Meyerdiesel

I drive a 2014 GLK 250 SUV diesel which I bought new in December 2013. I love almost everything about the car. It has one recurring issue. Twice, after driving on gravel, 2-track roads, the hose that feeds Blue Tec fluid into the exhaust system has snagged on grass and weeds and torn loose. The first time this happened my dealer repaired it for no charge. Unbeknownst to me, Mercedes refused to warrant that repair, but the dealer covered it because I had previously pointed out that a loop of hose was dangling just inside and behind my right front tire. At that time the dealer told me that it was supposed to be that way. Later when the loop snagged and tore loose the dealer acknowledged its mistake, replaced the hose and nozzle and tucked the new hose more tightly to the undercarriage. About a month ago, after driving on a country road, my check engine light came on and I discovered that the hose had torn loose again. This time my dealer said the repair would not be warranted because it was caused by an "outside agency." I paid $1500 to have the hose and nozzle replaced again and this time at my request, the dealer installed (at no additional charge) a small sheet of plastic over the exposed section of hose to prevent snags from occurring in the future. I have reported this design flaw to Mercedes and requested reimbursement for the repair. I await a final response. So far Mercedes has denied my claim. I am curious whether anyone else has experienced this issue.

marc hanna

Interesting point to bring up. Do you have pictures?

Not certain MB will ever do anything about it, but if you can help others in advance by showing the fix, that would be great.

Meyerdiesel

I have spoken and exchanged several emails with MB USA's Customer Service Representative. To my surprise and disappointment, MB refuses to take responsibility for the design flaw, which my dealer corrected at my suggestion by bolting a small sheet of rigid plastic to the undercarriage to shield the DEF line from snags. Owners of diesel Mercedes SUV's should beware to keep their vehicles on the pavement until they implement this simple and inexpensive fix. I do not have a photo of the fix, but it is explained above.

kajtek1

Personally I don't think anything Mercedes below G-wagen was design to go real offroading.
Bad news is that with more competition MB is forced to build the cars cheaper and cheaper.
They no longer provide free roadside assistance unless you spend money at dealers, EPC is no longer free and goodwill repairs are on decline.
Quality of service drops down as well. My local dealer took 3 days to do wheel alignment and still left 3 measurements in red.
Anyway, beside hotline MBUSA have local representatives. If the damage would happen again, I would insist the representative be present at the repair.