I have done a quite bit of upgrades for my car such as adding power seats (heated/memory), auto dimming mirror with L/R power folding outside mirrors, upgraded HID headlights, aftermarket headunit/amp/sub/speaker/rear view camera, and updated the windshield tank to the 7L tank. Now I got my sights on this 2002 model that just recently came to my local pick and pull. It has a front bumper with the headlight washer system and fog lights. Being as I am eager to keep adding stuff my car I am very interested in retrofitting that bumper to my car. Anyone experienced in doing this? I remember asking a while back on this forum about replacing the bumper and was told it required some modifications in order to adapt the "new to me" bumper on my car. I also know the dealer or a mechanic access to a C3 or higher is required to activate the fog lights. Your opinions and suggestions are appreciated!
Thanks!
What are you hopping to gain? You will get lame fog lights and headlight washer system which is a nuisance. They leak. I removed & threw away the washer systems on my 500 & both 55's.
you can retrofit the bumper and the foglights for sure to any ml...
for the "physical" attachment :
1. you just need to make sure you get the right brackets that the "sport / amg bumper" attaches to (I think these are the same brackets also used for the ml500 (but I could be wrong)... in either case... the part i am referring to is a metal part located behind the bumper cover (the "bumper" is actually the metal part attached to the chassis).... so the brackets look like this (in diagram below circled in blue) :
they should be attached directly below the mercedes grill (on the bumper itself via screws / bolts)
2. there should also be 2 end pieces that would be good to get (circled in red below):
hopefully the diagram will be of help to you.
for electronic connection of fogs:
obviously remove the connectors you see... the fogs are pretty useless... but I have done a mod...that should be revealed soon ... and..wow... its a good one !
ps: if you were looking after the ml500 bumper... not the ml55 / amg bumper... it should be similar parts... (i will add the bumper removal doc for future ref)
@Art, from where did your headlight washers leak from? The nozzles or the tubbing or both? And with those fog lights, would an LED bulb replacement make them less lame?
The washers leak from the plunger. The nozzle is attached to the plunger. The motor pushes the water from the reservoir. The water goes into the "syringe" & pushes the plunger up. The plunger lifts the nozzle up & water squirts out from the nozzles. They leak from 2 places. The "syringe" because the plunger rubber gets old. Also from the nozzle because the plunger rubber get old. The plunger has 2 functions , lifting the nozzle & opening the way for the water to flow into the nozzle. So when the plunger seal/rubber inside the syringe gets old it starts to leak & the only solution is to replace the whole mechanism( they are sealed units).
LED bulb will be better, but don't forget the design of the fog lights are made for halogen bulbs. Having a aftermarket LED fogs will give you a much better result. I have changed the 55 fog lights with aftermarket LED ones. My fogs are stronger and brighter then my headlights...........
Plus , unless you have wipers on the headlight, squirting of water is not going to keep them clean.
Perhaps you would still indulge me on this project. I know the headlamp washers are pretty much useless but I am the type of person that enjoys doing projects for the sake of it. At this point this truck is pretty much a project car that I am currently working on as a hobby. If you or the others don't mind in assisting me on this I would really appreciate it. So on to this project..... As far as I know the truck dose not have the k5 relay and fuses in slot 5 (needed for the headlight washers) in the passenger side fuse panel. In fact I think there needs to be some kind of snap in bracket to accommodate the relay and fuses. I am not sure where I can find that. The next issue is of-course the wiring. I can't clearly see where the wires are located in order to tap into the K5 relay. Is it imbedded in the wire-harness bundle above the passenger fuse panel? The third issue is where the headlight washer pump wires/connector are located. Is it tucked under the driver side headlight assembly or imbedded in the windshield pump harness? So far I confirmed that the connector for the headlight washer switch is indeed present behind the left side trim by the steering wheel. So at least that's going well for me. Again thanks
Thank you very much for those diagrams. I don't know why my model year of my car is not showing up in my bio. The previous version of this site would show our current vehicle next to out profile picture. Well anyways my model is a 2000 ML 320.
Thank you very much for those diagrams. I don't know why my model year of my car is not showing up in my bio. The previous version of this site would show our current vehicle next to out profile picture. Well anyways my model is a 2000 ML 320.
While I wait for some parts to come in. How much should i expect the dealer to charge me to enable the front fogs with their super expensive scanner/coder tool? I remember some folks saying they paid 25-50 dollars and others paying up to 150.....
I am swapping out a pick apart front bumper with fog lights, for the current cracked bumper.
On the pick a part bumper the left fog has 2 short hoses that go from the reflector and plug in to the back black assembly.
The right is missing one hose but has a longer hose that’s about 2 feet long these horses look like window washer hoses. So my question is what are their function?
I just want to be sure I have everything that I need at the time of the swap.
If you are talking about the fog lamp assembly itself then those short hoses, I believe, are for ventilation. I think that's what you are talking about? The other hoses are for head light washer system which consist of two different hoses. One hose that connects to both headlight washer nozzles and one hose that connects to the headlamp washer pump. I hope that helps.
If you are talking about the fog lamp assembly itself then those short hoses, I believe, are for ventilation. I think that's what you are talking about?
My daughter and I pulled the bumper cover off the ml last night. The lights on it are the same as the first photo I posted. My guess is two different types of vent systems?
I am not too sure but it does seem like it's for ventilation. The replacement fogs I just got are made by hella and they have the same small hose shown in your first pic.
So an update on my project:
Sourcing all these components has been a real pain in the butt but fortunately I was able to get most of the major parts from the wrecking yards. Some other parts I had to get off from ebay and FCP euro.
Currently what I have:
Non AMG front bumper with fog and headlamp wash holes but no park sensor (in very good shape!!!)
2 x hella made fog lamp assemblies
Left/right fog lamp trim pieces
Headlamp washer pump
2x washer base units nozzle heads
Fog lamp harness cable
Driver side headlamp washer switch with trim piece
Parts I am waiting to be delivered:
Passenger side Auxiliary fuse panel complete with K5 relay/fuse
L/R fog lamp/headlamp nozzle support brackets
headlamp washer caps (unpainted)
Headlamp washer hoses
Tomorrow I am going to repair the cracks and scratches on the bumper and then prime coat the bumper.
The other parts I am waiting for wont be here till mid October.....damn slow USPS shipping.
I will post pictures soon of the primed bumper. Base and clear coat will be done in mid October as well.
Will update you all soon.
Alright I successfully primed my bumper! Maybe in a week or 2 I will start painting on the base and clear coats. This is because my friend is currently repainting his hood on his Subaru forseter and we only have one makeshift painting booth to work in. Once he is done with his hood we can start finishing up my bumper. Until then I am still waiting on those other parts to complete this job. Will update you all soon!
Alright I successfully primed my bumper! Maybe in a week or 2 I will start painting on the base and clear coats. This is because my friend is currently repainting his hood on his Subaru forseter and we only have one makeshift painting booth to work in. Once he is done with his hood we can start finishing up my bumper. Until then I am still waiting on those other parts to complete this job. Will update you all soon!
Looks nice and smooth. I should of brought my bumper down to you, you could of painted both at the same time.
Regardless our pick a part bumper had a small crack in it. Not too bad but was kind of plus sign shape longer on the horizontal. Got this from you-tube. I sanded the back of it with 60 grit paper, cleaned with acetone, clamped it as tight as I could. Mixed up black JB Weld plastic bonder, spread a layer in side over the crack. Then set in a cut piece of fiberglass drywall tape, spreading more plastic bonder over the top.
Since it is mostly the flat area where the snap in grill is, I can sand it smooth fill and spot paint.
Alright! Finished painting this bad boy!!!!!! Now all I got to do is assemble the headlamps washer parts (I have them all finally) and then I can attach the bumper to the car which I will do this next Tuesday. Will update soon!
@wallyo
.... I am not very good at CAD so this might take some time for me before I even start this project. I don't even have a 3D printer either. But I am 100% going to do this. Because why the heck not right?
I'm with you... I am using this car to learn new things... of course none of it makes sense... and everything i do costs more ultimately than the car itself... but.... why the heck not!?
Update: New Bumper is on the car but some small issues.
The lines are not aligning quite right and my passenger headlight washer is not spraying. The washer is bad and I confirmed it when I swapped it for the driver side. I think I can get it to line up better. I ordered a new washer and it will come in a week. Tomorrow I will head to the dealer to get them to activate the fog lights. All in all I am quite happy with the end result.
Update: Got the bumper lined up pretty well (90%) and both headlamp washers now work!!! It was a fun project. Now on to my next project. Design a new steering wheel and have it 3D printed.
Are you planning on printing an actual steering wheel or a proto type to have cast. Because my thought is plastic 3d printing is just way to brittle to hold up. If you have access to a metal 3D printer that is another story.
I would just look for a custom ml wheel. Not endorsing this one, Just happened to be the first I found price is not bad either.
@wallyo
I was thinking about using a high density plastic polymer like polycarbonate. It has a tensile strength of 9,800 psi. Pretty strong. My design will incorporate molding to allow a heating element to wrap around the wheel effectively having a heated steering wheel. The controls will be placed on the 3 and 9 o'clock position. The 3 o'clock controls will have source, volume (roller like in BMW F30), track (back and forward), and mute. The 9 o'clock controls will have call, end call, and heat wheel. I am thinking about wrapping the wheel in a cushioning material and then wrap it black leather. I am not very good at CAD so this might take some time for me before I even start this project. I don't even have a 3D printer either. But I am 100% going to do this. Because why the heck not right?
Just to follow up, to those who have added fog lights and/or gone through the coding process, after you activate the fog in the AAM shouldn't the green fog light illuminate on the instrument cluster when you turn on the fog lights?
thanks
never mind, I found out it's a different process that has to be coded as well.....oh well. I hope I don't get charged another 100 for it.......
Yes it should and there is a step in the MB SDS tool to activate the light. I do not know if the Autologic has the ability, but it should if it can activate the fog lights.
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