Hello, a note about my ride and my issues: 3 month old 2008 320 CDI black/black P2. 4000 miles. (traded a 07 ML 320 CDI with 30K miles with absolutely no issues)
Right off the showroom floor on delivery was told the auto headlamp sensor was bad. Lights would come on and off, but had message on dash about auto lights not working. The sensor seemed to cause the radio display to not dim and bright depending on daylight. That next day I took it to service, they diagnosed as a bad sensor and wiring harness. Needed to order and would take a few days. When they put it back together that day it started working fine. Over the weekend, Saturday morning the battery was dead. I called the dealership and they sent a service tech. In the meantime, I put the charger on and after 30 minutes, it started. The tech came and said was probably due to the bad harness. He said to just check and make sure all the lights go off (dome lights, etc). They replaced the sensor and harness and no further battery problems till last Sunday morning. Dead battery again. I just charged it up as I had an appt. with service on Tuesday this week. As the weather changed the side mirrors started hanging up when opening back up. Also the auto rear hatch started not closing fully. At first I could just open and close it and it was ok. Then I had to manually slam it shut to get it to catch. I also went on a road trip and the check oil at the next fuel stop message came up..... over and over again. Oil level same since new. 3/4 of the way up to the full mark. I do no get the message while driving in town. As all these problems added up, I thought I would just have it all checked out at the "free check from 1000 to 5000 mile mark."
They kept the GL for two days. Guess what there is a new recall affecting the rear hatch electronics that causes something to stay active causing battery drain (or so I was told). This recall came out at the beginning of this week. They also had another GL in at the same time for the battery drain/ hatch problem.
They adjusted the latch and did a computer update to correct the problem.
The side mirrors they just lubed and said that would take care of it. ( I'm not sold on that idea that it will fix that problem).
They said the oil sensor was bad, drained the oil, dropped the pan, replaced the sensor, new gasket, replaced the oil and said that should solve that problem.
Did I mention the shifting problem in start and stop traffic between 1st and 2nd gears? Would clunk and jerk during these shifts. The mechanic was able to make it shift that way during his test drive. They changed a computer setting and now it shifts smoothly.
Sorry such a long post, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been reading of everyone elses same problems and to let you guys know I have them too. I will let you know if this fixes the problems or not.

 

No recall exists, of course.

No evidence the problem is widespread, either.

None here, for sure.

 

For the dead battery issue, search for postings by "moms benz". She is by now an expert on how to handle this, and should be able to give you lots of advice. If I remember, I think that the hatch or DVD player was the culprit.

As for the tranny, myself and several others have had this, and the fix was a valve body replacement and a software upgrade. Must have both to be properly fixed, otherwise it will happen again. (Usually when cold.)

The oil sensor is the usual fix for the low oil level warning.

I normally spray a little silicone spray on the mirror tracks ever so often. During winter, I disable this feature to avoid damage from it trying to force itself open when frozen. Done by the steering wheel settings.

Search around, as a member has posted a link to all the TSB's somewhere and it is a good place to start. Don't have it handy to give you the link. If I find it I will post it for you.

Otherwise, enjoy the ride.

 

I have had a dead battery 7 times in 8 months. It was towed in all 7 times. They did the rear tailgate update and replaced the motor, they replaced steering column module this last time. So far nothing has worked. My GL has been in the shop 27 days since I got it in March. As of 3 weeks ago MBUSA is buying back this lemon. Keep good records, it only takes 3 attempts to get out of your car. Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the information. I have only had the GL back home for one day and already the side mirrors have hung up again. I just chalk it up to the cold weather. I had disabled the fold in feature before the supposed fix. I guess I will just disable it again.
Interesting about the lack of recall. The dealer said there was one. May just be their way of soothing my feathers. While I was waiting for my GL to come around from service, one of the service techs was going over the same issue with another happy GL customer. I didn't talk to the tech or other customer but I wish I had now.
I will keep you informed about how it is going.

 

The power lift gate issue isn't a recall it is a TSB. The service writers will tell you whatever you want to hear. I even got a Rep from MBUSA involved back in July and he didn't know anything more than the SA's did. All they knew what they didn't know what was wrong and just kept searching through TSB's trying everyone they came across hoping and praying it fixed my car. So far they have been wrong.

 

New update.... DEAD BATTERY....again this morning. Only 2 days out of the shop with the supposed fixes. Anyway, it is back in the shop today but they are short on SA's and I'm guessing I wont see it till next week.
This is the 3rd time (twice in one week).
I'll keep you posted........

 

Try this link for a list of TSB's that may help your plight. Take some time and sort through what may apply.

 

I am so sorry. I can truly feel your pain. What state are you in? I would look into the lemon law. There is nothing more frustrating than leaving for work and your car is dead. Hang in there!!

 

Update: The dealer kept the GL 320 for almost a week. They were able to detect a draw from the rear liftgate. In short, they did something in the steering column. Adjustments made to the rear liftgate. The liftgate now sounds strong when shutting like the one I had on my 07 ML 320 CDI (never had the first minutes trouble with that one).
It has been a month since getting it back. The side mirrors fold in and out fine. The "fix" was to use "special grease" as the work order stated. Ha.... Didn't know there was a difference in grease!
Now, it has only been a month so I will keep you guys posted.

PS Mom-- I am in Kentucky. I haven't checked the lemon laws here yet. I'm staying positive that they have fixed it. However, I am keeping a log of all events.
Thanks for listening--- I will keep you guys posted.
Happy holidays and be safe!

 

Glad to hear! I hope they fixed it for sure! I always had a 4.3A draw but they could never pinpoint where it was coming from. That is terrific news that they detected yours! The longest mine went without dying was 3 months. Keep us posted and Happy Holidays to you too!!

 

Thanks Mom! And congrats on your new ride. It is sharp!

 

Thanks!

 

"They were able to detect a draw from the rear liftgate. In short, they did something in the steering column."

Can you elaborate a little more for the rest of us? Thanks

 

OK, here is the information from the invoice from the service dept from the first dead battery incident on November 26, 2008:
They did not actually "see" the GL with the battery drain occuring on this trip as I charged the battery in my garage and got it running and drove to the dealer. They did change the oil level sensor/oil quality sensor, R & R/ seal/ replace. They acutally dropped the oil pan and changed the sensor. They changed it due to DTB S-B-18.00/37d.

Had rear Hatch issue also. They adjusted latch striker. Also as per VMI performed open campaign 2008110009 164/251 rear sam
cause: open campaign
02058 battery charger connect (with SDS connected)
938 WM
024762 star diagnosis system (sds), connect & disconnect
938 WM
026129 rear SAm control module software, install
938 WM
NOTE: this did not fix the hatch problem or the dead battery problem.

Took vehicle back on December 3, 2008 as the vehicle battery was dead again. I charged it to get it going and took to the dealer.

This time they found:

Fault in steering module
5410011 Short test, perform
603 WM8
1 164-545-85-16 control unit
541109 condition of battery check post stamp:

150650 altenator with regulator check (after quick test)

540645 amp draw check (quiescent)


467690 steering column switch module cover replace.

at the bottom in a paragraph it states:
per tac case 765010 checked steering control module and replaced steering control module per DTB-T-B-54.21/198b. Per tac rechecked rear tail gate operation and found drawing 45MA draw when closed, see tailgate repairs below, and after repair, amperage draw was 13MA.

Tailgate repair as follows:
cause: striker out of adjustment
724563 tailgate striker, adjust

721015 doors/tailgate- one, align/ adjust

724563 tailgate striker, adjust

4415 add on repair per tac ck rear tailgate adjustment checked rear tailgate adjustments and all gaps are within specs, checked latch adjustment and found latch was incorrectly adjusted, per work instructions adjusted rear tail gate correctly to proper specs, function tested and functions ok.

I hope this long answer helps. I have copied right from the invoice sheets.
I will add, since they adjusted the tailgate this last time that it has the same strong closing sound that my 07 ML 320 CDI had. The GL never sounded like it was closing properly from the start until this "last adjustment". I will also add that I have not had any dead battery problems as of yet but I will keep you posted.

I dont know what the code numbers mean, it might be hogwash but I listed them in case they are actual codes telling what they actually did.

 

Thanks - I'm taking mine in tomorrow for the same problem - dead battery, and I'm convinced that its in the rear hatch but I am going to make the tech awaire of this too. Again thanks.

 

Your welcome Boxer. Good luck. I hope they get your ride fixed.

 

Tailgate latch is a widespread issue.
According to my service dept they are taking care of the issue.

 

My problem was the rear latch not seating properly. The service desk said that: “while an interior light may not be on, if the gate is not latched and seated properly; a lot of computers stay active and ultimately will drain the battery.”

 

Just curious. Do you mean that your service dept is taking care of the issue for you? Or do you mean that Mercedes has recognized this widespread issue and is coming up with a fix for everyone?

Either way, I'm eager for the fix. My dealer's second attempt at fixing the latch no longer works.

 

You guys have me paranoid now. I now listen for the latch to fully close. There's one sound of the motor lowering the lift gate and a second sound for what I think is another motor pulling it shut completely.

I've found if I don't hear the second motor, then I pull the lift gate like I'm trying to open it, but without touching the open switch, and it pulls it all the way shut.

 

Although on mine, which has experienced the same problems, and which the dealer has been unable to duplicate, sometimes it closes fully with just a slam and no second electric motor sound.

 

What you described is exactly what mine does as well, allthough there are times where it seems to close tightly on it's own. When this happens, you can still detect a different sound to the motor as it's closing.

 

These two dealer technical bulletins may pertain to this issue, suggesting that a software update to the rear fuse box (called SAM by Mercedes service folks ) may fix the battery drain.

Jan 06, 2009 T-B-54.21/198e Revision: Remedy 1 Revised
Model 164.122/172/177/186/822/871/886, Model 251.122/156/165, Model Year 2008
Battery Discharging - Increased Rest Current in the Rear SAM / CAN Bus Awake Mode Software in Steering column Module (SCM)
"Cause 1 (Vehicles equipped with Automatic Rear End Door (SA code 890) or Keyless-Go (SA code 889): Rest current being too high (>150mA but less then 3Amps) resulting from the rear SAM staying awake due to incorrect rest current logic. This situation may occur if the tailgate button on the key is pressed to open while vehicle is locked. Once the tailgate is closed again, the rear SAM remains awake before the tailgate lock switch and the spare wheel carrier switch close. If the spare wheel carrier is not installed (SA code 849), the SAM remains awake and drains the battery. The CAN bus however, is not awake in this case."

AND

Nov 21, 2008 2008110009 Service Campaign: Models 164, 164.8, 251, Model Year 2008
Update Rear SAM Software
"Daimler AG has determined that opening and closing of the tailgate with the key remote, while the vehicle is locked, may cause the battery to drain due to incorrect Rear SAM rest current logic. To correct this condition, Dealers will update the Rear SAM software at the next workshop visit."

 

I am experiencing the exact same problem with the liftgate.