dieseldoc

My 2008 320 has had zero problems to date. No complaints.

StevethePilot

Hey, I was asked. And frankly, "teething issues" should've been worked out for the time the vehicle was available in Germany. We're not talking about a Kia or a Hyundai, or something built in India for Pete's sake, we're talking about a Mercedes Benz. It's what has cost them market share (among other things). And once an issue is "resolved," it really shouldn't pop up again, but it did. It's not fair to tell me I shouldn't bring it up because it was "teething issues," they happened to me and enough other people that recalls had to be made.

lkchris

It sure is. And, the Mercedes has 7 transmission speeds.

Yes, I'd expect GL550 resale values will look more like Hummer resale values than GL320CDI values.

dmfick

Steve, I am not slamming you and I don't have an issue with this old stuff coming up in context - but it was basically all in the first six months of a completely new vehicle, and the problems are now history - the end of year 07's and all of the 320 '08's have been essentially fine. I am not excusing MB for a few first-year issues at all - they are premium cars and should act like it, but their response has been swift and mostly on point, as one would expect. The question is what to do now, and I think it is unlikely that early-adopter experience will continue for new buyers, or even resale buyers of the early vehicles. The GL 320 of today is certainly as reliable as a GL 550 of today - and almost certainly will hold higher relative resale value due to it better efficiency, longer tire wear, etc.

Brocktoon

Even flame wars on this forum are so polite!

I love it.

Fifth Ring

It's an unavoidable fact that negative news gets mentioned, sticks around and gets more attention than positive news.

I'm a member of another forum at MBWorld (C32/C55), and the frenzy of fear and inevitable negative bias over certain common problems has gotten people to replace stuff that isn't even broken! C32s periodically had a bad radiator that would bleed coolant into the transmission fluid. When it happened, it was bad news for the transmission; but for the vast majority of owners, it never happened. But the flood of bad experiences (people reporting THEIR radiator failure, while nobody reported their radiator working fine) got people replacing their radiators, often with the exact same radiator!

I think the discussion here puts things in the proper perspective. There were glitchy early GL320s. Current ones seem much improved. If the glitches are solved, then long term values should firm up. A lot of it has to do with the consumer reporting rags. If they keep their surveys updated, the results should prove out. Unfortunately, sometimes a car's reputation becomes locked in time, and the fixes do not change the reputation.

Trodas

Also guys wouldnt you think that once the blutec is released the CDI will decrease even more, not saying the bluetec is better, but it will be the latest and the greatest..
Case in point when the original clk 430 came out it was one of the best cars mb had come up with...They replaced not sure what year but the new one was uglier than the original but the old ones still plummeted...

lkchris

Or maybe it will go up as people seek versions with real as opposed to run-flat tires!

StevethePilot

+1

StevethePilot

Hoser.

StevethePilot

Fingers crossed, eh?

dmfick

The stupid runflats are one of two main reason we upgraded to an '08 instead of getting an '09 GL320. We have runflats on our BMW 335 convertible and Mini-Cooper S - and I can't stand driving either one - may as well have rocks for tires.

Of course the other reason is that MB dropped Distronic on the '09 models.

oknish

scottybdiving

You should try to sell your 320 out right instead of trading it. There are no used GL320's or ML 320 CDI's to be had around here. There are occasionally a couple E320's ,and they are bringing top dollar. I think the prices on auction are being watered down by the prices of the gassers. That has always been the case for diesel pickups but you can sell them for a lot more than book or auction pricing. You might be surprised how much you can get for it.

BTW, I paid $3.93 for diesel yesterday where premium was $3.67, less than 10%. It has never been more than 10% above premium around here. You can't compare diesel with the price of regular since MB's don't burn it.

Trodas

Up in my neck of the woods diesel is between .50 and .60 cents higher than premium....plus in the winter months diesel goes up more due to the additives they put in there...I still think when the blutecs come out the CDIs will depreciate, my opionon though....so we will see...i see the 09 bluetecs are being released in October

StevethePilot

I think that's a hard argument to defend, given the drawbacks of the bluetec system. Now, if you're saying 09-10 model year versus 07-08 model year, there are probably enough improvements to make the judgement. If you're saying it's solely based on bluetec, I have to disagree. Losing the spare, needing to use run-flats, and another fluid to fill and worry about as well as yet another complex system attached to the truck does not, IMHO, an improvement make.

BlownV8

Oh, but, they do burn regular unleaded just fine. I was reading an article about just such an isssue with MBUSA. When pressed, they admitted the cars will burn the uleaded without any damage to the engine at all. Not to mention, they said you will get the same MPG to boot. However, the difference in their NA engines between regular and super would amount to less than 10 peak hp difference.

In some of the older models not euipped with knock sensors and modern EFI systems, yes, it is a bad idea to ever use regular unleaded when they say to ONLY use premium unleaded. Modern MB's all have very nice knock sensors and great EFI systems that automatically compensate for the octane of the fuel.

scottybdiving

So will it not void the warranty, say like using a non 229.51 oil? We all know there are many lubricants out there that would do a fine job and not cause any ill effects.

dmfick

How would MB know the grade of oil or fuel that you use? Last time I looked around my MB service center, I didn't see a petroleum testing lab. There's certainly no visible difference between used oils, or most gasolines.

Danno4x4

Sorry, I just don't get the whole idea of spending 60-70-80K on a vehicle, and then using lower quality fuel than was recommended for the vehicle... All in the name of saving a few hundred dollars a year?

One thing to know about knock sensors... They do not come into play all of the time... They only come into play when the fuel that is being used is causing the knock... The sensors notice it and then back off the timing and detune the engine until the knock goes away... The result of that is two things: 1.) The knocking has to occur before the knock sensors recognize it... This is bad for the engine. 2.) When the computer de-tunes the engine because of the knocking the horsepower is lowered by a little bit, but the fuel economy actually goes down as well. Sometimes as much as 8-10%.

So in the end, the answer to the question "Can I run Regular Unleaded in my Mercedes which calls for Premium?" Is YES... But the real question is why would you?

scottybdiving

They may not have a testing lab at their facitiy but I can assure you that they have easy access to one and if there is an engine failure, would probably be the first step they take. Oil and fuel analysis is not new technology. There are three different testing labs that we send samples to for engine, transmission, planetary drives, and hydraulic oil systems. I know they can easily determine the viscosity and would be very surprised if there are not tags or identifiers where they can determine exactly which oil is present. As far as testing octane, that is done by a very simple and inexpensive aparatus at just about every motorsports venue in the country.

BlownV8

They can not void your warranty. It would be very tough to prove that it did any damage. You would need to have total catastrophic failure and even then they would have to prove it was caused by bad gas. Even then, they would have to show documentation that the warranty expressly said that ONLY premium could EVER be used in your car.

cleek

"It's not going to hurt anything," said Peter Gregori, service manager for EuroMotorcars, a Mercedes-Benz dealer in Bethesda(MD).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...080501595.html

dmfick

Note that Post article is three years old. Some things never change. The knock sensors on current electronically controlled vehicles can sense in advance when a knocking condition would occur, and pre-emptively change the timing and injection settings so that no knock occurs. You can run almost any kind of gas in a late model Benz (or MBW or any other "premiem" fuel vehicle) and it may be marginally down on power, but you won't hurt anything.

robalo220

Just wanted to add my two cents worth. This is my first post on eithor ML or GL boards. Have been a MB owner since 2005 with a ML 350. Bought the first 2007 ML 320 CDI delivered to Louisville. Put 30K miles on it with absolutely NO problems. Had the running boards and tow package. Pulled a 4000lb boat to Florida and back 3 times and then a 5000lb boat to Florida and back (Destin, Florida- about 630 miles each way, tandem trailer with surge brakes both boats). Did the recall of the sensor and receiver hitch plus a few other minor things plus regular service. Loved the ML but was looking for something larger to pull the boat.
Traded the ML 320 in August for an 08 GL 320 CDI, black/black, P2, tow package. Absolutely love it. Only have 900 miles so far and have not been on the road yet. Had an issue with auto lights. Lights stayed on day or nite, but went off after vehicle turned off. Tech said the sensor and wiring harnus were both bad, replaced them and no more problems. This is not a diesel issue though.
I have been tickled to death with the milage of the ML. The GL is not broken in yet, but around town, I am getting 19- 22 MPG.
Also, I purchased the 08 as I did read on the board and learn about the run flat tires on the 09 bluetech so I was able to make the deal with one on the showroom floor. With rebates, etc, I was very happy with my deal. The dealer is asking about 3K less than I paid new for the ML. I think they were very happy to get a good used diesel for their lot.
Sorry such a long post, but I appreciate all the information I have gained from the posters.