Update to this thread per
@Nukeman7 suggestion.
Last summer I drove the ML350 about 2300 +/- miles to deliver to Arkansas. Car drove flawless, hit a massive rainstorm on I80 in the mountains between Laramie and Chyenne WY, car did wonderful. Completed the 2300 miles and was not fatigued. Hit a lot of humid 95 degree plus weather, no issues.
Arriving on a late Saturday afternoon, I went to an automatic car wash, then dropped off the car. The next morning, while at the Little Rock airport minutes from boarding a flight that would connect and then take me to Asia for work, I received a call from the new car owner. No air conditioning. I went over a few things and could not imagine what was wrong. I later discovered on the dash the outside temperature was displaying 188 degrees.
Doing research, the outside temperature sensors can fail. When they do, the failed sensor reports 188 degrees, which tells the ECU to shut down the air conditioning, as Mercedes thinks air conditioning should not be used at 188 degrees..... yes I know........ Also, the check engine light came on.
Talking to my friend, the next morning he replaced the sensor with OEM, very easy. Still same error. He took the car to the local MB dealer and only regional MB dealer, they refused to look at the car since the ML350 was over 10 years old. In Little Rock there are three independent MB mechanics, all with mixed on-line reviews. My buddy took the ML350 to the highest rated MB independent shop. He liked the guy and felt confident in the guy. The guy comes back and states the ML350 needs a new computer, and quotes over $3k USD, more than I sold the car for (I sold the car for only what I had into the car).
I told my buddy no way the computer is the issue. My buddy has an upset 16-year-old daughter and upset wife. My buddy has zero options. He is super smart and savvy but doesn't have time or reasonable options to deal with this. He has a very demanding job. I have no option but to send his money back, as I am in Asia working for the next month.
My buddy ends up buying a used MB for his daughter from a MB dealer in Dallas, TX for $18k USD. The new (used) MB also had issues and he had to return the car to the MB dealer for repairs the same day. He took out an extended warranty and bought a MB under ten years old so he could get local MB dealer service.
Upon returning to CONUS from Asia, I went to Little Rock to pick up the "broken ML350". I was going to drive the ML350 to Phoenix, and stage it in Phoenix until I figured out what to do. I landed in Little Rock, jumped in the ML350 and drove down the interstate for about 50 miles heading to Phoenix. I decided to stop at a Wal Mart off the interstate to get a hot dog and a 12 pack of diet Coke for the road trip.
During the 50-mile drive, the car had zero issues, except no air conditioning and displaying an outside temperature of 188 degrees. I checked the outside temperature sensor, and visual inspection looked well. I decided the problem was likely an electrical connection. While in Wal mart I picked up a 12vDC electrical tester (dummy light), and a box of mixed amp fuses. About $7 USD for the tool and fuses.
In the Wal-mart parking lot I tested the fuses, and on the passenger door dash side is an easily accessible fuse box. Found a blown 5-amp fuse. Took under 2 minutes to open the fuse box cover and find the blown fuse. Low and behold, this is the fuse that controls the outside temperature sensor. On my smartphone, I looked at the fuse chart, and discovered this fuse should be a 15 AMP, not a 5 AMP. Replaced the fuse, everything worked great. Drove from Arkansas to Arizona in the summer heat. Through Dallas, TX during rush hour. Zero issues. A wrongly sized fuse was the problem. Super easy fuse to access.
I parked the car in Phoenix and flew to Seattle. On a later work trip to Asia (NOV-DEC timeframe), my Wife decided to rent an Air BNB in Denver while I was working in Asia, so she could be near the grandsons. I flew to Phoenix and drove the ML350 to Denver and staged the car at my Daughter's for my Wifes use. Wife drove the ML350 for two months, zero issues. I would never ever have let my Wife use the ML350 if I thought there would be any risk of breakdown. And there was no breakdown.
Now I have the car and don't know what to do with it. It was a California MB, with full and regular MB dealer maintenance. The car was stolen, so it has a rebuilt title. Yet the car runs flawlessly and is very dependable. Do I sell a car for $3k that needs nothing, but has an "ugly" title?
My Wife and I are temporarily living in Arizona for five months. I am using the MB as a daily driver. It runs great, and with a white exterior and light interior, the car is more heat resistant than other vehicles I own. I want to keep the MB as a spare- but I retire from my current job in the coming weeks- how many spares can I keep when I don't yet have a home or location to hang my hat post-retirement.
So now you know the rest of the story.......... and you know why I no longer trust anyone to do anything- if I need it done, I will figure it out and do it myself.......
