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So my long awaited new exhaust system from Supersprint finally arrived! I did a full catback exhaust which consists of their resonated X-pipe mid-section , and both muffler & tail pipe sections with polished tips, all constructed from 304 stainless steel. The welds look fantastic, and each piece has permanent metal tags with product info to boot. Looks like we need some time on the lift to get this done asap! Big thanks to Roberto at @Supersprint Sport Exhausts who put together a nice savings over the normal website price too. As soon as I can get some lift time at my buddies shop, I’ll post more pics and maybe a video sound clip.
While awaiting some time on my friend’s lift to do the Supersprint exhaust, I decided to finally bite the bullet and tackle the paint on the ML. It was a classic, daily driver, “look good from 15 feet away” paint job. Up close under the garage lighting (and especially bright sunlight), it was a horrifying mix of rock chips, swirl marks, and scratches. So, pretty much like my 2 year old Ford Expedition that I daily drive! 😂 The Expedition gets the “lifetime unlimited car wash pass” treatment since I drive it way too much to ever keep it clean and the local car wash chain is pretty brutal to the paint. Well, my ML looks like it had that exact same life…! My Camaro and the wife’s Mustang were both purchased new, so all they needed was a super light polish to make sure the paint was spotless and then ceramic coated. I haven’t had to break out the compound in a *long* time, so I was a bit nervous. I’m typically a Griot’s Garage guy since their stuff just works and it’s hard to screw up. But it was Christmas Eve and I realized I had some time to kill so I hit up the local auto parts store and found they had both Meguiar’s clay bar kit and compound liquid. I already had the Ceramic wax on hand and had ordered up the Dr. Color Chip kit a few weeks earlier too. Time to get after it!
First up was a full standard touch wash, followed by the full clay bar treatment. It was crazy how much gunk was embedded into the clear coat! Next up was the Meguiar’s compound which thankfully was super easy to use and broke down into a polish as you worked it…it was obviously tailored to amateurs which worked for me lol. The hood was so bad it took two full compounding efforts to get the swirl marks and most of the scratches out. I debated doing it a third time but didn’t want to push my luck with 15 year old clear coat. It was already a dramatic improvement so I called it quits while I was ahead. I also proceeded to compound the rest of the car. Then, a full wipe down with IPA/RO water 50/50 mix. Next up was the rock chip repairs. I focused on the major ones and probably filled in 15-18 chips with most being on the hood. I let that cure overnight and then the next day wiped it all down with IPA/RO water again and broke out the ceramic wax. This has has a fine polish built into it as well, so I worked that in across the whole car, wiping it down as I went. Final results are pretty dramatic…even the wife noticed it and she’s not a paint wizard by any stretch of the imagination. It won’t be competing against the Camaro or Mustang for nicest paint in the household, but I think the ML looks MUCH better and the wax will help protect it for the occasional winter ride too. 👍
I’ve owned my Griot’s buffer for over 15 years and she still runs like a champ. Some pretty tough looking clear coat…! Criminal abuse of the clear coat thanks to the previous owner’s car wash choices… Scum getting pulled out of the hood’s clear coat by the clay bar! Best way to fix rock chips IMO Looking much better! Paint is now worthy of parking next to the wife’s pristine Mustang GT
So the AMG doesn’t get much use with winter here but we do take it out on occasion…usually when I’m just sick of driving the Expedition everyday. So the wife and I took it out to run some errands. I went to clean the windshield, and no washer fluid. But since I’m still getting used to the AMG controls, I thought maybe I was screwing up. And the stalk placement is hidden behind the steering wheel so I literally have no idea what I’m doing. 😂 So I pulled over and double checked what I was doing, and sure enough the windshield washer fluid just wasn’t spraying. So I tried the back windows and no good there either. So I started looking for a blown fuse, but the washer pump doesn’t have one…! So I figured that the washer pump itself was dead. I thought for sure this would be some expensive crazy MB specific pump… but nope, $11 off Rock Auto! The shipping was more than the pump! I ordered up an extra grommet too since I assumed the existing one was from 2009 too…. EDIT: My gut instincts were right…! This pump is $101.00 from the cheapest MB parts site I could find! Gotta love Rock Auto for silly stuff like this. 👍
Thankfully the install was easy. Pull the drivers side front wheel, and pop off the front half of the wheel liner. Since I have the headlight washers too, I have two pumps. I followed the lines to make sure I was changing the right one! Make sure you have a good sized pan to go underneath…the W164 holds about 2 gallons of washer fluid! Put it all back together, good to go!
Pump on the right does the windshield and back window. Pump on the left does the headlight washers. New pump and grommet.
Last edited by Joshinator99; Jan 28, 2024 at 07:25 PM.
So I finally got a chance to sneak the ML63 onto the lift at my local performance shop. These are the guys that helped me build my 1230 HP Camaro SS and I have way more money than I’ll admit into that exhaust system…! 😂 So I know they can weld if need be. Unfortunately I had to slog the ML through rain and snow to bring it in, but didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity. So I loaded up the new Supersprint system and brought it to the shop. This is my first time under the ML on a lift and I was surprised how huge the OEM mufflers are! The new ones are less than half the size and much lighter, so there’s definitely some weight savings. But my shop was very impressed with the Supersprint build quality! Very nice bends and great welds. My only beef was they make you reuse the factory bell clamps…kind of silly for an expensive exhaust. If I had known, I would have ordered new OEM clamps beforehand. But my shop was able to drill out the old clamp bolts and install new ones (M8 I believe), as the main clamp body was still good and able to be reused. And you need to reuse the OEM “spreader” bar too which is cheap piece of metal…wish they did something nice there. But really just minor nitpicking…overall it’s a beautiful setup! And the tips are VERY nice too. Once I get some miles on it and the mufflers break in, I’ll post up some sound clips. While I probably didn’t need the resonators, I didn’t want any drone at all, and I’m happy to report zero drone!
OEM mufflers and tailpipes OEM x pipe Previous owner did a resonator delete with auto parts store piping lol New Supersprint laid out next to the OEM New Supersprint X-pipe with resonators New Supersprint mufflers, tips, and tailpipes
Quick update on the Supersprint exhaust! I haven’t driven the truck too much in this crappy winter weather, but I’ve noticed the tone is significantly deeper than stock (a good thing). It’s definitely a bit louder as it’s breaking in, but still pretty tame and not obnoxious at all. Tips have stayed in alignment nicely too. If you definitely want yours a bit louder, you can opt for the plain X or H pipe without resonators (saves you a few hundred bucks too). But I was adamant about no droning so I don’t regret my decision.
Hopefully spring isn’t too far around the corner and I can get some more seat time behind the wheel and see what this exhaust sounds like at wide open throttle! 🍻
Last edited by Joshinator99; Feb 13, 2024 at 08:45 PM.
So with winter winding up, I’ve got a bunch of work planned for the ML63 (on top of adding more power to my 1230 HP Camaro LOL). But I really can’t stand the everyday ride height of the ML…it’s just too high. I’ve noticed it’s riding too high at highway speeds, where the truck gets a bit more floaty than a high performance vehicle should. So I’m going to give the Evolution lowering links a try. Nothing crazy, I think a 0.5-0.75” drop will pay nice dividends. So they’re ordered up and should be in soon.
So after buying my ML a few months back, it appeared to have pretty solid service records…but I don’t trust anyone lol. So even though I’ve only put a couple thousand miles on it since buying it I decided to order up a bunch of fluids and do it all at once. Oil, filter, drain plug with washer, transfer case, front diff, rear diff, and power steering fluid along with a new reservoir. I’m happy to report that the engine oil, transfer case, and both diffs looked great…to the point that my tech joked he was going to take my “old” fluids and put them in his truck. 😂 But the power steering fluid was definitely a different story…skanky! We emptied the reservoir, added some new LiquiMoly, and worked the steering back and forth a bunch of times…repeating that process three times. We then changed out the reservoir and refilled the system with new fluid. MUCH better! So I think the power steering gets overlooked sometimes…check yours! Down the road will be a full brake system flush and a transmission fluid flush too. 👍
Originally Posted by C43 Fun Haver;[url=tel:8951241
8951241]This is the most loved W164 ML out there
Hope all is well !
I’m trying! Next up is a nice overhaul of the brake system coming up in a couple of weeks so I’ll make sure to post up some more pics.
Oh, also, I’ll have an email coming your way soon…need some help finding some random odds and ends.
Next up was a complete refresh of the entire braking system! MB of Portsmouth had done the new brake booster under recall, and the selling dealer did the rear brakes maybe a year ago, but I still wanted everything fresh at once. Plus I could address some other items they didn’t do. The brake hoses were looking tired, the front brakes dumped WAY too much dust, the front rotors looked like they were wearing down, and I had not seen the parking brakes at all so no idea what their condition was. So I dropped the hammer and ordered up:
New Brembo dimpled UV-clear coated rotors all around
New Brembo Ceramic pads (virtually NO dust)
New Goodridge braided stainless steel brake hoses
Bosch parking brake shoes
Dorman parking brake hardware
Pentosin DOT 4 Super brake fluid
Took about 4 hours start to finish, which included a full flush of the brake system fluid. 👍
Front before Front completed Rear completed Old parking brake shoes New shoes and hardware New Brembo ceramic pads vs old pads New Brembo front rotors vs old New stainless brake lines vs 15 year old rubber ones lol Scary!
Nothing too much lately. The ML is spending even more time in the garage with the wife’s Mustang and my Camaro finally out of hibernation. But my 22 year old son came up to visit and he couldn’t resist taking the ML to ride around with his buddies. An empty gas tank and 5 million bug splatters later, he dropped it back off… 😂. But I’m really happy he got to try it out… I think we’ve got another AMG fan on our hands now. So I gave the old girl a good bath and tucked it back in. She’s looking pretty good these days.
Howdy! I was just going to create a post about giving some TLC to my old 2009 ML63 AMG W164... its my second one! I had a quote for nearly the car's value to replace the front control arms (upper and lower) so I'm putting it in my own arms.. hands rather. And while at it - figured I would do a number of items that have been on the list... And I just drove home a 2017 GLE 43 AMG earlier this week for two reasons - 1. it has better gas mileage AND... 2. I wanted to do some of my own work on the old beast and needed a second car.
So... I'll make my post here soon but my golly - thanks for all this btw! I was just going to update the front suspension and a bit more but ... now I must go further! Not switching out the exhaust though - that sounded like $$$ but looks great! I just took off the front wheels of my own and noticed the SAME EXACT wear and tear on the brake line - looks like I'll be doing the same work there as well. And my badge fell off in the engine bay too- I have the original so hoping I can glue it back on. Regardless - many folks are surprised to hear its a 15+ year old car.
Did the updated Airboxes make much a difference? What about the OE Tuning Stage 1? Let me know what's next with the W164 and I may follow suit! Thanks again!
8984779[/url]]Howdy! I was just going to create a post about giving some TLC to my old 2009 ML63 AMG W164... its my second one! I had a quote for nearly the car's value to replace the front control arms (upper and lower) so I'm putting it in my own arms.. hands rather. And while at it - figured I would do a number of items that have been on the list... And I just drove home a 2017 GLE 43 AMG earlier this week for two reasons - 1. it has better gas mileage AND... 2. I wanted to do some of my own work on the old beast and needed a second car.
So... I'll make my post here soon but my golly - thanks for all this btw! I was just going to update the front suspension and a bit more but ... now I must go further! Not switching out the exhaust though - that sounded like $$$ but looks great! I just took off the front wheels of my own and noticed the SAME EXACT wear and tear on the brake line - looks like I'll be doing the same work there as well. And my badge fell off in the engine bay too- I have the original so hoping I can glue it back on. Regardless - many folks are surprised to hear its a 15+ year old car.
Did the updated Airboxes make much a difference? What about the OE Tuning Stage 1? Let me know what's next with the W164 and I may follow suit! Thanks again!
Thanks for following along! I can’t recommend the Supersprint exhaust enough…! Really great quality and just enough of a sound bump to let you know it’s there but never aggravating, no matter how long the drive. The ROW air boxes are a no brainer… probably 20 HP difference between those ROW air boxes and old, clogged up, original carbon filters & and too-small air boxes. I’ll be playing with the tune soon and will write up a post on it.
Originally Posted by QuadBenz;[url=tel:8984836
8984836[/url]]What a great thread. Really enjoyed reading about your journey with your ML63. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! Devil is in the details and feel like a machine of this caliber deserves the attention. 👍
So my Sirius XM receiver in the ML just keeps conking out. It’ll say “no service” for long periods of time… and then start playing music when I’m 5 minutes from home. 😂 Since I’d rather be able to just stream from my iPhone anyway, I started looking for something reasonably priced and easy to use. I found this adapter on Amazon and for $25 it was worth a try. I’m happy to report that the adapter plug fits perfectly into the glovebox aux port, connects quickly and easily to your phone, and still lets your phone connect to the truck for phone calls. Audio quality of the music is much better than the typical Sirius XM satellite reception too. 👍
With tunes now available in the ML again, the wife and I took it for a ride to stretch its legs. It sits a lot in the summer since we take her Mustang 5.0 if it’s nice out and I try to do track days in my Camaro too. So it was nice to take it out for a drive and snap a couple of pics at a local overlook spot.
Last edited by Joshinator99; Oct 1, 2024 at 07:55 PM.
So the last few times I took the ML out, I noticed the hot starts were pretty crappy. Battery seemed weak. Voltage was under 12.0V with the car off and 13.7V running. So I pulled the battery and the terminals didn’t look great, so I cleaned everything up well and gave the battery a deep charge. Reinstalled it all and… no real difference. 🤷♂️ So I jumped online and bought a new AGM sealed battery with specs that were as good or better than the OEM MB battery. This time around, I smartened up and pulled the 2 inverted torx bolts at the front of the seat tracks (in addition to popping out the rear bolts) so I was able to move the seat entirely out of the way…. Made for much smoother sailing.
So I yanked out the old battery and threw it on the battery charger and sure enough, only at 43% charge. Glad I ordered a new one! New one sits at 12.9V so that’s a lot better. I dropped the new battery down into the hole and reconnected everything. I plugged in my scanner as I wasn’t sure if I needed to reset any battery management software going on, but didn’t need to. Seems like we’re back in business.
So I noticed recently after backing the ML out of the garage that I was getting some oil on the floor. I showed it to my mechanic and he thought it was probably the valve covers leaking. I put that as a mental note to get the leaks figured out sometime this spring. It irritated me that I had two different valve cover styles too…one early metal style and one newer plastic style. My OCD did not approve. 😂
But while out for a drive recently, I got a very obvious misfire which ended up being in cylinder number one. Figuring we’d have good access to the valve covers while doing plugs and/or coil packs to address the misfire, I decided to do all three things at once. So it went in and we got both new valve covers on, all new NGK OEM plugs, and a new coil pack in cylinder 1. She’s back to running at full power! I’ll give the motor a good cleanup the next nice day we have and hope the oil leaks are fixed too. And best of all, the valve covers match.
Before New MB valve covers, plugs, and coil pack. Plugs were definitely getting tired… it’s obvious which plug wasn’t firing lol Metal valve cover with hairline crack in it. All buttoned up
The ML is running great! I've got a coolant line leaking and while that was on the lift,we noticed an oil leak from what looks like oil cap on the top of the oil filter housing, or the oil cooler. Not enough room in the engine bay to really see what's going on without taking pipes off. So i'm hoping the shop slows down today and we're going to pull that in to take care of it. Other than this, car is running great! been about 4k miles since the cylinder head replacement.
I'd imagine that beast must be thirsty, I chuckled when I saw 2 different valve covers on your ML, bizarre.
Great thread this one. Im fairly sure they updated the valve covers from magnesium to plastic at some point as the metal ones kept warping and leaking. Sounds like someone's only done one on yours.
Great thread this one. Im fairly sure they updated the valve covers from magnesium to plastic at some point as the metal ones kept warping and leaking. Sounds like someone's only done one on yours.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
