Your right DieselJim, The Mercedes Experience, Unlike Any Other. My 2 cents. :thumbsup2:

So I believe the difference is "to enjoy a well engineered machine" or "to move from point A to point B" in the driving we do. To a lot of people there is no difference when driving a Toyota or a Benz, you know, if you push the accelerator pedal, the car will go, if the steering wheel turns the car will turn, and so forth. For these people: lease Toyota/Honda for 36 mo.

I enjoy driving a lot, and find Japanese and American made vehicles extremely boring to drive. I have virtually driven most vehicles out there and have found over the years that nothing but MB or BMW are my choices as enjoyable cars to drive. I stick to MB because is the one I learned more about, so I understand better what I am driving. If PROPERLY maintained, it will work well and for a long time.

Rene

.fredlovesmercedesandfastboatsandplanesandwomenandgoodfoodandgreatwineandespeciallyhigendtequila.com ????

Ya think anybody would visit it?

If it's mechanical something is going to break; it's only a matter of time.

That said I've owned MB vehicles for 25 years. The ones made now are much lower quality than the older ones. But they are much safer if you are in an accident and the electronic stability programs are fantastic.

I have four MBs now with three being 1992 or older. The only newer one is the Alabama made 1999 ML 320. Quality of this vehicle is not that great. However with all the problems, I still like it a lot and have no plans to sell it. If it's well mantained it is a very good vehicle. If you can not maintan the vehicle yourself or are reluctant to pay someone a lot of cash to mantain your Mercedes then you should problably be driving a Honda or Toyota. I know when I no longer am able to or want to work on cars I'll stop driving Mercedes vehicles.

The lasted ML problem was the blend air motor. Not a problelm for me but if you can not do it yourself it will cost you able $1000. The motor is Chinese.


http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...4&d=1168721395

The ML320 is the most un reliable suv sold. I have 2000 and its been in the shop over ten times, with less than 50k on it. In addition the dealer is a thief, will try and sell you brakes and service you dont need. Word is out
BUY L E X U S NEXT TIME

Lexus are fine automobiles, you will probably be much happier with one. My brother has two RX 300s and he thinks they are great.

When he was looking I recommended them over the ML since he does not maintain his own vehicles and pays someone to do same.

One of them did need to have a valve job because it was burning so much oil. Fortunately it was done under warranty about 3K miles before the warranty was set to expire.

It's to bad Mercedes are not as good a quality as Lexus, my opinion, but that's the way it is.

My two cents
 

I sort of love my 2000 ML320 (bought new), but Mercedes would have made me much happier, and a more likely repeat buyer by:
1. Not just tightening my power steering clamp under recall, and sending me back on the road. After the "recall work" the hose popped off the softened hose, stranding me in the middle of the night. Yeah, second trip in, replaced under recall, but just plain inconvenient. Mercedes saved no money, and gained no "good will"
2. Replacing all the defective window switches, before failure. Again, they knew that they would not last, but felt that it would be ok for an owner of a car of this cost to open the driver's window to pay a toll in the snow, and not be able to "get it up"
3. Not charging an arm and a leg for the D pillar plastics, which are universally cracking or losing clear coat
4. Not setting an appointment for a cat recall, with no cats in stock.

Ok waybomb ill answer ur questions
1. So yea it 4 years old. But 45K is a pretty big pricetag for MOST people(cant speak for everyone:eek: ) but u'd think for 45K and the mercedes name that u wouldnt have anything but ROUTINEmaintance for the first 5-8 years. Routine maintance is tires, batteries, brakes, bulbs etc...

2*go to a parts store and see how many they carry for late model engines and how many more they can get in a day. Every manufacturer sells many water pumps. *--waybomb

Well i sure hope they do, i also hope they carry lots of starters, bulbs and hose clamp. why? because its an auto parts store, that what they do, why wouldnt they have an abundednt supply of water pumps????:confused:

3*Pretty soon she's going to need a battery too. I get anywhere from 4 to 7 years on a battery. Does that make the ML a bad car?*--waybomb

Batterys are a regular maintinance item. (see number 1) im talking about things that do not normally break, but ur talking about regular items.

4.*Does she get it serviced to schedule? That in itself would probably not have prevented a wp failure. Or maybe it would - when was the last time she had the antifreeze replaced with the proper antifreeze?*--waybomb

as a matter of fact, yes she has her ML serviced regularly at either MB of Saint CHarles or MB or Barrington. even her oil changes are done thier. I didnt know thier was a way to tell when a pump was just going to all of a sudden fail, please tell me if thier is because im unsure. also waybomb, she had her antifreeze replaced about a month before the lines busted on the powersteering pump.:D

Water Pumps and hoses are also normal wear items. That's the point of parts store stocking such items. Even for brand new Lexus vehicles.

45k isn't a lot for a car. What do you think somebody buying a $500,000 Ferrari puts into their car the first 50,000 miles. The cost of a couple of MLs.

Here's something to read http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=176655

well i know my sister isnt the only one thats had an ungodly ammount of problems with her ml. she never had as many probalems as this on any of her E class car C class cars and defienently nothing near that in her BMW. 45K is alot for a growing family. But then agian maybe were both use to our parents driving the toyota and chevy were new cost is cheaper (under 30K) and dont require as much maintance. Person i love my mercedes, but then agian they are the diesel w123's. I'll be seeing my sister at work tomorrow and talk to her more then.

What im saying is why spend even a dollar on a car that so many people have been feed up with? its pointless and wastfull to buy a defective item. WE shall see thought. ill give you guys an update tomorrow and what she says/ decideds


Also waybomb. it just dosnt seem right for a car with around 50 K to have a water pump go.......wait NVM, that just happend to my mothers pile of crap blazer. But then agian chevy isnt really known for quality were as MB is? plus the blazer had about half the price tag as her daugters ML.....

Funny, right after reading the above I scan the news and see this...

Toyota recalls 533,000 vehicles
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070119toyota-story,0,678451.story?coll=chi-business-hed

Honda recalls 81,000 Accord sedans in U.S.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=2007-01-19T143310Z_01_N19280556_RTRIDST_0_HONDA-RECALL.XML

I like recalls
 

I wish mercedes would recall our ML320's..more than they do.
I would have loved to have them recall the Mass Air Flow Sensor, The Crankshaft position sesnor, and Window switch for example. But No...owners have to deal with it.

the only recall i had with all the honda's i have owned was they called me in for a free oil change and free tune up with 140,000 miles. Something about a deal with the government regarding emmissions. It ran great before the recall.

and like mercedes has never had any recalls?

check this link:
http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/01-int/mercedes-benz/index.html

im not trying to be a jerk to anyone. its just thier is an obvious problem with the ML line, and alot of people seem to agree. however i cant speak for everyone. And when someone just starts rambling on about how "the car probably wasnt taken care of" or " its older so things are gonna break" it just kinda irritates me. For one my sister always has that thing in for routine check, and even more for failures. The fact that it just turned 4 years old justfies none of this. A car this new should not have this many problems, expecially a Mercedes-Benz.( at least i used to think so). Items that shouldn't go for a long time on a car, go out on her Ml. But everytime thier is a problem, she always has it fixed, none of this "living with the problem(s)". and it just irritates me how she has to live with such a pile of junk Period! its ok if everyone else has a different opinion, you have your rights to your own opinion, but my opinion is that this car as of right now is not so good.

nobody said that
 

Nobody said Mercedes didnt have recalls.

I even have mine listed in my signiture.

Well i just chatted with my sister. She is going to continue to keep her ML320. I Guess she has never had the window problem..... yet. Im jurt trying to look out for my sister and nephew. dont want them to get stranded. But thanks for all your help and input guys. Really appriciated. She was at 51K when the pump broke. What can she expect to break comming up?? thanks for everthing guys.