ewikran

I have been fixed that my next car was to be a GL, but after reading online I am seriously considering looking for something else. Is the quality as pool as stated in these post?

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion...gl450-reliable


http://www.reliabilityindex.com/rati...st/Large%20SUV

My previous car was a 1997 G and it got alot of TLC on the mechanical parts. All the electrical problems on the GL seems harder to cope with.

JohnAMG

My wife's 2011 GL550, bought new, has about 90K miles and it has been relatively reliable. It has been out of warranty for a while and the recent repair was for the infamous rear airmatic airbags and shock which cost $2200. 6 months ago it cost $1700 for wiper/land changing sensors and engine thermostat. We never had others major issues since we owned the SUV considering the mileage my wife put to it. $3900 seems like a lot of money but for a $80K SUV it is well worth it. The GL550 still drives like wonderfully and it will stay with the family for a while like my other clunker, 2002 E55 with125K miles.

John

Shellbmb

We have a 2009 GL550 that has also been pretty reliable. The airmatic compressor and shocks have been replaced, but that is pretty common for a GL that has 100k miles on it. The rear liftgate motor has also had issues, but there have been no electrical issues. We bought an aftermarket extended warranty that more than paid for itself.

We are currently looking at a new 2015 or a pre-owned 2014 GL550. I can't find a 7 seater that compares to it.

BlownV8

I really love my 2007 GL450. I've put around 200k miles on the car so far and have no intentions of getting rid of it anytime soon. Yes, they will all have airbag issues, rear hatch latching problems, peeling window trim, and trans valve body issues. Once you get them addressed, the car is a dream to own and really cheap to maintain.

I change the oil ever 10k miles with mobile 1 0W-40 and don't have to add any in between oil changes. I use regular unleaded so gas is cheap and I average around 16.3 MPG combined city/hwy. I was closer to 18 MPG on average with the stock 19" wheels but the 22" wheels/tires do cost you dearly in MPG's.

The GL is very nice on long drives with the smooth ride and comfortable seating position. I'm probably going to get an SL65 for fun but will keep the GL for long drives and family outings. Go for it. I would say get one with over 120k miles and it shoud all be sorted out and ready to drive maintenance free for quite some time.

cchristison

Let me start off by saying that when I test drove my 2010 GL-350 I fell in love with it. The engine was smooth, transmission great and interior quality was fantastic, so I went ahead and purchased it. Despite having 90k miles on it (I have had diesels before and run them until 150k easily and know they can go much higher so the miles didn't worry me) I thought it was as sound decision (I have also had 2 other ML-350's before and loved them and had very few problems, one was a 2002 and one a 2005).

Well after 4 Check engine lights (Blue Tech low... the Check Engine Light came on before the warning !, Fuel line break spraying diesel over a relay, Blue Tech heater replacement and an O-ring failure on the turbo) and over $3000 in 3 months. I tried to work with Mercedes of Westminster, CO but ended up deciding to try to trade back the vehicle for a gas engined car. Unfortunately they did not offer me a good value on my car for a trade in so I was basically losing all my equity in the vehicle (interestingly I test drove a 2010 ML with 40k on it and the check engine light came on while I was driving it !! ). In the end I decided not to give my trade back to that dealership and went for a new Japanese car... lost about $10k over 3 months so will NEVER buy a Mercedes again.

My advice, DO NOT buy and older Mercedes and if you buy new do not expect them to last unless you have deep pockets ! Oh and if you are still thinking of buying a diesel, don't if you live in a cold climate !

nachilus

Sorry to hear of the issues, I know a few people who have gl with over 200K on the clock with no issues.

I guess out of every few made their is a bad one. Good luck with your new purchase.

I had similar issues with my 2007 BMW X5, I ditched it. it was in the shop at least once every other month and it would stay there for a week or more....got tired of it and sold it and took a loss.

So I understand.

20swrt

Yes - diesels are really not for everyone. If your daily commute is less than 15 miles a day or if you live in or above the snow belt - get a gasser. Modern diesels have DPFilters on the exhaust. Google it !

islandbeef

"The most expensive car in the world is a cheap Mercedes."

CBR Dude

Here's' my take and I'm sure I'll be flamed into submission. If you really love the Mercedes brand, lease one! You'll be under warranty the entire time providing you don't drive a lot and you're out from under it before the warranty expires and the bigger payout start.


I'm not a fan of leasing, but there seems to be growing tide of leasers for this brand. If you look at most of the used or CPO ones they are off leases. DO NOT LEASE for more than 36 months! Other wise you are defecting the purpose.


Here is my rational. These vehicles are the cats meow when the run, but when it comes time for fixing them is when your hear the complaining start. Everything about them is expensive.


If you can land a CPO that's your best bet for a used one. The Financing is great, the warranty is longer and they have been vetted out from the dogs. And they are often priced a bit higher than a non-MB lot as they have to pack this on to the vehicle.


If buying used and not CPO this is what happens. Data is being kept on these and like everything else its being monitored. Financing will be higher then the tradition used vehicle, extended warranties are limited, more expensive, sometimes none at all and some that don't cover the entire vehicle. Especially the parts that go bad so often with these. Their rationale is when these things break you'll pay to get it fixed vs. paying the note. Not saying this is always the MO, but it's being done at some level. Statistics have shown that people that buy used with miles are folks with questionable credit. I have excellent credit and when I shopped around for a loan for one that was out of warranty I was shocked beyond dumfounded.


Also consider a gasser vs. diesel technology. It's hit and miss with either one there may be issues. Some people on here say they are bullet proof and some have had problems. I've been down the diesel path and it was ugly. I've had two German ones and both ended in disappointment. The domestic version was a different breed of diesel and never had a problem. They run the diesel ones all over and never seem to have issues, perhaps different specs for the US? Don't know. If you're under warranty stuff gets fixed, but when making payments the vehicle should be in your garage vs. theirs is my take on it? Nothing is perfect I realize that, but when your off the road for more than you should be then there's a problem Houston.

20swrt

Expect to spend 1mile per $dollar on a brand new or leased mercedes (36k miles). I bought a used ML and it came to about 2 Mikes per dollar in depreciation. To get TCO (total cost of ownership)= purchase cost - current value / miles driven. Add any repair cost, taxes and fuel to "purchase cost".

tmurphy25

The check engine light came on at 60k (2011 GL550) and the Tstat is $800. A) it seems too few miles for this to break, and B) 800! that is a pretty poor component. It sits more than we drive it, really baffled by this. anyone else with Tstat issues?

cc4sc

Apparently, don't live in warm weather either as I'm in LA and the GL350 I had was a POS too!

Bought a 2010 GL350 CPO with about 21K miles in December 2014. The first 6 months was everything I was hoping the car would be. Then **** started to hit the fan. Way too many problems to list...brought it back to the dealer on a monthly basis. The final straw was having it break down 2x within 5 days on Southern California freeways, with wife and 2 young kids in the car; something I don't ever want to experience again.


Loss a ton of money on the car but had to get rid of it when the warranty expired (still had to pay a bunch of out pocket under warranty as BS dealers told me multiple times that multiple problems were not covered).


Went back to Japanese (Lexus GX460) and haven't looked back. Like it's been said, the GL is "nice" but it is just such a ****ty car from a reliability standpoint. Assuming this is a family car as it was for us, reliability is #1 and the tripe star and the looks mean little....

alx

are you going to be fixing it yourself?

get one.

dealer? prepare a slush fund to finance repairs - i would say about $3500 per year. not counting tires and brakes

FireGuy

I am an original owner of a 2007 GL 450. 142,000 miles and counting. It has been the single best vehicle I have ever owned, and I was up to this truck, a guy whom has owned and driven a bunch of cars and light trucks and brands and was rarely satisfied - Im in my early 60's now. I have kept to the maintenance schedule and the only real repairs have been all four airbags by now. A couple of small items under the OEM warranty. Never bought an extended warranty and am now glad it would have been a waste of money.

Only issue was in the early years was on the 19" rims it ate tires until a few better ones finally became available in that size.

Its a incredible, ride, a GREAT long haul, family hauler. No sweat doing 3-4 hrs straight and a 9-10 day is not bad. Everyone that rides in it raves about the ride.

Only glitch now is the joystick is failing on the Command Unit and I need to find a repair as with the 07's with the fiber optic bus, an aftermarket replacement sound/Nav head would be a huge cost.

If you can get an early model, with maintenance records, and ideally garaged from a western state, I'd buy it.

Zavato

Bottom line if you want ultra reliable, it's Honda or Toyota. Love my MB, but would not be without my Honda either

a2j

This. And I apply this logic to pretty much any other vehicle.

BlownV8

Same here. Love my 2007 GL450.

johny75

My 2 cents on CPO vehicles - you are paying 6-8K on top of what you could find the same vehicle from a private seller. To me, 6-8K will fix most issues that you encounter in 3-5 years of ownership. Yes, I know there are examples on the web where CPO warranty is well worth it but statistically the odds are that you overplayed. It this was not true, dealers will not make any money on CPO cars, and they do!

dieseldoc

I love my Mercedes. Make sure you have an extended warranty if you buy a GL. this is especially true if you buy a diesel. Had my GL for 8 years. Warranty paid for itself. Great vehicle but I am not mr fixit. Dealer prices outrageous for repairs.

SndsoftheSbrbs

I am mystified by other owners' Mercedes-Benz reliability issues. The only Mercedes we have owned that I would consider troubled was the 1998 ML320. Mercedes-Benz knew that there were issues with that first model year. We did not have to pay a dime for maintenance or repairs, and they were numerous. We did end up trading-in in 2001 for a W210. It was more about not wanting an SUV at that time, however.

eric_in_sd

Agreed. The used MB's are cheap precisely because most people fix them at the dealer and thus the maintenance cost becomes prohibitive.

Another point: Get a good indy and give them lots of love. What i don't fix myself I take to my fam at Escondido German Auto (should you be in the San Diego area).

SndsoftheSbrbs

I never take my out-of-warranty vehicles to the dealer. I would recommend people get routine maintenance for their in-warranty Mercedes-Benzes at independent factory trained mechanics as well. There is a myth that this will void your warranty. It is actually illegal in the United States for the manufacturer to void the warranty. You can have your car maintained wherever you would like and the warranty must still be valid.

ddruker

There is inevitably going to be lots of selection bias on forums like this - the folks who have problems are much more likely to post.

I have found my GL 350 to not be very reliable. Lots of issues over the years. Since repairs and parts are so expensive here in the Bay Area, I bought my first ever extended warranty, and it's more than paid for itself.

I do all scheduled maintenance myself, the truck is pretty easy to work on, there is lots of space. Just a few stupidly annoying things for regular maintenance - like the transmission fluid and filter replacement procedure that is way harder than it should be, the battery being sealed under the passenger seat, etc.

At 65k miles, I'm about to have to go in and get my passenger side mirror replaced for the second time - the blind spot sensor has failed again, get the airbag recall done, and get a front-end drivetrain noise diagnosed - suspect a front bearing going bad.

I'm surprised my airbags haven't failed yet - that's about the only common problem my truck hasn't had yet - I've had all the rest.

My main complaint about the truck isn't really actually reliability, it's how antiquated and crappy the COMAND system is...

SndsoftheSbrbs

The airbag recall is not MB's fault. I am sure you know that. I can't explain your other issues. It seems like bad luck? Our X164 has been very dependable. As for COMAND, the car is 6-7 years old. I think the older version of COMAND is pretty straightforward and intuitive. That's my humble opinion.

chsu74

I have gone naked on this truck for the past year and replaced $200 worth is sensors and an air compressor. Changed my own oil and made half of that cost back compared to dealer prices. I will keep it and see what happens over the next year or two..

Just saw this on the other forum and looks to be a good upgrade if you are looking to keep the truck for a while. Don't think it is worth it just for Bluetooth music streaming but hey you never know..

https://avinusa.com/mercedes-benz-ml...on-system.html