Hello,

this is my first post. this is my first Mercedes ML350 (2 days old).

I have had Jeep Grand Cherokees for the last decade, and finally, decided to lease the 2004 ML350 (got one of the last ones with free maintenance I guess). I am enjoying it (other than I keep looking for the window up/down button on the door panel every time I have to stop at the parking booth.....takes time to realize it is on the other side...

Here is my question, if anyone can answer it. This thing has a Boss CD-Changer with adoptive audio volume control. That is a not a novel feature, my 1986 Nissan Maxima had it I remember, and you could adjust its sensitivity.

But I read and re-read the ML broshure and I cannot find how to turn this off. This drives me nuts: volume goes up and down constantly, especially if your windows are open. I keep adjusting the volume knob all the time. Any of you have this problem? How do you turn it off?

 

Hello,
WElcome

I believe that you have to take it to the dealer to have them turn that off. I'm not sure, can anyone confirm this?

 

the dealership can set the sensitivity to the lowest level. Mention this at your next dealer visit. It is not driver settable.

 

dealer must do it.

and WELCOME!!! this place is a great resource for all things mercedes benz.

 

Thank you everyone

I guess I will have to go to the dealer on that. Why would they be afraid to leave this feature to the customers is not clear.

I have another question... Because I was leasing the car, I did not really feel like paying a $1000 extra for the navigation system. Yet my ML350 comes, as dealer said, pre-wired for the navi system...

1) do mb dealers sometimes have sales on these navi systems?
2) can you buy this system significantly cheaper at other sources, ebay, etc...?
3) since it comes pre-wired, can it take a gps navi system other than the stock mercedes one? or it only accepts the mercedes one.

 

Well first off, welcome to MBWorld!

No, most stealerships don't give discounts (at least none in this area...).

You can get the nav module from other places - won't be that much cheaper. Usually it is cheaper to get the option when you have the choice because afterwards the dealer will want ~$1200-1500 for the module.

Sometimes you'll find them on eBay - if you're lucky, you can get a good deal (somewhere under $1K).

The ML's MCS system will take only the MB Nav modules. As far as the MB nav modules, just so you know - there are two generations of nav modules - a CD-based one (there was a CD for every region of the US/Canada) - which was the one from '99 to '02, and then there's the DVD-based one (one DVD for all of US/Canada) - which came out in 2003. Both will work - there will probably be a price difference though...

As far as installation, installing the module is something that can easily be DIY'ed. You have to go to the dealer to get the voice instruction part activated though.

HTH


The reason is simple - $$$. While I've heard that some dealers do minor things like that for free, most dealers will charge labor for it, and even if it's a 5-minute job, they'll charge for an hour and bill you like $80.

The reason why MB is no longer offering free maintenance as of MY'05 is the huge costs that have been building up - and part of the reason for this is the money that dealers many times needlessly charge MB corporate for.

It happens every time we go in for servicing, etc. - the dealer always charges MBUSA huge amounts of money for things they didn't do - for example, one day last year I took my relative's ML in to have them activate the lighted running boards, the cellphone kit, etc. that I had installed myself. The next day the service manager called saying the car was ready, so I went there. He then told me that while they were putting the car through the car-wash (like 10 minutes before I came), the gear shifter "jammed up." So I asked him how long it'll take to fix it up - he said like 15 minutes, so I waited. Then they brought the car out, and I saw the bill they were sending MBUSA for what they did: the total was around $2500! Of that, like $200 was for real work, and the rest was for things related to the "incident" that happened right when I came - the bill said that they had replaced the whole transmission, the shift knob, the shift gate assembly, and related electronics.... They did that in 15 minutes, right...

In that case, it was good for me though, because they didn't charge me anything - they charged MBUSA for everything . (this was a different dealer because my main one was booked up for like 2 months)

 

if nav is only a matter of a few hundred... i recommend getting it done from the dealer. the reason i say so is, you can easily install it yourself but if something goes wrong later on...if done at the dealer mb will warranty it and troubleshoot it for you. this saves you the hassle, and trust me...the nav system can be a real pain to troubleshoot.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mbakshi
[[/b]
The reason is simple - $$$. While I've heard that some dealers do minor things like that for free, most dealers will charge labor for it, and even if it's a 5-minute job, they'll charge for an hour and bill you like $80.


WOW. Are you saying that despite the fact that I am under warranty and I DO have free maintenance, they will still charge me to adjust the volume control?


Thanks for the info about the navi system... .. it sounds like a simple Garmin palmpilot (under <500$) is a cheaper option to the stock navi system...

 

Yes - that depends on your dealer though. (in my case, the local dealer is extremely snobbish and charges for everything)

I think a nice way to go about doing it would be to present it as a problem rather than some change you just feel like making...

Yeah - as far as the GPS, you might be better off buying a separate nav system. The advantage of the stock nav system is the integration you get with the screen, the voice, etc., but that comes at a pretty hefty price (relatively)...

 

I sincerely doubt if the dealer will charge you to reset the audiopilot if you are unhappy with the setting.

 

So, let me understand this right: My new 350 is coming in at the end of the month, loaded except for NAV - I travel a lot and have never had a problem getting to my destination, so I never saw the need for a NAV system. Someone tell me, is the ML nav system better than just ging to Yahoo and printing out mydriving directions? Anyway, my plan is to do a dealer install for the NAV, depending on how I feel after the truck arrives. Now here is the mornic question that I already know the answer: Am I better off getting the NAV factory installed? What the heck is the real advantage of a NAV system on any vehicle??????

 

Unless you have a laptop with a fast wireless connection that you always keep in the car you're driving, if you decide to go somewhere while you are already out, you can't use Yahoo for that.

Also, sometimes I know how to get to one place, and I know how to get to another place, but both from my house, and I don't know the best way to get from the one place directly to the other place.

Nav also will calculate approximate travel times, adjust for traffic, and let you know "how much farther" it is.

Of course, I live in a metropolitan area, and the usefulness in a rural area would be limited.

It's really a personal thing. You need to decide how you would use it and useful it is.

-s-