Farhzeug

Hey guys, first post, go easy on me.

1. I am about to buy a White BLuetec 350 that i have driven and fallen in love with, loaded with prem package 2, light package. Car has 10k on it, any downsides to this you guys can think of?


2. What is the low - down on the bridgestones and the run - flats, any comments?


3. The valve stems and the lug nuts look a little corroded, is this normal or has the dealer swapped tires and rims on me?


I cant believe how much i love this car, but i need some honest feedback!

gsrjc

how much is the dealership offering for the car?

Farhzeug

54 even

bruntoj

MSRP for Premium2 + Lighting is under $58K. 54 seems high to me.

sosh

Usually dealers do not keep "executive" cars around for more than 6000 miles. Have never seen corrossion on the valve stems before. As far as run flats are concerned I would not have them on any of my vehicles for many reasons. Hope you are aware of the fact that there is no spare tire. With 10000 miles on the ML be certain that the first service has been done and the Ad Blue tank is topped off. I would think you could purchase a brand new 0 miles ML for what you are paying.

Fahrzeug

The sticker is $62,335. The first service is done, and the Ad Blue is topped off.

they pulled the car out of the detail center mid service, i have a feeling they were changing the tires when i got there. I will ask for an explanation.

I am aware there is no spare tire.

Obviously i wouldnt be posting if i didnt feel it was the best deal. Just trying to get input.

What tires would you suggest?

sosh

At the price you quoted you are buying the ML for about the dealer's raw cost including the hold back, perhaps a little less. Its a good deal if you do not mind the miles on it. As for the tires I can't reccommend any run flat tire. Think about what happens if you need a tire away from home on a weekend or even a week day. No one has these in stock. You will be stuck for at least 2 days. Then consider the hard ride and the excessive cost. And, yes they do fail and not all flats allow you to continue driving. If there is any way to get conventional tires with a spare do it! As for Bridgestones, I prefer Michelin or Continental as so far as conventional tires are concerned. Never did like Bridgestones which in essence today are the same as Firestones.

gsrjc

I would agree that 58k is a high.

roadrutz

sosh has always been vocal about his dislike of run-flat tires, but you should also realize that thousands of people drive on them quite happily. They have a stiffer sidewall than regular tires, so they do tend to ride a tad harsher, and it is true that it is not always easy to buy a replacement in Armpit, Idaho, on a Sunday afternoon, but on the other hand if you get a flat you can just keep driving, you don't have to cover yourself in filth changing the wheel. If you have any concerns about run-flats, buy yourself an emergency inflation kit and you'll be fine.

Does that mean that if I had a choice I would go with run-flats over regular tires? No. But it sure as heck shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

Fahrzeug

Guys, i am fine with the ride on the run flats, the dealer let me take Car home this weekend, and i had a blast in the Noreaster riding around in puddles and streams!. I did not experience the slip mentioned expect when hydro planning in like 4 feet of water. I am sure there are better tires, but for me, i am fine.

Little update for you, the valve stems and lug nuts are being changed.

I am pretty much done, last remaining issue is what to do about the warranty.

Fahrzeug

By the way, my previous post username was farhzeug, the mis spelled version of my current user "fahrzueg"......

Spell checker and German parents did not help here...

roadrutz

Well, make your mind up!...

Fahrzeug
Farhzeug
Fahrzueg

bruntoj

Enjoy! On my 99 ML320 I was part of a group buy and got the $3000 extended factory warranty (+4 years/+50K miles) for about $1600 or so. It definitely paid for itself and, although I'm expecting a lot less problems with my 2010 when it arrives, I'll be looking for a good warranty deal again.

Fahrzeug

So i am super happy right now. I have to say this is liking having the newest ipad or blackberry, major fluff tech accessory. Looks amazing. All my neighbors have asked me about it, thats the bluetec thingy right, what is it like?

White w/running boards 2010 Bluetec 350 ML loaded.

Standard wheels, 5 spoke alloy, run flats, lighting package, pre wired for JR's entertainment, GPS, HD RAdio, Sirius XM, Night Illumniation, Rear Camera parking view, Keyless entry, heated seats, leather wheel...

Pros
The car handles great, the engine is a piece of art, bluetooth is great, interior. Have the HD radio and it sounds amazing, i actually am listening to the radio now because of the quality rather than satelite. My fav sports radio and news talk station in Philly are now on FM HD feeds. Really, Really cool, Eagles and Flyers games in HD radio. Have running boards, looks awesome, heated seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, illuminated lights upon exit, rear camera which is really really useful, paddle shifters on wheel. Seats are comfy and highly adjustable. 2 center coffee holders, VIP. nice little shelf in dash for wallet, phone etc.

Transmission, engine, ride MPH, geek factor, ULEV, looks, Command System all major major positives. (see drawbacks on Command below)

Baby seat for infant mounted in center, works good.

Like the rear automating trunk/hatch opener.

Another great feature is the one touch starter/keyless and the one touch locking upon exit. The side mirrors fold in and light the perimeter of the car at night to allow you to see and add safety in dark garages etc....think it is called "night illumination".

Mileage, first tank 21.8 all city.
Second, 25.9 mix between the two city and HW. only 2 tanks in a month? um, thats pretty wild....

The bluetooth and handsfree are really really nice. The car is so quiet that most people have trouble believing i am going 70 mph. It stores old calls like a cell phone, so i can dial up frequent callers easily.

Cons.

Lets see, i like the Sat radio and Gps, but frankly the Command interface is a little annoying, you really have to teach yourself to operate it. MB needs to get a F-en clue, try a touch screen for peats sake. Germans don't do electronic interfaces, they are too mechanical and non intuitive. I had a self installed Tom Tom and Sirius Sportster in the Old 2005 ML, and they worked great but weren't integrated. that said i happily use them in this car, they are integrated into the command system, and i wouldn't go back to the separate components. Just a shortcoming but in no way a deal breaker.

I love the car but a touch pricey. But i dont regret it for a minute. Amazing vehicle, so i glad i steered away from the X5, BMW was clunkier, municipal, and less appealing, although it drove better. The x5 cockpit was the deal breaker, dealer tried to steer me away from Diesel. Dumb ***.

The MB selling dealer is replacing all the valve stems, and decided to throw in pin-striping to make me feel better, as well as the ipod adapter. They obvioulsy had different wheels on them when i test drove; the dealer let me take the car for the weekend, and well, it was sold the second i drove a curvy wet dark road and paddle shifted, the turbos and the feel were great as i listed to Chopin in HD, like a bad commercial.

Floor mats don't match level of car quality. But so what, they are floor mats, getting third party ones.

Enough for now. I will do my own adblue by the way.

CDNROCKIES

Congrats on your new ML!

Nice review...I agree with pretty much all of it....except your characterization of the X5.

Fahrzeug

I never got to drive the X5 diesel. The dealer offered to get one in, but by then it was not enough to find a way to write a check to this dealer. My wife has a BMW 325 xi wagon serviced there. So I have to say I think the other deciding factor was not only the interior of the X5, but the other was my local MB dealer level of service is higher by quite a bit than the local BMW dealer. Makes a massive difference in how I see the life of my car in the next 4 years.

CDNROCKIES

I totally understand what you're saying.

I sometimes think that these luxury dealerships tend to forget that there are other options out there...lol.

My personal experience is, surprisingly, the opposite. I wanted nothing to do with BMW, as I've seen first hand what a disaster they can be, but now that I've been through the process with them, my local dealership has been nothing short of outstanding. Shockingly, our experiences have been the best with BMW, followed by Lexus, with MB falling very short of the other two.

Neither the X5 or ML is perfect. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses. If you could take the best of both...now THAT would be something special.

My wife loves her ML and I like driving it too...and conversely, I love my X5 and it doesn't upset her to drive it either.

Blk04cobra1

The corrosion can happen if the detail department is using a heavy acidic liquid to clean the wheels. We see it all the time on our preowned's and have made our detail department change their wheel cleaner solution. Congrats on the bluetec, sounds like you got a great car for a great deal. No worries on the run flats, just purchase the wheel and tire protection from the dealer and you will be covered.