Since I started a thread for my 2007 C230 to document everything about it, I thought I would start one for the ML350BT.

For the last 6 years we owned a 2009 VW Tiguan as our utility vehicle and absolutely loved it. We have an IE tune on the 2.0L Turbocharged 4cyl, and it was a blast to drive and was very fuel efficient. A few months back we decided we wanted to purchase a lightweight travel trailer, and considered towing it with the Tiguan. Even though the Tiguan had plenty of power, the factory hitch was only rated for 2000 lbs, so I thought better of it and knew I needed a more capable tow vehicle. Coming from a previous experience with towing (Had a 26ft Cabin Cruiser boat a 8000 lbs that we towed with a V8 Grand Cherokee.) I wanted to make sure I had plenty of safety factor, so the search began. I had a few requirements like it had to fit in the garage, preferred German, preferred diesel, with a budget of $30-35K. My first thought was a Audi Q5 or VW Touraeg as they could be had very reasonable after Dieselgate. The problem with them was Audi/VW specifically forbid use of weight distribution hitch, and I wanted the capability if I thought I might need it. I also considered GLE's, but could not find any equipped like I wanted in my budget. I just happened to stumble on a 2014 ML350BT CPO nicely equipped with 38K miles at a Mercedes dealer in Rocklin, CA (About 600 miles from me.) My dad lives in Sacramento, CA, so I asked him to go take a look at it and take is for a test drive and let me know what he thought.

He said it looked brand new and drove great, his only concern was it puffed out white smoke when accelerating to get on the highway. I knew that was likely overdose of Urea, but wasn't too concerned as it was a CPO and thought it was likely due to sitting on the lot for over 6 months and just started to relocate on the lot a few times. So I negotiated a price of $31K with transport to my home with an asking price of $36K. I was a little nervous buying and $30K vehicle site unseen, but trust my old man as he is a car guy and particular as I am.

Option list:

• 792 - Palladium Silver Metallic
• 101 - Black MB-Tex
• P01 - P01 Package
• 319 - Lighting Package
• 980 - Accessory Chrome Package
• 993 - Lane Tracking Package
• 00A - Illuminated Star
• 235 - PARKTRONIC with Active Parking Assist
• 267 - Illumination Kit for Side Running Boards
• 550 - Trailer Hitch
• 734 - Eucalyptus Wood Trim
• 810 - Harman/Kardon LOGIC7 Surround Sound System
• 846 - Brushed Aluminum Running Boards
• 866 - Pre-Wiring for Rear Seat Entertainment
• 876 - Multi-Color ambient lighting
• 889 - KEYLESS-GO

$65,265 MSRP.

The owner had also had a full paint protection film applied to bumper, hood, lights, mirrors, and front fenders.

Pics as delivered:

 

Nice looking truck!

 

This is my first analysis on my recently purchased 2014 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec. A little disappointing Iron number considering the low mileage and short drain interval and 90% highway driving. Silicon is possibly a culprit as I found one of the air filter seals was torn. It has been replaced and will continue to test. Sticking to 5K change at this point. Sticking to 229.52 spec oils for now, as it is a CPO, so I am still under warranty. Would love to try the Mobil 1 X3 0W-40, but it is a little hard to find. It is the only 40W under the 229.52 approval.

 

Till I switched to 3-3.5K intervals iron was hight. 3K intervals brought it down, please see the lates report.

 

Thanks Dan. What oil are you running?

 

My iron was always high too (blackstone reports). I started by using Mobil1 5W-40 esp formula M, but no longer available. Now I am using Pentosyn 5W-40.

Don't know what the most recent iron levels are as I have not sent in a sample, but I am changing oil at 5000 miles.

Must be a common issue for these engines.

 

Looks like it is a common issue, but if I can get it lower with extra oil change I will go with it.

Last 12K miles Im using


All previous changes

 

Anxious to get back my report from Blackstone, it'll be the 1st time I've ever asked for an oil analysis.

This is my oil during the summer;

 

Installed the summer setup. 21x10 GL AMG wheels with 295/40-21 Pirelli's. Surprised the ride did not change much from 19's to the 21's. Just a touch stiffer ride, a little more road feel, but significantly more planted and surefooted feel.

 

Did you get the extension for the cpo?

if you haven’t I highly recommend it.

nice summer setup ! My summers are boring in comparison ...

 

No, I decided against the CPO extension. As an ex-mechanic, I am aware of the Bluetec common issues and will deal with them as they come. For the price they wanted for a CPO extension, I can do several of the costly repairs myself and still come out money ahead. Only time will tell if I am going to regret that decision.

 

the cpo is negotiable and it helps to reach out to multiple dealerships. But I do understand.

 

I took the ML into the dealer this week, as the oil leak has gotten worse and need to get it taken care of before the CPO warranty expires. After a really good cleanup of the oil and a few hundred miles later, I am fairly certain the leak is the oil cooler seals. Also had an issue with the Media Interface does not show up as an optional device to select on the COMMAND as well as the cold transmission slipping, I figured I would have them look at it, maybe a software update.

Got a GLA250 4matic as a loaner. It actually surprised me and there is a lot to like about it. The drivetrain is excellent with the combination of the M270 and 7G-DCT. Certainly takes up a lot less room in the garage than the W166.

 

The dealer had the ML for a week and replaced the oil cooler seals, the turbo inlet seal, and did a software update the the ECM and TCM. The transmission software update significantly improved overall shifting, and so far, no cold slip!

 

Can you share the part number for oil cooler seals?

 

My experience closely mirrors yours. I bought my '13 350 BT in 2016 with 38k miles (same color and options). I used it to tow my '32 hi-boy roadster to car shows. I too changed the oil at 3500-4k. Cheap insurance (Motul 8100). I also put three fuel filters in it during that time. Never had any issues. I traded it this spring (at 55k) for a GLA 45 AMG. Sold the roadster too. Sometime I miss my ML350BT! It was a comfortable cruiser.

 

Nice thread, thanks. Any recent updates?

What is the expected mileage expectancy on an engine, when oil analyses are done and oil change intervals are shorter than the manufacturer recommends?

Is there an equivalent transmission oil analysis available from a company like Blackstone?

 

Haven't updated in a while. Since the last update, I have added Air Lift 1000 air bags and Bilstein B6 shocks to the rear to assist in towing. The Air Lift 1000 bags were a PITA to install, but together with the Bilstein B6 shocks, the bounce when towing has been completely eliminated. The ride and control has improved significantly. I plan to replace the front struts with the matching Bilstein B6 soon.

Just rolled past 65K miles, and had some issues last camping trip. While towing my trailer home, the engine started bucking/surging at low throttle/load. I limped it home 90 miles, and scanned when I got home. I have the following codes:

14CF00 "The positive control deviation during exhaust gas recirculation control is too high"
155D00 "Component 'Y27/9 (Exhaust gas recirculation actuator)' has a malfunction"
181F00 "The temperature sensor in the soot particulate sensor has a malfunction"

I plan on pulling the EGR and EGR piping to clean, and see if that resolves the EGR related codes. As for the soot sensor, looks like I will end up replacing that.

 

if you find a good guide on pulling and cleaning that EGR please share. looking at it it looks really hard to get to or get a tool in there on the 14 ml350bt

 

I plan to do a guide with pictures and steps, or a video. Here is a good video on installing, so you get a pretty good picture of how it comes out: Looks like a tight/difficult location.