soapy

I took my new ML 550 with 3700 miles to Vegas last week. Just as I got to the outskirts of Vegas the ML started to run rough and engine light came on. I went straight to the dealer and after a couple of hours they told me that it needed a new intake manifold and it would take 3 days to get one on site. In the mean time they gave me a C230 to drive. I inquired about the warranty paying for the extended stay etc. If you are over 50 miles from home you get up to $300 per day while you wait for your vehicle. I think it is only for 3 days but at least it is something. Real bummer to start having problems so early with this one. My GL never had one problem in over 18K miles.

tarponbeach

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Probably just a fluke. Don't let it ruin your trip...At least they gave you an M-B loaner !

soapy

Got the 550 back and everything is fine. Seems weird to loose a intake this early but hopefully it is all behind us now.

ML550

Soapy,
Sorry to hear about your manifold. I drive that trip as well and bet you were letting it loose in certain spots out there. Easy to do a buck twenty in the 550 and not even realize how fast you are going!
BYW mine has been perfect so far-knock on wood!

soapy

The day before I drove 500 miles but never went over 90 mph. On the day it went bad I had driven 50 miles into Vegas at 80 mph and stopped at the SHelby factory. It was closed so I started it back up and got back on the freeway and noticed the missing right away. I really saw no reason for it to have problems.

soapy

I got back down to Vegas this weekend to get my 550 back. It went a total of 250 miles before it started doing the same thing and the check engine light came on. Dealer contacted MB and they informed the dealer that they are having some issues with a "diverter valve" on the 550 engines. It causes a slight vibration that you can feel and also a roaring sound coming through the exhaust. Should find out tomorrow about the length of time it will be down.

Germancar1

This is bad. Never heard of this happening on a S/CL/SL550 or any other 550 car. Sorry to hear about your trouble.

M

ML550

Besides the symptoms and noises, did they say what this 'Diverter Valve' does exactly?

soapy

They are still not sure but they have discounted the diverter valve what ever it was. The new theory is bad gas. It is the same gas that was in the tank before they installed the intake manifold and then they drove the vehicle for a couple of hours after the install and they had no problems. No gas has been added since they first worked on it. Tomorrow they will flush it out and try different gas and see what they find.

ML550

Did you go to one of those mom and pop low grade gas stations in the desert?
There was another thread about bad gasoline somewhere that damaged another ML-

soapy

The last gas that was purchased was from a Cheveron station. I already checked my credit card records to confirm that. I don't put generic brand gas in it ever.

soapy

I got the 550 back today and it seems to be running fine. I really hope that all the trouble was caused by bad gas and not something MB did. I think the intake manifold was probably a misdiagnosis. I will be taking it for a long road trip this weekend and I hope it runs without any problems.

MB Dave

that sounds odd a diverter valve you sure?
i have a upgraded diverter valve on my a4 that is because am running 21psi instead of stock around 10, my dv(diverter) recirculates boost throught the system instead of venting it out into the atmosphere this is odd.

soapy

The check engine light went on before the first tank of fuel the dealer put in was 1/2 empty. I was already on the way home so drove it home 580 miles. It ran better but still have to find out what the check engine light is for this time.

nantucketsleigh

Soapy
What are your seat of the pants views on performance/handling/comfort differences between your GL450 and the ML 550?

soapy

My 550 feels much faster but I always felt that the Gl450 had plenty of power. I like the ride of both but I think the GL had a slighlty better ride. I had the low range package on the GL and I miss that on the ML 550. With both having air ride suspension it is like riding on a velvet cloud. I thought the GL drove much smaller than it was. My wife likes the smaller size of the ML but I never noticed much difference. The GL never had one problem in the time I owned it which was about 16 months. Gas Mileage was a little better on the GL also. If I had to chose I think I would take the GL as my favorite.

soapy

I think my local dealer finally figured out my troubles with the ML. They checked it out and the dealer in Vegas apparently hooked up some of the vacuum hoses wrong after installing the new intake manifold. The diverter that was mentioned earlier in this thread is actually called a tumble flap located in the manifold. I think that is what went bad the first time and why the intake was replaced. The wrong vacuum lines got hooked up to the air injector and the tumble flap. That is why the engine rumble returned after the new intake was put on. The Vegas dealer blamed bad gas for the troubles and charged me over $800 to repair that. The engine rumble was caused by the tumble flap not being hooked up right. Now I have to fight to get my money back. Now that the vac lines have been hooked up right the engine is smooth again and runs strong.

ML550

Man that sucks!
Vegas Service Dept screws up, blames something else, and then sticks you with the bill!
Let us know if you get your money back-Anyone else out there
know someone at the Vegas dealership that can straighten this out?

On the positive side, glad your hod rod is running normal again!

soapy

I did get my money back and the dealer was very good about it.

ML550

As it should be.