Hi all.
New to the forum. Excited to be involved.
So my girlfriends Dad passed away 10 years ago. Her Mom would not let anyone touch the cars after his passing.
She then totalled her brand new Rover by driving into oncoming traffic. So she is now in assisted living. (been a rough few years to say the least)

Anyway.... I will be picking up the cars and bringing them home.
1 is a 2011 ML550 with 50k miles and the other is a 2009 SL550 Silver Arrow with prob 10k miles on it. (prob less)
Since they have been sitting so long, I would like to know everything that I should do prior to turning those keys.
I am planning on draining the fuel, changing the oil, and new battery.
On the ML550, is there a fuel drain or do I need to siphon or use fuel rails?
I will be pulling the fuse to the fuel pump so that I can turn the keys to put it into neutral prior to loading onto my flatbed hauler.

Any other info would be fantastic help.

Thanks all

 

Wow, couple of great cars there! Nice!

I think you’re on the right track by changing the fuel and misc fluids. You should definitely add brake fluid flush to your list. Brake fluid is hydroscopic and absorbs moisture which in turn leads to corrosion and performance issues. I’d guess it’s probably never been done…

Also, there might be a recall that affects your brake booster on the ML. Mercedes just did the one in my ML63 AMG for free under the recall so definitely have a dealer look up your VIN.

 

Thank you for the reply.

Good call on looking into recalls. Didn't even cross my mind.
May as well have the dealership do the free stuff

 

Welcome to the forum.

Agree with Joshinator, 2 great cars for sure.

Can’t speak for the SL, but you will love the ML550. Mine is a 2008 with 122k miles on it and it is bulletproof, absolutely love this vehicle.

Post some pics once you get the vehicles home, would love to see them.

Good luck, ……….. I am convinced you will not be disappointed.

 

There's a very good chance that your fuel system has corroded. Fuel tank and fuel pump should be inspected before anything else. Rust is the concern and if the tanks weren't full to the brim, then I'd be concerned. I left a B180 for 4 years with a 1/4 full tank, and it rusted the tank and pump beyond repair.

Look up Mercedes Source on youtube. Kent is a legend and did a revival of an old 6.3 300 SEL (He called it the Beast) accross about a dozen episodes. Different car but logic is the same. Change all your fluids, maybe even some oil down each cylinder to provide some lubrication. See if you can turn the engine by hand once you've done that. I'd do a boroscope of each cylnder just to make sure there's no rust before hand. When you put a new battery, leave it for 15 mins to let all the modules wake up with full power before starting. Fuel will most likely be your biggest issue.

 

Thank you for the info.
Definitely looking forward to getting these home.
Below are pics in their current state. They need to be saved ASAP (even though they have been sitting). Can't stand seeing them in this condition
Really hoping the rust in the fuel tank will not be an issue.
Looks like I will be doing every fluid in the vehicles

 

You must be absolutely STOKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Both cars look awesome.

Even if you have to put some monies into making them run again, and bringing them, back to their original glory, will be a good investment with these low miles on both cars.

Where are you located?

 

Yeah, I am pretty excited. My girlfriend wants to get rid of the cars, but I think my Dad will purchase the SL and I will keep the ML. I don't have a very reliable daily driver. Although I have 4 vehicles. None are great daily drivers.
I am located in Northern California. The Cars are in the Bay Area and I live at Lake Tahoe

 

I would definitely suggest NOT to get rid of these cars and keep them. If your Dad buys the SL, it will at least stay in the family as I would imagine it will become a classic eventually.

The ML will make an awesome daily driver, as it is small enough, yet big enough if you have to haul anything. The engine has plenty of power, I love driving mine as a daily.

I am in Sacramento, so not very far from you. If you live in or near Lake Tahoe, the All-Wheel Drive ML is even more desirable due to the snow conditions in your area.

Let me just say that I am very happy for you. As already mentioned, if you get the ML for free, every penny you will put in it to bring it back to its original glory will be VERY MUCH worth it, especially with these low miles!

 

Did you get the vehicles home?

What is the latest?

Curious minds would like to know.

 

Well, I just got home from picking up the ML550 and what a nightmare it was.
My car hauler barely fit the car and holy moly that thing is heavy. My tires did not love it haha
DEAD DEAD battery made it difficult to get the car in Neutral. All electronic. Ran a 2nd battery jumped with a battery jumper to that.
The driveway is steep, so that made it fun. Almost impossible to get on the trailer.
Basically had to roll it into the street and down a ways to winch it on the trailer.
All sounds easy, but I will tell you it was not to do solo.
Thank goodness I had 4 really long extension cords haha
Its home and tomorrow starts the deep cleaning. We have a big storm coming and I want to get it done before.
What is the best way to remove the fuel from this beast?
I have a call into the caretaker asking when it was run last. There may be a chance it has only been 4 years which is still bad, but at least it is not 10+ years

 

Looks absolutely great and will look super awesome once you got her all cleaned up.

Keep on posting your progress pictures, Love to see it come along and progress.

Glad you got it home safely, even though it was a big pain in the you know what.

 

Thanks a lot. Really appreciate it.
Unfortunately I did not get the chance to hook up the battery to the SL550. I am super curious to see how many miles are on her.

 

Of course, ................................. Very Welcome.

You will get there in due time, I am sure.

The ML does seriously look great, especially if it has been sitting and not been washed/detailed in many years. I am seriously curious what she will look like when you are all done with her.

 

Definitely hold on to these. Last of the V8's. They just need some TLC to get them up to par. If your not 100% about keeping them, drive them around for a year or so then part ways with them. You'll get more money for them if you change the fluid and daily them.

 

Fairly sure the only way to get the fuel out is to syphon it, probably best done via the inspection hatch and fuel pump. That way you can inspect the tank and possibly kill 2 birds at once. I'd definitely be draining it at a minimum. Note There's no replaceable fuel filter on the 550s. Its part of the pump so inspect it closely. See if you can get a new sock for it when you drain the fuel and order a seal for the pump/inspection hatch.

 

Agreed! They still look great even 12-15 years later and the styling & performance hold up very well too. I’m planning on holding onto my ML63 AMG for a long time…tough to beat a 7000+ RPM V8!

 

Thanks,
I will get into that tank as soon as I can.
Is there a way to open the fuel pump without that special tool?

 

Just an FYI, Mercedes has tow hook attachment points in the front and rear bumper. Look for a little piece that can be detached. The tow hook itself should be located in the spare tire compartment.

Looking good, the ML550 looks like it has the Airmatic option. Pricey but super nice to have. It might be surprising but the Airmatic shocks are relatively cheap compared to other adaptive shocks. Had a friend who was quoted $1k per shock on an Acura MDX.

 

Thanks Tsumi, That is good to know. Hopefully I never have to put on my car hauler again.

So a little update.

Got to my fuel pump. Holy crap is that inspection cover a pain in the a$$
The fuel looked excellent. Hardly even a tint of yellow to it. Smelled good too (as good as fuel can smell)
Tank looked brand new.
Filled it with premium with some Lucas injector cleaner.
New battery
Turned the key and she fired like new.
Got a Check engine code and something on the dash that I need to look into.

The code was P0721 - Is this bad? I gotta do more research on it.

The other was on the dash, it read "ABS, ESP Unavailable. See operator's manual

Anyway, I thought I'd share the latest. If anyone knows offhand anything about those, that would be great otherwise I will just keep doing some research

Thanks all

 

Google search of the code says transmission speed sensor. That might also be the source of your ABS issues.

 

The ESP code will most likley be an ABS speed sensor that isnt reading properly. Take it for a longer drive, it may clear the tracking ring on the bearing housings, which propably need it. Then again, just clear it with your scan tool for now and see what happens. They can be one-off codes. Given its been sitting for so long, to get some codes due to the flat battery alone wouldnt be a surprise.

 

Yeah I can try that.
I am always afraid to clear codes in case it needs to go to the mechanic, but if it's a problem, it should come back on right?
Can't really legally drive it until we get papers for it. Im not afraid of a little test drive, but not a long one.
Next is the oil before I get too far ahead of myself.
We checked the oil when it got home and it looked really clean, however it has been too long. Piece of mind is better than creating a problem

 

Take a photo of the codes before you clear them if you're worried. Keep your battery fully charged and then see what you get. Low battery voltage below 11.6v (engine off) can trigger codes just due to the drop in voltage alone.

 

Agreed with the above. Always a good idea to clear codes and see which ones actually come back.