otagomed

Hi guys.
Is there any difference between ML63 built in nov2012 vs Jan2013?
My understanding is that both are MY13 so they should be exactly same.
Given that they are registered on same day(or same month) would this difference in build date(nov2012 vs jan2013) have any impact on future resale value?

twodivers

Can't speak to resale, but all manufacturers (including M-B) reserve and exercise the right to make running changes during the model year. It is not unusual for the same MY vehicle to have subtle differences.

fabbrisd1

Would different build date on two cars registered same day affect future resale ?

No....

Reselae is based on model year, and in-servie-date/report-ofsale..

Keep the beat !

otagomed

Thank you. I was offered to a vehicle by my dealer that was built in 2012 (MY13) but hasn't arrived in Australia yet. So it will be registered in Feb2013 here. Or I have to order now. Pay extra $2000 as it is 2013 order and pick up in May for Jan 2013 built vehicle.
Unlike in America, where all MY13s are called 2013 ML, here in Aus I notice that it is not called 2013 unless it is registered in 2013. I think American way is better and much more logical.

iankayem

If you look at Redbook.com.au you will see that say the 2011 ML will be listed as MY11 and MY10.

Since the ML stopped W164 production in June 2011 and the W166 did not appear here until March 2012, there will probably only be one listing for 2012. (Only dealer demos were MY11)

Your February 2013 delivered car will still be a MY12 and presuming there will be an update in July again, those cars arriving here in Sept/Oct will be MY13.

otagomed

Thanks iankayem.

I thought vehicles built after sept/oct 2012 was called MY13 but obviously they are called MY12.
So basically whether I get my ML now or in May both of them will be MY12. Is this right?

Benz Werd

Wow, interesting! I thought we cleared this up a couple of months ago in my thread https://mbworld.org/forums/new-m-cla...my12-my13.html

Ian, I thought both our cars were MY13s as we both have the new colour screen in the instrument cluster? Plus I believe all the latest updated software improvements.

Anyway fellas, mine is here! I'm taking delivery of her tomorrow at noon. I did slip in today to have a quick look and she is absolutely gorgeous.

It was built on 4 November, and arrived in Melbourne on the Talisman on 30 December. I asked the dealer if I could have 2013 compliance, and I checked today and it says 01/2013 on the plate

I can confirm that there is no ECO start/stop feature on the 500s still, but I'm sure it's not far away. Otagomed if you are still considering a 500 you might want to ask your dealer about this as it's still not on the Australian specifications list, but it's been an option on US 550s since MY13 builds were commenced I think back in July or August. It's all a bit odd to me, as a new S500 in the showroom, and E500 sedan both had this feature, and they have the same engine. The ML63 has had it since release of the W166s, and all of the other models also, but the 500 has missed out so far.

I can also confirm that mine does have the colour screen in the instrument cluster.

I'm unsure yet about the multi-contour seats, but I'm guessing they're not there. Otagomed you also might want to ask about this, even if you're considering a 63 now instead as once again it's not on the Aus spec list but has been an option on US MY13s for a while, along with the 550s.

An extra bonus today was discovering the designo black headliner is Alcantara, not just black fabric. It felt very nice to touch, along with the designo leather on the seats and doors, and nappa leather everywhere else!! I'm so pleased I selected that option.

So yeah, looks like I'm not going to get alot of sleep tonight haha.

Pics to come folks ..... probably in a few days after I've finished playing

Cheers

otagomed

Hi AussieBenzLover!

Thanks for your post.
After reading your previous thread it seems that Ian possibly meant ML12/ML13 NOT ML11/ML12.

Anyway congratulations! You must be really happy to see your ML here.
How does your designo black leather look?

I'm not too sure about eco stop/start on ML500. When I asked about this to my dealer he said that it won't be available for Jan 2013 build. So I guess all MY13 for Australia won't have that option.

Also... he didn't know about multi contour seats. So probably it's not an option for ML here.

As you probably know, I chose to buy ML63. Mainly due to the fact that I can get this in February instead of waiting 4-5months and also because designo leather is standard.

Also when you talked about ventilated seat and designo leather option (and when I was told by my dealer that I have to wait 7-8 months for ML500 with designo leather) that influenced me alot too to choose ML63. And of course I wanted to experience AMG as well!!

In a way I still feel that whether it's worth spending extra money for ML63 knowing how great ML500 already is but hey... we live once and I wanted to try AMG.

Anyway!!! please post your pic. I'm so excited to see your ML500 and I can't imagine how excited you are!!!

iankayem

I can imagine how excited you are Drew. Make sure you get some sleep as you will want to go for a long drive. I am sure you will love it.

As for the model years, there is a clear point of confusion.
For a ML built July 2012 to June 2013, Mercedes call it a 2013, whereas Redbook will call it a MY12 if they fit in with their past history.

Just another case of us Englishers speaking different languages.
(Or for the Queenslanders - read that as "Just another port")

DNB

Just be careful for waiting times.......... I ordered my ML63 in June 2012......told it will be here for Dec 2012 (which came and went) and now I've been told my ML should be here for March 2013, late due to "a shortage of Distronic Packages available".

i.e. In Australia, if ordering your car......be prepared to wait a longgggg time for delivery.

iankayem

But you will enjoy it when it does arrive...

otagomed

Sorry to hear that. What do you mean by it came and went?
Did they sell it to someone else?

Well... actually that's why I chose this vehicle.
My dealer told me that it's already on a ship and will be arriving in Melbourne in late January. I guess someone ordered it and cancelled it?
Otherwise I had to wait for a car that will be built in January for possible April delivery.

I previously waited Audi for 8 months after I was told that it will be here within 4 months!! So I didn't want to go through that process again.

Anyway hope your wait is not too long!

DNB

ian: yep, I can't wait!!! should be epic!!!

otagomed: No, I just meant that December came and went....... without my car being built/delivered. Thanks, hopefully it will come within a couple of months What colour are you getting? Performance Pack? other options?

otagomed

Sorry. Totally misunderstood.

My one is diamond white and only option I have added is pano roof.
No performance pack.

I don't still understand why they can't even exactly estimate the delivery date.
I guess if your new delivery date is March it should be built this month.
Good luck!

DNB

Cheers bud..... and to you with yours

Benz Werd

Howdy guys.

Geez DNB I thought I waited long enough, almost 7 months. I ordered back in June also. But yes, as Iankayem said it will be worth the wait.

Ok guys, it's in my driveway as we speak. I've been fiddling with it all afternoon. So far I've only had a chance to do about 50kms, but I plan to head out for a late night cruise afterwards.

So far I'm loving it! It's smooth as butter, but still has a nice subtle V8 note in the background. Funny thing is though, the same as our C250 (petrol), it sounds like a diesel when idling. But give a bit of a push on the accelerator and it really starts to roar. When I first drove it it was riding a bit harsh though, so I went to the local servo and let out around 7-8 lbs or air from each tyre (to the recommended pressures on the tyre placard) and it's heaps better now.

Must admit so far I don't think the HK system is as good as my W164 was, like clk200 said in Otagomed's post https://mbworld.org/forums/new-m-cla...nd-system.html, but I haven't had a chance to really try it out yet. And unlike my W164 there's no multi-contour seats, which is very noticable as I always had the front under-knee section of the seat pumped up to max, and the side bolsters hugging me too. But it's still very comfortable, only a matter of getting used to it. The designo leather is super soft and almost feels too good to sit on!

Can't get my rear seat entertainment working at all with either the TV or DVD, even if I put the DVD into the rear player under the climate control vents. I've installed the COMAND online DVD and looked through all the menus but still can't seem to get it working. I suspect they forgot to actually wire it up during the build. I'm back to the dealer on Friday.

When I got it home mid afternoon fortunately it was a very sunny day and I noticed what looks like a pen mark on the back seat about an inch long. Like somebody has actually drawn a line on there, but it didn't show up while doing the inspection with the SA prior to driving off. I took a photo on my phone immediately and sent it to the SA.

I'll post some pics as soon as I get a chance guys .....

Safe driving everyone!

otagomed

Congratulations!!!
You must be so happy to finally get your ML500!
I'm bit worried to hear that you don't think HK sound system was impressive. Maybe W164 had a really fantastic system! Well... will see how it goes with mine!

What's the recommended tyre pressure?
Because when I test drove ML500 that's how I felt unlike ML350 I test drove before that. I prefer softer ride.

Anyway, enjoy driving!
Any recommended driving spots in Victoria? I only lived in Victoria for 3 years and haven't been to many places.

Benz Werd

Yes, extremely happy. As previously mentioned it's been a long wait, but now that I have it, and I look back it didn't seem that long at all haha. Weird huhh?

Just got back from a late night cruise of about 40kms. Took it on some very windy roads and was extremely impressed with the Active Curve System. Took some bends at over 90km/h that I used to struggle to take at 75km/h in my old W164 and the newie just hung on and stayed very level. So much so that I had a bottle of water laying on the passenger seat and it didn't even move. Impressive!

It's so hard to tell if my HK is better or worse, or the same as my W164. I haven't had that car for 6 months now so without putting the 2 cars together I can't really give an accurate comparison. Anyway in saying that the new HK is certainly impressive too, and definitely has more grunt than our C250's HK. I can get DVDs to operate through the front player & screen in the dash and the sound, also from the digital TV tuner is mindblowing. I didn't have a TV tuner in the W164. A couple of songs on my iPod caused the door speakers to rattle and distort just a tiny bit when I had the volume up quite high, but I had the bass level quite high as well, and the Jazz setting activated on my iPod's equaliser. A bit of tweaking with my settings should sort that out.

I found most of my tyres had around 40psi in them. I reduced that down to 33psi (the placard recommends 32psi under normal driving) which shows up as 2.5 bar on my tyre pressure monitor and it's made a huge difference to the ride. It's still a little rough in my opinion but that could also be because I haven't driven a SUV for a while and due to the wheels on this new car being 20" wheels, wheras my W164 had 19s. I always drove my W164 in Sport mode, and have selected the same mode in this car mostly so far. Selecting Auto puts it into Comfort mode and it's way too cushy and sloppy, but very S-class-ish which will be handy at times I'm sure.

As far as great drives in Victoria go there's of course the famous Great Ocean Road, but best to avoid that on weekends if possible, unless you enjoy being stuck behind slow vehicles towing caravans. During the week in non-school holiday time is best. Depending on how far down the Great Ocean Rd you go you can easily do it in a comfortable 8-9 hour day trip. On the other side of town is the Maroondah Hwy to Alexandra and then return via Goulburn Valley Highway to Seymour then the Hume Fwy back to Melbourne, again very easy for a day trip, probably about 6 hours. There's also the Hume Fwy again up to Glenrowan then head east to the Great Alpine Road to Mt Hotham, over the top to the other side to Omeo then return to Melbourne via the Princes Hwy. That one might be best with for an overnight stay as there's probably 10+ hours of driving at least. It's very impressive in the non-winter months though. Unless you're experienced in the snow I'd suggest you stay right away from Mt. Hotham in the winter though. It's probably Australia's most hazardous road in winter.

Nice dark window tinting for me tomorrow! I'm also considering some Brabus wheels and quad exhausts as well

Thimee

Mine was a little flat too when it was brand new, give your new speakers a little time to "run in", the same as you would for a good pair of headphones or loudspeakers. Once it's run in it sounds great, actually better than my S-Class 550 that had a similar HK setup IMHO.

Also, if you like the large sound stage don't forget to turn on Logic7 - it was "off" by default on all my input sources such as Disc/iPhone/FM/CD, I had to turn it on individually for each.

I did notice that for certain types of music the Logic7 unit sends way too much bass to the sub, causing everything to rattle even at moderate volumes. Killing the bass by a notch or two solves this fairly easily.

iankayem

Hotham in winter can be stunning. Just make sure you do it in the daylight!
And if there is a weather warning, stop at Gapstead or Millawa wineries and leave the trip for the next day.

Another trip is lunch at Warburton, up the Reefton Spur to Lake Mountain, and dinner at the Narbethong Hotel.

otagomed

Thank you for your suggestions AussieBenzLover and Ian.

I really want drive around Australia.
My next plan is driving to Bendigo/Mildura/mt mungo, then to Uluru/Alice springs then down to adelaide/kangaroo island and back to Melbourne.
Planning to do this sometime this year.

It will be probably around 5000km.
Is it a good idea to do this type of trip on my new ML?
Will it ruin my car if I do this at early stage?

I of course want to drive my new ML but then don't want to damage it by driving too much.

otagomed

Thank you!

Can't wait to try my HK!

Benz Werd

Yes I agree, it seems be getting a little better the more I drive the car. In theory it should be alot better than my W164 as there's more speakers now and the power output is higher.

And again yes, I had to turn on the Logic7 individually for radio/disc/tv etc too.

Thanks!!

iankayem

The important thing is to enjoy your car. Mt Mungo is gravel which if recently graded might tempt high speeds, an invitation to disaster. Keep it down to 100 or less (where SWMBO is content.)

The other roads are good bitumen.

Your ML was ready to do this trip the minute it left the factory.

Benz Werd

You're welcome. Anytime, just ask. I love to share my wealth of information, obviously

Oh yes, the Warburton drive is very nice too, a bit shorter also, so if you're not keen on a huge day trip this could be nice.

Interesting that you should ask about a Central Australia trip. Just on 2 years ago we did exactly that in my W164. It was such a great car to travel in. We left Melbourne on Boxing Day and slowly worked our way up to Alice Springs arriving New Years Eve. Our trip was around 5000kms too. We spent 2 nights at Uluru on the way up, and it was 47°C both days. The car was parked in an outdoor carpark overnight both nights and it was like an oven both mornings when we got in it. A few minutes running the aircon cooled it down very quickly.

This long drive will do your car the world of good, providing you have at least done the normal 1500km run-in.

If you stick to the main highways all the roads are sealed so your car will be fine. Once you cross the SA/NT border you'll also get the 130km/h speed limit in NT, the only place in Australia where the speed limits are this high!! There's very few police around, or other traffic for that matter, so sitting on 145-150 wasn't a problem. It's generally just a wide straight road for hundreds of kilometres. We did pass one police car that was coming towards us, and I soon as I saw it I backed off but he still detected my speed as being over and as he went past he just shook his finger at me to indicate to slow down a bit. I stayed under 140 after that. Stay off the roads at night though, due to kangaroos, camels and other wild animals wandering around. Most of the roads aren't fenced so they come out of nowhere and it's very hard to see them at night.

Ensure you plan your fuel stops in advance as sometimes it's quite long distances between service stations. Also make sure you travel with plenty of water. There's alot of places where there's no mobile phone service too, so I installed a UHF CB radio so I could at least communicate with the truckies and Royal Flying Doctor Service if necessary if anything went wrong.

I really want to do this trip again one day in my new ML. But this time I'll head up through mid NSW then outback QLD to Longreach and across to Darwin then back down the Stuart Hwy via Adelaide and back into Melbourne.

I think the best time to go if you want to avoid the severe heat is winter, but the nights can get extremely cold up that way at that time.

Have fun planning ....