I have a 2007 GL 450 and for the most part it has been good to me but now it is starting to have problems...

Most recently my Selector Control Module went bad and I think my ISM might be bad also but the Indie shop scanned my car with a high end scanner.

It wasn't STAR but it wasn't the autozone scanner either. He told me the engine has like 20 codes and the Transmission has like 10 codes.

I wasnt there so I don't know exactly what the codes are but bottom line he told me its time to get rid of the vehicle.

Its kinda frustrating to me cause Ive paid off the car, put a lot of money into the car and a lot of money into the audio system.

A new car would be new unknown headaches...so my question is when do you think its time to throw in the towel?

Do you treat it like sports and try to get a trade before they become a Free Agent and you get nothing for them leaving?

 

@Mikchek Need more information, given the money in question. What are the codes? You need to have a list of all 30. You paid for this already.

V8 gas, correct? On cargurus the asking price range is $5k-$19k for a 2007 GL450. As a seller you might get $10k if your vehicle has moderate mileage and in very good condition.

What is the cost estimate for the repairs on your vehicle? Again, need the codes.

If the repairs are $5k or less, and you are willing to pay for them, I would probably keep it.

How many miles are on this vehicle?

 

I am going to take it to another shop and actually get all of the codes...the indy is a friends shop and the person who had the scanner was a friend of a friend

long story short I dont have the list of codes...but I am willing to pay for them to get an idea of what is really going on...I will follow up when I get this list...

 

Again, the basics, mileage? Condition of interior/exterior?

 

interior is good there is one rip on the drivers seat and the liner is falling in some areas
I have upgraded the audio system
i have painted the exterior (i know this can be viewed as bad)
cat has 145000 miles
There is an issue with the suspension (car with down area underneath it on dash)
the lift gate also has an issue where it doesn't always go down.

So the car has some issues I just don't know how bad.

 

Codes don’t mean squat. That could be because the battery was low one day and the car lost its mind.

seems like that mechanic is just trying to squeeze some preemptive business out of you. I’d go somewhere else unless they say you down and walked you through each code.

would you trust a doctor that pointed to a high blood pressure value and says you need a heart transplant?

what you need is the whole picture, which is to find out which codes are stored, and which are current. stored is a momentary occurrence in the past. Current means it’s going on right now. A decent obd2 scanner will read this for you - I was surprised at the near peer ability my cheap obd 2 has to my DAS/Star system.

about the only thing that’ll kill your 07 is the timing chain gear issue (if your cars vin is in the affected range) or a trans valve body going bad.

either of these two will cost more to fix than your $5000 car is worth.

 

these early GLs auction for 4-5k now with lots of neglected / deferred maintenance and go on dealer lots for 7-9k with nothing much corrected.

dont pay over 10 grand unless there’s a complete VMI or stack of receipts.

 

I took the truck to a new shop and they said that the alternator and aux battery were bad so they weren’t able to fully diagnose the vehicle. They said most of the codes were communication codes and could be caused by low voltage. I hope that could be the cause of my ISM issue. That alternator is a pretty penny 😩

here is the report they sent me so far...https://shop.tekmetric.com/authorize..._xtQsRpxf7pqwU

 

My alternator died, and I decided to roll the dice on a Auto Zone rebuild for $180ish (I intended to get the premium one but ended up with the cheaper version because that's all they had) rather than the dealer which was somewhere in the $7-800 range IIRC. I don't expect it to last as long as the original, but so far so good after 4 months. Easy install if you are the DIY type.

 

Marquise, if you're reasonably handy you can replace both batteries yourself for less than $400.
Any national parts chain can find you a battery that fits, and the aux battery is available on amazon.

 

thats great to know because I don’t wanna spend $800+ so they can finish the actual diagnostic & find out everything that’s wrong

 

For that kind of money you can do both batteries, and get a reasonably capable OBD2 code reader to read future codes.

I would defer the alternator replacement until codes return, or you have a low battery condition - it's DIYable but not a super easy job.

 

i have a icarsoft MBII reader but it kept saying link error...they said the alternator must be changed first for any of the scanners to properly read and do advanced diagnoses cause the car keeps cutting off.

he said he has to keep it on a jump box just to read the codes he read but the jump box is only for the battery right? then on the flip side he yes me I have a bunch of communication codes due to low voltage

 

where is the aux battery located?

 

Right next to the main battery, under the passenger seat. It's the little box to the front and right of the main battery.

 

that battery is so hard to get to hahah

 

It is.
Two ways you can get to it:
1. Move passenger seat full forward and up, remove the battery panel and vents.
2. Remove passenger seat from the vehicle, then remove battery panel and vents.

In either case you're yanking something heavy up and out of the car.
Once the main battery is out, you can get to the aux battery very easy.

 

i finally knocked out the alternator and aux battery and cleared the codes.
Though i cleared the codes the SRS and ABS lights did not go off.
Also on the Dash it says something about BRAKE in big letters and a bunch of stuff under it (sorry I didnt get the picture)

I drove it for a few days and then today all the lights on the dash came on again.
When I push the brakes it would shimmy kinda like when you are running out of gas
I took it straight to the Indy shop to get scanned
They told me it went from 160 codes to 10 codes (they haven't provided them yet)

The repairs they say I need are ABS Control module, SRS Control Module, Programing of the modules, and BOTH Catalytic converters.
He said he feels like there are other issues but these are the only codes that are coming up right now.
He said in his opinion i should get rid of it....

I just feel weird cause the ABS and Brake lights didnt come on until I went in with the carsoft scanner and started playing around trying to reset the SRS light.


Import Auto, Inc.: View Estimate https://shop.tekmetric.com/authorize...oDcku_hsr-45lg

 

Brake temperature too high?
Does abs work or do your wheels lock up when braking?

I see you have a wheel speed sensors related code. They have a habit of burning out when the battery fails.
If it is a wheel speed, a sensor is $100 and a very easy diy. Figure out which axle has the failed sensor and replace both if so.

try pulling both batteries overnight. That’ll reset all codes.

 

List the codes from carsoft for SBS. Your light will be on and brakes won’t work while you are inside the sbs menu. If there is errors list them here, you don’t need to replace sbs, there is bunch of BS all over the net about these, however most likely the little reservoir that is attached to sBS is blown, your mileage is about when it happens, buy same reservoir from Bosch not from Benz it’s around $80, depressurization the system with carsoft, they have this function there, replace the reservoir, then bleed the brake system with carsoft, you can’t bleed these the old way, these actually have solenoids that need to be opened by carsoft. Also need a bleeding pressure pot for brake fluid. It sounds scarry but it’s pretty simple instead of paying couple grand to to dealer for this. I did mine 5 years ago no problems. ABS is on because of SBS.

For liftgate, change the lock, don’t worry about using original part just buy Chinese one from eBay for 70$, Mercedes original lock is so crap that Chinese quality is identical. Just replace that and it will last you for next five years. It takes 15 minutes to replace. There is no electronics inside that you need to code on it. Don’t get overwhelmed with all the codes and think to let go of the car, sometimes just couple minors issues create whole list of codes. Don’t listen to random Indy shops that just running their mouth. A lot of times even dealers dont know how to fix things, I’ve had a quote from dealer for $8600 that I fixed for $700. I would also recommend on your car to check airmatic compressor intake air hose that is coming from inside the fender, hose crumbles apart and sucks dirt into compressor then whole compressor and manifold fails.

 

my ABS works fine except when I have this thing where all the lights come on in the dash. At that time the wheels lock up when I brake. It happened yesterday but then it went back away after about 5 miles

also how can the bit cats be bad or giving a code when there is no check engine light on?

 

you just reminded me I have an error in the dash for the suspension and they didn’t even mention that code for some reason.

thanks for all of the insight my biggest fear is dumping a lot of money into this thing...what is the SBS? Did I typo cause I meant the SRS airbag system.

the liftgate has been so frustrating because I have replaced EVERY part on that thing...the lock, the switch in the door, the pump twice...it just keeps failing on me.

 

Here are the codes they sent me

 

Based on these codes is there any way that the srs and abs modules are not bad?

 

They’re stored codes, only the srs code is current.
pull the battery, clear the codes, and see if they come back - and when.

you need your own code reader btw.