Post up people! This section isnt active anymore! lets hear how well ML63 treated you in a long run now.

 

Hi, guys. I have ML63 and currently have no problem except one where the welding of the body panels in front of steering wheels was not perfect and therefore making noise (Loud cracking) when i make the turn, the dealer did fix it by taking the whole dashboard off but now another problem arise where the dashboard is making a squeaking noise so i just have to live with it. Other than that the car its perfect and beautiful engine and machine.

 

Only using about a quart of oil per 10,000 miles. Other than that - Perfect!

 

I ordered my ML63 on December 29th, 2006 and took delivery on March 24th, 2007. Here's a link to my ML63 page: http://web.mac.com/raythompson/Auto/...Car_Pages.html

Ordinarily I would have bought something sportier. My line of progression has been M3 >> E55 Wagon >> ML63. I was actually going to order a 911 this time, but recent knee surgery had me looking for something a little higher off the ground. Since I'm tall (6'7") the ML really helps in this regard.

I loved the precision of the M3 and the sound of its' engine. A true sports car, that. The E55 wagon was, perhaps, my favorite of the three. Brutally quick acceleration from any speed, and very good balanced handling despite the size of the vehicle. Superbly predictable and tossable; I stunned many a 911 driver in that car...

The ML63 is clearly something of a compromise. It's far too heavy to ever be considered a "sports car", or even (IMHO) a sporty car. But -- in the realm of over two-ton SUVs, this car is King.

[Disclaimer: no flames, please, from those who consider the Cayenne to be King. I live near the worst Porsche dealer in the world, and never considered buying a Cayenne]

It's certainly not perfect. I find it difficult to dial in the suspension; it seems hard to ever find a position that really works as well as I think it should. I think the weight of the standard ML suspension components really limit what the engineers can achieve in this regard. Read in-depth articles on the new ZR-1; by killing off unsprung weight they were able to increase suspension compliance while maintaining the handling and grip levels of the Z06.

As a result, there is too little difference between the suspension settings. The car is much like my wife's Lexus LS460L in this regard; I would like there to be a greater difference between Sport and Comfort modes. Because of the damping rates the Comfort setting is still pretty aggressive when you hit pavement irregularities. My wife tends to hate being a passenger in the ML63 because of this; even in Comfort mode you get pitched around a bit.

Of course, I realize you can't have it all, but I would be interested in researching how many of the original suspension bits Porsche redesigns/remanufactures to differentiate the Cayenne from the Touareg.

Let's get to the good bits; namely, the engine. This must be one of the best mills currently in production. Good torque, great horsepower, great flexibility, and it all sounds fantastic. The 7-speed tranny ensures you're always in a good place, and the whole process of 0-100 is quite civilized for anyone who's experienced "The Beast" inside an E55.

Also, no matter how hard you flog this thing, you have very little fluctuation in the engine temps. AMG did a great job keeping things cool, as this was something that bothered me (a little) about my E55. With the superchargers and the tight engine bay there were significant fluctuations in temps when running hard. At shutdown the thing would start popping and clicking; you could feel and smell the heat radiating off the thing. I always worried that it might spontaneously combust after I'd turned my back and headed inside...

The other superb thing that Mercedes has simply nailed in this car are the brakes. Superb. Fantastic. Tremendous. Exactly what you want in something that is perilously close to three tons. I'm assuming the wet/fully fueled weight of this thing is around 5,200 pounds, yet the braking distances are stunningly short -- all while being easily modulated with great pedal feel.

One problem I've found with the ML63 is my failure to develop a deep, meaningful, and communicative relationship with the intelligent tranny. I realize these things "learn" your driving pattern, but I'm not sure it's working in my case. I drive very smoothly until I'm someplace where I can have fun, at which point I drive like a bat out of hell. My "Jekyll & Hyde" personality seems to create problems, as the transmission seems confused by this. After a tranny reset I find the performance crisp and sharp. After it's "learned" for a week or so this goes away, and I'm left with poorer response (on kick-downs especially). I'm not sure there's any solution beyond frequent resets -- or changing my driving habits to full-on Cannonball mode 24/7...

One (seemingly) trivial problem is pedal placement. I'm used to the heel/toe thing, and even in an automatic transmission car I roll my foot from throttle to brake. On the ML I nearly scared myself merde-less, as the first couple of times I did serious braking (nearing the end of a freeway off-ramp at high speed) I got a big surprise. This may sound stupid, but IF you are used to driving this way and IF you wear size 14 shoes, you may be stunned to find that the pedal placement and alignment in the ML makes your old foot habits -- which worked perfectly well in the E55 -- dangerous in a sneaky way.

What happens is this. Hit my favorite open stretch of road, which is the last two miles before my exit. If traffic is light, nail throttle. Delight in how quickly the ML63 can (theoretically, of course: driver on closed course -- DO NOT ATTEMPT AT HOME!) go from 60 to 120 mph. Hit ramp at around 90 mph. Wait until halfway down (level) ramp to initiate braking. Halfway from there to the stop sign ahead, a queasy feeling you're not going to make it creeps in. What's wrong with these normally fantastic stoppers? Oh ****, the pressure from my braking foot, which is grazing the throttle, is pressing the gas pedal down just enough to counteract the brakes. Shift foot and slam on brakes; whew, I just made it!

If that sounds stupid then flame away. I've raced cars for years, and it's hard to change the old ways...

Another thing I dislike about the ML is the styling. I say this NOT in comparison to the previous model, but in comparison to the ML63s predecessor in my garage, the E55 wagon. Now, that car was thoroughly debadged and was extremely stealthy. To most people it appeared to be just a normal Mercedes wagon.

The ML63, on the other hand, is not subtle. In designing the ML-series, Mercedes seemed to be attracted by the Dark Side of the Market -- the Escalade/Bling crowd. Evidence of this can be seen in the new GL550, which has more chrome than a Buick Roadmaster and a three-pointed star (in the front grille) that is larger than the buckle on the WWF World-Championship prize belt.

The beauty of stealth, for me, is three-fold:

1. You can sneak up on 911 drivers
2. Other drivers tend to be less hostile; the amount of testosterone apparent in a vehicle's design increases the blood-levels of testosterone in the drivers around you. People seem far more aggressive when I'm driving the ML63.
3. You can park the car nearly anywhere without it drawing negative attention (door dings, getting keyed, etc.)

So, the ML63 lacks the "Stealth Factor" of the E55 wagon, but is still one of the best all-around vehicles I've owned. Seriously, if you want something that can fit five, haul a full Costco-load of crap when required, and pull a decent-sized trailer on demand -- all while offering pretty stellar performance with regards to overall performance -- what else is there (the Cayenne, perhaps?). Not a lot of choices...

If this review sounds overly negative, so be it. I love my ML63 very much -- but would like to provide the information that helps Mercedes to make it even better.

 

Excellent report. Well written and informative.

 

Ive had my 63 for over a year now, and I absolutely cant stand it anymore. three transmissions later, I am in the process of lemoning it

 

No way. I had no idea it was giving you problems. Sounds like you got very unlucky. Good luck.

 

I purchased my 2007 ML63 in Oct. 2006. I love the car, but wonder how they are selling. I live in Los Angeles, which is probably among the best places in world for exotic cars, but I rarely see another ML63. I am concerned that slow sales may lead to the model being discontinued. Does the factory publish stats?

 

i have it also one year and have a lot of problems with it.

 

What's a CTT? A Cayenne twin turbo? If so you have almost every major SUV bar the RR.

 

I have had mine for about 8 months and the only problem I had was with the air ride pump failing. Other than that I love the 63, it did give me a speeding ticket today as I was going 37km/over

The cop had to step out of his cruiser in -30c (close to -40c with windchill)so he wasn't too happy.

 

I had mine for over 14 months now and there wasn't even a single thing wrong in the car, me = one extremely happy customer of the car.

 

Whoopsy did you by any chance drove to Toronto? I saw a black ML63 with Vancouver plates couple weeks ago or so.

 

Hehe, not me, I only got all seasons on my trunk and I am not crazy enough to drive cross country on those

 

Loved the car, waited 12 months for the first one to appear in Australia after we got word they were coming.

Had it one day, and it stalled on us, back to the service dept. no fault found, we put it down to a glitch. 10000km later, it did it again. No warning, no sounds, shudders, just stalled.

A horrible feeling, especially when we were not sure that it would not do it at 100km/hour or going into a corner.

Service dept, changed crankshaft sensors, did software updates, but could neither find the fault or guarantee it wouldn't do it again.

After posting on a couple of forums and not hearing of any similar problems, we thought it was probably an isolated problem with this particular car, so we traded it at our dealership for a new one which should arrive in about a month.

However, in the last 3 days, one of my posts has had a response from another Aussie driver with a 5 week old ML 63 car that is doing exactly the same thing.

I am now wondering whether this is a problem with this model, that we haven't been told about yet!

 

I bought mine a year ago in mint condition with 100K on it. Did a complete service on it and bought an airbag kit/compressor kit from Arnott and had it installed. A few months ago the idler pulley froze, tore the belt and had to be replaced. During that time oil dripping from the engine was incorrectly diagnosed as coming from the valve covers. The problem was eventually found in the oil cooler line. An O-ring had gotten hard and did not properly seal anymore. Had it fixed and the engine now is dry as a bone and still does not burn any oil worth mentioning. With normal wear and tear, I'm confident this engine and transmission will outlast me. ;-)))

 

Fritz.. that is great to hear.

We had a 2007 ML500 which we bought new and had for 7 yrs 80k miles with only a couple minor issues (idler pulley, one of the wheel speed sensors under warranty, oh and the goofy window trim which peels after 2 yrs.)

Based on this exp I picked up a gently used 2011 ML63 with 34K miles....... it is a beast.
No issues to-date, with the exception of the goofy window trim film starting to peel.

MODS: ec tune, renn tech lower module, wheels, resonator delete.

 

Wow, this thread just made me realize i've now had my Ml for 15 mo now, that's usually when I start looking to swap out but so far no real need to do that. Truck has plenty of room for the girls, drives great and handles decently for a big vehicle. The EC tune wakes the engine up just enough. I agree with those about the tranny, it sometimes shifts awkwardly and at unexpected times. Brakes are great. I've had a few little issues all covered under warranty including a new battery (just wouldn't start on me one day out of the blue), new airmatic pump and angle sensor, new radiator (right after purchase that dealer covered, as it was leaking). I threw 2 new tires after some idiot forced me up to the edge of a curb to avoid an accident last winter, slicing big chunks into the sidewall.

Other that the truck has been great

 

Had it for a month and traded in for an X5... Never like the ride too much body roll compare to bimmer, except lots of power on this beast. Coming from a bimmer before it's hard to switch to MB

 

I've switched between the two quite easily, having a modded 135 before I went back with the CL65, not sure quite what you're trying to say without coming out as insulting to all of us.

 

Wife had a 2013 X5 5.0 Twin turbo... was a pos. lots of problems, cel, visit workshop on severl occasions... limp mode.. bad fuel inj, bad fuel pump....... stay far away from x5 of that vintage.

 

The Eurocharged Tune is an absolute must on these cars. It's a night & day difference! Going on 4 YEARS of ownership and over 35,000 miles. Going to take her into the detail shop soon to do a full top to bottom detail to make her like new again. I will be selling mine within the next 12 months to upgrade to the biturbo once their prices come down a bit more.

FYI, I used to be a diehard BMW owner... Making the switch to AMG was the easiest decision I ever made. BMW is now in 3rd place among the German big 3 and is only a distant memory of it's once great self. They have fallen so far off from what they used to be it's actually quite hard to watch.

Incase you did not get the memo, AMG reigns supreme

 

I have just about 93,000 miles on my 2007 ML63 AMG that I leased in June 2007 as the original owner, then purchased at the end of the 3 year lease, since I really enjoyed this vehicle, and still do.

For the most recent story on this vehicle, check out this other thread that I recently posted:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ferrerid=50399

AVB-AMG

 

Thinking of buying a use ml63 2007
With 120k mile on the clock anything I should check for guys???

Thanks

 

Mine is close to 106k now, running strong.

I believe some have had issues with head bolts so I'd check that. I had an airmatic pump get really loud and replaced so listen for that when you start up the truck, usually runs the first 15-45 sec.

Cosmetically, the trim below the windows seems to peel fairly easy.