Mercedes ML500 | Shed of the Week

Earlier this 7 days we instructed you about the motor industry’s dastardly strategy to bin off V8 engines. Mercedes finds alone in a high-profile box seat on this one particular by advantage of the fact that they have generally championed the V8 format. Even with the hopeful sounding identify, their newest and potentially previous new-constructed saloon eight-banger, the AMG E63 S, doesn’t have a 6.2-litre megalodon motor. They are down to a mere 4. litres these times, hardly enough to crank out a ripple in your trouser turnups. At the time yet again, nonetheless, Shed of the 7 days fans have all the luck because as if by magic right here is a SOTW-qualifying (MOT’d and less than £1,500) V8 Mercedes with a suitably manly total of litres about it – i.e. five. Don’t say we under no circumstances give you nearly anything.

Brain you, looking at it, you might not want to be supplied it. This is a utilised automobile in a pretty literal feeling. Not quite as utilized as that Volvo T5 we experienced the other 7 days. Why, this Merc even has a matching colour bonnet. There aren’t several angles from which a dent or a ding of some sort is not visible having said that. Shed does not in fact mind that. He can conveniently think about this massive outdated female remaining hammered through a muddy Lincolnshire discipline on a day-to-day basis and nevertheless coming again for more. 

But plenty of about the village postmistress. This ML is a 2002 illustration. That’s fantastic for the reason that it positive aspects from the significant enhancements in establish quality that were being brought in for that model yr. As element of that facelift exercising the 292hp 5. model changed the 272hp 4.3. Our get rid of is consequently an early ML500. If it experienced been a pre-facelift ML430, the proportions of its by now generously-sized Tuscaloosa-spec doorway shutlines would have been visibly rising and shrinking in excess of each and every new Lincolnshire bump and berm. 

On the endlessly intriguing subject matter of auto names, Lose is not certain exactly where the ‘L’ in the ML badge arrives from. It undoubtedly couldn’t have stood for ‘Leicht’ (Light), M-B’s standard rationale for the L in its badgery, because the M(L)500 bent the scales at 2,210kg, which is a ton even in today’s L for Lardy age. 

Continue to on names, prior to the W163 was released in 1997, BMW experienced set the boot in on Mercedes’ prepare to follow its typical protocol of a solitary letter denoting the course adopted by a 3-figure range denoting the motor sizing. Lawful types reckoned that an M320 or, as below, an M500, would go away M-B large open up for a ‘passing off’ go well with, as we simply call it in the British isles when one particular company tries to flog a thing identical, or in the same way named, to one thing which is presently currently being offered by somebody else. 

In this scenario it was the whole M badge matter that BMW had been meticulously nurturing considering that 1978. You could therefore kind of have an understanding of why they wouldn’t want perplexed punters pondering that a loosely-assembled entire body-on-frame SUV was in any way connected to an E39 M5, even if it did also have a 5.-litre V8 less than the bonnet.

It was a superior V8 an’ all. The one-cam 24-valve M113 appeared in a large amount of Mercs since it was smooth, torquey and strong. It had cast conrods, an aluminium block, and an consumption manifold designed of magnesium. Mercedes didn’t bother to place a redline on the M113’s tachometer, presumably figuring that house owners would never venture wherever in the vicinity of the major 7,000rpm mark, max ability acquiring arrived 1,400rpm earlier – so why waste any crimson paint? 

The M113 wasn’t best. It could undergo from oil and/or coolant leaks, plug and coil challenges and sensor difficulties, but then so could a lot of other engines. You’d want to make absolutely sure that the 5-velocity auto box was changing easily though. A flashing very low array light-weight was telling you there may possibly nicely be wear in the transfer case section.

By the time this automobile came in, Mercedes experienced completed absent with the ‘one column stalk does everything’ style that Shed continue to enjoys utilizing on his S124 to this day. Other less welcome points that could occur with a W163, mainly pre-2002 facelifters, were wonky door locks, window regulators, gasoline pumps and gauges, dash warning lights, wipers and brake mild switches. The electricity steering could leak far too, and the suspension could participate in up. 

Heading back again to the ML’s identical-colour bonnet, one more colour does seem on the less than-grille section: brown. Appears to be like there are a couple of rust scabs on the filler cap much too, an product that will come to be a common sight to the upcoming proprietor specified the gasoline intake figure of 19mpg on a good day and possibly half that on a superior 1. But just after ten minutes with the wire brush drill attachment, a couple of dods of Kurust and some significant squirts of rattlecan silver you should really be laughing re the bodywork. 

Write-up-facelifters have been generally speaking a great deal superior on rust security than pre-FLs. Acquiring reported that, you might want to prolong your wirebrushing to the wheel arches which are visibly nibbly. You will be impressed at the effects you can get. Some corrosion to the rear subframes was famous on very last July’s MOT, together with worn rear tyres and a bit of steering enjoy, but that’s all pretty generic stuff for a 20-12 months previous auto.

Owning laughed gaily at your newly-restored bodywork, all that would remain would be to attempt and smile as a result of the tears as you forked out £143 on filling up the 83-litre tank, assuming you’d been fortunate ample to come across unleaded at today’s advertised average price tag of £1.73 a litre in any case. And then do it all again 350 miles later, assuming you managed to hit that 19mpg quantity anyway. Get it down to 10mpg and you are going to drop well shorter of 200 miles before the forecourt discomfort restarts er, anyway. Eeeh, it’s just like remaining in an EV! Only noisier.