Dieter

Hi,

The most discussed problems with new ML predominantly relate to the transmission and airmatic systems but it would appear that the appropriate software (transmission) and hardware (airmatic) solutions to ameliorate these problems are now available.

As I'm taking delivery of my 320 CDi (with airmatic) next week (17th Jan) I want to be as certain as possible that my car won't suffer from aforementioned problems so I would like to know (for sure) that it's 'up to date'.

Thus my questions are:

Can the diagnostic system print out the above data (i.e. transmission software version/ airmatic pump version etc.?) and if so what should these 'versions' be? Is this the sort of data one should expect a Dealer to supply?

As mentioned on other threads there are no 'lemon' laws in UK and whilst it shouldn't be the case, in my experience car Dealers are prone to let the buyer point out problems for them to address rather than pro-actively rectify them themselves (even/especially MB?) i.e. one person's 'problem' may not be another's, so it's a path of least resistance.

Perhaps I'm worrying unduly but especially reading the experiences of one or two of you (Steve/endodoc etc.) it's better to be safe than sorry.

Cheers,

sosh

My experience with my W164 now almost 4 mos old has been excellent. I did have an airmatic fault that corrected itself and when I did the post delivery inspection they found a stored fault in the computer and replaced the airmatic control unit. Stop worrying and enjoy the vehicle. I never did experience the transmission problem but its quite easy to correct so just keep your eye on it.

ShoremNJ

I have 1,000+ miles on my ML350 and it has been flawless....I love the vehicle

GregW / Oregon

I would worry, too, when you read about a few people having bothersome problems. Mine has been perfect for 7,000 miles/6 months. My dealer did diagnose a rough transmission PRIOR to delivery and upgraded the software. I have no complaints about the transmission or anything else.

Curious George

Greg, how do you define a "rough transmission"? One of the few complaints I have about my 500 is say when you slow down to turn a corner and then accelerate again, if you are not careful it will give you a pronounced jerk. I'm wondering if this can be fixed. Otherwise the tranny performs flawlessly.

GregW / Oregon

I think the characteristic you describe is somewhat normal. It can be minimized when you learn how the transmission reacts and adjust to the lag in response. The other issue is, of course, the slight jerk felt sometimes when slowing to a stop. It is very minimal in mine, but sounds worse in others.

I frankly don't know what issue my car had that was fixed before delivery, just that the transmission software was reflashed and it's been just fine in my experience.

sheepdog

The transmission jerkiness (or hard downshift) is a known problem by MB. For some cars the fix is to replace the transmission valve control body and then reflash with new software that prevents shifting into 1st gear until the car is at a complete stop. This fix supposedly works if the original valve control body was produced before a certain production number. If the valve control body is the newer one and the problem still exists, I don't know if the software will remedy the situation. I have an appt. with a MB tech rep coming up to address this particular problem. Since the MB is going this route without replacing the part before the meeting, I am concerned that this solution is not viable for my specific vehicle (ML350 delivered 7/1/2005). Time will tell.

fcm

I received my ML350 with airmatic and Sport finishing on January 3rd last. here in Barcelona-Spain , I have 900+ miles on and it is SUPER,.... flawless....I love the vehicle, the airmatic, the finishing....my only negative opinion is the Comand Aps DVD disk version 4.0 MercedesBenz delivers with it , an old version of June 2004 which their Customer Service says it´s the last available for Europe !!!!!!!!!!! Ciao, from Barcelona