Picked up 2014 ML350 BT
 

Picked up my 2014 ML350 BT on Monday, Paladium Silver with black MB Tex and Brown Satin Ash. Overall very good impressions of the vehicle. However, few minor issues as below:

1) The front windshield wiper spray does not work (rear works). Will try to bring it in fo service this week. This certainly makes me question the QA.
2) Some "redundant" MB tex in passenger seat (see pictures). Its the only spot in the car that has that wrinkle. Am I being nitpicky or is this reasonable?
3) Terrible gas milage in the city (around 10-15mpg). Not sure if this has to do with break-in. On the highway, its around 30.
4) Not sure if this is normal, but when driving at city speeds, as soon as I release the accelerator pedal the car slows down pretty quickly. It almost feels like I am hitting the brakes.

They should fix to windshield system without a doubt.

I do not see a problem with your seat and it will gain some "wrinkles" with you in just weeks.

City milage or stop and go depends on you too. A heavy foot will get poor milage. It does get a little better with time. It is hard to judge as everyone's idea of what a heavy foot is and the amount of stop and go will cause it to vary. I get 21-23mpg around town and like you can see 28-30mpg on the highway depending on speed.

At lower speed your ML will slow upon release of the pedal. This can be great when needing to stop at a light. I found that using the slightest bit of pedal will stop the engine breaking effect. It takes some getting used to but I find it all works well after owning my ML just over a month or so.

Enjoy your new hardware!

Its normal, Diesel engines have much higher compression than their gasoline counterparts, and thus as soon as you remove the fuel, the compression resistance causes engine braking.

Thanks. Its nice to know that its normal, but will definitely take some getting used to. Its my first diesel.

It is normal, but the effect is due more to the transmission downshifting than engine braking. Actually, diesels provide less engine braking than gassers because they don't have an air throttle to create back pressure. Heavy trucks use exhaust brakes to overcome this.

Check your tach as you slow to a stop. It will bump up at around 7 mph as the trans downshifts to 3rd. (This based on my 2012 BlueTEC.)

Shrdlu, engine braking is a result of engine compression inside the cylinders. Nothing to do with a throttle plate or intake manifold area. Throttle plates are typically 1/8th of an inch thin and secured to a 1/4" shaft by small set screws. No way possible for that to hold back enough vacuum to decelerate a 5000 pound vehicle. It would bend the plate or snap the shaft. Also remember that the intake valve is closed for a significant duration of the crankshaft rotation, so the throttle plate is "isolated" from the rest of the engine. The most the throttle plate will see is about 25" of vacuum against it if it is closed due to the intake valves opening as the pistons are going down. Miniscule compared to the 200+psi inside the cylinders.

Engine braking results from the several piston moving up into to a sealed combustion chamber and trying to squish 16.5 units of air into 1. As there is no (or not enough) fuel being injected because the driver lifted of the pedal, no power is produced in the combustion stroke, so the energy to keep the engine turning is provided by the forward momentum of the vehicle. Overcoming this energy is what slows the vehicle. Gas engines typically run 9-1 compression. Diesels run 16-1. More compression, more engine braking felt. The bigger trucks use an exhaust brake to "raise" the compression even more by mechanically plugging the exhaust down pipe, so the spent gasses have to back feed or remain trapped in the cylinders instead of passing through the exhaust. Downshifting just uses the gear ratio to spin the engine faster compared to vehicle speed, so the effects of the engine braking is amplified, cause it takes more energy to do that work in the same time. I will add that very few automatic transmissions will actually downshift on their own as smooth as these. Also, what the op is experiencing is a great benefit of the diesel engine to save on brake wear. I got 80K miles on my original set and they were not even 30% worn.

exemd, congrats on the ride. When I visited the factory, I noticed they were very meticulous with QC. The vehicles were tested for everything repeatedly, including a torturous run on the chassis dyno right off the assembly line where they work the engine and brakes. Then they use another dyno to shake the daylights out of the vehicle, then into a monsoon chamber where they blast it with wind and water. Trust me the wipers worked when it left the factory. My guess is a harness knocked loose during prep, or a fuse?
As for your seat, hard to tell. Compare to another ML and see?
Typical mileage on mine is 24 city, 31 highway if I stay off the big boy pedal. Do you idle the engine a lot during vehicle setup at the dealer? Are you still on your first tank? The dash readings will be erroneous if so. Monitor for a few more tanks and see. Pretty sure you will crack the 34MPG mark soon. But not if you keep using 400+ pounds of torque.:D

Thanks for the explanation. I think I misinterpreted the info I found on the website of an exhaust brake manufacturer.

http://www.bankspower.com/techarticl...st-brake-works

Thanks for the excellent explanation. I have more or less gotten used to the different feel. The dealer replaced the front windshield wiper pump and it has worked flawlessly. Service guy said he has seen it once before, but on older GL. Otherwise, everything is perfect. Mileage is as advertised , 15-20 city and 30+ hwy. Overall, excellent SUV and very glad I chose it before the demise of the 350 Bluetec.

wrinkle is a non-issue. i understand that you want everything to be perfect but that is perfectly fine...and i can be picky with the best of them.