damack604

After making my first post in the wrong spot, here's my second attempt.

Hi all, this is my first post here. I'm sure you've all seen many of these types of posts before so please bear with me.

A coworker has a 2010 ML350 Bluetec for sale. The price is fair market value from what I've seen listed locally ($25k cdn). It has 90,000km (56,000 miles) and is in really nice shape. I think the only thing that doesn't work properly is the steering wheel adjustment. Telescoping works, up and down doesn't.

I've been reading this forum as well as others, trying to research what to expect and look for. I will take this vehicle to a dealer or mercedes mechanic to have it checked out before I buy. From what I've found so far the big issues I may encounter is the Ad Blue tank issue and the oil cooler seals, both being $2-3k repairs. Is this a matter of when not if? The present mileage seems just about right for the Ad Blue tank to go. I'd be pretty upset looking at $5-6k in repair bills in the near future after buying.

So I guess I'm asking if my fears are warranted and if it's a good idea to purchase this vehicle or not. The last thing I want is something that drains my wallet every month.

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice.

dieseldoc

Your fears are warranted. I cannot speak for the adblue tank, but I had the intercooler leak fixed times 3 in 72,000 miles all under warranty. There are also other places these cars leak oil.

montelatici

If you are worried about maintenance and repair costs, these are not vehicles you want to own after the warranty expires. I have a 2008 320ML and even an independent dealer will somehow come up with a $1,000+ bill for a service. They will always find some niggling problems. I just did a 100K service and spent over $1,200 and if I had elected to turn off the service light that is on, I would have had to pay another $1,500 in order to have a new fuel delivery sensor of some sort installed. Get a Hyundai SUV if you don't want to spend tons of money. These vehicles are meant to be bought new and sold before the warranty expires.

damack604

This was kind of what I was hoping not to hear as I really like the vehicle. I just don't want to buy myself into a money pit. This will be a daily driver (albeit short 15km commute to work) and our family road trip vehicle as well.

I'm also pretty aware of internet forums too. Owners that have issues are very vocal (and rightfully so) whereas owners without issues merrily just go along their way.

montelatici

I have no unusual issues with the car, I love the car but you asked a question and I gave you what I believe is the answer most other owners would give you.

If you are comfortable with paying about $1,000 on average for scheduled service and understand that if something does go wrong it will be a surprisingly expensive fix either at the dealer or independent, if you are used to service and repair of a non-luxury brand, then it's fine. If not, then consider a different vehicle.

damack604

Thanks for your comments, and I meant no disrespect with my comment to internet forum comments. People who have expensive issues have every right to be upset. No one enjoys spending money they don't feel they should have to. I'm just saying it goes with everything, people with issues state them loud and clear but people without issues tend to not have much to say (obviously). This is a good thing, I'd much rather be aware of potential problems than be blindsided by them.

clvincent

hey damack

i have owned 2 of the pre ad blue diesels

one ML that i totalled at 145,00 miles, it never had the oil cooler leak or the steering leak, this car was meticulously maintained by mercedes before i bought it and had a lot of records

it did have the swirl motor replaced and i think this was because of an oil leak where the plastic around the turbo seal was cracked

i owned that car for 2.5 years and 45,000 miles and it did not have any big repairs and it never left me stranded anywhere , it was a great truck for me
that being said i change my oil and air filters quite a bit earlier than recommended and am meticulous about a clean engine and watching the truck closely for leaks


my 08 GL320 - again no ad blue- had pretty much every single thing done on it before i bought it , big stuff under warranty and thousands of dollars spent at the dealer after warranty- and it was at 76,000 miles when i bought it

the transfer case was bad when i bought it- missed that when i checked it out, and another common issue
but it was only like 600 or 700 to replace with a used unit that i had my differential shop check out before we had it put in the car
diff shop felt that the fluid needs changing often and this is why the chain stretched on the original one

the air intake plastic part that hooks to the turbo like on my ML was barely cracked and i replaced with the upgraded part that to prevent future leaks

the close switch in the tailgate went bad and i had to spend a couple of hours labor chasing that, the part was like 150 i think


so the GL has had more issues but nothing that left me stranded etc-- the transfer case still worked fine, it only showed up if you put the gas pedal to the floor from a stop-
and really nothing i would not expect in buying a used car

have about 13,000 miles since i bought it 6 months ago

i think with the ad blue system at some point you are going to have a repair and it will be pretty costly
i cut off my searching for truck at 2008 specifically because of this issue


that being said it is rare i ever go to the dealer for much, i have an excellent indie shop and source all my own parts
this makes a HUGE difference
it also means my repairs are usually done in 24 hours vs the week the dealer usually keeps the car to repair it

i agree that people on the forums are the people that have had problems, but i own 2 mercedes and will probably buy another in a year to 2 and definitely do NOT consider these cars super reliable or cheap to own
i just like them and am willing to pay the costs

when i bought my ML is was SOAKED in oil, the whole motor, and this car had been in the dealer for service/work 4 weeks prior and they did nothing about it

the owner sold it somewhere and it ended up at a small lot where i bought it by negotiating the price down a good bit because of the leak

my mechanic did not think it was the oil cooler seals, he thought it was the turbo seal and it was
but either way figured if i was buying this V6 diesel at some point i was doing oil cooler seals anyway, so getting the price down and doing them myself would have been fine

plus the car had awesome service etc records for everything else

like you i had done extensive research and knew what i was getting into


brought it home and fixed the turbo seal mess, pressure washed the motor and never had any kind of leak on it again


my opinion on these cars is you kind of have to want your car to be a hobby or you have to be wealthy and not mind your car will be in the dealer while you drive a loaner a lot lol

i am into car stuff and dont mind researching , buying my own parts etc

things like the crack on the turbo area if not caught early will end up with a costly swirl motor repair, so if you are not into cars and watching the car closely for problems this is not the car for you- if something is off about my car i usually catch it early and it goes straight the shop that day or within 48 hours

i also have 2 back up cars so not as big a deal for me to have a car issue or one that is down

if having a couple of 3 grand bills come up unexpectedly is a problem this probably is not the car for you

hope this helps with your decision a little

damack604

Thanks for the replies. After much thought I don't think I'm cut out to be a used Mercedes owner. I've read too many stories of woe on these forums. I don't want risk being another.


update*

Unfortunately I had to park beside the ML350 at work this morning and it's luring back in...

clvincent

lol

it is a tough decision
they are nice trucks but costly

damack604

haha

still here and still mulling it over

I spoke with a reputable independent repair shop and while he agrees that repairs are costly, he hasn't had much issue with the 2010's.

If the vehicle has run reliably for the first 90,000km, is there reason to believe it's going to suddenly become problematic in the near future?

damack604

Still taunting me this morning...that's my F150 on the left.