I have read many posts complaining about the lack of bass in the ML system and I must say I had the same complaint as well.

This morning I noticed a connector plug dangling from a hole in the trunk below where the speaker is located. At first I thought this might be good news. I was hoping the speaker was merely unplugged and that re-connecting it would solve the problem with the bass.

When I started to re-connect I found, to my complete surprise, there was no speaker! And upon closer inspection it appears there never was.

I say this for several reasons:

1. There does not appear to be any evidence that the speaker was removed. The metal area underneath where the speaker would have been mounted is pristine. There are no signs of residue and no scratches or marks from any tools used. There is no evidence that anything was disassembled either inside the car or in the trunk. No decking or other coverings appear to have been removed. If someone did remove the speaker and other coverings, they did it with surgical precision.

2. It doesn't make sense that someone would go to the trouble of removing the speaker and not replace it with another.

3. If the speaker was stolen, why use such extreme care in removing it?

4. I am only the second owner. The original owner was 65 years old and I doubt he removed it.

Unfortunately, the car is out of warranty but I am going to take it to the dealer anyway to see if they can determine whether or not a speaker ever existed. In the meantime, I'm curious if anyone has ever heard of or experienced something similar?

~ John