[Getafix]

"The follies of youth become vices of manhood, and the disgrace of old age." – Unknown

One of my favorite quotes.

One such folly from my not so young age was buying a pre-owned Mercedes Benz ML 320 (year 2002) a few years back.

For someone who drives close to 80,000 kilometers a year, this car having done less than 40,000 in the last 7 years with me means it has spent more time in assorted workshops, or immobile awaiting another look-over.

The problems have been many, with the recurring screwed up suspension issues taking most of the several lakh rupees I have already spent trying to make this road worthy.

Not much of a believer in selling my cars, there are only two alternatives that come to my mind. Either consign it to the nearest river, or give it another shot at life.

And because it is such a dream to drive, on the rare occasions it has been relatively problem free, I am, against well meaning advise, more than willing to spend some more, and see if by some stroke of magic, and lots of luck, I can have the pleasure that the vehicle still has to offer.

Wherein lies the problem. Having exhausted the entire list of Prithvi Raj Market workshops and mechanics, and simultaneously my list of cuss words, directed at said mechanics, I am kind of at my wit’s end.

The last chance was a friend who has just opened a workshop for foreign cars. For the sake of maintaining the friendship, all I can say is that didn’t work out too well either.

The poor car has clearly had a rough life. when I bought it, it was already looking slightly haggard and needed work. Which I thought wasn’t going to be an issue. Well, as I outlined above, it was an issue, and still is.

I feel like a foster parent who takes in a messed up kid, hoping and intending to provide the best tender loving care, and for a multitude of reasons, fails.

A folly turned into vice, and now a disgrace!!! Attached are some images of the same.

Gentlemen (and ladies?), what I need is a resource, a car loving man/workshop, who will take the entire thing apart, and one thing at a time, put it back together, resolving all the nagging issue that have made this proud looking car look and drive like an excuse for its glorious self.

Issues are numerous, though mostly minor, and span both electrical and mechanical, along with some body work.

Kindly help this distraught middle aged man from sinking into depression because of this glaring mark of failure on his forehead.

Tad dramatic, but kind of how I feel. Or a trip to Yamuna it is, to bury forever in watery grave my most ill advised car purchasing decision, the only pre-owned vehicle I even bought.

[V.Narayan]

Getafix, take the Yamuna option is my suggestion. Costly though it is and don't get involved with a Merc girl again. Twice I have evaluated a Merc as an option to buy. For folks my age a Merc has its allure. But several business associates, employees, neighbours and friends who owned one advised against such a purchase mainly because of the litany of maintenance issues, minor failures and harassment at the hands of the authorized service centres. Cut your losses. When we get to middle age each day of life is more valuable - don't waste it on a Merc. Best of luck. Share what you finally do.

[McLaren Rulez]

Unfortunately, the W163 M-Class was one of the worst offerings from Mercedes in terms of reliability. Your example may or may not be a good one but that model was a bit of a disaster worldwide with respect to reliability.

Dump it and move on!

[Nitrous Power]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Unfortunately, the W163 M-Class was one of the worst offerings from Mercedes in terms of reliability. Your example may or may not be a good one but that model was a bit of a disaster worldwide with respect to reliability.

Dump it and move on!

Can't add anything more tho what you have said! This piece of crap was manufactured in USA, the first manufacturing plant outside of Germany by Mercedes Benz. This car earned a reputation of highly unreliable car and long time to recover from that reputation.

The best advice is to dump this car and move on.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Getafix

...

Issues are numerous, though mostly minor, and span both electrical and mechanical, along with some body work.
..

What are the issues you are facing? Please elaborate. Will help you find solutions, or..well.. atleast guide you to a good workshop.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Getafix

Not much of a believer in selling my cars, there are only two alternatives that come to my mind. Either consign it to the nearest river, or give it another shot at life.
...
Or a trip to Yamuna it is, to bury forever in watery grave my most ill advised car purchasing decision, the only pre-owned vehicle I even bought.

On a serious note, the watery grave might not be an easy option as the paperwork of this car shall be in your name.
Giving it another shot is marred with risks of high probability of future failures. The car is quite old and was discontinued more than decade ago.

This is where I put in my opinion : Sell it off. Whatever little it fetches, but sell it off. Take care of paperwork and buy something more reliable. No point in putting more resources, be it time or money.

[ajmat]

I wont add more salt to the wound about the w163 ML class. What exactly are the faults which you are experiencing?

[Lobogris]

I hope you are not serious about the Yamuna option? Why not sell it cheaply or even offer it for free?

[bhphog]

I know the exact person you want for this job.
Given my experience with him, I'm sure he won't be just another name this dreaded list of yours. Trust me on this.

Let me know, if you are seriously interested.

[Paradox p100d]

Originally Posted by Getafix

Not much of a believer in selling my cars, there are only two alternatives that come to my mind. Either consign it to the nearest river, or give it another shot at life.

Tad dramatic, but kind of how I feel. Or a trip to Yamuna it is, to bury forever in watery grave my most ill advised car purchasing decision, the only pre-owned vehicle I even bought.

My two cents
Sell it (or give it for free ) to a Bollywood film crew so they fulfill the honor of driving it into the yamuna or destroying it with one of their over ambitious stunts

Atleast you might be able to say that's my car when watching the movie

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

Why not sell it cheaply or even offer it for free?

Well said. Giving it for free might work. If to a charitable outfit you would be passing the burden on to them. But check it out.

[TheARUN]

The ML is a beauty, the original 'Soccer Mom' car, and as far as I know, Merc's first attempt in the SUV market. The looks are evergreen and it is an excellent vehicle to own forever.

Now having said that, lets come to your predicament

- Not finding spares or mechanics in Delhi is a real big problem. Delhi is where we all look to and manage to find spares that would keep any old machine running. You having such problems in Delhi is a real scary thought
- The problems with the ML I fathom are so big that the car gets immobilized very often, its only run half as much as you would have wanted it to, which is a real downer. Hoping that this particular example was not one of the lemons that Merc made
- Don't want to start on the NCR diesel vehicle ban issue that's staring you in the face
- The ML is not going to turn into a 'wanted' classic any time soon, not in the next 10 years atleast, and till then whatever you spend on it is money down the drain. However, if you retain it for 10 more years and then look at the market, my reckoning is that you would have a good chance of laughing all the way to the Bank

We have immense resources/folks at TBhp who can help you out by putting you through to someone who loves your car as much as you do so that the person can work on it and get it up to your satisfaction. Just keep this thread alive so that we have many more eyeballs coming here

At this moment, my hunch is you're going to give it a second chance and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and the ML

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Getafix

Wherein lies the problem. Having exhausted the entire list of Prithvi Raj Market workshops and mechanics, and simultaneously my list of cuss words, directed at said mechanics, I am kind of at my wit’s end.

Sorry to hear about the troubles, but it's not the mechanics fault. Most Mercedes from that era suffered from poor quality & reliability, thanks to a horrible CEO called Jurgen Schrempp who put Mercedes through a painful cost-cutting drive. Plus, the complicated cars of today aren't designed to last more than 10 - 15 years. Gone are the days of 'over engineering'.

Your car is now 14 years old. Any further repairs will be throwing good money after bad. Get rid of her and buy a newer SUV. Look for 2 - 3 year old examples to get the best prices & value for money.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Twice I have evaluated a Merc as an option to buy...the litany of maintenance issues, minor failures and harassment at the hands of the authorized service centres.

While still far from perfect, the newer Mercedes have improved reliability. They are way superior to the rubbish we saw a decade ago.

Originally Posted by bhphog

I know the exact person you want for this job.
Given my experience with him, I'm sure he won't be just another name this dreaded list of yours. Trust me on this.

For the benefit of others, please do share that contact on this thread. A PM helps one person, a public post helps thousands . Thanks!

[bhphog]

Originally Posted by GTO

For the benefit of others, please do share that contact on this thread. A PM helps one person, a public post helps thousands . Thanks!

Performance
Sector 2, NOIDA
http://performanceauto.in/
(0120) 424000

[Akshay1234]

What are the issues you are facing specifically? In terms of electronics and niggles I can understand, since the ML of that time was far from being the most reliable. But in terms of the engine, and yours is an ML270cdi I'm assuming, it should be quite reliable. It shares its engine and platform with the Ssanyong Rexton we have in India right now.