Steve Danville
what i did myself.
CPS
rear shocks
MAS x 3.
SparkPlugs (twice)
Fuel pump & Filter
Window switch
replaced both failed horns with Honda horns.
Cleaned ERG Tube
Oil changes
Oil consumption Fix
Brake Pads
A/C Recharge
Anti-Freeze change X 2.
Front Shocks. Monroe. $90
Mercedes Warrenty Work:
Harmonic balancer,power steering clamp. Cat converters.Drive Shaft Bearing.s
Replaced Outer Lower Tie Rods and front lower ball joints at 156,000 miles

Just to chip in a thought. I too have had batteries refuse to take a charge after they completly discarge (I mean dead flat). However, these have always been sealed batteries, the un-sealed ones most often have come back for me. If I recall, DieHard was the worst for this malady.

Also, I have three older Benz's with my '98 ML320 the newest. I don't have time for much DYI so I farm out the work. I think I average ~1500 to 2000 each per year in maintenace. However I have no payments so I think that is a bargin. The first year of ownership is always the worst 'cause you are catching the deferred maintenance of the PO....after that it's OK and they are a Benz which is a hell of lot better on the ego then most.

__________________
Litton
'90 420 SEL (sold)
'72 280 SEL 4.5
'98 ML320 (for sale)
'86 560SL
'05 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd (offroad in style)
'87 Chevy Blazer (AZ Pin Strips)