Hi There...looking for a 2010-2012 GL550
06-09-2015, 08:02 PM
#1
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GL550 Soon!
Hi There...looking for a 2010-2012 GL550
Apologies in advance, as I will probably lurk more than post 
I'm looking for a new-to-us family SUV. The wifey and I both prefer the look, handling, and simplicity of the previous gen GL550 over the new ones.
We found a 2011 that we will probably go for. A quick search of your site showed that the air shocks will likely go south at some point and many people complain about the command stereo/bluetooth connectivity. Are there other issues to be concerned with?
Thanks everyone! Great site you have here!
I'm looking for a new-to-us family SUV. The wifey and I both prefer the look, handling, and simplicity of the previous gen GL550 over the new ones.
We found a 2011 that we will probably go for. A quick search of your site showed that the air shocks will likely go south at some point and many people complain about the command stereo/bluetooth connectivity. Are there other issues to be concerned with?
Thanks everyone! Great site you have here!
07-15-2015, 12:26 PM
#4
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2011 GL450 (Daily Driver)
I'm not sure if you've made your choice yet, but I wanted to weigh in with my 2 cents.
When it came time for me to replace my lease, my wife and I looked at all the GL's. I pride myself on a lot of homework, and we're lucky enough to count both a 25+ year Mercedes tech and the GM of a local Mercedes dealer among our friends.
To your two points: I address Airmatic below. As for the Command/Bluetooth issues, I've actually found it amazingly easy to use. True, the Bluetooth doesn't stream audio from your MP3 player or phone, but that can be easily fixed with a fairly inexpensive adapter in the glove box. The Nav has worked well, and after training the system, I have 0 issues with speech recognition.
For what it's worth:
1. Avoid the BlueTec/CDI, period. The oil coolers and turbos are a source of constant pain sorrow, and $6K+ repair bills.
2. The GL's tear through tires at a crazy rate, and the GL550 is the worst of the bunch. I've heard $1,500-2,000 every 15-20K miles. Make a 382 HP, 5,500 pound truck ride like an S-Class, and you chew through rubber. The tires are a weird size that only a few people make.
3. Go with as late a year as you can. The 2007-2009 (and part of 2010) were service disasters. Plus they facelifted them all from 2010 - 2012.
4. Try to find one that has had the Airmatic compressor replaced, and possibly the struts. Another weak point on all of these - my car had them all done before I bought it and it was $3K.
5. Get an extended warranty - from the mouth of the service tech. I'll be honest, I didn't, but mine was pretty low mileage when I bought it, and all of the "soft spots" on the truck had been fixed or replaced immediately prior to purchase.
All of that being said, I love my GL450. I love that I can tow a small boat, seat 7 adults, or carry 3 dozen bags of much in the back, all with very little fanfare. If at all possible, get as much of the service history as you can. My MB dealer actually printed out the entire service history from their system for my car so I could see what shape it was in. If it's a local trade, ask the dealer why they got rid of it. In my case it was a trade on another GL. I like that better than "I don't know" or "they wanted something different."
When it came time for me to replace my lease, my wife and I looked at all the GL's. I pride myself on a lot of homework, and we're lucky enough to count both a 25+ year Mercedes tech and the GM of a local Mercedes dealer among our friends.
To your two points: I address Airmatic below. As for the Command/Bluetooth issues, I've actually found it amazingly easy to use. True, the Bluetooth doesn't stream audio from your MP3 player or phone, but that can be easily fixed with a fairly inexpensive adapter in the glove box. The Nav has worked well, and after training the system, I have 0 issues with speech recognition.
For what it's worth:
1. Avoid the BlueTec/CDI, period. The oil coolers and turbos are a source of constant pain sorrow, and $6K+ repair bills.
2. The GL's tear through tires at a crazy rate, and the GL550 is the worst of the bunch. I've heard $1,500-2,000 every 15-20K miles. Make a 382 HP, 5,500 pound truck ride like an S-Class, and you chew through rubber. The tires are a weird size that only a few people make.
3. Go with as late a year as you can. The 2007-2009 (and part of 2010) were service disasters. Plus they facelifted them all from 2010 - 2012.
4. Try to find one that has had the Airmatic compressor replaced, and possibly the struts. Another weak point on all of these - my car had them all done before I bought it and it was $3K.
5. Get an extended warranty - from the mouth of the service tech. I'll be honest, I didn't, but mine was pretty low mileage when I bought it, and all of the "soft spots" on the truck had been fixed or replaced immediately prior to purchase.
All of that being said, I love my GL450. I love that I can tow a small boat, seat 7 adults, or carry 3 dozen bags of much in the back, all with very little fanfare. If at all possible, get as much of the service history as you can. My MB dealer actually printed out the entire service history from their system for my car so I could see what shape it was in. If it's a local trade, ask the dealer why they got rid of it. In my case it was a trade on another GL. I like that better than "I don't know" or "they wanted something different."
07-15-2015, 07:16 PM
#5
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E55, GLS450, GL63, GLE350
I have approximately 200k miles on my 2007 GL450 and couldn't be happier. It's been very cheap to maintain and still drives like new with no oil added between 10k mile oil changes.
