99 ml320, radio m no longer goes off with key. pretty wierd. guess it is better than not working at all.

anyone have this happen? looking for a solution.

this board is great - wish i could say the same for the ml....

short list of history, we bought it new in late 98,

- brakes every 15-20k
- emergency brake shoes - someone asked why they would need to replace emergency brake shoes = you should not in most cars - on the ml, the adhesive that bonded the shoe to the pad was poor so they needed to be replaced when i did the rear brakes.

Also, brakes are easy if you know how to work on cars, but i would caution someone with no experience doing their own - there always is a couple of gotchas when working on a car.

- windshield wiper quit in a blizzard - a nut vibrated off the linkage. i fixed it and it has worked ok since

- the gooey stuff on the windows that i learned about in this forum today

- various interior pieces have given up - rear window switches, cup holders etc.

- whining bearing noise from somewhere in the rear, not yet diagnosed, hoping it is only a wheel bearing(why do i have to hope when i have a one owner MERCEDES with under 60k miles on it)

- poor heat on the feet - never looked into why

- oh, of course the fule gauge thing, i am so used to that i don't even think about it.

- many squeeks and rattles, my wife is the main driver, there is no way i could tolerate this on a daily basis

we have the third seat which i think contributes to the noise.

- i think that is about it. not too bad for a dodge, but i thought i was buying something better.

i have owned about 6 new BMW's - for me, there is no comparison in durability and relaibility.

- oh yeah, forgot the note about possible premature ENGINE failure becasue they were ONLY kidding about the oil change interval - i think they increased the warranty to 100k for the original owner.

I also would NEVER purchase another MB - and, I have not made a stink at the dealer, written letters etc. I just pan to vote with my feet.

We are going to trade this for a Toyota Sienna minivan at some point. I am so OVER expensive cars - I want the car to work as a prerequisite, cool cars that are problematic is not my idea of fun

Anyone that has any ideas on the radio or bearing noise give a shout. .

 

It's not supposed to go off when you take out the key.

 

huh? mb still sticks to fss. i have never heard of any warrnaty extension?

 

I test drove an ML that did this. I have no idea what caused it and the dealer didn't know either. Might be a fairly common problem or just a bizzar coincidence between two ML owners...

Then again all problems on MLs appear to be common.

Greg

 

Radio: If you turn it on without the key inposition 1 or 2, it will remains on until you shut it off.

Noise in the rear: most likely it's the wheel bearing. It happened to my 99 430. Costs about $420 to fix at MB dealership, I got my fixed at an independent MB shop for $285.

 

wasn't there a burned out fuse that caused the radio not to turn off when you removed the key?

 

My radio turns off when the key is turned in the off position. Of course my radio is aftermarket clarion, but I don't think that matters.

Hey....someone else with the fuel gauge problem. Big surprise.

I may be in the minority here, but I like my ML. I hope it lasts me a very long time. I still enjoy driving her!

 

what exactly is the fuel gauge prob? inaccuracy? and by how much?

 

The ML is a good vehicle for Mercedes technicians to own, somewhat problematic for everyone else.

 

Do a search in this forum for fuel guage, then you'll see. My gauge never reads the correct amount of gas. Never goes to full either. Max I can get it is 3\4 full.

 

98 and 99 OEM radios will stay on after the key is removed. 00+ with MCS and aftermarket systems will turn off.

 

I have the command navigation system that controls the radio. When i switch the key off, the radio turns off. However if I press the radio button, the radio switches on- that is normal. The radio will stay on until the voltage drops, then it switches off.

 

Just a side note....my CLK55's radio stays on after I shut the car off...BUT the key has to be still inserted into the ignition ( in postion 1...or is it position 0 ..all the way to the left?). Once I remove the key completely , then the radio shuts off. I really like this feature because I can shut the car off and still listen to the radio after driving her. I don't think this is the same problem as the first post here though.

 

did you check fuse #10?