alx

My 07 has 140k miles on it. I have owned it since new.

It it has been reliable. What failed- Rear air bags, compressor, tranny tcu turbine sensor, hatch hydraulic pump, rear driver side brake line rust through. That is about it.

alx

subframe connection bolts are loose. Common. I have seen a few.

kensiko

I'm looking at an '08 with 30k miles.

When can I expect the following items to crap out (not sure if I am using the correct terminology):

Glow plug?

Dpf sensor?

Suspension airbags?

Subframe "creak"?

Camshaft position sensor?

Intake manifold?

"Magnetic pickup"?

Captincvmn

would these be the largish rubber bushing like things behind the wheel well liner? I'm sure there are other spots too. I was eyeballing them on the passenger side when I had the liner out for the compressor.

bisonsautoshop

just purchased my 320 CDI at 88k miles
my uncles has 95k miles on his 350 bluetec

both have had the airmatic springs springs replaced
aside from that my uncle's bluetec hasn't any major issues.
tires are freaking expensive, and so are the springs if you can't find aftermarket

KrustyKustom

2011 GL350 (Silver)

115,400 miles

timing chain, motor mounts, all 4 airmatic struts (preventative at 105k), new aircompressor (preventative), differential pressure sensor on DPF, Nox Sensors, Swirl Flap Motor and Oil cooler at 46k, Vacume pump base gasket, Oil filter housing base gasket,

Lots of maintenance, oil changes at 5k miles, transmission changes at 20k, transfer case every oil change.

ditched run flats at 31k, been on Michelin LTXs on the 20" rims.

Knock on wood seem to be in a phase of replaced parts! Even with the issues I have had its better than a Suburban or similar. I have 5 kids and tow a Airstream and need a large SUV and the mileage is awesome.

EWT

175K miles on my 08 GL550. It had a lot of big issues early on when it was fortunately still under warranty. Both the engine and transmission were apart, it needed a new steering rack, radiator, front shocks rear hatch motor and a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting. It has been better but not great since then. I've replaced another round of front shocks, the rear air bags, air suspension compressor, cam angle sensors, 2 wheels that cracked for no apparentl reason and a bunch of tires, although fortunately there are more tire choices now and they have gotten somewhat cheaper. I've also payed to have the A/C compressor, the rear hatch motor (again) and a hall-effect (I think) sensor replaced.

The motor and trans still seem to be in good shape and have a lot of life left. It uses a quart of oil per ~5K miles, and shifts smoothly and normally.

It has been an expensive vehicle to own and has a habit of breaking at really inconvenient times, but I still like it. There isn't another 7 passenger SUV that can tow (7000 lbs+) that I'd rather own.

Eric

Vlad_GL550

My 08 GL550 just hit 150k today. This hasn't been a bad ride so far. Had it for almost a year, put about 12k miles on it. Lots of stuff was done before me including steering rack, all air struts, air compressor for struts, 4 camshaft position magnets, engine/trans mounts. Will be taking to a shop in a few days to get small oil leak checked out and suspecting a drive shaft U-joint going bad. Overall not a bad car, love the way it drives and acts in bad weather conditions. But definitely not the most reliable car I had.. little by little expenses are adding up!

kensiko

You have your transfer case oil done at every oil change?

Thats the first Ive ever heard of that. At the Benz dealer? How much does that run you?

What do they charge to swap the transmission fluid?

KrustyKustom

I only do the transfer case every oil change because it is so easy and only holds a liter. The fluid is 12.00 per liter for MB branded ATF134, and if it is left in there for 20k miles it is really dark. At 5k to 7k it is only slightly discolored. I do it myself as the dealer says it does not have a maintenance interval recommended.

I use mine for towing quite a bit as well, peace of mind.

kensiko

I'm all about preventive maintenance.

Have you considered doing a DIY write-up on the procedure?

tmurphy25

Hi, how many times have you replaced the air strut system? I just did mine (2011 GL 550) at 84k. I was wondering if its an every 80k thing.
Thanks,
terry

B Marques

machadosl

Now my 2007 GL500 has 50,952 miles, it has has been stucked in garage for one year and eight months due to a problem in ECU ads EZS recognition problem.
Now that is running again I changed the transmission oil and filter. The next steps are replacing the radiator that has cracked the plastic where the hose gets in, replace the radiator coolant, replace the brake fluid, replace the HVAC schrader valves and fill the system with R134A gás and replace the engine oil. The engine has not worked for more than 18 miles since I changed it, but, as it is old the oil needs to be changed.

BlownV8

The OE ones lasted seemed to last around 60k miles on mine, if my memory is correct, but the Arnott's have lasted over 100k miles so far. I think I've gone through 3 sets of front struts and 2 of the rear airbags and currently on the 3rd set of rear shocks since new. Also, just replaced the front sway bar end links to get rid of the annoying rattle.

PJsMB

2011 GL 450: 75,250.

JamesMitchell

Have owned my '07 GL450 since new. 174K miles. Have done the front struts and A/C system. She's been reliable and still drives awesome. Plan to do the upper and lower control arms to fix the slight rattle over speed bumps. Also plan to replace the ITC transfer case chain due to slipping when you press hard on the accelerator. Just put new Pirelli tires on it and it's driving awesome.

rich30769

2009 GL550, 95,064miles. I've owned it since 11/2016 and I've replaced front air struts, rear air bags, air compressor, cam sensors and magnets (twice), and will be replacing the thermostat this evening, code P0128 popped up on Sunday evening. Driver's side heated seat hasn't worked since I've owned it but, the cooling part works fine. Oh yeah, the easy entry seat stopped folding up so, entry into the third row is a PITA... Other then that, it's been good to me.

eric_in_sd

Stabilizer links first?

sak335

2012 GL350. 68,000 miles, owned it since 19,000 miles (it was 1 year old when I bought it.) Religiously maintained to better than MB maintenance schedule. I consider this vehicle a disappointment from a reliability standpoint. Far too many issues for such low mileage, especially the timing chain.

Issues fixed so far:
Oil Cooler Seals (warranty)
Ignition module replaced (warranty)
HVAC Blower Motor replaced (warranty)
Passenger front door handle replaced (warranty)
Upstream and downstream NOx sensors (upstream 2x, downstream 1x) (warranty)
F&R Anti-roll Bar End Links (I did the work myself)
Timing Chain and tensioner replaced (I did the work myself)

I'm currently getting an intermittent 'Airmatic Malfunction" message that seems totally random and suspect a frayed wire. Also have a clunk in the front strut that I've been waiting on since I'm told strut replacement is the fix and the air bags are still all good (fingers crossed, touching wood, praying to all deities, etc.)

BlownV8

Do the sway bar end links first.

JamesMitchell

Will do! Thank you!

Lee Reed

My view is that it really is a nickel-and-dime situation. I don't ever feel like it's going to strand me, but there are so many minor things to bother with that if each was corrected, it'd cost a fortune. I'm not even at 90K on my 2007, but I've given up on Airmatic and converted to coil springs. My tumble flaps are broken and won't be repaired (for $800? Nope.) Side window black trim is peeling, and I can't open the rear hatch unless I use the fob or switch on the driver door.
Second row folding handle has snapped off, second row seatbelt won't retract and sometimes the easy entry folding seatback won't stay up. However, power is amazing on my GL450, heated steering wheel is great, bodywork and paint is awesome. The combo of the higher insurance cost with these reliability issues means I'm actively hunting its replacement.

I'll also say, if you DON'T turn your own wrenches, or sink $5000 into extended warranty, this is NOT the vehicle for you.

Isentropic

alx

just sold my 07 with almost 200k miles. at 160k miles the front shocks failed and were arnott'ed lol... thats all.