ML350 What to look for, Advice required

[rjevon]

Morning all,

As you can see I am a new addition to this interesting Forum.

I currently have a Landrover Discovery II 4.0 V8 which I want to replace with an ML350. I have located one wich is a 2003 model with 42K on the clock and has a Multipoint LPG system installed ( A Good one at that..)

My questions / queries are... is there anything specific I should be lloking at when viewing the car to Identify any potential problems ? Any specific areas where these cars fail ?

Any information would be greatfully received, i know landrovers in side out, but looking for something a bit more reliable and Hope a Merc ML will fit the bill :idea:

 

[mercglas]

Morning all,

As you can see I am a new addition to this interesting Forum.

I currently have a Landrover Discovery II 4.0 V8 which I want to replace with an ML350. I have located one wich is a 2003 model with 42K on the clock and has a Multipoint LPG system installed ( A Good one at that..)

My questions / queries are... is there anything specific I should be lloking at when viewing the car to Identify any potential problems ? Any specific areas where these cars fail ?

Any information would be greatfully received, i know landrovers in side out, but looking for something a bit more reliable and Hope a Merc ML will fit the bill :idea:

I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in hearing about your experience with the Land-Rover and why it is unreliabl. It is always good to hear about other makes pro's/con's etc

 

[Mark A]

You won't regret it, I got rid of my Disco II 4.0 V8 ES for a similar age ML-270 CDI and haven't regreted it. I get the occasional little problem , but nothing that can't be rectified relatively cheaply. My disco was always broken. The engine was changed just before I bought it because the water pump failed and it cooked it. Just after I bought it the auto box went, and the ABS control module went costing a fortune to fix. The dealer was less than helpful with most things and just said wear & tear - T055ER.

You'll notice a big difference in the ride - the thing I hated with the disco was the front to back rocking, I had CATS on mine, so the roll round corners wasn't too bad, but coming to a stop or in stop/start traffic you could get sea-sick.

Stop thinking about it - Just do it, you know you want to.

Mark

 

[rjevon]

Mark A,

Thanks for this response makes me feel alot better. I have had Discovery's for many many years and you either love them or hate them... I do love them, but my wallet does not !!!

The one I am looking at is an ML350 2003 year with 42K on the clock and has a top notch LPG system on it. FSH - So he says, not seen the service book yet. and wants about 7k for it (or just over anyway). Seems like a very good price to me, to good to be honest... which is why I wanted advice and guidance as to what issues I should be lloking for ??

I do not want to spend 7k on another bag of SH1T !!

Ta

 

[ebony266]

?

CATS on a disco
iv seen ACE but what he hell is cats

 

[Mark A]

CATS on a disco
iv seen ACE but what he hell is cats

That's the problem, there are so many acronyms - I stand corrected. Active Cornering Enhancement - It cost me so much that the frantic typing temporarily bypassed the grey matter.

 

[ebony266]

Sorry

i hope you dont think me rude ? just that iv never heard of cats ? and thaught i was well up on discos
thankyou for setting me straight

 

[rjevon]

So..
Does this sound ok ?

What should I look at, any electrical issues to look for ?

Any issues at all ?

The one I am looking at is an ML350 2003 year with 42K on the clock and has a top notch LPG system on it. FSH - So he says, not seen the service book yet. and wants about 7k for it (or just over anyway). Seems like a very good price to me, to good to be honest... which is why I wanted advice and guidance as to what issues I should be lloking for ??

I do not want to spend 7k on another bag of SH1T !!

Ta

 

[rjevon]

Also, how do I check if it is or when is is due for a service ?

Assyst ??? is this the correct term ? how do I access it ?

 

[Cole@MBS]

Press the reset button untill the service due comes up!

 

[rjevon]

Hi All,

Sadly I am not an ML owner yet... Went to view and test drive the ML305 yesterday. Alll seemed to drive OK, although there was a bit of a pumping type noise coming from behid the Dash or possible from the back of the engine bay.. No idea what it was..

The last service in the book, and the last service the guy said it had, was approx 32k, the current mileage is 42K. I pressed the re-set button to see the next service details, it had a single spanner and 9500 miles left. This does not sound correct to me, looks like the service lights have been re-set without a service being carried out..!!.. Why I ask myself ???

Anyway, thought I would look under the bonnet to see that lovely V6 engine. Bay was covererd in dirty watermaked staines, you know the type if coolant has been lost oll over the place..

Coolant was very clear, as if replaced with just tap water. Removed the oil filler cap and there was thick tar in it and also a mild milky looking oil.. Head Gasket I thought.

Are the head gaskets common failure, or do you think this particular car has either been clocked or repaied badly ??

Anyway, still looking for an ML350, anyone got one for sale get in touch.

Regards
Richard

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Anyway, still looking for an ML350, anyone got one for sale get in touch.

Hi Richard,

Very good object lesson in several good reasons to walk away - and without recourse to a ramp or dismantling anything. :wink:

Good luck on your search.

 

[st4]

i hope you dont think me rude ? just that iv never heard of cats ? and thaught i was well up on discos
thankyou for setting me straight

CATs is the jaguar thing. Its computer active suspension. Works a bit like active body control on mercs.

 

[PanzerMcGrory]

Look out for rust around the rear tailgate release as its a known problem and the tailgate has to be removed and stripped down including removing the back window to sort it so its a massive job for a little bit of rust that will spread and unfortunately come back as the root cause cannot be fixed as its a design fault.
Apart from that they eat brakes due to their weight but you will be used to that and i got an independent to do all four for £160.
you wont regret getting a W163 though i couldnt handle feeding the petrol engine as 34-36mpg was bad enough for the 270cdi