I own a 1999 ml430 just started doing repairs that's been neglected by its previous owners. There's a lot of old tech to which i didn't know about but knew that i had in that car. I could care less but that engine 4.3 v8 is really a beautiful sounding engine.
USA - my fave country ! I am russian , in 90-s years i worked on american cra* *oats from Seattle . It was a very good time .Thank you America , I alltime remem*er your goodness !!! From ruSSia with love /
the w163 is an awesome SUV.....when well maintained. My ML 320 is pretty much fully loaded due to me being able to simply pull used parts from totaled MLs and plug n play into mine. So rare that a European designed car is prewired for all options.
The best SUV Truck, I own a 2001 ML320, off road is incredibly, most modern SUVs can not follow the ML off road, It's ETS traction control , along with its low range make this machine is unstoppable and all the main mechanical components are easy to replace, it has being supper reliable
Very cool info. Im learning features on my 02 ML500. Crazy advanced features 2 decades ago. Who knew then that Smartphones would replace many of these TELEAID features !?
If it wasn't for me constantly fixing my familiy's ML320Sport... the car would have been junked a long time ago. Such a terrible car to keep after 70k miles. I haven't sold it yet cause its the only car we have that has a tow hitch (which I also had to install myself). Thaanks for the video...now I know what some of these mystery buttons do.
What year was it? Because from 2000 on the ML W163 was corrected, before that it had lots of electrical issues, my 2001 ML320 has being the most reliable vehicle ever, so amazing that has taken me threw most USA states, going through rough trails, off road parks and never has broke down, incredible construction and technology, love my ML
@@RichardVac did you buy yours new? My family bought a used 2002 silver ML320 sport in 2006. It already had like around 70k miles on it and 70k is the magical number of miles for these cars to start self destructing after. I have a huge laundry list of stuff I had to replace over the years...the parts I can think of off the top of my head is, BAS sensor, ESP sensor, climate controls, shifter bezel controls, the sunroof seals, idler pulley wheels, crankshaft pulley, valve cover gaskets, ignition coils/ and spark plugs, climate blend door actuator, radiator, condensor radiator, coolant pump, power steering fluid pump, alternator, low range actuator motor, A/C compressor (twice), transmission valve body, transmission module needed to be flashed back to factory after it got corrupted somehow. And that's all the stuff I remember. Not to mention all the tiny and small pieces of plastic that constantly have to be super glued back together. There is a reason why you don't see many of these on the road nowadays...modern Mercedes cars have a small half life. Don't believe me? Just check how fast a Benz depreciates on the market after just one year. My advice is to stay away from these unless you are bored and like having a project to do. This thing has left me stranded on numerous occasions, the BAS/ESP was the worst malfunction of all...the car's brakes would just lock up randomly sometimes the out of nowhere and almost get me killed. It happened at cruising speed and even at low speeds, almost stranded me in the middle of a busy intersection. And the transmission would just get stuck in first gear all the time l...so i changed the valve body but no results so the mercedes technicians factory reset the TCU and it fixed it somehow. Now the A/C only blows cold when it wants to. 🙄 . I suppose your healthy car proves that it's luck of the draw when it comes to these somewhat old Mercedes cars. My advice to anyone considering buying and old menz is; stay the hell away from mercedes period. Germans outsource the manufacturing so actual Germans don't assemble them anymore...and the quality proves it. My mom just bought a brand new Nissan Rogue and I swear I cannot tell it apart from any high end Luxury car...the features and tech and quality is on par with the best luxury cars. I wouldn't belive it myself if the Nissan Badge wasn't all over the car. Most other brands have caught up with Mercedes so dont waist your money on a German luxury car that is worthless in a few years unless you are a shallow person and buying a car for vanity and to double as a status symbol of your wealth. Anyways...bottom line is stay away from Mercedes, especially used ones! Best way to make insane money is become a mercedes/BMW mechanic😆
@@mikerotch4810 I can testify regarding my experience with my 2001 ml320 I got it with 80k miles today it has 130k, no issues and driving strong, I have driven in offroad trails and 1000s of miles highway no issues. Sorry that you had a bad experience with yours
@@mikerotch4810you say 70,000 is the magic number on these cars like you’ve owned more than one or know other peoples experiences. Unfortunately you’re just very unlucky or you guys suck at taking care of your vehicles. They are bullet proof
@mcnuggetapple I have been using my ML320 a lot lately for hauling things, now it's got 160k miles and it seems to be working good after I had the transmission valve body replaced along with a transmission reflash. Now I gotta fix the air conditioner, sunroof seal and one of the ingition coils is making a lot of noise. I only get cold air half the time. And I also have a 00 S500 with 230K miles and it's always got an issue as well. I have also owned a 03 325i that had its own set of malfunctions. And 70k is usually the milage where things start breaking and owners trade up for a newer model. Encountering faults on high milage German cars is very ussual, this is why used Mercedes go for very cheap.
@@306championThis first generation ML was originally designed to replace the g wagon. It has a body on frame design which you now only find in trucks, pick ups and off road vehicles such as toyota Land Cruisers. Technically it has truck genetics
There is nothing to think about... If we are talking about the restyling of the w163, which has no errors, the chassis is in excellent condition, this is a great car for life. I have a ML 270 CDI, and I am very happy. For off-road on winter or off-road tires, it will take you to any target. Well, of course, if you know how to drive this car correctly.
Something is not correct, this is not a 2001 model, it's s 2002 or newer, I have a 2001, the bumper, the mirrors or front dage are not from a 2001, in fact the video narrator said it's a 2002. The ML320 W163 was way ahead of it's class, most modern vehicles don't have the features this Jurassic Park vehicle had, I love it
I don’t miss this truck at all lol I didn’t like the shape and the way it drove wasn’t for me. The only thing I liked was that the headlights illuminated the road plenty bright at night.
Most likely it was the first owner who was terrible at maintenance because these are super reliable iv owed 4 already a 2 320s 1 430 I currently have and a 350 05 all super durable tranny and motor best ever
No one said they weren't, The video is from 2001, as that's when all the MBUSA marketing work was produced for the facelift W163 and released to dealers.
crazy how back then this car was a pinnacle of luxury and now it looks like a complete junky piece of shit compared to the newer models. the car industry's come a long way
This is actually more reliable than the newer ones. They're no Toyota Land Cruiser but if you do your maintenance which includes replacing some parts when they go bad (it's expected from every brand at some point, some earlier in their life than others) they can last several years and thousands of miles without major issues.
American cars 🚘 are like , iPhones 📱! They wait to see how it works for another company before they add cheaper , same things to their products! Years later! 😕😐
The ML W163 models ware built from 97 to 2005, this ware built like tanks, after this year's you are probably correct, I heard they have lots of problems after 2005
@@hellosunshine1090 My 2000 ML430 was assembled in Germany. I just brought home a nice ML500 from West Palm Beach last weekend to Indy. Bama built but engine and tyranny are German.
This original video was only on VHS at the time this car was made (the internet was a new thing so that's why vhs) Its kinda like chapters in yr vids but you do fast forward or rewind with a VHS player
