Amanm

Hi All,
Just wanted some advice on a 2012 CPO GL 350 car I am trying to pickup from the dealer. On initial inspection, I found that the rear air ducts located on the roof of the car were not functioning. The person showing me the car tried passing it off as, perhaps thats how much air it might be pushing out, which was almost none.
I also saw some problems with the door's, since these did not close on a gentle push, some doors closed on gentle pushes and other's did not lock themselves properly.

Wanted to seek your advice on anything else I should pay attention to before buying this car?
They said they will try and fix the above two issues, but I am wondering if I am missing out on anything else.

Thanks for your help.

Amanm

Anyone have a opinion here, would love to hear from you all.

alx

turn temps way down so the climatronic has to catch up. this will force full-on ac and roof vents should kick in.

they usually do not unless the system is running at higher levels.

when the vents run you can clearly hear them- they are noisy.

if they fail to run, diag needs to be run via das.

Amanm

Thanks Alx, has anyone heard about the door problems, seems like with a gentle push the driver side door closes, but not the passenger side and the rear left door does the same as well.

mrchris

Does it have the soft close doors? If not it could be a combination of things. On my GL the last door closed always takes more effort and it is simply because they are well sealed and there isn't anywhere for the air to escape. Crack a window open or open another door and those the same door closes fine.

Also doors that are used more like the driver door will wear the door check faster than an underutilized door. It's a simple part to replace and isn't really a big deal.

I'm not that familiar with the function of the soft close doors or even what year it became available but if equipped it could be that they need service.

As for the roof A/C Alx is spot on in that they only come on under certain circumstances and usually when running MAX A/C on a hot day. For the longest time I thought mine didn't work either but then realized they were normal and worked when they where supposed to.

mrchris

I should add with the door issue, the extra wear on the door check on the drivers door on mine makes it really easy to close as there is little resistance. Passenger side rear is hardly ever used and it is as stiff as new. That could be what you are experiencing as well.

Amanm

Mrchris, that is wonderful to know, thanks for your help. With a CPO car is there anything else I should be worried about before it take it off the lot. Do I need another mechanic to still take a look at the car, I am trying to buy this for my wife, so want to make sure, she has no issues driving it with kid's smoothly for a few years atleast. Thanks for all your help guys.

mrchris

If it is a CPO you'll have a bumper to bumper warranty for at least some period of time. So even if there are some nigglies (and there is always going to be something on a used car) you'll be able to get it taken care of.

Honestly if those are the only obvious problems you are probably in pretty good shape. Some things are hard to find even in a thorough inspection but it might be worth finding a solid independent shop for a pre-purchase inspection. The shop I use does them for $95 and they are quite thorough. Cheap money for a little piece of mind.

Sometimes it seems like the GL's get a bit of a bad rap but I think its a combination of smaller production runs compared to say a Honda Accord and people who buy MB's or any expensive car in general tend to be a little more likely to notice problems and share those problems. This kind of skews the sample sizes and problem reports.

I bought mine used, knowing there were some pre-existing but minor issues because I got an unbelievable price on it (long story). But other than one very weird and very unpredictable break-down, it has been a superb vehicle and a daily joy to drive.

Amanm

Thanks MrChris, all insights very helpful, I think you are right about who talks most
I just closed on the deal, as these are hard to come by or so i was made to believe, so have gotten it now, but have not taken the delivery as yet. So not sure if I can still take a mechanic there to do a through inspection on the vehicle.
I think mine was a decent deal, and it comes fully loaded (most tech stuff is in there). But thanks a ton for all your help and keep the info pouring in. take care.