cyeung65

So...MB ranks #36 out of 36 in customer satisfaction? Wonder if everyone surveyed was trying to buy a GL320!

Nevada Jack

LOL...I couldn't be more satisfied with the S Class or with the dealer I got if from, but don't ask me about MB corporate policy and production. I am sure I will feel the same about the GL when I get it.

oknish

I have been happy so far with the car and the dealer. It's a new car so some "bugs" should be expected and how dealers take care of those will decide long term satisfaction.

I do think they are trying to get better but it will take a while. They didn't drop down to # 36 overnight and they won't get back to # 1 overnight either. As long as they don't lose focus on maintaining customer satisfaction they will be OK. If money was being wagered, I would say wait till Chrysler divestment is complete and then watch MB start to rise. I am not dissing Chrysler. My point is that managing 2 such large and disparate brands is distracting at the top levels.

BTW, where did the customer satisfaction number came from? Just curious.

Germancar1

I think we're getting far, far too ahead of ourselves here. First of all we don't really know if this 50 per month number is even true. Secondly the "date" about Mercedes' recent diesel sales show that the demand while being there, still isn't all that great like some say it is. I mean last year between the E,ML,and R they sold less than 7K diesels in total. I bet production of the diesels will greatly increase when the "Bluetecs" arrive for 2008. Then they'll push them in those last 5 states in which they can't sell them now, and those 5 states, especially Cali are huge MB markets. I don't buy this 50 per month stuff at all.

M

boxboss

Published figures put total GL production at ~4,000 units/month for all versions, which I assume to be 4: 320, 420, 450, 550. We don't what percent of the total are 320's or what percent of that number are for US sales, but I can see it getting close to the 50/month reported.

Norris

Nevada Jack,

I think the other post about 12,000 diesel units across the board in all MB classes for 2008 is starting to show that the 50 GL units per month now in 2007 is more than likely the case.

It simply comes down to limited supply of 320 engines. It does not look much better going into 2008 with only 12,000 diesel units across the MB line in North America (Stated by Dr Z).

My sources told me 50 GL 320's per month a few weeks back. I believe them 100%. Those who doubt it prove me wrong please!!

Nevada Jack

I don't think knowing the number of units per month really helps anyone...the bottom line is whatever the number is, it is not adequate to meet the current demand in the US market. An ordered delivery should take about 4 weeks in the US and 6 weeks from Germany...it is currently running 4 months from the US and some S Class buyers are waiting months for their cars due to option shortages. Another black eye for MB customer satisfaction.

I placed my order on 12/27/06 and build is 4/26/07...4 months and that is pitiful. I really don't give a damn how many units a month or how many engines they are short. All I know is that MB introduced a model they could not provide in a reasonable delivery schedule. That in my estimation is poor management, poor resource planning, poor marketing and lousy service to the customer. Thirty years experience with this car maker and all I can say is "get your act together Mercedes Benz!"

RDriver

Hello to all GL members,

I am a "newbie" to this very helpful Forum. I am also a less than one-week old owner of a '07 R320 CDI (Alabaster White, Macademia MB Tex, P2 Premium, RES / Headrests Package, BiXenon Headlamp Package, and Front Heated Seats). MSRP is $58,050. Sale Price is under $49,000. A discount of $9,000 for a brand new car.

My car buying has been a lengthy process with rocky roads, but all ended up quickly and happily:

- Research and test drive cars (GL models, R models, X5, GX470, Q7, MDX, Sienna, Odyssey, Quest), in Dec / Jan.

- Nailed down to GL and R diesel models (because of good mileage, roominess, interior appearance, and driveability) / GL 320 and R320, late Jan.

- Decided / Settled on R320 (limited budget and options desired), late Jan.

- Dealt and ordered an R320 (White, Macademia Leather Trim, Premium 1, Navigation, BiXenon, and Ipod). MSRP was over $54K. Sale price was well under invoice. Delivery date was told to be early/mid Mar. Put $2K deposit, on Jan 28.

- On 2/27, I was told by the dealership that MB had cancelled/lost my order!!! I took this as a very huge disappointment and flurried MBUSA with phone calls and drove to the dealership and discuss this with my sale rep and the GM. I was offered to restart the ordering process for an 2008 R320 with no pricing info, and with wishy/washy built/delivery date of July or later, which I refused to do and demanded a satisfactory solution for my lost ordered car by MB due to whatever reasons that I neither believe, nor care to speculate. Soon afterthat the GM came out and offered 2-3 options of better equipped cars for me to choose and MB will pay the difference is pricing.

- I came back on 2/28 and picked the one with the non-negotiable features/options (white exterior, macademia interior, at least P1 features, DVD, and BiXenon). They found one from another dealership (30 miles away) with the must have options plus a pricey $3,000 RSE package, which ended up paying like $1,600 more than the agreed ordered car that got lost.

- I did the paper work that evening to capture the 2.9% financing and picked up the car on 3/01.

In the meantime, during these suspense 48 hours (2/27 - 3/01), I have been lurking through postings about the shortage 320 CDI equipped-engine cars for custom order cars (GL and R). From what I have heard and what was happening to my order, I was glad on the compensated option from the dealership and MB. I am extremely pleased with my sale rep and dealership. I am still having mixed feelings with MB. They have gotten to find a way to provide and honor all pending/outstanding/agreeing custom order cars, period. I hope you all ended up with as good or better ending experience with your car purchasing.

Hopefully this helps you all who are ordering and/or waiting for your new Diesel engined cars. I posted more details in the RClass group in replies to cdisam who is looking to trade his E320 for and R320. Sorry, I dont know how to link those threats here.

For those of you who dont hate the RClass that much, I will post my R320 pics this weekend when the weather is nicer and after a car wash.

Cheers.

cyeung65

Like I said in an earlier post, there is at least one dealer listing GL320s on Ebay at sticker - unable to sell. Here is one at a $2500 discount off MSRP. Guess there are way less than 50 GL320 buyers per month out there.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...QQcmdZViewItem

Nevada Jack

I am a buyer of the GL320CDI but I would not buy that particular car, so to assume there are "way less than 50 buyers a month out there" is kind of a bogus analogy. There are apparently enough buyers to require the waiting period for delivery to be over 4 months even at only 50 units a month. Most cars are custom order, especially with a new vehicle and early adopters so the fact that he is offering this vehicle at a discount means nothing really. His company's inventory and sales goals more clearly define his sales policy for the month rather than the supply level of GL320's being produced. Just my approach to him discounting the car.

mbslk350

Perhaps this is a contributor to our supply problems...
_____________________________________
Automotive News Europe

March 5, 2007

Less independence for Mercedes US plant

VANCE, Alabama, USA --

When the first Mercedes-Benz to be made outside Germany rolled off the line here in February 1997, 600 to 700 employees were waiting to sign their names on the white M-class premium SUV.

What a difference a decade makes.

Today, Mercedes-Benz US International employs 4,000 people, has more than doubled its square footage and produces two other models - the R- and GL-class premium SUVs - which helped boost overall production to 173,600 units last year.

As the assembly plant marks 10 years of production this month and looks forward to making its 1 millionth vehicle this fall, there are more subtle changes at work, too.

The plant - once heralded as Mercedes' grand experiment, a learning center, a blank slate on which to inscribe the automaker's three-pointed star in America - is answering to Germany more than ever before.

"More bridges" is how Bill Taylor, CEO of Mercedes-Benz US International, describes the relationship between the plant and DaimlerChrysler's Stuttgart headquarters. Taylor was vice president of manufacturing when the Alabama plant opened and is the only remaining member of the original executive team.

"We have always had tight ties to Stuttgart," Taylor says. "This organization reports to Stuttgart. We should be connected, whatever the topic is, back to our mother company. Maybe it is more formalized now, which is good."

It is difficult to quantify the extent of the change, but in perhaps one of the most obvious examples of a power shift, all purchasing decisions directly related to production at the plant now come from Stuttgart.

The role of the Alabama purchasing team has become that of a liaison with the nearly 30 Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers located within the state, the majority of which serve Mercedes exclusively.

The wrong signal?

Few local Mercedes suppliers were willing to discuss the changes. Automotive News Europe contacted 16 Mercedes suppliers seeking comment about the changes. Only three companies responded, and all three said they did not notice the changes.

But US-based supplier expert John Henke, president of Planning Perspectives of Birmingham, Michigan, says moving purchasing decisions to Germany sends the wrong signal to suppliers, many of whom set up operations in Alabama based on the promise of business with Mercedes.

Suppliers with parent companies based in North America stand to lose the most from such an arrangement, he says.

"The crux of a good relationship is communication," Henke says, "and if you have got several thousand miles separating you from the decision makers, it is hard to have good communication."

mbslk350

Ordered GL320 CDI on Dec 21, 2006

- As of 20 March 07, my build date is 14 June 07 and my Netstar code is BA
- As of 22 Feb 07, my build date was first decade (first 10 days) of June and code A4
- At various points between 21 Dec and 22 Feb, I was given estimated build dates of March or April or May.

Well, the good news is that I have an actual build date and it didn't move out too much in the past month. The bad news is that it'll be 6+ months total from order to delivery. This GL better be worth the wait.

Consolation prize: Hopefully they'll work out all the first-year GL production bugs by the middle of June. I think they started building GL's around spring 2006.

Nevada Jack

Well at least you have a firm build date...still a long, long wait to get a car. My date is still April 26th and the order is locked to no changes. BTW, I do not have the NetStar key to the codes...what status is BA?

mbslk350

I've attached the Netstar code sheet, but it's about 3 years old. Some codes have probably changed. I think that the GL codes probably follow the M-Class section on the bottom.

Nevada Jack

Thanks for the listing. I will have to check with my dealer and get the specific code for my order...he told me it was changed to RED which meant no changes.

boxboss

I went by my dealer today to check on my order status. He says the GL450's are running a week ahead and I now have a delivery date of 5/3. My initial build date was 5/4. I told him about the problems you diesel guys have been having and he showed me a NetStar order he had for a 320 that had an order/delivery lead time that was similar to mine.

Nevada Jack

When you say "similar to mine" do you mean the new schedule or the old schedule?

My Status is B3 (Paint Frozen) but the build date is still 4/26/07 (which in Alabama is the completion date.)

boxboss

I'm not familiar with the new vs old schedule. I ordered around the 2nd week in Feb with a 1st of May delivery date - roughly 3 months. The 320 on order that he showed me had a 1st of March order date and a projected build date of around the 1st of June. Sorry, but I can't remember the exact dates. Of course, we know all too well how those "projected" delivery dates can change!

Nevada Jack

The new vs. old was referring to your new delivery date vs. your old delivery date.

Paint Frozen (B3) is the final Status prior to Production Started (B4). Be nice if production picked up for all models by a week (or more) like yours did...but with the limited diesel engines I imagine their schedule is pretty well set.

boxboss

Oh, MY old vs new...gotcha' now. I thought maybe you were speaking about revised production schedules in Vance. If only it were true.

Abscam

cuz they are just too dirty for our envirofreakish PC state right now...

oknish

I am guessing you mean the above in the context of 320CDI and not 450. Some of the readers might be considering ordering a 450 so just wanted to clarify that.

Abscam

roger that - the CDI. But.......the 450 is an evil and putrid S-U-V and as such is decidedly not PC w/ the ultra PC. Not that I needed another reason to buy the 450, but what the heck!

oinick

I picked up my Black on black 320 CDI this Sunday (two days ago) after a two month wait. I ordered it 1/27/07 and it was delivered 3/25/07. It came in exactly like I ordered it. It drives great and I am very happy with it.

So I don't understand all these posts about 5 or 6 month waits....

Nevada Jack

You got lucky!

Your dealer had a March build allocation open which he was able to switch to your order. Many of us ordered in December and our dealers only had allocations for April or later...therefor the wait is longer. I ordered mine on 12/27/06 and my build date is 4/26/07 with delivery in early May. Pretty easy to understand.