A Fantastic Buy..
My ML430 is six years old. The day after I bought it the power steering messed up. It was a small annoying problem that was easily solved. I haven't had any other problems.
This is an overall great vehicle. The ride is very smooth, but fast.
I was impressed with the gadgets especially the stereo and speakers.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 23rd July, 2006
It is the safest car on the road
The previous owner had the windshield replaced. In the process a clip to secure the plastic piece between the hood and windshield was lost. The plastic piece vibrated when driving, so on our first maintenance we reported it. This clip took 6 weeks to arrive at the dealership. They could not find one in the states, therefore it came from Germany. In the mean time my car was apart at the dealership for that length of time.
The fuel pump quit at 20,000 miles.
The power stearing pump hose clamps broke.
The gas cap is temperamental, if not tighten properly the check engine light comes on.
In all the car is wonderful, I would purchase another.
It rides so smooth and handles wonderful.
The visors are too low, they block ones vision when down.
The seats are comfortable on long trips.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th June, 2004
High price mechanical boondoggle!
Complete set of brakes 3 times.
Power steering pump hose.
Two Battery replacements.
Catalytic converter replacement.
Starter failure.
Fuel pump failure.
Blown exhaust gasket.
Plastic wrap-around at both rear posts cracked.
Leather top on center console loose and ill fitting.
Off the line performance is exceptional for an SUV, I have never had to worry about being able to pass or accelerate.
General handling and ride stability are considerably better than many other vehicles that I have owned, including sport cars.
Fit and finish of the interior components has been ALMOST exceptional, with the exception of the aforementioned deficiency.
Service on the vehicle has generally been very good, our local dealership genuinely seems to care about customer service (imagine that!), I have gotten to know them quite well as much as this vehicle has been in for service.
And that in a nutshell is my biggest problem; after spending almost 50K for a vehicle, I do not expect to have as many service problems as we have had with this vehicle, and the main reason why I doubt very much if I will consider another M.B. I just put a deposit on a Lexus RX430 Hybrid (ten month wait as of now!) next year I'll let you know what I think.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 1st June, 2004
One other thing I forgot to mention in my last posting. The car consumes a quart of oil ever 1000 to 1800 miles. Mercedes dealer said this is normal. Huh? had to add 4 quarts between services. Interesting concept, never heard of that before. Do your homework on the ML. My first Benz and I can say without hesitation that it will be my last. Ran great when it wasn't in the shop. Except for the times that it was waiting to get into the shop. Sometimes 3 weeks before you could get an appointment. Again.. do your homework.
You mean to tell me you purchased your 2000 ML and your previous vehicle was a Ford Excursion. That's funny because the Excursion came out in 2000, that was the first year produced. So either you only had the Excursion a very short time or this whole review is just a phony.
I have 9 years experience with a 2000 ML430 leased new and then bought off the lease at a $6000 discount from Mercedes.
In my opinion there are few SUVs that combine power, handing, and safety like this one.
Here's the rub: KEEP IT UNDER Warranty!!!. Find a reliable independent company and a good local shop. The dealers are to be avoided except as a last resort.
Many of the recurrent problems on this vehicle are due to dealer incompetence (the power steering hose comes to mind).
And don't ever let the dealer touch the brakes. Many superior aftermarket items are readily available and your local guy will happily do it for half price.
Best to think of these vehicles as a small plane. Trust me they are a lot cheaper to maintain. So stop your whining and enjoy what is an exceptional high performance vehicle.
18th Jan 2007, 08:44
I bought it with 39000 miles. I drove it for a year now and I have no problems except brake pads which is 200 dollars.