[springerfever]

Well, the old girl just refuses to die, so I thought I would treat her and myself to new shocks.
Recently received new Bilsteins B6's for the front and just last night ordered from eBay a set of the shock/coil replacements. Went with the ALVO brand (made in Estonia) for $230.00 the pair.

Currently, four corners were changed out about 7/8 years ago with Bilsteins/front and KYB smoking good deal in the rear. They were incredibly inexpensive (less than the 230.00/pair) and have served me well over the years. I changed all of those out myself and it really wasn't that difficult.

Times have changed..been through a couple of right knee surgeries and I will probably have an independent shop do the work this time. MiLlie currently has 382,000 miles on the clock and continues to run flawlessly ! New A/C system installed about six months ago and a new main bearing seal to stop the drooling on the garage floor.

I LOVE the W163's..she has been a real trooper over the years and has never let me down!!

 

[Merzatt]

Congrats to 382.000 miles! One hell of an Alabama panzer you have.

 

[John_L]

Springerfever, You're on your way in getting your third high mileage award!

Award Milestones
155,000 miles (250,000 kilometers)
312,000 miles (500,000 kilometers )
466,000 miles (750,000 kilometers )
625,000 miles (1,000,000 kilometers)
1,000,000 miles (1,610,000 kilometers)

 

[springerfever]

Springerfever, You're on your way in getting your third high mileage award!

Award Milestones
155,000 miles (250,000 kilometers)
312,000 miles (500,000 kilometers )
466,000 miles (750,000 kilometers )
625,000 miles (1,000,000 kilometers)
1,000,000 miles (1,610,000 kilometers)

John,

Thanks for the vote of confidence !

 

[2000 E 320 White Wagon]

Congrats to 382.000 miles! One hell of an Alabama panzer you have.

Yes Amen to that. Springerfever, are you the original owner ?

How does the 4.3 run ? Have you done any major engine work yet ? Consume any oil ?

Our 2002 ML500 is pretty new to us, 1.5 years. Going great so far, driving the wheels off. Have added 28 k miles to the 102k it had when purchased = 130k currently.

Have you done a fuel filter yet ? or how often if more than once ?

Love to hear more if you can share....

Best Regards,

David in East Texas

 

[springerfever]

David, thanks for the support.

I did buy the ML430 new in October of 1998. It has been incredibly reliable. No major engine work; I attribute this to running Mobil One 0W40 from day one. The usual replacements...... filters, radiator, water pump, cooling fans, alternator, batteries, starter, shocks, tires, a/c components......all of these are wear items that just need replacement with the number of miles I have accrued.

Probably the most important thing you can do to keep your ML in good shape is to pay attention to noises and anything out of the ordinary. If your temperature gauge is a bit high it can usually be attributed to low coolant, water pump, cooling fans issue or loss of fluid.

It also helps if you are a car NUT like I am !

This website is fantastic and there are plenty of folks that are will to help if you have particular issues. Just do a search first before you ask for help. So many of the W163 issues are already well documented and have been corrected by owners themselves.

Keep us posted on your ML....130,000 miles is just broken in......!! Best advice I can give is do your own oil changes every 10,000 miles with a Mobil 1 product using the suction method, buy your oil filters in bulk..Mann HU718/5 filter is an excellent choice and will set you back about $7.00 each.

Anything to get you under the hood will be advantageous to your ML's longevity.