sinatras

Hi guys I just bought my first MB and a 2016 GLC on Saturday. I have no experience with MB reliability obviously, but I usually keep my cars 15 years and put very little miles on them. Do you think this is doable with today's MB cars? With the GLC?

What are some tips for keeping a MB in tiptop shape for years to come?

exintern

I've had a Mini Cooper and an Alfa Romeo before that. Both notoriously unreliable cars. The trick for longevity is #1) don't defer maintenance, #2) when something breaks get it fixed sooner than later, #3) drive 'em. Turbo charged engines are sensitive beings. Just realize that it isn't a Toyota and keep it serviced by someone you trust. These are great cars and drive so much better than a lot of what's out there. That's the reward for the extra effort.

clarst

Maintenance for sure. Take care of the car. Change the oil, keep on top of the transmission, brakes, belts, fluids, etc. No reason why it shouldn't last for many, many years. It may not be cheap, but it will definitely last if you take care of it.

B2FiNiTY

I don't see why not.

As long as you take care of the cars, be willing to spend the $ on it, then it should last.

Penn

As long as you have not chosen the air suspension option and keep up with the maintenance most of the C class based Mercs are fairly reliable.

Teckno

We have one with 12000km on it so far, about 5 months old. Yes we are looking to keep this longer than our other cars. Normally do not buy first model, but with this GLC we have broken our own rules ! Just ordered another so be interesting journey.... One has air suspension, other has steel springs. Agree it's a gamble, but we believe in looking after our cars and having them serviced. We got 300k out of our SAAB 9000CSE, when we sold it, it was like new, turbo excellent, replaced DI cartridge, otherwise great.
Hoping for the same but with a lot less km on the clock over time.
Time will tell. Forums like this will help a lot in identifying any trends and work arounds or fixes.

sinatras

hey guys thanks for the feedback i absolutely LOVE this car

so 2 questions:

1. how do i know if it has the Airmatic? my window sticker says "independent front/rear suspension" i don't see the word Airmatic anywhere on this sticker. this is a 2016 GLC RWD (not 4matic)

2. i looked at the many booklets in the owners manual case and none of them tell you when exactly the maintenances are due...like at what date. like for example when is my first maintenance???? does anyone know? i currently have 91 miles on the car. . . let's say my first maintenance is at 10,000 miles. what if i don't get to 10,000 miles for 2 or 3 years????

B2FiNiTY

1. you don't have airmatic. it would say so if it did.

2. your car will tell you. a dummy message will come on letting you know it is time to bring the car to the dealership.

Madman7

I am about to trade a 2007 ML350. It has 175,000 miles and still runs and looks great. No reason it couldn't go 75K+ more, or 5 years more. I'm getting the GLC because I wanted better gas mileage and updated technology. Tha may be the deciding factor for you - in 15 years, your car may be illegal to drive amongst the automatons that we may (sadly) see take over the highways.

Tips? Take care of it. Fix things that break, wash it, clean the interior, and do the programmed maintenance that your car will lovingly remind you to do. It should reward you with good service until you're ready to move into something more 'modern'.

TSchuettinger

I'm sure you've been reading articles and comments all over the internet from angry owners that couldn't afford the maintenence and neglected their cars or angry mechanics that are self concious because they couldn't work on them ect... Go to any car forum (Yes even Lexus) and you will get an earfull. And that earful won't necessarily uquate to "The Pursuit of Perfection". Just do your research, take care of what you end up purchasing and enjoy many many years out of whatever you buy. There's many ways to save many during your ownership of the car. One of the biggest ones is finding a good indie mechanic that specializes in MB that has their diagnostic equipment once it's out of warranty. And do your maintenance according to the book, it's no joke. German cars being a so called "nightmare" is an exaggeration and not representative of the entire community that owns them. I don't see why you couldn't get at least 15 years out of it. Alot if their recent models have proven to be good performers after 4 years and even after 7 years...

Penn

We kept the wife's W202 C240 until it was 15 years old.

When we upgraded it there was nothing wrong with the car and there were no rattles.
It was the most reliable vehicle we have ever owned.
The GLC is built in the same Bremen plant as the W202 so hopefully its reliability will be similar.