W212M276

Replacing the air filter requires loosening three screws that hold the air box cover in place. The back screw has very little clearance and is a major PITA to remove. I was happy to see that opposite this screw is a heat shield made of soft insulation and backed by a plastic shroud. It was relatively easy to drill an access hole in the shroud, through the insulation, to get to the T-25 screw on the other side. This made changing the air filter a breeze on my 2013 ML350.

I know this is an infrequent maintenance item, but it's worth drilling the access hole even if you are only going to use it once.

If there is any interest, I will post additional details.

pcy

I already replaced the air filter once.
I will try your suggestion next time when I need to change the filter.

JohnnyC

You know it takes like an additional thirty seconds to remove the whole housing with only the addition of a E-torx 10 and slotted screwdriver?

No harm is done, but changing the filter sideways always felt like more work to me.

W212M276

Please provide additional detail. Don't you have to remove the air filter to get to the screws that hold the housing in place?

Thanks.

Aziz Wali Bhai

https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w...as-engine.html

Aziz Wali Bhai

GLE 350 Engine air filter replacement procedure.
https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w...as-engine.html

W212M276

This is a great tip! Just remove the two torx bolts from the top of the air box, rotate the air box slightly, and loosen the three screws at the top of the air box.

I didn't have to remove the front snorkel from the air box or mess with the R clamp.

This saved me a lot of time when changing out the spark plugs.

Thanks again!