I can't contribute much to the model you're looking at. I wanted to chime in and say that I live in a super limited market for lux vehicles. So much that there isn't one lux dealership that is not American made. Anything I might be interested in lux German, Japanese, etc. means a road trip. The closest dealers are 2 hrs away. For larger selection, a 3.5 hr drive. It took me 18 months of semi active searching to find what I wanted (very specific list of requirements which limited my choice of vehicle severely to only two models/brands). I wasn't afraid to look way outside of my immediate market, because of my list and limited availability of said two models. I realize your time frame is much shorter than the 18 months it took me, but it seems like you should expand your distance to include other markets with a reasonable drive time. I don't know what that means for you, but for me the search was nationwide, and the car I ended up with was across the country on the west coast.

I didnt drive out to see the car. It involved a lot of messages between the sales guy and I, lots of photos, a couple of video calls to see and hear the car, lots of messages with the finance guys, and shipping the vehicle using the dealer's shipping infrastructure. I paid the shipping bill. I was nervous paying 5 figures for something I had only seen virtually, but confident enough to do it. I had the benefit of working with a dealer from another major brand, so no third party shady corrner lot concerns. I would recommend that you have a pre-sales inspection done to any car you cant see in person, by an MB dealer. It will give you a list of things that the car needs. Take that with a grain or two of salt, but you'll have a list you can use to negotiate the price, or decide if the car is not worth your time.

 

@Jbtyson Be aware that there are two ML350s: one is gasoline with the 3.5L M276 V6 and one is diesel with the 3.0L OM642 V6. The advice on this thread has been to avoid the diesel. You mentioned an underboost code, this happens on a turbo engine. The gasoline engine is not turbocharged, so the vehicle you were considering is diesel, which is to be strongly avoided. A check engine light further underscores this recommendation. Any savings from fuel economy will be more than offset by equipment deletions, tuning, DEF cost, higher diesel price vs gasoline, and overall problems and headaches.

Don't do the diesel, it's a waste of your time and money.

 

I do appreciate any/all input. I have purchased out of state before, flown in to pick up, etc while being picky. And generally speaking, I'd do that if I had more time. I'm trying to find something local after work and on weekends and every day I don't is a hassle trying to coordinate rides and other people to manage things, etc.

That comment wasn't about a ML350, but about the ML550 which is the bi-turbo v8 gas motor. But yes, I am taking that advice and not bothering with the bluetec or CDI vehicles.

 

Seems like you want the V8, if it right get it. I have the ML350 and have been happy but am jealous of the V8 . Go it, but it will cost more to operate, ie different ie over size brakes, more spark plugs. Most everything else is same as ML350 Also if it has air suspension that need maintenance but most ML550 have the standard steel springs

 

I haven't pulled the trigger, but the more I test drive other vehicles, the more I come back to this one. I'm curious what the prognosis will be from the Mercedes service center on the engine code.

I'm not dead set on anything. v8, v6, i4, etc I don't care about numbers, just care how it runs and drives. The minimal expense difference for spark plugs, oil, etc doesn't concern me. Injectors, coils, etc will be less appealing to pay for, but my main concern is the internals, timing issues, turbos, transmission and suspension. Things that cost big money to buy parts for and take a lot of time to fix.

I did drive a 2012 Audi Q7 TDI that I liked quite a bit, but like most other Audi's priced $3k over book. If the dealer brings it down to a reasonable price, it might be a legitimate contender for the spot.

 

@Jbtyson Thanks for the update, keep us posted. The latest model 3.5L V6 will give you the best overall reliability and maintenance expense combination. No turbos, fewer spark plugs, better fuel economy.

Don’t forget the Audi TDI is a Dieselgate vehicle, with nearly all of the problems that people have been pointing out to you on this thread. VW/Audi TDI uses the same Bosch technology as Mercedes Bluetec. Strong avoid.

A VW/Audi TDI for sale today likely has been either “fixed” by VW or needs to get the fix. A vehicle without the fix can require thousands of dollars in repairs (DPF, NOx sensors, turbo, DEF heater and tank). The fix results in worse performance and higher consumption of DEF fluid.

 

Was the Bluetec the same issues as the TDI? If so, that would be more of a reason for me to consider both the TDI and a Bluetec. I live in a state with NO diesel emissions, so there is no concern for deleting diesel emissions equipment. I have no problem deleting all the emissions equipment from either one of them. If that is all that made them unreliable, that is great news. Because a tune and pulling some parts off that I don't want on there anyway doesn't sound bad to me. The Dieselgate scam was basically VW cheating the system making their vehicles run better and not adhere to the emissions standards as well. I know I can tune a VW with VAG-COM which would only cost me a few hundred bucks, plus whatever block off plates and exhaust pieces I'd have to fabricate. I'm not familiar with deleting a Bluetec though.

With that said, I'm still keen on the ML550 first choice of what I've seen.

 

Welp, against some other's advice, I went ahead and did it. Brought it home yesterday. Walked out the door just a pinch over retail book value after TTL and a 3 year/50k mile aftermarket warranty that covers the vast majority of things. I feel better about it with that.

My dad likes it, but all the gadgets and knobs are a bit overwhelming for him. Being that I haven't spent any real time with it, I'm not really sure of everything yet either. Going to have to take some time to play with it. I forgot how much tech changes, and even from my 2015 Ram back to a 2013 Benz, there are some features missing that surprise me. I will be around here more often now. Gotta figure everything out. Here is a picture of it!

 

Looks great! What is it?

 

The original one I came asking about. 2013 ML550.

 

Looks great, congrats!

 

Enjoy!

 

what's "missing" ?

 

That's a beauty! Congratulations to you and your dad.

It's pretty clear you have the wrenching skills and enjoy keeping things tip-top. May it be a long and good experience for you.

 

Thanks!

He likes it a lot. He took it on an 8 hour road trip on last Friday and had no complaints. Didn't even mention the fuel mileage. Bonus coming from another gas hog lol!

I've been loaded down at work so I haven't been on here doing any research. Trying to make a little time for that to make sure I can get familiar with it.

It needs a few cosmetic things that I'm looking for. If you guys know of anywhere good, please point me there.

Floor mats - I know these aren't rugged vehicles, but I want to get him some fitted mats. He is spill prone and if he is breathing, he has coffee with him. I've got Husky in my truck, and I've used Weathertech before. Any other suggestions for floor mats?

Window vent visors. This almost seems cheap on a Mercedes for some reason, but I can't find any of the plastic in-channel vent visors for the windows. We crack windows here, especially in the summer as we see north of 100 degrees regularly. Plus, it is good to be able to let it air out a bit while parked instead of sitting and getting stale.

Tint - I don't really need a suggestion here, just a note of what I plan to do. Front windows at very least need to match the back. I'm partial to some ceramic film closer to the 5-10% range. Illegal here, and most places, but again with the heat, and the fact that this god forsaken city we live in is riddled with petty thieves, I'd rather chance a ticket than a broken window for the change in the console.

Not cosmetic and not a need, but rather a curiosity I intend to do some research on. I've read ramblings about tunes getting these things close to 600hp. Now that is insane and would almost certainly void my warranty, but maybe down the line, consider tuning if it smooths it out, makes it more efficient, gives it a little extra, etc.

Some of my complaints -

I didn't even think about Keyless Go and entry not being a standard option. That really sucks. I don't know why it didn't click to me that I had to turn the key to test drive it. Then looking at retrofitting - not even worth it. Just get used to the key. His escalade had a regular fob so not a big deal for him, but since my only 2 years newer Ram has it, it disappoints me that a similar year high end luxury vehicle doesn't have it standard.

No remote start - this is another mind boggler. I had remote start in my mid trim level 2008 Chevy Silverado. How is that still an option?

Still getting used to it not being a touch screen display. He really likes the little knob on the center console. Me, meh. I'm young and prefer touch everything I guess.

The backup camera quality is pretty awful. Is there a good plug and play unit you guys are aware of off the top of your heads? Or is it an input/display resolution issue on the dash that will hold it back? Also, anyone know about adding a second video feed for a front camera? For parking and such?

Rides a bit like a sloppy sports car. Not as smooth as I would like, but he said it doesn't bother him at all. Still, I'm now wishing that it did have the airmatic suspension instead of the springs, especially since I ended up with the aftermarket warranty. Oh well.

Stereo sound quality is mediocre at very best. This does not have the Bang and Olufsen system. I'm assuming it is just their bottom line audio package. I will be researching upgrading this. My dad is not an audiophile by any means, but he is hard of hearing, so a nice, crisp and clean sound that is oriented to fill the cab and be better at ear level rather than being tinny and flat down at the floor mats would help him be able to hear better for music, directions, calls, etc.

Navigation is so ridiculously painful to use. Not even worth struggling through. Unfortunately, using Apple Maps through bluetooth doesn't give the visual, and the audio doesn't play well. You have to play music, but the volume of the directions matches that of the music and they compete with each other. It would be really nice if there is a way to input an address from his phone to the navigation. Or maybe through a voice command. Just not through the twisting *** letter by letter. This is a relatively big deal for him. He uses navigation daily. His memory isn't what it used to be, so he basically inputs all addresses to make sure he doesn't accidentally take a wrong turn. So an intuitive way to get around is important. I think he is wearing his airpods for directions for now until I figure this out.

I'll always nitpick and find problems, but overall it is a sweet ride. I'm happy enough. Just gotta iron out some of the small things.

 

good thing it's your dad's car and not yours.

 

I first got into a Mercedes in 2016 with an 11 E350 4matic with 55k on the clock. This spring, I sold that very, very reliable car to my son and picked up the wagon version, same year, with 170k on it and knowing some suspension work (bushings, tie rods, engine mounts) needed to be done. Coming from 25 years of Audis, I've found the Mercs much better engineered to be maintained, and I've also come to appreciate some of the subtle and well thought through user experiences for the driver with regards to the tech integration.

So much so, that in August I picked up a 2013 ML350 for my daughter, sent her off to college with it, and she came back last night, giving me the chance to drive it again for the first time in 2 months. Wow, I really like "Millie." Told my daughter she'd have to take the old junker A4 back to school and leave this with me.

With that, some thoughts, suggestions, and considerations to many of your points below.

I'm interested in the answer to this as well. My E350 has the OEM rubber winter mats (get 'em from Amazon of all places) and they're nice.

Bummer that you missed that. Definitely a "must have" feature as I've looked at used Mercs. Why it isn't standard? Because people will still pay for it in a Merc. For me, it doesn't matter: I'm buying 5+ years old anyway and just look for well-appointed cars on my searches. But yeah, a $15k Kia's going to have more tech than a Merc? Crazy.

I can understand the desire for touch screen, though I personally prefer the wheel. Technology changing rapidly through the last 10 years.
The combination of the COMAND knob and the hard-buttons on the dash and the steering wheel make for many 1-click access sequences for so many common use cases- next song, volume, muting, switch to Nav, answer the phone, "press 2 to speak with service" with the phone pad, choose audio source, etc. I've found the (admittedly getting dated) usability to be ergonomically incredible. That said, tech flies by and things get very outdated. Apple-Play wasn't a thing in 2011 or 2013. In fact, no USB charging or data ports in my 2011 E class, but they are in the ML. My '15 Q7 doesn't have any USB ports and its entertainment system, also wheel-based, is an incoherent mess.

There are many android replacement screens and units for the Eclass, probably applies to ML. Search YouTube?

Don't be afraid to crank up the bass on the Harmon Kardon to +5 or +6. It gets stronger without bloating or getting muddy. I've turned down the treble a notch. It gets loud and clear.

The native navigation is pretty dated, but... While the assistant's voice is speaking, you can adjust their volume relative to the music playing. Nice. It does a great job of listing recent destinations without having to save/program them in. You should be able to voice-command a destination in, but it's a learning curve that hasn't been worthwhile for me in 5 years of ownership.
Apple maps and Wayze are much better; fabulous even, when there's an apple-play

Spend more time with it and you'll come to appreciate how well thought out many things are. But technology is on a fast pace and things that were breakthroughs like Distronic are now commonplace commodities on many vehicles. Including Mercedes. You just have to pay for them.

Enjoy!

 

Weathertech for mats.

hk stereo is very good, spend some time with the adjustments. It has too much treble naturally, and the bass needs to be turned up as Toadroller mentioned. Or it's my middle-aged hearing! What?

Ride is mushy, that's how it is with the ML/GLE, except for AMG versions.

Navigation takes time to learn. Far less intuitive than BMW or VW navigation. But learnable.

Be careful with a tune. Tune = reduced powertrain life. If it were mine, I wouldn't do it. I prioritize high mileage/longevity, not everyone shares that view.

 

Appreciate you taking the time to read through my novel and actually respond. I've done the same in Blue to your statements.