Bobby Ross, Virginia Section ov MBCA, was at our local Driveway Mechanics Gathering and had a question that none of us could answer. His ML320 has an extra control stalk on the right side of the steering column, above the wiper control stalk, and we could not figure out its function. It does not seem to do anything. I have attached a picture that might help as it has a symbol on it that might mean something to someone.

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Jim Villers
190SL, 230SL 5-speed, 95 E320 Wagon, 01 E320 Wagon, MGB, Boxster 'S', 190SL "Barn Find"

I'm guessing that year of ML didn't come with an owners manual.

Don ... If there was an owner's manual we would have had an answer. This car was bought used and the manual that Bobby bought did not show or have a reference to this control.

Any ideas?

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Jim Villers
190SL, 230SL 5-speed, 95 E320 Wagon, 01 E320 Wagon, MGB, Boxster 'S', 190SL "Barn Find"

I can't really make out what the symbol is to make a guess. it looks like an "i" with a circle on top instead of a dot.

what year is the ML?

The facelifted ML's had some sort of gear select stalk on the right side of the steering wheel.. up for gear up, down for gear down.

Don .... I do not know what year the car is as it is not mine. Attached is the best image of the symbol that I have. The symbol is like a line with a loop on the end. There were five of us in the garage and it didn't mean anything to any of us.

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Jim Villers
190SL, 230SL 5-speed, 95 E320 Wagon, 01 E320 Wagon, MGB, Boxster 'S', 190SL "Barn Find"

I'm going to guess its at least a post 2005 truck, not a diesel.

the regular stalk on that side is for the wipers and their control

drivers side is turn signals and cruise control

I'm searching the internet for what ever I can find on ML320 control stalk and I keep getting complaints about cruise and turn signals location and hits about how you can shift gears with the buttons behind the wheel and a short stalk on the right side of the wheel .

OH BOY no answer yet! It's to control the hands-free crap for the factory cell phone. You pull back on it and you get the prompt to say your request, like "call home, call office" stuff like that, or you say "dial number", then "the box" says "number please" and you say the number, for examples.

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I believe the symbol is supposed to look like a microphone.
Let me know when you have a tecky meeting again, the ML stories I could tell!
Gilly

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that's all it does.. That's ridiculous

What a crappy symbol for a microphone

I never would have guessed that was for the voice system...

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Gilly .... Thanks for solving the mystery and why the stalk didn't appear to do anything. Nice to know that nothing is broken.

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Jim Villers
190SL, 230SL 5-speed, 95 E320 Wagon, 01 E320 Wagon, MGB, Boxster 'S', 190SL "Barn Find"

If the phone is no longer installed, and by now most owners have probably moved on to a smartphone or something like that, it probably doesn't do anything anymore. I am pretty sure the stalk can be removed, they twist in 1/4 turn..

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Click here to see the items I have up for auction at EBay

Click here to see a photo album of my '62 Sprite Project Moneypit (Now Sold)