Yeah. I wouldn't call them cheap. But certainly far less than the labor (and parts mark-ups) dealers and garages charge. And, while I understand the peace of mind that comes from buying premium brand/priced parts, doing so is far from necessary most of the time.

About a year or so ago, I had to replace the alternator. I was quoted a parts price of $1300 - $2400 for a Mercedes alternator. I bought another brand alternator from a reputable parts place, with a one-year warranty, for $320. Comparing them side-by-side, there was minimal difference in weight, construction or content. The part fit and works perfectly. No codes, no electrical problems. And, I admit I had my concerns given the price differential. But I could buy 3 spares if I wanted and still spend less than the MB branded one. And, it's not like MB actually makes these parts.

I once talked myself into getting a set of Morimoto H7 LED lights. They provided almost no benefit over the stock and aged halogens that they replaced. And they threw codes. I replaced them with a set of H7 LEDs that were 1/3 the price, provide far better lighting with no complaints from oncoming traffic and, only on rare occasion - without a resister installed - does a "light out" code pop up (although the light is actually working) and it disappears with a quick tap on the steering wheel "Ok" button.

 

What part of the country do you live? I live in one of the rainiest cities in the US and my car is always parked outside. Obviously, if you lived in a dry climate or park your car inside or under cover, your experiences would probably not be the same.

MB is very consistent so typically what happens on one happens on all. Three of my other X166's were recalled due to .......water intrusion issues.

 

I'm in Australia. I've bought a lot of parts from RockAuto. But i use FCPeuro, RockAuto, and Nemigaparts to determine part numbers and i'll search everywhere to find the bargains. For example, i recently went on a parts buying binge and found a new genuine OEM Graf water pump here for $90aud delivered. Got a Bosch starter $167.96, Bosch auxillary electric water pump $86.36, INA timing chain kit w/guides (w/o gear) for $408, Mahle thermostat $189.56. (All $Aud delivered). I also bought reman and flow tested genuine MB fuel injectors from California for about $250 delivered.

These are all OE or OEM parts for Mercedes x164 GL. These prices for these parts are equivalent to (or cheaper than) if you were buying the same for a Toyota, Hyundai, Ford, or GM vehicle.

I got a pair of Bilstein air struts for my Dad's C219 CLS500 delivered from RockAuto in 5 days for the price of buying a single strut here in Aus. I got an airmatic compressor repair kit from: https://x8r.co.uk/mercedes-e-class-w...r-fix-kit.html because the compressors themselves don't actually fail.
Also got him a Pierburg fuel pump and filter/reg from the UK for about $500 delivered.

The key is finding the MB part number, cross-referencing, using different search engines and spend a bit of time hunting. I've saved hundreds of dollars on single parts with this method. It's my hobby and i enjoy the process.

BlownV8: with the vehicles at the age they are, the issues are known and nearly everyone looking to buy an X164 should have done their research and due dilligence. It can be an issue, but to be fair, living in the rainiest place in the country means freak weather events that many will never encounter and i would assume that Mercedes are not the only cars that suffer water intrusion in that case. It is a known design flaw but that doesn't mean it will happen to everyone eventually unlike the airmatic system which is a service/wear part.

 

Like I said, the repair incidents are tracked by a number of organizations dedicated to this. While certain issues are more common on the GL (and every vehicle), they are nowhere near a given.

I live in San Diego, which doesn't get a lot of rain. But when it does, it's heavy. I also park outside. I also take trips to heavy weather areas, including snow, where the snow can sit and melt on the car for days. No leaks.

 

What year is your GL?

 

Mine's a 2011.

 

Mine is 2008.

BlownV8, i must say,your thread and what happened to you has led me to basically strip the interior and inspect every electrical fuse box and and component.

I recently picked mine up from the auctions for cheap and i want to refurbish it before i put it into service. I had some water (approx. 1 inch) in the battery compartment but the drivers window was down about 2 inches for who knows how long while sitting in the auction yard, I'm yet to remove the headlining, but i plan to check the sunroof drains even though they appear to be draining fine. I'm also looking at modifications to the rubber floor grommets due to your experience. I think the roof rail bolt holes, and tailgate and tail light seals need to be re-sealed properly at the age of my vehicle. I'm doing everything i can to ensure my GL survives it's mid-life crisis.

It sucks what happened to you, but thankfully it seems you were insured and moved on to bigger and better things. But so far it seems mine hasn't suffered any of the same problems.

 

Again, MB's are very consistent. They are not the most reliable vehicle but are consistent and a vehicle that is consistent unless the issues are catastrophic is a great vehicle to own. Why? Because there is always someone who fixed the issue and posted the fix either online/youtube or this forum. I'm a DIY'er so MB's are, for the most part, a great vehicle for me. Unfortunately, the X164's propensity to leak was catastrophic for my vehicle. Yes, a drain in both passenger and drivers side floor is a great idea as well as the back under the spare tire since those are both accumulation points. They typically leak from the plexiglass roof where it meets the body, the sunroof, the rear brake lights, or even the cabin air filter housing. The roof seal typically separates/loses seal and water migrates to the lowest point but can and does knock things out along the way like the front and rear SAM.

Is there a fix, yes! The fix requires you to replace the rear plexiglass and reseal it since that's typically where the catastrophic leaking comes from. Yes, the sunroof drains can also get clogged and cause issues too but that's easy to fix and maintain. The roof, not an easy or cheap fix. Would have been nice to own one with a totally metal roof and no sunroof.

Mine was totaled a little over 5 years ago so the 2011's and 2012's should start having water issues. If you don't have water issues, that's great but inspect the footwells of both driver and passenger side and the trunk area under the spare tire. The X166's are already showing water intrusion. MB's fix from what I can tell is to put in drains. If they are doing that, you probably should too. I'd bet you could buy that kit from MB. If not, there are probably some good one-way drains you can install.

 

I can't seem to find any info on the updated MB drain solution. Do you have any idea what the changes are?

I am considering duck-bill one way valve grommets, some kind of bilge pump/fan/alarm etc. I could simply drill a small hole but i'd like to take mine off-road in the future and am looking at solutions for water crossings etc and don't want to sink it.

I've checked the rear plexiglass roof section and while it is intact, the sun/weather has given it a hard time so i'll look to do somehting about that. Might just put some kind of tint film to buy some timeso the crazing doesn't turn to cracking. I also want to waterproof the roof rail bolt holes. Looks like the gaskets have seen better days.

 

Mercedes GLE/ML recalled in the U.S. due to water entering the spare wheel well (mercedesblog.com)

If there is water in your battery compartment, you probably need to remove the passenger floorboard and check under that. I'd imagine, almost certain, there is more water below. If there is water on that side, there is a good chance it is also under the driver's side seat and under the floorboard.