gordongl450

I know that the guys on this forum who have had intercooler hose problems are really frustrated and upset. I understand that. But I have been doing all sorts of internet searches to try to find out more about this problem and the only "hits" that come up are links to the posts about the problem on this GL forum. There are no posts about intercooler hose problems that I could find on the MBWorld ML forum.

So do we have 5 or 6 unlucky guys on this forum? Is it a big problem throughout the country? I can't figure it out. Are 5 or 6 problems out of 10,000 CDI engines a recall issue ( I made up the 10,000 engine number, I have no idea how many are out there, but I imagine it is a lot)

Everything in life is a Bell Curve. There are outlier issues on both ends. But does the data support that is is a total design flaw or just a few bad manufacturing days in Germany?

Nevada Jack said he cancelled his 320 CDI order because of this hose issue. Does the data support his decision?

I have two CDI's on order right now, for November build dates, one in a GL and one in a ML. Do I cancel these orders?

Does anyone have any real data??

oinick

The short answer is "No, I would not cancel my orders." As you say, the hose problem appears to be GL specific, with no reports that I know of in R or ML class diesels.

But MBUSA is aware of the hose problem in the GL. There are service bulletins out there about how to handle them. One of them instructs the dealer to look at the hose on the first visit and replace it if is of a suspect identification batch.

That said, the problems appear to be related to early builds with the diesel in the GL. I have been under the impression that most of the problems, while irritating, have been fixed. This of course does not include the two guys who each had four hoses blow.

As you say, life is all about the bell shaped curve. You pays your money and you takes your chances. I have had no problems with my GL 320 and I'm glad I bought it.

carpersn

I second this opinion...and for someone to say that they now own a $75k piece of crap is ridiculous. It's not as though MB did not immediately send the issue back through engineering. Obviously the slant of the engine bay has caused issues in the GL and not in the other two (ML's and R's)...Everyone who becomes aware of these hose issues can check the hose data and their build date, and then have any issues fixed. There have been no Q3 hose failures.

I've got 8k miles, have had both hoses blow, and now as the whole time, LOVE MY GL320CDI...

mbslk350

Don't cancel the orders. There are no known hose problems with the ML. The GL with the Q3 hose has been holding up well. There have been no Q3 hose failures reported on this forum. Most of the failures have been on the Q1 and there have been some Q2 failures.

Nevada Jack

The "hose problem" is specific to the US GL model only. The engine is not a problem, but the intercooler hose connection was a problem. The design is unique to the GL. From most reports as can be seen above the problem has been addressed and can be rectified with proper install of the newer hose. There is a recent 3rd event reported and a buy back by MB seems reasonable with the problems this owner has experienced.

I would not cancel the orders since I am sure the problem has been reduced to earlier builds. The GL320 CDI is getting great reviews and reports of resale value are excellent. It is a solid buy in my estimation.

As to my decision, supported or not, I had serious concern since AutoSaurus is a friend and I had first hand knowledge of his episodes with the hose problem as they occurred. I could not take delivery on a truck that was at the time a question mark in reliability and had the possibility of being stranded. A complication with my own hoses (blood clot) just before delivery coupled with the CDI hose problem brought me to the conclusion to cancel. Both hose problems appear now to be under control...:-)

vdshenoy

Try living in Houston in the middle of summer, and having your stupid hose blow off, and get stranded on a super narrow shoulder with cars flying by you at 70 mph, with no A/C because your engine wont stay on, no way to get out of the car because of the traffic, and have your dog almost die from dehydration and heat-exhaustion while waiting for your tow to get there. Outside temperature was in excess of 95 degrees, and inside was probably at 100-105 with even the windows open. I had to call HPD after about 30 minutes and had an officer come over there to re-direct traffic while I moved my dog to his car.

Tell me you'll still love you GL if this happens to you...please.

gordongl450

I did not really think it was necessary to canel my order. I have been following the problem and the posts to this site prior to placing the orders for my vehicles. I have to say that I trust Mercedes to make a quality product and if a recall was necessary they would do it.

I was just trying to understand the degree of the problem and it seems limited. Mercedes also seems to already understand it and has addressed it.

The posts on this site by the guys who have had the problem are certainly legitimate. No doubt. But the posts are a bit alarmist without the data to back up the degree of the fear.

vdshenoy, I fully understand your frustration. However, I was once stuck on the interstate in the middle of the summer in Alabama from a blown water pump. There are a lot of things that can get your stuck on the side of the road.

Why is the problem specific to the GL. Some earlier posts have indicated that the Q1 problem was due to a clamp that was too weak. A recent post seemed to indicate that the problem in the GL was the space in the engine compartment, perhaps surmizing that the hose was rubbing on some prominence in the engine compartment which causes the hose to get knocked off?

So what is different about a Q3 hose in a GL? Is it a better clamp? Or is it a different shaped hose so it does not rub on the inside of the engine compartment?

Does anybody know exactly what the fix is with a Q3 hose?

Thanks for the good discussion!

Danno4x4

My GL came with the Q3 hose from the factory... 4000 miles and no problems at all with the vehicle...

Its really been a great vehicle! and has surpassed both my and my wife's expectations.

oinick

I want to emphasize that if I were in your shoes I would be PISSED as well! It is not the intention of my post to imply that your complaint is not legitimate because clearly it is. Once you lose confidence in your vehicle, it is time to move on. I merely have been very happy with my GL so far and suspect that the hose problem is declining in prevalence. I am very, very sorry you have had the problem you have had and, were I in your shoes, I would feel precisely the same as you do.

StevethePilot

When I mentioned the hose issue at Phoenix Motor Co, they said they'd never heard of it and it had never happened to them before. Then suddenly they had information on it from MBUSA, etc. etc. When I mentioned it to the Service Advisor at Schumacher European, he said I was the third he'd heard of. I think the fact that one service advisor is aware not only of three hose pops but of one person having both the front and back pop suggests that while it's not a model-wide problem, it is statistically significant. I'm over 10k miles (man, I drive a lot!) on a Q2 hose with an extensive and very specific installation method, but I believe I had a Q1 hose originally and it did pop off, once on my wife and then immediately after being replaced on to the truck.

What is really weird to me is that my wife was able to drive through the mountains out of Albuquerque (slowly) after the hose let go, whereas vdshenoy couldn't even keep his engine running. I wonder what the significance of the difference is? VD, did you lose the back hose or the front one? It's weird.

gordongl450

Steve,

Thanks for the information. How do feel now, after the proper fix? Do you trust the fix?

Did your service guys actually tell you what the issue is? Is it a poorly designed clamp; not strong enough? Or is it the contours (shape) of the hose, so that the new one does not rub somewhere in the engine compartment? What is different about a Q3 hose?

I will gently take issue with you calling it "statistically significant", because that terminology implies that we have analyzed real numbers and know real failures rates. We do not. Maybe Mercedes Benz Corporate does? I am still trying to understand what is causing the failure.

Gordon

Nevada Jack

The failure was the method used to attach the intercooler hose to the turbo. Under stress the hose just popped off. The Q2 had a modification to the clamp as did Q3. If you go back through the AutoSaurus posts you will see pictures of a Q1 and a Q2. I think Jack got his buy back deal before they tried the Q3 on his car (not positive on that.)

As far as how widespread it is, any vehicle built up to March (or when the problem first showed up) is subject to the failure. How many actually had the failure or could still have the failure is only known by MB. This problem was never picked up by the press as far as I know but MB did issue a Tech paper on it.

Nevada Jack

TSB pertaining to hose problem;

Apr 9, 2007

T-B-09.41/28

MY2007 Model 164.822 (GL320 CDI)
Check Engine Light Illuminated / Code 2359-001 or 2355-002
Check/replace charge air cooler hose, if Q1 replace with Q2, part number 164 528 11 82
UPDATE: Owner reports GL320 CDI produced on May 16 comes with Q3 installed.
UPDATE2: Problem may be solved, June 20, 2007

gordongl450

NJ,

I found the hose pictures you referred to, thanks. I must have missed those before as I was searching for answers to this problem.

Thanks for both of your posts.

It seems like the problem is solved and should not be an issue on a MY 2008 GL320 to be built in November 2007.

Thanks again.

Gordon

StevethePilot

I stand corrected (though I did preface it with "I think" ) but I don't know how we could analyze real numbers without MB's help.

I feel fine about the fix at this point, though again it's without any real reason. The implication (and nothing more) from Phoenix Motor was the installation originally allowed for oil of some kind to get between the hose and its attach point on either the turbo or the engine. In reality, they told me nothing other than that it was a redesigned hose I was getting, which made me think I may have originally had a Q1 hose. I know from direct observation that I've got a Q2 now. I'd feel best knowing I had a Q3 hose.

STP

MDGL320

320 cdi q3 from factory, driving since may without problems, even on high speed passing

Nevada Jack

Your welcome...glad the info was useful.

A lot of exchange takes place on this forum which is not only informative, but much of the time is comical and just plain funny (and I mean that in a positive sense.) I don't know how the rest of the MB owners who do not know about this forum survive...:-)

carpersn

Definitely, if your situation happened to me, it would be cause for anger. When BOTH of my hoses blew (at different times), my engine ran fine; i simply had no acceleration capabilities-as long as i didn't try to accelerate, i could move the car and the engine stayed on. If i recall correctly, Autosaurus drove some significant amount of miles home after his hose failures as well. I wonder if your situation when the engine wouldn't stay on was caused by another issue altogether, either in connection with or in place of a hose failure?

I do hope your dog is ok and i meant nothing personal-

i still maintain you don't have a piece of crap-and i predict you will end up loving your GL!

gordongl450

StevethePilot,

Thanks for your post. I am gald you feel good about your GL now. I am looking forward to getting my desiel. I feel confident that I should not have any issues regarding the hoses.

Do you think every Q1 hose out there is at risk for failure? And, eventually they will all fail and therefore all get slowly replaced?

Or, do you think it was just a bad set of engines built on a certain day or week on the production line?

Boy, I would love to know the real story and real numbers straight from MB!

Gordon

Nevada Jack

I wouldn't agonize over this problem. There is no big mystery. The intercooler hose was designed for the CDI engine when installed into the GL engine well. In doing so MB miscalculated somewhere on the pressure and clamping of the hose and the early builds of the CDI model got a faulted hose. When they started to sell the GL CDI here, that is when the problem arose and after a month or more they used the updated Q2. Well this also failed and finally they did a redesign and the Q3 was eventually made a production line change. There was no set number of engines that were bad...it was the hose connection and it was on all US builds up to a certain date of production. EU units were not affected since they had a different hose design in the same GL body...I understand environmental factors are the reason for the different configurations.

I guess you could find out the lowest VIN number for US production of the GL CDI in Vance and then determine when the change took place and use the first Q3 hose engine VIN as the fix date. I guess all engines prior to the install of the Q3 hose could be susceptible to a failure but that is probably not likely to occur. If the number of failures were really significant then there would have been a recall requiring all owners with a certain VIN to have their dealers install the Q3 hose.

The "real story" is they screwed up in Germany when they designed the intercooler hose for the UD GL320CDI.

Waiting-4-550

NJ your knowledge sometimes is truly impressive if in fact what you say is true

StevethePilot

What NJ said. (Except I think he meant US when he said UD.)

Nevada Jack

Thanks...and I think most of it is true...:-)

Nevada Jack

Yeah Steve...someone must have messed up my keyboard...:-)

oknish

They did it to me also and put the S key right next to D W right next to Q and so on and on. I used to have this nice alphabetical layout but now it's all mixed up