2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML320 review from North America
"Expensive to maintain, and disappointed"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
This car is an extremely expensive mistake.
At 35,000 miles, all transmission fluid leaked and the car would not move. Time for the tow truck.
At 45,000, the CD compartment on the door just fell inside of the door.
At 65,000 miles, the car went into limp mode (not over first gear). Tow truck number 2, it was only the battery being weak that made the computer decide to put the car in limp mode even though it would start OK.
At 67.000 miles, the window collapsed and the arm that raises and lowers the window cracked in half.
At 71,000 miles, the transmission died. Are you kidding me? By the way, that is a $5k repair.
Did I mention that the pads die after 15000 miles and the dealer insists on changing the rotors and the pads, even though the rotors are OK? That is a $750.00 repair every year and a half just for a pair of tires.
General comments?
I thought I was getting a luxury car, I ended up getting an Alabama car pretending to be a German car.
The car is pretty, just not as good as I expected.
The dealership seems insulted that you question their prices on repairs; it's like "How dare you ask about money, this is a Mercedes".
Recommended reviews
| Mediocre at best; you don't look good pushing it |
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| I like it still, I wish it were better |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2002 |
| Year of manufacture | 2002 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.2 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 32000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 71000 miles |
| Previous car | Chrysler Sebring Convertible |
| Date of Entry | 22nd August, 2009 |