Well, my 1999 ML430 is almost at 200.000 miles, so I decided to do a little pampering. First off, was to the shop for a Mobil One oil change, new plugs and a thorough going over. Well, turned out the brakes need some attention, so I had the front rotors/pads replaced as well as rear pads. Had to cancel plug change due to cost...about $400.00 !

Had TG35 Dunlops replaced with Bridgestone Duelers. The previous five sets of the TG35's were great...unfortunately they are no longer available. These were true bargains at $110.00 each...awesome for a 275/55/17....I hope the Bridgestone were a good choice.

After reading some posts on this forum, I decided to change plugs myself. I picked up 16 of the Bosch Platinum 4's at Pep Boys and used the instructions off this site. Took about two hours total and the 17mm open-end wrench trick worked like a champ ! The plugs I removed were Bosch with the single electrode (conventional plugs) and all were clean and other than being worn and overgapped were in great shape. THANKS FOR THE HELP, GUYS!!

I also changed out air filter to a K&N; it fit perfectly. Since the tune-up my ML runs much smoother, with smoother shifts and better acceleration all the way up to redline......


Lastly, full detail.....including engine,carpets,windows,wheels,clay magic and Meguiars Polish and then Meguiars carnuba wax.

Seems like most posts are complaints about one thing or another; but I'd like to say I have been extremely happy with my ML. I'm hoping she'll go another 200,000..!!!!!

 

WHOA!!!! congrats, very very impressive.

 

crap! Now my wife is going to want me to keep my ML till 200K and beyond. I was so angling for a G! Great to hear though. I have had my ML430 for some time now (MY2000) and have almost 60K...so I am just 140K behind. Time to start driving

 

Post pics...especially of the odometer!

 

Hope these files attached properly...

 

I couldn't resist attaching a picture of this '63 230SL. I had one very similar to this..red/W113/european headlights/black leather/wire wheels. Bought it for 10,500.00, sold it a few years later for 16,000.00 and MY GOD..what was I thinking !!!

To me.......this is the most beautiful benz ever made..'cepting for the gullwings !!!

 

Wow, I had to see it to believe it. Thats one clean ML!!! Even the engine bay is spotless!

Nice!

 

sweeeeet! congrats man, I hope our ML can go that far (should be able to do it no prob )

any major problems with it over the years?

I think we have 67k on ours now... and climbing

I remember that instrument cluster...we had it changed to the updated one when the original one wouldn't talk to the computer the techs plugged in :p

 

wow very lucky.. your car must have been built on a wed. when the builders werent being lazy lol

 

congrats! hope that mind will be just as good as yours! hehehehe

just was wondering tho...what sort of maintenance have you performed on your baby? id love to make sure that mine lasts me that long as well...

 

Congrats! Looks like you take good care of it. I drive a lot of miles and am hoping mine lasts that long or longer. Any special advice? What kind of oil, transmission and differential fluid change schedule did you follow? Like the SL, too...beautiful car.

James

 

 

spring,
have you changed the trans, diff, or T-case fluid ever? What kind of maintenance have you done on it and what have you replaced.

 

Well, it really hasn't been that difficult. Mainly keep an eye and ear open for any items needing attention. About a year ago the engine sounded unusually loud, had it checked out and it turned out to be the fan clutch. Probably the most important maintainence is regular oil changes. I bought my ML new from Atlanta Classic and at the first oil change swapped to Mobil 1 Synthetic. Since then, every 10,000 miles she gets fresh oil. I have my shop reset the service interval indicator in the dash, so I have a good reminder when needed.

Other items over the years have been :

Flush and replace antifreeze/brake fluid/power steering fluid every two years

At 125,000 miles I had the transmission/differential flushed/replaced with the MB Synthetic lubricant. The factory fill is suppose to be good for life of vehicle but I've always heard there are more moving parts in a transmission than an engine, so I thought it good preventative maintainence. It wasn't cheap..about $400.00, but most of that was for the lube.

Replaced serpentine belt and hoses at 150.000 miles.


Currently, the only items needing attention on my ML are :

On the heating/ac blower motor, the 1st setting on the switch no longer works. Unfortunately, the motor would need replacement..pretty expensive, so now I have an ML with a three speed blower !

The two small lights in the overhead digital computer readout burnt out a while back. This would be pretty expensive to fix/replace, so now I can only use it in the daytime. I wish there was an easy fix; over the years I have enjoyed this gadget. Great for elapsed time and fuel remaining. When its flashes FUEL, convert reading to kilometers and it gives you an amazing accurate reading. Haven't run out of gas yet !!!

The CD player recently started acting up. After loading magazine, it cycles through to #1 and then reads ERROR 1, cycles through to #2, reads ERROR 2 and so-on. It's an intermittant problem and right now its OK. I priced a new changer; they go for about $450.00 so if it goes out for good, I'll probably try to figure out a way to hardwire an APPLE IPOD into the system.

Items on my ML that are still in good shape and original include the a/c compressor/water pump/power steering pump/shocks-struts/exhaust system. Hopefully she'll go a lot longer....my son turns 15 next March and it would be a great vehicle for him.....read SAFE and BUILT LIKE A TANK !!!



BTW..my plug change went so well on the ML, I picked up a dozen of the BOSCH PLATINUM 2 for my wifes' 98 320 wagon. Hers has 112,000 miles and these are the original factory installed plugs, so this might get interesting............

 

great info! thanks!

Please elaborate on your engine sounding loud... mine sounds very loud, has a whoosing/fan noise allll the time.. especially with the A/C on. It slows the car down considerably! Even on the highway it seems like the engine fan is spinning... really slows the vehicle down a lot! Is this the problem you were having?

 

Al, I originally thought it was an a/c compressor but the louder sound occurred with the compressor both engaged and not engaged, so that eliminated that.

The afternoon that I noticed it, I went by my shop and they diagonosed it immediately as the fan clutch, just by turning the fan with the ignition off.
Probably a common problem on all cars.

You know what you might be hearing is the twin fans in front of the radiator. When they are engaged, its noticeably louder.

Lastly, my shop recommends keeping a close eye on the harmonic balancer. When this baby lets go, it can take out some major items. Mine is the original and they say it looks fine, but you might want to verify its condition.

 

springer,

just wondering when you say 'your shop' do you mean the dealership you use? or somewhere else?

 

Nimit,

I stopped using the dealers a loooong time ago.....after the warranty ran out, which happened pretty quick the way I accumulate miles. It kinda ticked me off when I left my $50,000.00 recently purchased vehicle with them and they gave me a HONDA to drive. Not trashing the HONDA's, they're great cars, but lets just say, not the same comfort/performance of the MB's. They have recently changed this policy.The final straw was when I was charged for a new air filter and a few days after service I was puttering under the hood..and low and behold, the filter was never changed ! Of course I was reimbursed for the filter, but things like that stick in your mind. What other items possibly were overlooked ?

Since the dealers here in the Atlanta area have such a dubious reputation, there have been plenty of shops that have opened specializing in MB products..not cheap, but dedicated and a little less expensive than the dealers. Many of the mechanics are previous dealer employees !

In the Suwanee, Georgia area, just north of Atlanta, I recommend SILVER STAR MOTORS located on Peachtree Parkway. Most of their loaners are 1980's MB sedans. My particular favorite is a 1987 560 SEL with who knows how many miles..I think the speedo rolled-over !! This baby is HUGE..you have to ring down to the engine room for more speed !!! I actually prefer the older MB's to the newer..not near as much plastic and if well maintained are beautiful with classic lines. I might be shopping for one of these monoliths in the next few years.........

 

That's all that matters .Congratulations

 

Hey Springer,
Did you ever have any probs with your fuel gauge? What I mean is....did the fuel sender ever break? Mine did, and the dealership wants around $900 to fix it. Now I have a gas gauge that reads empty almost 80% of the time.

 

Stiggs, there are few ML's that DON'T have problems with the fuel pump at some time. The pump and sending unit are one piece, and replacing the pump means a few new fuel lines and a larger filter. It can be pretty involved and the parts aren't cheap either.

 

I don't know any owners that have not had a problem with their gas gauge!!

Mine worked fine for the first couple of years and then started acting up. Its a little annoying..filling up and it reading 3/4 full, but I have found its accuracy always returns as the tank is depleted. From 1/2 tank on down it seems dead-on and the warning light kicks in with about three gallons left. This is one of those things you just learn to live with when out of warranty.

Its too bad they don't design cars for ease of maintainence. A sending unit should be a fairly inexpensive unit with easy access to if replacement was necessary.

 

Well, she turned over the big 200,000 yesterday....thought ya'll might like to see some recent pictures.

 

heres a few more

 

awsome

happy motoring and hopefully many more miles to come