Hi All,

Just want to get some opinion on the quality issue with first gen GL. I am living in UK and bought a 2012 GL with 9500 miles on the clock. The car was MB approved and claimed was for internal use by MB in UK by the sales. Be honest, really love it. The look is great and the drive is great after they replaced the steerin rack. yes, they did replace the rack at 9850 miles. But I have concern about the quality of this car now. Since I got it, the car had been with dealer for 6 times. Two times for one repair, inspection first and the repair after. Here is the list of items they repaired.

1. Steering rack.
2. about 3 weather seals on the doors and frame due to leakage.
3. door handle as the paint peal off.

Now I found the third row window leaking again, which will be another trip to the dealer. Be fair, the dealer in brookland UK is great, every time they found the problem, they fix it with top professional manner much better than Audi, BMW and land rover in my own experience. But I really hate the fact some issues keep coming back and I have to spend time to the dealer. 8 times for the 6 months I own the car seems a lot. no, it doesn't include the service, my next service is due in two months time. Here is my questions, I know few members here had the first gen and moved onto second gen. Could anyone tell me how is the second gen please? I am actually thinking about change it for something else, maybe the second gen. But the MB quality concerns me a bit. I understand the 50k mile car might have few issues here and there. But my car is less than two years old with less than 10k. Feel I got a lemon here. Should I exchange it for a second gen? Help please?

Thanks.

 

One of the reasons that I bought my 2012 GL 350 was that it was the last of the X164 body style. Normally that means that a manufacturer has worked all the bugs out of a model and you get a solid vehicle. Unfortunately vehicles are quite complex and occasionally one has issues, and you perhaps may have found one.

The only problem that I have had in the 10,000 miles that I have owned my GL is a failed NOx sensor which was replaced under warranty (it has 30,000 miles on it.)

Most of your problems, aside from the replaced rack, are either cosmetic or window gaskets. It could be that they got a bad batch of gaskets which are not fitting correctly, or they were installed improperly on the line. While I realize that it is still a problem (and you are in the UK where rain is more of an issue than some of us deal with), I'd say it's better than electrical or mechanical problems which can be very frustrating to deal with.

I'd have a conversation with my service adviser about it and let them know that you are concerned about the build quality of the vehicle. See what he offers up before doing something drastic like replacing the vehicle. I don't know what programs MB has in the UK, but they've started selling used vehicles here in the USA with an extended maintenance/warranty which would obviously be of some comfort if one was having issues.

 

Thanks for the reply. That's my thought as well. The car has been on the market for 6 years and how bad it could be. What I am afraid is the leak had been there for a while and might found it way to the wires already. Hope not. I actually really love this ride for the handling and engine, that's why I am looking for X166.

 

I bought a CPO 2010 X164 with extended warranty. I figured quality would not be a major concern boy was I wrong. 1st month I found fuel filter clogged and tank pump replacement not under warranty. 2nd month $199 A-service routine no surprises. 3rd month HighPressure fuel pump failure service advisor blamed me for buying contaminated fuel, again not under warranty. Insurance picked up the bill $15K for complete fuel system replacement. 5th month $399 B-service + tire inspection shows extreme toe out inner tread worn down to tire carcass. 4-wheel alignment not under warranty + 4 new tires. BTW toe out is not normal wear and tear I suspect tampering. 6th month of ownership, third row seat leather stitching separation again not under warranty. Now I take my GL to an independent shop, no further problems.

 

Well, to prove my point, I did a comparison of all the cars I own. Please note the comparison doesn't include the mechanic parts, just cosmetic. The comparison inlcudes three cars.

- Toyota Avensis 2006
- BMW 525
- GL

Be fair, GL is not too bad. But I notice the small parts such as door handle and trims. The GL ranked the last, even worse than the toyota. The GL has very nice interior, but easily matchable by BMW. One thing I notice is the man craft quality is a lot of worse in GL compare to the rest two. The gaps are bigger. Maybe I am picky, but when spending that sort of money, I do expect the machine should be pretty and functional.

Still have too say at the last, the ride is very nice in GL. Somehow, I love driving GL more than BMW. Guess the ride fit my taste.

 

We have a BMW X5 4.8is and an MB GL350 BTC. The BMW suspension is tuned for performance driving and the ride is harsher overall for road feedback. The GL platform is not a performance vehicle but a comfort luxury SUV. My Bluetec is a workhorse/daily driver towing heavy loads and delivering long commutes without beating me up. The plus is my 31+ MPG shown in my avatar.

 

Hi buddy, good for you to have both of them. I can't reallly afford to have two SUVs especially with the gas price in UK. A little bit off topic now. The fanny thing is I am in exactly the same mood as one of my mate who owns a land rover discovery 4. I used to laugh at him for the fact he often very happy with a big smile face when driving the disco4 until the point he arrived the garage for inspection/repairs. He then suddenly swear the hell out of it. But his expression was at least we were still in the drive seat not on top of a toll truck. Now it's his term to laugh I guess.

 

My 2010 is a first gen X164 running 20% biodiesel, so my fuel costs are considerably lower. My buddy has the 2014 X166 gasoline and is very happy regarding quality issues. Since it is new, like most new vehicles, there's not a whole lot of defects or issues unless it is a true lemon. Comparing the two, I'm relatively happy because I didn't pay the full price and I do most of the maintenance myself. Overall with the true cost of repairs, downtime hassles, I'd say go for the 2nd Gen. If you don't do your own maintenance, consider a prepaid service warranty from MB. See if your dealer offers this. Over here in the States, we have tremendous competition from independents that offer substantial savings. We have the Magnusson-Moss Act that retains the warranty regardless of where we take the vehicle to get repairs.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I got my last repair done in brookland uk. But I am not 100% happy with the result. So I have a question for all GL experts.

The leak of the third row window was caused by bad seal around the window. By the look of it, there are two different seals I can see. One is the external rubber parts which mount the glass and a plastic strip part on top of the window. there is also a internal seal I can see when I seat in the thrid row. From my inspection, I can see there is a gap (2-3mm) between the rubber strip on top of the plastic strip to the main bodywork. So when it rains, the water get inside. The MB dealer initially told me the whole window need to be replaced along with the seals. But when I got my car back, they told me the external seal gap was not the cause for the leakage. The internal seal was, so they only replace the internal seal. I did a test myself and it seems the leakage stopped, but the water can still get into the gap from the external rubber seal as they didn't do anything to repair the gap between the window gasket to the bodywork. I don't really know where the water goes, but they don't get to go inside. I questioned this to MB brookland and the answer was the external rubber seal won't stop the water goes into the frame. it should be the internal seal stop the water from out side. Does anyone know if this is true. I thought the purpose of seal is to stop water goes in. It worries me as the gap is still there from external and water will still get into the window frame. If it's not leaking inside, where the water will go. I know GL has electrical parts all around, I am worried about more damage this way. Any answer is appreciated. Thanks.

 

I recently bought a used 2008 ML 350, with 125,000 miles, and am still trying to get used to the "drive" feel of it after my 2003 Volvo XC70 was hit by an uninsured driver and considered a total loss. Frankly, I am surprised of the poor quality build of my ML 350 and below are the reasons why:

1. Pre-purchase inspection revealed a broken tumble flap which is apparently rampant in all late model Mercedes because the part is made from plastic (est. repair for new manifold $1300).

2. The familiar sticky, gooey steering wheel control buttons and headlight switch bezel is a known problem yet not addressed by MB.

3. The broken air conditioning vent louvers which is another known problem yet not addressed by MB.

4. The deteriorated MB wheel center caps which have the laminate peeling away, fallen off or pitted.

5. The well known broken window switches on the master control on the driver's side. Apparently the continued use of lifting the buttons will break the hinges below and either leave you with a window stuck up, down or somewhere in between.

There are a few more things that I can't recall at the moment but I find these things to be simply unacceptable for a vehicles that is six years old. My 2003 Volvo had a few issues but nothing to the extent or simplicity of things on a vehicle that simply shouldn't break from normal use. A/C vents should have broken louvers (I have 3 that just flutter in their enclosure). Steering wheel control buttons should be made from durable materials and not feel like a 5 year old slathered them with clear bubble gum...the list can go on and on. In short, I am really disappointed in the build and poor attention to design and manufacture detail of this vehicle. I would be even more bitter and disappointed if I bought it brand new for $48,000 and this type of crap was happening.

Is it because the vehicle is made in Tuscaloosa, Alabama or is it just a German made vehicle for the masses a la Honda???

 

Sounds like you bought a well-used, soccer mom's daily beater, that got no lovin' from it's previous user. Any vehicle, abused, will show signs of the abuse be it peeling paint down to the sticky buttons. My opinion is whomever sold you this vehicle, sold it truly, AS IS.

 

The tiny gap you see from the external seal to the body frame drains to the tire well. I had the same question to my dealer when I saw this gap, although I didn't have a leak. My dealer said it drains into the wheel well and not to worry. I wanted to reassure myself, so I injected with a needle, some dye and voila, it dripped from the wheel well.

 

What is the fix for the sticky buttons on a well maintained used GL?