NCMike

After lurking on the this forum since February and getting lots of great info and insights I finally ordered our ML 350 gas Tuesday.

ML350W4

Iridium Silver Metallic
Grey MB-Tex
Premium 1
Lighting Package
Driver Assistance Package
Trailer Hitch
Passenger Seat w/Memory & Lumbar Support
Upholstery Wrapped Dashboard

My SA says he'll have a delivery date as soon as the order is allocated. Don't know the timing on that, but hopefully it won't be too long. Reading the recent posts on the limited availability of the Driver Assistance Package, I'm afraid that having my new ML in time for Christmas may not happen.

ProjectCamaro

Congratulations!

Morro

Get ready for 5-6 month wait. Ordered mine in May and getting it next Friday

NCMike

What options or packages did you order that caused the long wait. I'm a little worried that the Driver Assistance Package may delay our ML, but our SA seemed to think that a December delivery was likely when we placed the order.

soomba

I also ordered mine in May but am still waiting. Driver Assistance will definitely affect the delay. If you go to MB USA website, they already mentioned this information as "limited availability" . Good luck!

Morro

Canadian Version:

Premium Package (Nav, BU camera, blah, blah, blah)
Lighting Package (Xenon + interior lighting package)

That's it.

NCMike

Morro, that sure doesn't seem like a list of options that should have taken that long to deliver, I guess it all depends on what part the factory is out of at the moment.
It's been a week and still no word from our SA on a potential delivery date. I didn't think it would take that long to at least get a tentative date.
How long was it for other folks from order date until you received a production date from your SA?

NCMike

Heard from our SA tonight, he says production the first week of January. The U09 MB Tex dash wasn't on the confirmation , so I'm waiting to hear back from him and get a revised confirmation with the dash.
It looks like to get passenger seat memory and lumbar support you have to pay the $250 special order charge and an additional $365 for the 242 Passenger Seat w/Memory & Lumbar Support.
It was a better deal on the 2012's where it was included with the rear seat entertainment pre-wiring, with no special order charge.
Oh well, at least we now have a date, but I sure was hoping for an early Christmas present.

fabbrisd1

Actually, production month is set into 3 "decades" roughly 10 days long, and 1st two days of January are Vance holidays.

Give your dealer a call around Jan 8 and see if your ML has been assigned a VIN# which is the 1st verifiable signal your ML is actually in production, then next signal is when ML shows being assigned to shipping which is generally 5 days later. January 1st decade gets a little goofy - not too terribly bad if you know what to expect and what/when to call your dealer and ask for confirmation.

NCMike

Thanks for the info Fabbrisd1. Does any one with any contact with the factory have any idea if the MB Tex dash is going to be available for a first decade Jan build? How soon before the build does the factory freeze the order?

nomoremustang

my order was similar to yours. Built in early September, arrived October 30, picked up on November 2.

NCMike

I went by to check on our ML today since I was told it was going to be built last week, and there it was sitting in the dealer's storage lot with all the shipping plastic and padding still in place. I had stopped by because the dealer couldn't find the order, and hadn't called me yet. Turns out a vehicle is in limbo after it drops off the on order screen and before it gets onto their in inventory screen, so after a bit of confusion they finally agreed it was my ML and we're picking it up tomorrow. The MbTex dash didn't make it, that was the original reason for the delay, but I can live with that. The deal wasn't too bad, I had added Parktonic to the original order and brown satin ash trim, so the MSRP was $61320. We agreed on $57501. I'm happy with the deal, not as good as the So Cal folks can get, but since there is only one MB dealer in town, it's not like there is any competition. By the way, the winter sales event is still going so that $1500 discount helped. Would have liked to have been able to subtract the winter event discount from the $57501, but like I said, I was dealing with the only MB dealer in town.