Members can showcase their favorite M-Class pictures and stories here. You may submit pictures or a URL to your page.

Please send an email message to  mclass@off-road.com if you'd like to submit your photos. We can also scan your hardcopy pictures if you'd like to share them with everyone. 

Jeff Chen's ML320

Chrome Side Steps Pictures from Clair Express:
Chrome Side Steps
Chrome Side Steps
Chrome Side Steps

dtay@home.com's power seat movement fuse workaround:

I read with interest the inability to move the power seats without the key in the ignition in US-spec ML320's. Someone had suggested using a jumper wire or a modified fuse to bridge sockets #30 and #87 in the fuse box. This modification could be considered a violation of the warranty, at least when the dealer sees it. Most dealers would not enable the AAM function either. A new wiring loom can be added at $150+ and labor to enable the power seat, but not the power windows.
This is what I tried on relay #14 in my ML320 (see relay.jpg). I used a common wire, but I suppose copper wiring from the inside of electrical wire would be even better. It's hard to see the modification when it's done. The wires are small enough so that when the relay is replaced it still lies flat on the fuse box due to the raised ribbing (arrow #1, fusebox.jpg) and the wires are hidden within the space (arrow #2, fusebox.jpg). Total cost = 15 minutes of my time. 

David Tay found another set of fender flares at NR Automotive Accessories:

It looks like they did something to the door sill as well. It would be interesting to find out if they have problems with dirt sanding the fender paint under the flares. 

Scott Teilhaber got a copy of the schematics to the ML320's starter motor in case you want to wire in your own custom alarm system:
wiring list
schematic (page 1)
schematic (page 2)
schematic (page 3)
I still wish OEM alarm designers would design their alarm as an open system so you can easily add remote start and window lowering/raising. Oh well, maybe when the AutoPC stuff becomes ubiquitous... 

Here are some pictures from Jim Griffin's "foglights in bumper" project:
full view
closeup of a fog lamp #1
closeup of a fog lamp #2
closeup of a fog lamp #3
behind bumper mounting

Jim also created a nice wiring diagram in this MSWord97 file (with embedded Visio5 image): FogLight.doc

From Greg Williams (gaw@boora.com):

Base vehicle is a Brilliant Silver ML320, December '97 build, January '98 delivery. Factory equipment includes M1, sunroof, Bose. I installed the factory grille guard with PIAA 520 Crystal Ion driving lights (custom fab'd. brackets), PIAA Crystal Ion bulbs in the integral fog lights, factory flares, factory cellular antenna, trailer hitch, and had the mirrors painted body color (whole mirror, not just glass surround as on '99s). Wheels are Lorinser RS-3 18" x 10", specifically designed for the M-Class. Tires are Yokahama AVS/ST 285/50R-18H. I modified S-class wheel locks to work with these wheels. Wheel/tire combination looks and works fantastic, IMHO.

The key-off seat control harness will be installed next week. Future plans include Lorinser dual exhaust w/ quad tips, perhaps Brabus body kit, engine performance upgrades. I am mounting 75-series snow tires on the stock wheels, for use as required this winter for skiing or our annual ice storm (I'm actually looking forward to it!). I like to personalize my vehicles, and this on is a lot of fun!

front 3/4 view
rear 3/4 view

These are pictures from Fred Lord's "foglights in bumper" project:

ML in a forest park
front left 3/4 angle
front closeup
right front 3/4 angle
right front closeup
left front closeup
foglight closeup
behind the bumper

From Steven Goldstein (zajesdad@juno.com):

Here are the photos from my fog light installation. I installed the CATZ MSX's splicing into the wire harness above the headlight and used the existing aux light switch. The lights are not as bright as I like but the spread is terric, which is what I needed:

right front of ML
closeup of fog light
wiring behind light

David Tay's Trunk Liner Experience:

It might sound like I'm griping about the trunk liner but I'm actually very happy with it. But there are a lot of errors on the instruction sheet:

1. After the back seat caps are placed, the instructions do not say the seats must be laid down flat with the floor.

2. There are 2 included plastic strips with attached Velcro (see the yellow arrow on Corner.jpg) that should be inserted at the very start. This determines the overall position of the liner. The instructions didn't mention it and mine ended up slightly too far back after all the stick-on Velcro strips have been applied.

3. Their directions on how to apply the stick-on Velcro is a good one. Follow it to the letter or the Velcro will peel off in weeks. Steel wool also helps, just clean the surface well afterwards.

4. After attaching the clips on the plastic wheel well covers (oh, what a pain. I think this must be a heck easier on American trucks with wider tolerances), you get better results attaching the front most/topmost Velcro strips THEN attaching the middle ones.

5. There are 6-7 wide plastic hooks that should attach to the carpet strip behind the 2nd row seats in the hole (foot well for the 3rd row seats) - minor point, should be obvious, but not mentioned.

6. The lift gate cover attaches to the bottom with plastic clips on the bottom, similar to the tan Velcro strips you see on Corner.jpg (the instructions are wrong.) Start with the bottom and stick the Velcro strips to the bottom of the window.

Some shortcomings and observations:
Lift gate cover partially covers grab hole under the lift gate. To access CD changer you must remove liner from the side. Liner covers some anchor points on the floor. No provisions made for 3rd row seats. I think they did a great job with MB's three floor plates (oh, the flaps covering the hinges should be underneath when finished.)

Seats in the down position
Seat in the up position

Aiko (aiko@mil.emc.com) sent along a picture of her Eclipse radio installation. It consists of the Eclipse 4421R (cassette receiver) on top, with the 5961 (6 CD changer) below. 

Frank Kuehnl was nice enough to prove copies of the instructions for installation of various accessories with written tips for parts of the install:

MB Grill Guard: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

MB Side Steps: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

MB Trailer Hitch: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

David Tay (dtay@home.com) installed the Draw-Tite hitch:

covers.jpg -- bolt access holes
nocover.jpg -- This is how the bare bumper looked after the cover is removed
hitch.jpg -- after the hitch is installed. Note the structural differences with the MB hitch. It is possible to confuse the metric M14 bolts with the supplied 1/2 in. frame bracket bolts. The metric bolts say "10.9" on the head and are the dark, beefiest bolts in the kit.
bracket.jpg -- this is how the aftermarket bracket looks like. A lot less fancy than MB's own (but it carries the same weight rating). Note the two silver metal pieces sticking out. They are what DrawTite calls "handle nuts" that enables one to hold a nut inside the boxed frame sections from the outside while screwing in the bolt. The handles are meant to be bent (See handle1.jpg, handle2.jpg and handle3.jpg) Pre-shape the handle nuts to make a 90 degree angle before the frame brackets are installed -- see bent.jpg. After installation, the handles should be bent to clear the spare tire -- see clearit.jpg.
done.jpg -- this is how it looks like without the hitch cover. It sticks out 2 1/2 in. from the bumper -- sidevu.jpg
trim.jpg -- this is how the hitch looks like after the cover is trimmed. Note the hitch is slightly off center to the right with respect to the cover.
template.jpg -- this is the template that I used to cut the opening on the hitch cover. I used Windows 95/NT's Paint to create the bitmap (template.bmp) that when printed (from Paint) fits the cover closely. When I printed the .jpg image from Netscape Communicator, IE4 and Photoshop I get different sizes that don't fit, so some scaling up or down must be done. Windows 98's Paint also seemed to work well. I suggest cutting the printout on heavyweight paper or cardboard and physically trying it on the bumper. Some adjustments can be made on it before irreversibly cutting any plastic. 

Vernon Lew (vmlew@inreach.com) got a hold of the mud flap schematics and gave these tips for installation:
The whole proceedure should take 1-2 hours, depending on how perfect you want to line them up.
Note: on the rear flaps you will see a cable with a ring on the end of each flap. This bolts to a screw that sticks out of the body. You will see it when you look underneath. Nuts are not included with most kits and you will probably have to find/buy 2 that will fit. Hand tighten the nuts first, then rotate the ring until the flap is pulled up about 1/8" then tighten. It should all make sence as you're installing it.

The front mudflap modifications:

If you have MB sidesteps, you will have to cut off a leg on each of the U bolts. The bracket for the steps gets in the way.

If you have fenderflares, you will have to cut away a portion of the flap so that it will sit flush with the flare. This is best done with a Dremmel-like tool with a coarse grinding bit or coarse sanding cylinder. Line up the flap to see where to grind and slowly take off small portions. Stretch the flap into place often to determine where to grind. If you work slowly and carefully, you can make it line up very closely. I was too impatient and ended up with a slight gap on each side. This was hidden with adhesive-backed plastic door protector molding. The adhesive works well as long as the surface is clean. I placed a small short black screw though the molding into the flare directly facing the wheel to hold it securely in place (under the wheel well). The lower part of the molding is wedged between where the body meets the lower rocker panel. The supplied clips will need to be stretched out a lot because of the thickness of the flare under the wheel well. I simply bought bigger ones from an auto supply.

The adhesive backed molding:
It's actually for door edges. You've probably seen those cheap strips (some are chrome plated) that adhere along the edge of the door and are suposed to protect the door if someone swings the door open and hits something. It is flat, adhesive backed, and has a small lip to go over the edge of the door.I wouldn't dream of putting it on my door but it works great for this purpose. The adhesive holds pretty well as long as the surface is clean. I placed a screw on the top edge facing the tire just to insure it won't come off. It's made of plastic so it wouldn't work well for the fender flares.
For the fender flares, I was told that double-stick rubber mounting tape the stuff used on aftermarket body-side molding) works the best. It's suposed to come in rolls and is very thin. Just apply this to the flare's edge that will contact the body. Leave the cover tape on (covering the sticky part that will stick to the body) and just peel off each edge about 1/2 inch so that you have 2 "tails" to pull off and expose the adhesive portion with the flare in the proper position. Once the flare is positioned and partially tightened (better with 2 people) carefully pull off the tape backing by the tails.
It's sold as 2 strips ~2.5-3' long and I think it was called "door protectors".

Here are images of: the rear flaps, the front of the front flaps, the rear of the front flaps

Peter Steiner (peter.k.steiner@lmco.com) recently had an accident with his ML320. Here are the details of it:

The Accident
October 22 I was taking my 18 month old daughter to a doctor's appointment. I was driving down a four lane road following a large delivery truck who put on his left turn signal. I moved to the open right lane. What I didn't see was the intersection with a small cross street and the red traffic light. A utility truck had pulled out and apparently didn't see me until it was too late. The utility truck (GMC heavy duty pickup with cherry picker on the rear) impacted the right front wheel, fender and front passenger door. It was a solid blow, very loud and seemed to move the truck sideways a bit. There was no intrusion into the passenger compartment.
The driver's and passenger airbags fired, but the front passenger door airbag didn't (nobody was sitting there). The alarms sounded and the ignition was cut off. My first reaction was to keep going straight and not drift over into the on-coming traffic, then break and pull over to the curb (the front right tire was flat). Then I quickly got out of the car and got Katie out of her car seat. Other than being frightened by the noise she was OK and so was I. (we eventually did make the doctor's apt. and she was checked out). In five minutes the police, ambulance came and soon after a tow truck.
The truck was towed by conventional tow truck one mile to a gas station. My Mercedes Benz dealer recommended a body shop to do the repair, who transported the truck by flatbed back to their shop. My ML320 (white/grey, M1, sunroof, Bose) was purchased June 13, 1998 and had 4,500 miles on it. The utility truck had three passenger and they were OK. Their truck lost its front bumper and radiator, but that was it.

The Claim
St. Farm Insurance worked up an estimate of $15,190 to fix the ML. Two days later the body shop called back the insurance estimator to look at damage uncovered after removing the door and fender. St. Farm decided to total loss the vehicle. I wrote St. Farm a letter detailing the history of the ML 320 and its limited availability, and approximate resale value. The St. Farm claims agent called two Mercedes Benz dealers to ask what the value of a 1998 ML 320 with 4 months/4,500 miles. Both dealers said $2,000 over invoice. So that is what I am getting. (St. Farm actually called my dealer and spoke with my salesman!) The only thing I disagree with is St. Farm isn't giving any consideration to the extended warrantee plan I purchased for the truck. Also gave them a letter from Fisher-Price stating the value of the car seat and recommendation that it must be replaced after a motor vehicle accident. Any time a car seat is involved in an accident, it must be replaced even if there is no visible damage.

Here are some interesting items from the original estimate:
$Cost Item
252 Front Bumper Cover
590 Hood
197 Right Fender
162 Front alloy wheel
102 Tire
57 Hub
292 Upper control arm
236 Windshield
342 Passenger airbag
342 Driver airbag
1640 Right Hinge pillar outer
154 Right Hinge pillar inner
1030 Right Rocker panel
125 Right Sidemember
138 Right Rocker molding
480 Right Door shell
392 Right mirror
113 Door glass
282 Right door trim panel

The Replacement
When I was told the vehicle was a total loss I called my salesman Stan Schechter at R & S Imports, Ft. Washington, PA. He had two ML320s in stock. I test drove the 1999 Black ML320, M1, Bose + Power Sky Top and decided to purchase it. (The other vehicle was on the showroom floor:
Emerald/M1/M4/SkyTop). I picked it up on Halloween and have enjoyed it even more than my 1998 ML.
The Sky Top is amazing! I only wished I lived in San Diego rather than Philadelphia! When closed I miss the view and complete silence of the glass sunroof. But the open Sky Top makes the truck seem like a convertible. The wind deflector does a good job of lowering the noise too. I think it was worth the money. I've kept the top open anytime it is over 40 deg. F (and don't have the wife and kid in the car) and just blast the heater and seat heater.
The only negatives so far are more wind noise from the driver's door and wind noise from the closed Sky Top. The cargo cover spring squeaks so I removed it. Will be going back to the dealer soon for installation of mud flaps.
Other minor pluses: the steering wheel cover doesn't scuff and the Dunlop tires seem better than the Generals on the first truck. The seats don't squeak and the trunk closes better (had the felt trunk latch fix on the first truck and it wasn't quite right.) And I really like the black exterior over the white.
To summarize: I had an accident, it was my fault, thankfully nobody was hurt (especially my daughter!). The insurance company totaled the car and gave me fair market value. Rather than wait 6 months to order the exact replacement, I took one from the dealer's lot and like it a lot. Can't wait for next summer to really enjoy the Sky Top.

More Details
I was traveling about 40 mph and didn't hit my brakes before impact as I didn't see the light or the truck in advance of the impact. The other truck may have been going 15 mph. (I think I heard him tell an officer that he wasn't previously stopped at the light, but had coasted up to it and timed the light.) My right ribs hurt for two weeks as my inertia pushed me against the seatbelt and center console. I don't remember the effect of the airbag hitting my face. I did have some red marks on my hands from the airbag opening up.
The other truck only impacted the side of my truck, not the front. The front of the ML looked fine. No headlight broken. (The other car really hit me, even though it was my fault for running the red light). It certainly did stop my forward momentum though.
The actual insurance claim was a 7 page printout. I only noted large items of interest, there were a lot of labor and inspection items. The body shop is instructed to remove and inspect items and the claim may be adjusted to repair found damage. What was found was bend frame, body knocked off frame, rippled floor pan, buckled roof, etc. The ML gave itself up for us. If I had been driving my wife's Ford Probe GT, or our previous car, a Mercury Mystique there may have been injuries. If someone was in the passenger seat of those type cars they would have been hurt badly. Cars are cheap. $40k is much less than a broken leg or worse.
When I got the call that the vehicle was a total loss I called my wife so we could have lunch. I asked her what her favorite color was. She knew it meant it was time to buy a new car. I asked what should we get, as I was sure St. Farm would pay off the old one. She didn't want to look at any minivan, even though I suggested the new Honda. I didn't want to look at any other SUV. The ML had proven itself to us that it was an exceptionally strong vehicle. We bought the ML 320 because it best fit our needs: Safety, all wheel drive and traction control, room for the family, powerful engine, durability to last us many years. I was very, very upset that the accident occurred. I was so upset with myself that I had endangered my daughter. But it was an accident (my first one ever in 17 years of driving), and right now I try to put it behind me. So, there really wasn't any hesitation to by another ML.

Here are pictures from the crash:
front view of damage, rear view of damage, front view of door area, side view of door area, floorpan damage

Bill Evenson had his white ML320's flares, mirrors, rub strips, and bumpers painted to match the body; it also has the OEM front grill guard and hella foglights. Here are pictures of it:
left front, left rear, right, front quarter view, front closeup, front

SLK insert photo scanned by Stanley Constantine.

Carlos Cuellar (ccuel@cwnet.com) found this ad from Dieter Marquardt for a fog light mounting system that doesn't require the brush guards: Fog Light Picture

Frank Streing (GSTREIN@aol.com) found a picture of the first bug/stone deflector for the M-Class from Nordleth: Bug Deflector Picture

Bryan Platt (bplatt@novell.com) installed this and sent these pictures: Head On, Side View Up Close, Over Hood, Another Front View

Lee Hasiuk installed the Nakamichi MB-75 6-CD/radio in place of the standard MB radio. Here are some pictures of it: With Faceplate, Without Faceplate

Thanks to Birger (Birger.KROUEL@SDT.cec.be) for taking the time to AVI this video: 6MB AMS Offset Crash Test (German voiceover).

Here's a brief translation from Birger in English:
- a hard test, especially for an off-road vehicle
- everything seems to be going according to schedule when the Mercedes ML 320 is subjected to the off-set crash test. The airbags deploy as they should after 53 milliseconds, the vehicle spins through 75 degrees
- seemingly an everyday crash test. Yet this impression is wrong. A closer examination reveal that the color markings on the dummy's chin and head are not normal - the airbag has become trapped under the dummy's chin, not deploying completely and yet giving the dummy a considerable blow to the chin. This is considered unsatisfactory and a second test is arranged. The combined weight of truck, dummy and instruments is 2,200 kilograms. After the last checks the second crash gets underway. Both dummys are now equipped with collars that resemble the human body form very closely. The airbag will not become trapped this time. The results are convincing: HIC is considered "good", as is the neck strain. Only the thorax compression index for the driver is higher, leading to only an "adequate" judgment, whereas the passenger earns a "satisfactory". Knee contact with the dashboard is slight, only the driver's left thigh runs a slight risk of injury. The leg injury indexes for both the passenger's legs are considered "good". The conclusion is that due to an equal distribution of the crash forces the body structure remains intact. Except for a slight compression of the footwell, the safety cell is unchanged, and intrusion of steering column and dashboard are minimal. As a further sign the doors could be opened easily, without tools, after the crash, which makes rescue attempts unproblematic. End result: The M-Class need not fear the tougher European [ECAP] crash criteria, however, a slight residual risk remains. More information in the latest edition of "Auto, Motor und Sport"".

rcparker@aol.com worked w/ Frank Kuehnl (mb_tech@webtv.net) to put this setup together for controlling the internal and external fogs with one switch: Hookup Diagram (MS Word format), Hookup Procedure (MS Word format), Battery Hookup, Relay, Wiring

This is a picture of the Nordleth sunroof deflector that was faxed to Richard Bugaj: deflector picture. Based on reports from members of the M-Class list, it really works in keeping wind noise down. Dom Isbell put up some pictures of his install so you can see what it looks like on the M-Class.

Dave Hsu sent in these notes on his install:
Well, thanks to Rich's efforts in setting up the group buy, I got my sunroof deflector Friday and rigged it up Saturday. Photos forthcoming, but I have a few comments to share, since I know there are around 70 of you who are going to go through the same motions.

No tools were needed for installation, but I found a roll of electrical tape and a pair of scissors handy.

Although it works extremely well at all-but-eliminating wind noise and buffetting, at least up to 80mph or so, it excites an unpleasant resonance between 12-25mph if all the windows are up. Also, the original deflector now makes a loud "ting" when I open the panel because it hits the bottoms of the plastic mounting bolts...I'm going to fit some small rubber feet to them.

The deflector itself is molded flat, no doubt because it's easier to make and takes less shipping volume. As a result, it must be tensioned by the mounts to match the curve of the ML roof, and tensioned fairly stiffly if you want the gasket to function. It took some experimenting to decide that I had the best luck by opening the door, standing on the sill, and with the outside arm I pressed down on that corner of the deflector while the inside arm tightened the nut. Apply only enough force to relieve the tension on the nut, or you might push the clip out of the channel and have to start over again on that side.

Another listmember said he mounted the supplied washer on the outside of the deflector to spread the load. Since it's actually marginally smaller than the head of the plastic bolt, I think this is a no-op. However, if the washer is installed as the instructions direct, on the inside between the deflector and the mounting clip, it still doesn't do anything useful since the two other parts don't meet.

The mounting clips themselves appear to work well, but are uncoated stamped steel and can scratch your paint. I have wrapped the contact areas on mine with 3M electrical tape in an attempt to simulate the vinyl contact pads found on Yakima roof racks. I don't think anything thicker than one layer would be advisable; the clips are already thick enough to drag on the glass panel when you tilt it into the vent position, so I applied a small dab of Vaseline to the contact area to smooth things out.

Keeping the old deflector out of your way is the biggest obstacle to hooking up the mounts, unless you have fat fingers in which case _that_ is the biggest obstacle. Since I already had the roll of tape out, I just jammed the whole thing in on one side between the deflector arm and the roof...it's just the right thickness. Don't forget to remove it before closing your roof.

Jim Cheal (jcheal@quantumcycle.com) sent these pictures of special clamping system that lets you put big a** Hella driving lights on the MB bull bar. Harold Pietschmann has some instructions on how to make this clamping system. The person who made them for Jim can make one for anyone on the list for $75 (email Jim). More comments from Jim:

"I'm really pleased with these lights; they're for serious back roads and I got the idea of using them from Harold. He sent me a drawing of what he welded up in the desert one day, and I took the idea to this fabracator that I know, and he weld this up out of T-6 and painted it wrinkle black. It's real strong, and because of that the beams don't jiggle when going over rough wash board back road like we have around here. Most of the back roads that I go on are used by orange trucks alot; lots of wash boards."

Here are the pics: 3/4 view of one light, close up of one light, front view, side view, 3/4 view

Couple of random links: Paul Moody built his own cellphone/pen holder. David Tay sent in a link to MG Racing for their ML mods.

Greg Greeson (eurway@aol.com) sent in these pictures of his ML where he painted the bottom part of the bumpers black to visually fix the "u" shape of the rear hatch: front view, rear view

David Tay (dtay@home.com) has some renditions of what the M-Class would look like w/ different bumpers:

In my opinion, the bumpers on the 98-99 M Class, especially on the rear, are too massive, giving it a minivan-like appearance. I took a picture from MB's website and modified it in two different ways:

To reduce the mass, the first modification involves raising the lower bumper half to the level of the rearhatch sill. Note more of the undercarriage is now showing.

The second modification involves raising the hatch doorsill and the bumper. I think the large hatch contributed as much to the vanlike appearance.

Please post your opinions on the forum.

Paul Moody (paul_moody@lotus.com) used Photoshop to make these pictures of a white ML w/ silver bumpers: front, back

Betty (jardin20@aol.com) sent these pictures from the Yankee Boy Basin trail near Ouray, Colorado. In the first one, you can see the trail coming up mountain in the left side of the photo: picture 1, picture 2

Birger Krouel (Birger.KROUEL@SDT.cec.be) sent these pictures in of:
1. The German engineering company Bertrandt (www.bertrandt.com) who apparently also were involved in the development of the M-Class (or AAV) will show a prototype of a M-Class based pickup truck at the IAA next September.
2. From www.autobild.de, there is a picture of the interior of the MY2000 M-Class.
3. A picture of the Smart. Thanks to Guy Demeestere for this better explanation of it: It is an MCC SMART. This little 2-seater car is produced by the company MCC, who was a joint-venture between Daimler-Benz and Swatch (the watchmaker). As the MCC company did not achieve its targets (release of the car way too late, developing cost skyhigh, sales disappointing) Swatch left and Daimler-Benz (now Daimler-Chrysler) took over (or was forced to take over?) all the shares - MCC now being a 100 % MB daughter.
However the SMART car is sold by different dealerships (so-called SMART-CENTERS). The disappointing sales, makes MB think about selling the SMARTS in its own Mercedes dealerships.
4. And two pictures of his ML w/ flares and 17" wheels.
5. How they did the 3rd row seatbelt opening on his ML.

Birger also scanned some pics from AutoBild magazine:
1. Another picture of the MY2000 interior
2. Pictures of the 270CDI and ML55 engines
3. Pictures of the 270CDI and ML55 exteriors

From Patrick Ip (patrick1@home.com):
I completed the installation of the Nokia handfree kit for my 6192 cellular phone on my ML320. Here are the highlights of my installation (use them at your own risk: with all disclaimers applied):
1. I did not use the MB built-in antenna since it is for an analog phone. I opted for Hirschmann glass mount model #927913-950, dual-mode (TMDA/analog) and dual-band (800/1900Mhz), that I got through Nokia for $50. I mounted it on the front windshield passenger side. I would have preferred the driver side but the wiper got in the way.
2. I patched into the radio system to mute it when the phone is in use. I suggest getting the radio removal tool MB part #929-589-01-05 ($5.60); it is a time saver. For those who do not have the GPS kit, get the phone/GPS adapter cable MB part #Q6-82-0365 (around $15.00). The adapter cable provides two extra connectors: one for the GPS and one for the MB phone. Two extra wires run between the radio and the phone connector: the gray wire provides the muting signal and the blue wire, probably provides the audio signal (I did not test it.) If a ground signal is applied to the gray wire, the radio will display "PHONE" and mute all outputs. Really cool! The Nokia kit provides the correct signal through its yellow wire. If all you want is to mute the radio when the phone is in use, you can connect the yellow wire from the Nokia kit directly to the gray wire going to the radio. For those who do not want to get the adapter cable, here is an updated pin-out of the MB factory radio connector:

-------------
| 1 2 3 4 | <
| 5 6 7 8 | <
-------------
1 Brown: Ground
2 White: Illumination
3 Red: Battery
4 Tan: Antenna
5 Pink: Ignition
6 Orange: ???
7 Gray: Mute (from cell phone, ground to mute)
8 Blue: ??? (from cell phone)

3. I used the microphone in the Nokia kit because I did not want to customize the connectors and I also feared differing electronics might render the MB microphone incompatible.
4. I did not use the speaker in the Nokia kit because it is too bulky and I could not find a suitable location for it. Since I have the GPS, I decided to patch the phone output into the GPS speaker and used a relay to toggle the source. The GPS speaker, MB part #Q6-82-0284 (around $50.00), was surface-mounted on the driver side at the bottom of the center console. I used a 4-pole relay, with two poles switching the two speaker wires between the GPS and the cellular phone, and one pole providing a ground signal to the radio mute wire (gray wire) when the phone is in use. When you are using the yellow wire from the Nokia kit to switch a relay, do not connect it directly to the gray wire from the radio for muting because the relay applies a 12V signal to the radio muting wire. [I tried that and caused the radio to behave erratically: the volume could not be adjusted and it did not recognize the CD changer. Fortunately, once the signal was removal, the radio worked again.
I am really happy with the convenience of the handfree kit. When I put in my phone, it automatically switch the phone to the "car" profile, which I have customized to autoanswer. I can now talk on the phone without moving my hands off the steering wheel. The entire process took me 15 hours, with 8 hours spent in researching installation locations for various components, and wire signals, and 3 hours for the GPS speaker interface. I took some pictures during the process. However, I do not have a site to post them. If anyone is interested in posting the pictures, I will be delighted to provide them.
Dual Band Antenna
Nokia Handfree Kit & GPS (the microphone is the grey knob to the right of the radio)
Handfree phone in action (Note the radio display shows "PHONE".)
Side Profile with the microphone in foreground
Closeup view showing the mounting plate
View from bottom showing the cable route

Frank Strein (gstrein@aol.com) sent in this picture of the console of the ML55 which shows the new COMMAND console; the picture is available from many of the foreign market MB web pages and the 1999 North American Auto Show archives.

From David Tay (dtay@home.com):
Talking about water crossings, I have some footages from our latest Off Road Clinic last weekend. Four ML's participated: Roger Parker - silver 99 ML320, David Hinz - blue 99 ML430, Eric W. (non-member) - green 99 ML320 and myself - white 98 ML320. Most of us run into the same problem, ground clearance. Some dragged their front bumpers, some just high centered, we all had to pick our paths carefully. I'm very unhappy with the 4ETS in real off road situations. Since it depends on wheel slippage to transfer power to the wheels with traction, we were forced to spin tires and depend on momentum to keep moving. Certainly not consistent with Harold Pietschmann's traction philosophy. OTOH, it does keep the ML moving :) On certain off-camber surfaces, such as rocks, wheelspin causes the vehicle to slip sideways and makes you end up in the wrong line. What I would give for a differential lock! The limited wheeltravel also makes for a spectacular sight - we wowed some other 4WD drivers because we tripod often. Here are the RealPlayer files: ML high centering, ML320 fording water, ML430 fording water ML climbing stairsteps on hill

And Roger Parker's account (rcparker2@aol.com):
Two other members of this list and I participated in an off-road clinic in Hollister California last weekend. Espritdefour is the name of the club.(The other two guys may want to report independently.) Another ML showed up as well. About 45 total off road vehicles ranging from wranglers to Expeditions. ( The other guys should probably verify my count). It was great experience although a little hard on the finish. Ist gear in low is awesome. One of the coordinators indicated that he is seeing more and more MLs show up for these classes and they do just fine. And we all did. I made it up a steep climb first time with no effort that a Jeep Cherokee spent 30 minutes trying to accomplish. One vehicle had to be winched up this climb and a Wrangler took a similar length of time to get up as the Cherokee did. I did it in first try. The ML clearance was obviously the major disadvantage and my front bumper (air dam?) dragged a few times but the dealer installed brush guard and skid plate seemed to save it from damage. I had to the turn off the ESP a couple of times to get traction although the ML430 participant reports that he did not have to. The other ML320 was a 98 without the ETS system but had larger tires. He reported no problems. My tires are standard issue Aug '98, '99 Ml320. Evidently I was in one situation where I had the front right wheel in a rut and the left wheel in a rut and the only way I could move was to turn off the ESP. Didnt seem logical but it worked. Another time I was spinning in soft sand and couldnt move until I turned off th ESP. Basically I left feeling I had kicked butt. One obvious issue for me is that I should have removed my mudflaps (duh!). Still, even though I heard some awful noises, they actually survived without damage. Scariest issue was potential scratches on the our luxury vehicle finish. Mine washed and buffed out without a problem but lets face it, I was inhibited by potential scratches. It was a great class with a good classrooms pre -session (although a little long.). I now know the capabilities of my vehicle and acquired some skills in off-road techniques.

More pictures from David Tay: Dave's ML w/o a rear bumper, up a tilted road, arrival at the clinic, driving over ruts
and from David Hinz: David in front of his truck, fording water 1, fording water 2, fording water 3, the ML's who made it, too many Jeeps, bird's eye view, going over stair steps, heading up a hill

Aiko Pinkoski sent these pictures of the ML running boards (scanned by Andrew Jones): closeup, right side, rear view, 3/4 view

Andrew Ling sent in these pictures of Ford's claim that their bumpers are as safe for cars as the ML's: head to head, lineup

Andrew Ling sent in these pictures of the interior of the MY2K model that he managed to find on the MB Germany site: door, interior, dash

Craig Weems sent these in: door seals, hood struts, radio, open radio door, rear plates, rear seats, window controls

Birger (Birger.KROUEL@SDT.cec.be) sent this picture in of the ML55's interior spare tire w/ carrier. All I can say is O.M.G., that's bloody huge. The real disappointment: it's not a full-size spare..it's something you have to put together.

Per Spangebu (per@scantrading.no) sent in these pictures of his ML320 w/ M7 which he paid US$104K for in Norway: front, 3/4 rear right, rear, 3/4 rear left, 3/4 left front, 3/4 right front

Matthew Drury's skylight operation showing how the M-Class can tow more than an average trailer.

Here are two M-Class members' installation of the Boston Acoustics tweeters.
Lloyd Segal's Dash BA Tweeter Installation: pic1, pic2, pic3, pic4
Oliver Costerich's Door BA Tweeter Installation: pic1, pic2

Here are pictures of Roger Heuckeroth (heuckeroth@worldnet.att.net)'s trailer hitch and the latest hitch install instructions: hitch pic1, hitch pic2, hitch pic3, hitch instructions page 1, hitch instructions page 2, hitch instructions page 3, hitch instructions page 4, hitch instructions page 5, hitch instructions page 6, hitch instructions page 7, hitch instructions page 8, hitch instructions page 9, hitch instructions page 10, hitch cutout template
After reviewing peoples comments about the pro's & cons of the MB, Drawtite, and U-haul hitches, I decided to install the OEM hitch on my ML. I bought that hitch through Clair, and it arrived in three days. Cost $250 + $7.35 shipping. It came with a supplement to the owners manual for towing that looks just like the owners manual in color and quality. The instructions where good, and there were some changes to the original instructions inserted. Apparently they added some extra washers to the kit where before there where just a combination nut. Now you use a combination nut and a washer. Wonder if they had any problems with the original installation method sans washer. The wiring harness now also comes with a control module that has a PC Board inside, that I think is designed to work with electric brakes. I'm not sure about this, but it was definitely an update to the original hitch wiring harness. This change must have been recent because the supplemental instruction page was a copy of a fax. There are three connectors that now come up through the floor. One connects to the wiring harness plug and the other two connect to this control module It took me 2 hrs to install the hitch and another hour to trim the cover piece to give it that finished look. I am extremely happy with the way the cover came out. It looks great, and I was able to do it without the weird looking "ear" type cutouts for the safety rings. I will send some pictures to Ken for the members showcase. IMHO the way my cover is trimmed looks cleaner than the Drawtite cover posted by David Tay. No offense to David. He did a good job with the Drawtite, but the MB looks cleaner. If anyone would like the template, please let me know and I will be happy to post it as well. In retrospect, I think I made the right decision to go with the OEM hitch. After all the difference in $ is so small.

Lee Hasiuk sent in pictures of his StarTac phone and hitch installation: pic1, pic2, pic3, pic4
The first two are pictures of the installed Pro-Fit bracket for the M-Class, used with the "Professional Hands-Free Kit" for the Motorola StarTac. The coiled cord which leads to the StarTac provides power and an antenna connection, and is connected to the "hang-up cup" in which the Star-Tac is resting. It is anchored to the side of the extra DIN compartment in the dash by means of an included screw through a strain relief eyelet in the cable. This serves to anchor the cable when the phone is being used in "hands-on" mode.
The wires from the hang-up cup to the hands-free kit's concentrator (brain) box run behind the cup, along the lower right edge of the extra DIN compartment, and through a hole that I drilled in the back of it. The only holes in this installation are in the plastic DIN box, which is easily replaced if I ever remove the phone. The concentrator box is mounted inside the plastic housing above the passenger's footwell. The speaker is mounted using an existing screw just to the right of the cigarette lighter socket in the passenger's footwell. The microphone is mounted under an existing screw on the bracket which holds the left side of the driver's sun visor. The cable from the microphone is tucked behind the A pillar trim, coming out inside the dashboard. (I tried to use the built-in microphone, but it did not work with this kit.)
The second picture shows how the Pro-Fit bracket mounts underneath a bolt inside the glove compartment. The bracket had to be bent very slightly to allow full access to the front panel of the stereo, in particular to allow easy faceplate removal.
The third and fourth pictures show two views of the trimmed bumper cover as used with the M-Class hitch. Note that the clearance holes for the chain loops are basically invisible unless you crouch down. Here's the procedure I used for making an accurate template:
1) Using a piece of fairly stiff cardboard (for example what you would find on the back of a pad of paper) trace the outline of the cover plate, and cut the cardboard out along the lines. Make sure that, when bent along the cover plate, that the edges match up nicely.
2) Cut a hole in the middle of the cardboard which is more than big enough to allow the trailer hitch to pass through. This can be a really rough hole. A box knife, a cutting board, and a ruler come in handy.
3) Slide the cardboard over the trailer hitch and into position, and use masking tape to tape it to the bumper cover where the actual cover plate would go.
4) Using small pieces of cardboard with at least one straight edge, lay them across the cardboard cover plate so that the straight edges touch the trailer hitch and follow its contours. After positioning each piece, tape it down well with transparent tape. For example, you'll need one piece across the top edge of the hitch, two diagonal pieces along the upper sides, two along the lower sides, and one along the bottom. You can use more pieces as necessary, to get the best possible contour of the hitch. The approximate shape of the opening you'll end up with is:

    __
 /  \
 \__/

For the piece along the bottom edge of the hitch, it should not touch the hitch, but should be positioned below and parallel to it such that it will allow the hitch to pass through the hole when the template is being removed. You won't actually be able to remove the template at this point, because the safety chain mounting loops will be in the way.
5) Once all the cardboard strips are taped down, loosen the masking tape which holds the template in place then tilt it out at the bottom as if you were going to remove it, then use a marker pen (such as a Sharpie) to trace the outline of the safety chain loops onto the top of the template over the cardboard strips.
6) Cut a straight vertical cut in the bottom of the template so that you can spread it a bit and manipulate it off the car, then tape the cut edges back together.
7) Use a knife to cut out the outlines of the saftey chain loops which you traced.
8) Slide the template back onto the car to make sure that it clears the loops and the hitch, but still sits nicely against the hitch when held in place and bent to conform to the bumper's shape.
9) Remove the template and match it up to the cover plate, tape it in place, then trace the inner outline of the template on the plate. Again, a Sharpie type of permanent marker works really well.
10) Remove the template then cut the outline you traced on the plate, being sure to remove all of the lines you drew. I used a Dremel tool with an abrasive cut off wheel for the long straight runs. For tight corners I used an X-Acto knife, and for the ends of the safety chain loops I used a cylindrical abrasive stone in the Dremel tool, though a round file would also work nicely. I used the same cylindrical stone to clean up the edges of the hole after I was done. I found that medium speed works nicely, but that you have to stop periodically to scrape away bits of melted/shredded plastic. Safety glasses are a must, as the Dremel will throw lots of debris. Work outside or in an area that you don't mind getting dirty!
That's all there is to it. This was really much easier than the original measurement / trial and error method which I started with, and I'm very happy with the results.

Lloyd M. Segal" (LSegal@caprion.com) sent in these pics of his Boston Acoustics Tweeter installation: pic1, pic2, pic3, pic4
Sorry this took longer than I hoped it would, but digicam was out of office, as was I. Enclosed are 4 pics of my BA supertweeter installation. In contrast to the previous submission of BAs that were mounted on the triangular door piece, these are tape-mounted on the dash. Some say that the dash installation allows for better imaging throughout the truck because of reflection off the windshield glass. For me, the upside was in not drilling holes in my leased ML that I would have to fix sometime in the future... The double-sided tape that was used is, as you can tell, virtually invisible. To the best of my knowledge, they did not use the BA crossovers...just soldered them onto the OE Bose front speaker leads at the amp. You can also see in one of the shots my custom Nokia phone installation. Have found this to be an ideal location.

From Gregory Siller (sillerg@smartchat.net.au) by way of Bill Naylor are ML bull bars from down under (Australia). The bull bars look like also replace the front bumper. Australian airbag (as opposed to USA specs) compatible. Cost is $1500 Australian: pic1, pic2

Dave Johnson (asdf2000@yahoo.com) sent in these pictures of the MB OEM wind deflector installation instructions: page 1, page 2,

Andrew Jones (andrew_jones@phoenix.com) sent in these pics of his custom ML stereo upgrade: pic 1, pic 2, pic 3, pic 4, pic 5, pic 6, pic 7, pic 8, pic 9 and this description: "Reus Systems in Anaheim does an excellent job and warranties their labor for life. I pulled in and asked them to tweak a crossover a bit and couple hours later ...no charge. Fantastic customer service.

They had guaranteed me that this set-up is perfect for leased vehicles in that they can remove it without a trace and transfer it to any vehicle I like afterward.

It simply ROCKS over the BOSE system of any ML.

He has since played around with a few more ML's and wants me to come it to update my system. He wants add another amp and place them both under the rear seat and place a sub under the drivers seat. The subs in the rear hatch have finally gotten a little larger and he now has fabed grills for the subs as well. So now he can drill holes into the rear hatch plastic panel and install the grills. This should make the subs a little more pronounced.

Still thinking about it. I really like the 'stealthy' look."

Greg Greeson (eurway@aol.com) sent in this design appraisal of the M-Class: design appraisal

Duane Miller (drmiller@infonet.isl.net) sent in this pictures of a storage box system he designed to fit in the floor wells behind the 2nd row seats: pic 1, pic 2, pic 3 and this description: "This weekend I solved my problem of where to put my tools and spare equipment in my 2000 ML430. I made a storage box that fits behind the backseat (In the footwell for the rear seats) and under the sliding panels. If anyone is interested in making one and would like more pics or dimensions, it would be best to have them contact me directly!"

David Burman (dyburman@rcn.com) sent in these pictures of his ML w/ Manik grill guard and blue fog lights: front view, another front view, rear view, rear side, side view and a picture of the fog light switch and his Nokia phone mount.

Clifton Lee (cliflee@email.com) sent in this picture of his ML w/ Rallye fog lights: front view. They were the Racing Series Hi-Power Halogen Driving Light Kit by Rally Manufacturing, Inc., Miami, FL. Box no. 3265.

Phil Wong (palmscene@aol.com) sent in these pictures of his 98 ML320 which has:
WALD widebody kit
Schatz rear wing
18x9.5 WALD wheels on Pirelli Scorpion Zero 285/55s
ML55 Front Grill
Eibach 1" Lowering Springs
Bilstein Sport Shocks
Maxpower Exhaust with 4 Lorinser tips
Clarion TV, Clarion VCR, Panasonic DVD
(2) Extant 10" Subwoofers, Extant 4 ch. amplifier
MB Quart Q Series 6.5 separates
MB Quart Competition 5.25 Co-axials
Carbon fiber dash kit, Momo Shadow shift knob, MBZ pedals
Exterior pic 1, Exterior pic 2, Exterior pic 3, Exterior pic 4, Exterior pic 5.

David Burman (dyburman@rcn.com) sent in these pictures of his StarTac install: pic 1, pic 2, pic 3.
"It utilizes the antenna that comes with the GPS system that sits on the roof. The stalk that the phone is mounted on is screwed into the plastic liner in the cubby hole. There is no damage to the vehicle itself.
The person who did the job is real professional and owns his own 430 (you should see his A/V system in his ML).  Anyway, if you are in the New Jersey area and want his number, let me know (Cellpoint Communications in South Plainfield)."

David Johnson (ccnaz1@email.msn.com) sent in these pictures of his Parktronic install: bumper sensors, internal display, manual.

Andrew Ling (aling@home.com) sent in the instructions that came with the Parktronic: Page 1, Page 2.

David Ting (ting@helix.mgh.harvard.edu) sent in pictures of his Thule Wind Deflector which completely eliminates roof related wind noise. It also only contacts the glass surface of the sunroof and not the painted area: 3/4 view of ML, closer view of deflector, side view of deflector.

CJ (cj454@yahoo.com) sent in pictures of his extra AUX plug installation in the second row and an interesting cupholder: both closed, close up of AUX plug, cupholder open, both open.

Alan Tong (atong@home.com) sent in these pictures of his ML's: custom dead pedal, Donnelly Mirror, upgraded door seals, front tweeter, rear tweeter.

Here are a few more of the dead pedal: packaging, top description, bottom of pedal, top of pedal

Andrew Ling (aling@home.com) sent in video footage of MB's Stayin' Alive video: video (1.6MB)