2008 ML550 warnings off the lot
01-19-2018, 02:04 PM
#1
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2008 ML550 warnings off the lot
Greetings
To start, I know nothing of cars. I drive them, and I often google the issues I have with my 1999 E320, but.. you get the picture. Last night, I purchased a 2008 ML550 with 57K miles from a Benz dealership (owned by a large National outfit). The vehicle is in pretty awesome conditon. 2 owners the first for only a year (7k miles) the second, for the remaining years and 50k miles. I was told by the saleswoman that the people living near/dealing with the dealership often have multiple cars and that was probably the reason that it was sold the first time..
Anyway, based on the carfax, no issues, and it was serviced at this same MB dealership since day 1.
Here's the issue:
20 minutes in to the drive home (hwy), the "passenger airbag disabled, see owner's manual" light came on. There was nothing in the seat, but after reading the manual, I found that is not normal nor ok.
THEN.. the /!\ alert kept (ESP?) kept flickering and causing the vehicle to drag a little
THEN.. the check engine light went on.
Called the dealership and they are willing to take a look and fix. We have 5 days after the fix to decide if we want to keep it. The manager is saying it could be a speed sensor and the airbag needs to be re-calibrated. My question is: does this sound right to any of you? I have the chance to get out of it, but if it's just an easy fix, I would really like to keep it. Any thoughts on this? Am I in the middle of a hustle, or does this sound familiar?
I really appreciate any help you can offer!
To start, I know nothing of cars. I drive them, and I often google the issues I have with my 1999 E320, but.. you get the picture. Last night, I purchased a 2008 ML550 with 57K miles from a Benz dealership (owned by a large National outfit). The vehicle is in pretty awesome conditon. 2 owners the first for only a year (7k miles) the second, for the remaining years and 50k miles. I was told by the saleswoman that the people living near/dealing with the dealership often have multiple cars and that was probably the reason that it was sold the first time..
Anyway, based on the carfax, no issues, and it was serviced at this same MB dealership since day 1.
Here's the issue:
20 minutes in to the drive home (hwy), the "passenger airbag disabled, see owner's manual" light came on. There was nothing in the seat, but after reading the manual, I found that is not normal nor ok.
THEN.. the /!\ alert kept (ESP?) kept flickering and causing the vehicle to drag a little
THEN.. the check engine light went on.
Called the dealership and they are willing to take a look and fix. We have 5 days after the fix to decide if we want to keep it. The manager is saying it could be a speed sensor and the airbag needs to be re-calibrated. My question is: does this sound right to any of you? I have the chance to get out of it, but if it's just an easy fix, I would really like to keep it. Any thoughts on this? Am I in the middle of a hustle, or does this sound familiar?
I really appreciate any help you can offer!
01-19-2018, 02:12 PM
#2
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for the passenger side airbag being disabled... Was there a passenger in the front passenger seat? Did you move any objects, pets, boxes from the seat? Did someone get in or out of the vehicle along the drive?
This is a normal message which I have seen and had to explain many times.
As for the ESP warning, that is something they should have caught on a test drive, before they sold you the vehicle. There are common speed sensor issues with those vehicles which breaks the wiring. You can't see the damage externally (unless it was ripped open or chewed on by a rodent) but the small wiring inside can break, causing an open circuit or intermittent contact while driving or turning.
For the check engine light, awkwardly enough, that ESP fault while driving can turn on the check engine light. If they found no other relevant faults for it, then I wouldn't be surprised.
This is a normal message which I have seen and had to explain many times.
As for the ESP warning, that is something they should have caught on a test drive, before they sold you the vehicle. There are common speed sensor issues with those vehicles which breaks the wiring. You can't see the damage externally (unless it was ripped open or chewed on by a rodent) but the small wiring inside can break, causing an open circuit or intermittent contact while driving or turning.
For the check engine light, awkwardly enough, that ESP fault while driving can turn on the check engine light. If they found no other relevant faults for it, then I wouldn't be surprised.
01-19-2018, 02:43 PM
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for the passenger side airbag being disabled... Was there a passenger in the front passenger seat? Did you move any objects, pets, boxes from the seat? Did someone get in or out of the vehicle along the drive?
This is a normal message which I have seen and had to explain many times.
As for the ESP warning, that is something they should have caught on a test drive, before they sold you the vehicle. There are common speed sensor issues with those vehicles which breaks the wiring. You can't see the damage externally (unless it was ripped open or chewed on by a rodent) but the small wiring inside can break, causing an open circuit or intermittent contact while driving or turning.
For the check engine light, awkwardly enough, that ESP fault while driving can turn on the check engine light. If they found no other relevant faults for it, then I wouldn't be surprised.
This is a normal message which I have seen and had to explain many times.
As for the ESP warning, that is something they should have caught on a test drive, before they sold you the vehicle. There are common speed sensor issues with those vehicles which breaks the wiring. You can't see the damage externally (unless it was ripped open or chewed on by a rodent) but the small wiring inside can break, causing an open circuit or intermittent contact while driving or turning.
For the check engine light, awkwardly enough, that ESP fault while driving can turn on the check engine light. If they found no other relevant faults for it, then I wouldn't be surprised.
Thanks for the reply. The passenger seat was empty from start to finish of the drive.
I test drive the vehicle only an hour and a half before we drive it off and there no warnings (ESP or others). My test drive was about 10-15 minutes through mostly streets and a little on the highway.
Do you see a lot of issues with this model/year?
im wondering if I agree to the vehicle (after the fix) I’m ‘opening a can of worms’. Again, thanks very much for your reply!
01-19-2018, 03:22 PM
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Forgive me for so many questions and uncertainties, but I've revisited the Carfax and have a few additional concerns.. I don't know too much about these items, but it sounds bad..
at 488 miles the Blower motor was replaced
1501 Miles/1.5 years -battery replaced
14K Miles - Camshaft position sensor replaced and Oxygen sensor replaced
21K Miles- Camshaft seal replaced
35K miles- Starter replaced
I'm so fearful I will be taking on a lemon.. Are these items typical of this model?
at 488 miles the Blower motor was replaced
1501 Miles/1.5 years -battery replaced
14K Miles - Camshaft position sensor replaced and Oxygen sensor replaced
21K Miles- Camshaft seal replaced
35K miles- Starter replaced
I'm so fearful I will be taking on a lemon.. Are these items typical of this model?
01-19-2018, 04:12 PM
#5
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They had some issues in the first few years. They have resolved it all by now, but its all the little wear and tear items that keep popping up from time to time. As for the seat with the srs warning, That does sound like the seat sensors need to be calibrated. I have seen issues where people have kids that they drop off at school, or a heavy purse or a small dog bouncing around in the car that can cause the warning to pop up when the seat is emptied during a drive or when moving things around the interior. As for the rest of the vehicle.. the M273 (your engine) does have starter failures, but once they are replaced they are good and shouldn't require any worries. Normal oil leaks are common for just about any engine regardless of make/model. If those are the only few items that you have seen in the vehicle history, then I wouldn't worry too much. Have you asked your dealership for a copy of the VMI which will tell you all the details and history of your vehicle that was performed at any of the MB dealerships? If not, I would atleast get it and take a look. They can be a bit confusing at first, but not hard to decode once you talk to someone who can tell you what is going on with the different repairs that were listed. As for carfax.. I don't believe in that mess. Carfax only reports/lists things that were covered or repaired through insurance. If the vehicle was damaged or wrecked and paid for with cash, it will never go on any reports.
01-19-2018, 06:50 PM
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They had some issues in the first few years. They have resolved it all by now, but its all the little wear and tear items that keep popping up from time to time. As for the seat with the srs warning, That does sound like the seat sensors need to be calibrated. I have seen issues where people have kids that they drop off at school, or a heavy purse or a small dog bouncing around in the car that can cause the warning to pop up when the seat is emptied during a drive or when moving things around the interior. As for the rest of the vehicle.. the M273 (your engine) does have starter failures, but once they are replaced they are good and shouldn't require any worries. Normal oil leaks are common for just about any engine regardless of make/model. If those are the only few items that you have seen in the vehicle history, then I wouldn't worry too much. Have you asked your dealership for a copy of the VMI which will tell you all the details and history of your vehicle that was performed at any of the MB dealerships? If not, I would atleast get it and take a look. They can be a bit confusing at first, but not hard to decode once you talk to someone who can tell you what is going on with the different repairs that were listed. As for carfax.. I don't believe in that mess. Carfax only reports/lists things that were covered or repaired through insurance. If the vehicle was damaged or wrecked and paid for with cash, it will never go on any reports.
01-20-2018, 05:47 AM
#7
Super Member
Greetings
To start, I know nothing of cars. I drive them, and I often google the issues I have with my 1999 E320, but.. you get the picture. Last night, I purchased a 2008 ML550 with 57K miles from a Benz dealership (owned by a large National outfit). The vehicle is in pretty awesome conditon. 2 owners the first for only a year (7k miles) the second, for the remaining years and 50k miles. I was told by the saleswoman that the people living near/dealing with the dealership often have multiple cars and that was probably the reason that it was sold the first time..
Anyway, based on the carfax, no issues, and it was serviced at this same MB dealership since day 1.
Here's the issue:
20 minutes in to the drive home (hwy), the "passenger airbag disabled, see owner's manual" light came on. There was nothing in the seat, but after reading the manual, I found that is not normal nor ok.
THEN.. the /!\ alert kept (ESP?) kept flickering and causing the vehicle to drag a little
THEN.. the check engine light went on.
Called the dealership and they are willing to take a look and fix. We have 5 days after the fix to decide if we want to keep it. The manager is saying it could be a speed sensor and the airbag needs to be re-calibrated. My question is: does this sound right to any of you? I have the chance to get out of it, but if it's just an easy fix, I would really like to keep it. Any thoughts on this? Am I in the middle of a hustle, or does this sound familiar?
I really appreciate any help you can offer!
To start, I know nothing of cars. I drive them, and I often google the issues I have with my 1999 E320, but.. you get the picture. Last night, I purchased a 2008 ML550 with 57K miles from a Benz dealership (owned by a large National outfit). The vehicle is in pretty awesome conditon. 2 owners the first for only a year (7k miles) the second, for the remaining years and 50k miles. I was told by the saleswoman that the people living near/dealing with the dealership often have multiple cars and that was probably the reason that it was sold the first time..
Anyway, based on the carfax, no issues, and it was serviced at this same MB dealership since day 1.
Here's the issue:
20 minutes in to the drive home (hwy), the "passenger airbag disabled, see owner's manual" light came on. There was nothing in the seat, but after reading the manual, I found that is not normal nor ok.
THEN.. the /!\ alert kept (ESP?) kept flickering and causing the vehicle to drag a little
THEN.. the check engine light went on.
Called the dealership and they are willing to take a look and fix. We have 5 days after the fix to decide if we want to keep it. The manager is saying it could be a speed sensor and the airbag needs to be re-calibrated. My question is: does this sound right to any of you? I have the chance to get out of it, but if it's just an easy fix, I would really like to keep it. Any thoughts on this? Am I in the middle of a hustle, or does this sound familiar?
I really appreciate any help you can offer!
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