[reetp]

Gutted.

Finally going to have to lose my beloved old wreck of an ML.

Wife has hated it almost since day one because of the litany of problems and will only drive it if it is an emergency. She prefers her 25 year old Terrano........

I just have not got the time or energy to really sit down and fix all the issues myself, and don't have deep enough pockets to just throw it at the garage and say 'fix it all'.

Quite frankly there are SO many small things wrong, and quite a few larger ones. It is like playing whack-a-mole. Fix one thing, something else pops up.

It is lovely to drive when it works well. But that is so rare. Having all the brakes lock on whilst the guy drove it out of the brake rollers on it's road test earlier this year was probably the final straw. It just sat there and refused to move like some menopausal woman having a bad day. Embarassing as hell.

So reluctantly I have agreed we'll chop it in for some modern piece of crap. It will be cheap and nasty (well, not exactly cheap, but nasty) but should last a few years without requiring major surgery.

I appreciate all the help and advice I have been given here over the last few years - there are a lot of really top notch people here and I'd like to thank them all.

I hope one day I can get enough cash together again to buy another Merc. I do love the old girl - solid, comfortable, but totally unreliable - but needs must.

Thanks all.

 

[Bezalel]

Gutted.

Finally going to have to lose my beloved old wreck of an ML.

Wife has hated it almost since day one because of the litany of problems and will only drive it if it is an emergency. She prefers her 25 year old Terrano........

I just have not got the time or energy to really sit down and fix all the issues myself, and don't have deep enough pockets to just throw it at the garage and say 'fix it all'.

Quite frankly there are SO many small things wrong, and quite a few larger ones. It is like playing whack-a-mole. Fix one thing, something else pops up.

It is lovely to drive when it works well. But that is so rare. Having all the brakes lock on whilst the guy drove it out of the brake rollers on it's road test earlier this year was probably the final straw. It just sat there and refused to move like some menopausal woman having a bad day. Embarassing as hell.

So reluctantly I have agreed we'll chop it in for some modern piece of crap. It will be cheap and nasty (well, not exactly cheap, but nasty) but should last a few years without requiring major surgery.

I appreciate all the help and advice I have been given here over the last few years - there are a lot of really top notch people here and I'd like to thank them all.

I hope one day I can get enough cash together again to buy another Merc. I do love the old girl - solid, comfortable, but totally unreliable - but needs must.

Thanks all.

A sad tale! My ML320 W163 2000 is accumulating a lot of glitches too, that no one else would put up with, but fortunately it still works okay so I will keep it going as long as possible. If/when it dies I might get an old S320 W140 and go bust even quicker!

 

[Merzatt]

Sorry to hear that you had to pull the plug. We understand your feelings.

 

[reetp]

A sad tale! My ML320 W163 2000 is accumulating a lot of glitches too, that no one else would put up with, but fortunately it still works okay so I will keep it going as long as possible. If/when it dies I might get an old S320 W140 and go bust even quicker!

Indeed.

I am truly mortified. The engine is a beast!

Some of it was self inflicted (long story) but most just a case of crappy engineering getting old. Amazing that one tiny capacitor worth a few pence can grind 2+ tones of Merc to a complete halt. <sigh>

But I won't be sad to just do normal service intervals for a bit, and not feel worried it'll break down somewhere embarassing every time I go out!

Might have to go fix my mates Lancia Delta Integrale HF 16v turbo that is sat in my garden for lack of funds. "A collection of parts flying in loose formation" is a perfect description of driving it, and Italian engineering is......... pants.

But lord does it go !

 

[khomer2]

The MLs of this era were way ahead of its time back then. The techs/indies who had to work on these did not really have the know-how and consequently, it was by 'off the cuff' and trial and error to some degree.
But the good to all of this is these w163s are still in demand and a very strong diy community, just like the w210s and w124s, etc.

rip.

 

[DrJones]

You might want to think about a W164. I currently have a 2008 with 190,000 miles on it. It's been absolutely rock solid. I've had it for over 6 years and changed a lock actuator, idler pulley, water pump and a couple of hoses. It still runs and looks great. I think they are pretty cheap now....good luck.

 

[springerfever]

Sorry to hear about your troubles and frustrations. You have to expect issues with any vehicle these days, but sounds like you have had more than your share and if your wife is fed-up with it.....end of story.

Most of us ML owners here in the U.S. have the gasoline versions and very rarely do I even see a diesel W163.

Sincerely hope you find something reliable and safe for your family. Might be a good idea to have your wife start the search and when new vehicle is chosen, make sure it's one of her top choices. At least you won't get as much grief!!

 

[reetp]

The MLs of this era were way ahead of its time back then. The techs/indies who had to work on these did not really have the know-how and consequently, it was by 'off the cuff' and trial and error to some degree.

Indeed. They are pretty good old buses. I will be sad to see her go.

 

[reetp]

You might want to think about a W164. I currently have a 2008 with 190,000 miles on it. It's been absolutely rock solid. I've had it for over 6 years and changed a lock actuator, idler pulley, water pump and a couple of hoses. It still runs and looks great. I think they are pretty cheap now....good luck.

I might, but she won't period. That's the point - she doesn't want anything with high mileage and needing to change a million bits, and I can understand that. Yes, I know there are no guarantees, but a year old car is less likely to break than a 9 year old one. You can argue that one out with her!

My mates garage is 40 minutes away in the city and it is a bind every time I have to go drop it off & collect it - hours of my life.

Even a decent late 2011 one will cost not far off what we have just paid.

This is nice ;-)

https://www.coches.net/mercedes-benz-clase-m-ml-63-amg-4m-5p-gasolina-2010-en-barcelona-46848693-covo.aspx

 

[reetp]

Sorry to hear about your troubles and frustrations. You have to expect issues with any vehicle these days, but sounds like you have had more than your share and if your wife is fed-up with it.....end of story.

Yup. She's the boss....

Most of us ML owners here in the U.S. have the gasoline versions and very rarely do I even see a diesel W163.

And the reverse in Europe which has always been much bigger on diesel. Cheaper and better mileage, though now they know about the problems with particulates it will swing back. Diesel is already more expensive to buy in the UK once again, though not here as yet.

Either way, the actual motor itself was never really the issue - it was everything that surrounded it. That v8 is an absolute beaut. Never missed a beat, and a fearsome roar. I do know that it needs a pile of stuff very shortly, and it isn't worth me fixing it - needs a new gearbox & steering rack for starters. Probably be cheaper to buy another.

Sincerely hope you find something reliable and safe for your family. Might be a good idea to have your wife start the search and when new vehicle is chosen, make sure it's one of her top choices. At least you won't get as much grief!!

Well, she always wanted a Qashqai, in part because she has rented a lot on business and the 25 year old Nissan Terrano we have is almost bullet proof (and for now she refuses to swap it in).

She then realised that they are fine but we often want to sit 4 adults comfortably on trips around, and once she sat in the back she decided it wasn't so great

So she found an X-Trail :-(

10 months old, girly cream inside, all the toys you want (for her that means electric windows, aircon, something to play music on, auto dipping headlights, auto wipers, and GPS - I get automatic, cruise control, electric seats, parking stuff).

Engine can't pull the skin off a rice pudding, but it will have to do. It's her car - she gets a car and I lose my lovely Merc....... :-(

If we make some more money over the next 6 months I might look for a ML to replace the Terrano ;-) But don't tell her I said that !!!!