2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML430 4.3 litre gasoline from North America

Summary:

Great SUV in need of a better assembly plant

Faults:

Driver's door seal came off. The dealer replaced it; however, it is coming off again. I am not very happy with the quality of the USA built Merc. I owned a 400E before and its quality was much better.

Noise in the A pillar of the passenger side. The A pillar was taken apart and a bracket was replaced.

The sun-roof has inordinate amount of noise when on the highway.

The left rear brake light assembly is of poor quality. It needs replacing. The alignment is off and the bare light bulb is showing through.

The brakes squeal a lot. It was replaced at 12000 KM and now the noise has returned. The dealer says this is normal for a Mercedes. I don't buy that.

General Comments:

Generally I am happy with the power of the V8 engine.

The interior is bare for a vehicle costing this much. It needs an automatic climate control for one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th May, 2001

3rd Oct 2006, 23:12

I believe that these reviews are niggling at Mercedes. All the owners are just bitching about little things that are only quality control errors. Value for money these Mercedes' are second to none, they are faster than a WRX around a rally track here in Australia and can be driven everyday with ease. Sure, you have the occasional annoying problem, but is it really worth posting about them? I haven't seen a review like the Ford Explorers and Jeeps stating the gearbox's need rebuilding and heads are going. So think about it, i'd much rather spend a little money on stupid problems than have to replace a gearbox. Wouldn't you?

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2000 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML430 4WD 4.3 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Best all round 4WD I have driven

Faults:

This was a new car.

Paint overspray on under the bonnet water washer bottle.

Stone shield on front near side wing not fitted (or refitted) correctly.

Front bumper out of line.

This car had obviously been damaged/repaired but Mercedes had no record of a repair being carried out. Apparently this sort of thing is normal!!

Fuel gauge not registering correctly

Squeak from the near side rear wheel (brake pads rubbing on the disc).

Greasy sticky stuff appears on drivers side window each time the window is lowered and raised. Can only remove from the glass with a solvent based cleaner.

General Comments:

Fuel usage computer thing is calibrated for US gallons.

A typical new Merc. At same time as buying the ML430 I also bought a Vito Van. So far the Vito has had both side doors and passenger doors resprayed.

Over the years I have had 5 Mercs, all new. Each one has had similar problems.

The dealers salesman was useless and a complete liar. The after sales and service staff are superb.

On the plus side..... road holding for a 4WD is very good and positive, brakes are OK and performance is very good. Off road is better than the Toyota Landcruiser but not as good as the Jeep Cherokee Limited.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th September, 2000