Newbie Looking to Buy W164 ML

[Sydoo]

Afternoon all,

Just a quick hello from me, I am looking to buy a W164 ML of some variety and in actual fact am off to look at an Edition 10 tomorrow which I am quite excited about.

Owned a plethora of cars over the years totalling in the region of 40 but this will be the first 4x4/SUV so to speak. Recently sold my MK5 Golf R32 as family is growing and a hatchback Golf isn't quite big enough although the sound track was simply devine!

Looked at an estate but don't really give me the space I want due to intrusive suspension strut towers etc and steeply taking boots cut into the useable space. We have also recently moved to the 'sticks' and the roads and their condition leaves a lot to be desired without factoring in snow/heavy rain!

I looked at the following -

Touareg - doesn't feel that 'big' and pretty poor mpg.
XC90 - just think it's dated quite fast.
X5 - don't know just not a massive fan.
Discovery - too complex and potential for financial ruin.
Range Rover/Sport - a bit 'blingy' for me.

So from the premium sector that sort of left the ML which I think still looks bang up to date, feels big and provides practical/useable space, goes about its business in an understated way and are very reasonable to buy so the decision was made.

Looking forward to seeing the Edition 10 tomorrow, it's a well cared for example with FSH, recent tyres all round and generally in lovely condition.

Couple of questions -

Is there anyway of knowing what audio system is fitted as I know they differ, I know it has sat nav as owner has just bought a recent update disc?

Electric tailgate - they all seem to have these, is it standard and would it be fitted to this 2008 Edition 10?

I have a towbar mounted bike rack, is there a hole on all ML's to receive a towbar and if the car doesn't have one it would be a case of just buying the removable 'hook' part?

Anything else I need to check/be aware off?

Thanks in advance and hopefully will become a more regular contributor round here.

Cheers

Si

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Afternoon all,

Just a quick hello from me, I am looking to buy a W164 ML of some variety and in actual fact am off to look at an Edition 10 tomorrow which I am quite excited about.

Owned a plethora of cars over the years totalling in the region of 40 but this will be the first 4x4/SUV so to speak. Recently sold my MK5 Golf R32 as family is growing and a hatchback Golf isn't quite big enough although the sound track was simply devine!

Looked at an estate but don't really give me the space I want due to intrusive suspension strut towers etc and steeply taking boots cut into the useable space. We have also recently moved to the 'sticks' and the roads and their condition leaves a lot to be desired without factoring in snow/heavy rain!

I looked at the following -

Touareg - doesn't feel that 'big' and pretty poor mpg.
XC90 - just think it's dated quite fast.
X5 - don't know just not a massive fan.
Discovery - too complex and potential for financial ruin.
Range Rover/Sport - a bit 'blingy' for me.

So from the premium sector that sort of left the ML which I think still looks bang up to date, feels big and provides practical/useable space, goes about its business in an understated way and are very reasonable to buy so the decision was made.

Looking forward to seeing the Edition 10 tomorrow, it's a well cared for example with FSH, recent tyres all round and generally in lovely condition.

Couple of questions -

Is there anyway of knowing what audio system is fitted as I know they differ, I know it has sat nav as owner has just bought a recent update disc?

Electric tailgate - they all seem to have these, is it standard and would it be fitted to this 2008 Edition 10?

I have a towbar mounted bike rack, is there a hole on all ML's to receive a towbar and if the car doesn't have one it would be a case of just buying the removable 'hook' part?

Anything else I need to check/be aware off?

Thanks in advance and hopefully will become a more regular contributor round here.

Cheers

Si

COMAND is what you're looking for audio, which is the big screen. Google W164 COMAND to find out what it looks like.

Electric tailgate: not sure if these were standard or no on the Ed10, sorry.

Unless it already has a towbar fitted then you'll need to have a towbar kit fitted, which will replace the cross beam with another which has a socket for the swan neck tow bar to slot into. Westfalia are OEM and are what you get if you order a towbar kit from the parts counter in your local Mercedes dealer.

Good luck with the search.

 

[kid-jensen]

My ML has been pretty (actually Very) reliable in the 18 months I've had it.

But.....what you need to look out for is:-

1. Oil cooler in the V of the engine often leaks......check the seller's driveway. Expensive to fix due to the labour involved.

2. Get evidence of a gearbox oil change every 40K miles or so. If not, be suspicious that other servicing has been skipped.

3. SAM units in the right-rear wing get wet from failed Rear light seals. They are a good few hundred to fix.

4. Unsurprisingly, they get through tyres much faster than a normal-height car. Go for a wider tyre to compensate.

5. Ride is crashy on the 19" or larger rims. IMHO 18" is the maximum you want if you value your spine.

6. The Nav/stereo thingy "Comand" is prone to sudden and catastrofic failure. Budget for a couple of grand for a replacement or fit a no-name Chinese Android version from Ebay. Mine had one fitted when I bought it, and it's still working fine.

7. Parking sensors when they fail seem to bring the whole system down. The individual sensors are cheap (£10 on Ebay) but you will need a diagnostic tool to find which one has failed. About £75 on ebay for a good one..

I'm sure there's more, though as mentioned, mine has been next to no trouble.

I enjoy and look forward to EVERY journey in it and have never had that experience with any of my previous cars, so Mercedes must be doing something right.

The 320 is pretty lively performance-wise, but as expected, I'm craving more power and would buy an AMG tomorrow if the price premium wasn't so huge.

All in all they are completely recommendable (again IMHO)

I'm still sore about the £500 "Road Tax" though.....