Yazovets!

Hey guys, just got a 2004 ML500 earlier this week. Here are the problems detected so far, which I'm getting fixed on Tuesday:

--> Bose audio has a volume mind of its own.
--> Driver's seat headrest is very loose and doesn't retain position.
--> Whenever the road has the slightest bank to the left or right, the car actively wants to steer that way and you must actually hold the steering wheel firmly to hold it straight.
--> There is a slight speed-sensitive vibration in the steering wheel which can also be heard as a low thump-thump sound when operating between 50KM/h and 0. This is not engine-related.

Does anyone have any idea about why the car would not be able to steer straight? I also tried mid-to-hard braking, and found that it never stopped straight.

On the old BMW X5 I had, you could stop in a straight line without holding the steering wheel at all. I understand BMWs are known for this kind of crazy stuff, but I don't think a slight bank of the road should influence the car to steer in that direction.

I've travelled over the same roads for many years. The old BMW 330i I had before never did that, and neither did the X5 4.4i.

My first suspicion is wheel misalignment. My second additional suspicion is a warped wheel or rotor that's causing the speed-sensitive sound and vibration on my steering wheel.

Ideas?

Thanks,
Yazovets!

55fanatic

I bet you need new tires and an alignment

nsfkid

I live just outside T/O in Port Credit my ML320 does the same thing. Especially on the QEW. My Lexus also does this. I personally think the roads here in Ontario are bad. I just moved here from Vancouver B.C. & my ML did not do this at all in B.C. It seems to be only on certain roads where there are heavy impressions left by large trucks.

Mike.

Yazovets!

You're right about the roads. My ML also does this only on heavy-impressioned roads. But I still think there's something wrong, because the previous car I had was a 2002 BMW X5 4.4i. That car is directly similar to the ML in every way. It never did this on any road at all!

I doubt it's my tires - they have a lot of tread left, and do not show wear at all yet to be honest.

I think it's misalignment, and I'll post back on what the dealer declares on Tuesday when I take it in.

sosh

Tire could have a flat spot, or more likely a bad belt. Thus the thump.

nsfkid

The BMW probably has a wider wheelbase & fits between the impressions on the roads making it less noticable. I have owned many BMW's and Mercedes over the years. I have not owed an X5 yet, I have enjoyed both makes.
Overall I do prefer the ownership experience of Mercedes, That said, I still find myself looking at M3 convertibles in the paper . But going to Home Depot in the ML is still amazingly useful.
Enjoy.

Mike.

Benz_nut

Ok, this is gonna sound goofy, but I agree with the others on checking wheel alignment,...or you checked all your tires to make sure that they're the same size? As in not one size smaller or bigger? Reason why I say this is because some dummy that did my wheels for me one day put wrong tire back on truck (was smaller in size) and thus that made the truck veer towards the left as oppose to going straight....

Kar don

for the vibrations i would suggest a hunter load force wheel balance... MB dealer should have it. Also tell them to decrease the sensitivity on the bose audio pilot.

dlafever

I do not quite agree with your statement about the similarity of the X5 and the ML. Your ML is body on frame and the X5 is a unibody, two vastly different technologies. I agree with the previous posts regarding wheel alignment, that would be my first check.

-D

Yazovets!

Yeah I'm aware the body construction of the two vehicles are different. The X5 handled very much like a car wood, and the chassis felt stiffer.

However the ML provides a much smoother ride, swallowing up speed bumps and ruts without letting you know.

By the way, the dealer said it is indeed misalignment. I'm taking it in next week, cuz they couldn't accomodate me this week.

Actually so far I think the dealer's service is a weak spot. I had to wait 45 minutes for their shuttle to drive me to the nearest subway stop. And despite making an appointment to have the ML serviced, the only thing they supposedly "did" was fix the Bose audio volume. But even that is not fixed. There still remains the thump=thump=thump sound, the steering wheel vibration, misalignment of the wheels, and the loose driver's headrest.

They had the car for 6 hours - so I beg the question...What DID you do guys?

Militant-Grunt

The ML has a harshhh ride, as harsh as my Discovery, then again thats prolly just on the 55.

AsianML

Harsh on our 320. Is it just a 500 thing?

ML500 5.0L V-8

Nah, my ML500 rides pretty rough too, its an 04 and I previously had an 02 and it rode about the same too. I think that MB tuned their suspension to be really stiff for some reason. My BMW X5 3.0i with the sport package rides better than it.

Jimm7y

My ML500 is somewhat a rough ride to, is there anyway to smooth it out a little bit?