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My GL was purchased new by me 15 years ago ... I would look at the dipstick and check the tire pressures and then drive it anywhere with little worry. It's at 87K miles.
I've had zero diesel particulate filter problems and maybe worry a bit that with pandemic and little driving it needs a good blow out.
Biggest worry these days is traveling to states where B20 biodiesel is the norm.
My GL was purchased new by me 15 years ago ... I would look at the dipstick and check the tire pressures and then drive it anywhere with little worry. It's at 87K miles.
I've had zero diesel particulate filter problems and maybe worry a bit that with pandemic and little driving it needs a good blow out.
Biggest worry these days is traveling to states where B20 biodiesel is the norm.
My DPF warning light came on in my TDI a couple of times when I was only making short trips. I then made a regular habit of getting to the Autobahn and hitting 110+ mph on a regular basis. 4 years later and I haven’t seen the warning again.
The N/A 5.5l seems to be a pretty solid engine.
Last edited by Panzerknacker; Aug 11, 2022 at 10:14 PM.
Sounds like a good trip. Mine just got back from a road trip from Northern CA to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Mammoth Mtn/Mono Lake area. A return through Death Valley was planned, but due to flooding and related road closures, we ended up going around it. Yours is a baby for mileage purposes though. Mine hit enough miles to have gone to the moon on the trip and rolled past 240K on the return trip. Other than picking up a screw in a tire leaving Vegas, it was a pretty uneventful trip for the GL and it did really well. No problem keeping the cabin nice and cool in 110F temps and seats are the most comfortable for long drives of any car I've owned.
Sounds like a good trip. Mine just got back from a road trip from Northern CA to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Mammoth Mtn/Mono Lake area. A return through Death Valley was planned, but due to flooding and related road closures, we ended up going around it. Yours is a baby for mileage purposes though. Mine hit enough miles to have gone to the moon on the trip and rolled past 240K on the return trip. Other than picking up a screw in a tire leaving Vegas, it was a pretty uneventful trip for the GL and it did really well. No problem keeping the cabin nice and cool in 110F temps and seats are the most comfortable for long drives of any car I've owned.
Dang! Which motor do you have? I am surprised how well it has held up through it all. Lots of towing since I bought it. I have changed the transmission fluid every year do using it 12-20 times a year to tow.
Yep the 5.5L gas engine. It had some issues with coolant leakage via the head not long after I got it at 40K miles, which was fortunately fixed under the CPO warranty, but other than that, the engine itself has been mostly trouble-free. Not surprisingly given the mileage, everything that rotates on the front of the engine with the exception of the water pump has been replaced, but the engine still barely uses any oil and runs as well as it ever did. It makes a noise at idle once warm that sounds like it could be a rattling timing chain from inside the cabin, but the noise is not detectable under the hood and it has been doing it since at least 200K, so I'm not sure what it is.
I'm a big fan of the M273. It is a nice torquey engine that makes power all over the powerband in a smooth refined manner. I've actually been shopping on and off for a 2010/11 E550 for use as a daily driver and retire the GL to hauling and towing duties as needed. Since used car prices seem to finally be heading downward, I'll probably get more serious with my searching in the new few months.
a noise at idle once warm that sounds like it could be a rattling timing chain from inside the cabin, but the noise is not detectable under the hood and it has been doing it since at least 200K, so I'm not sure what it is.
Same here. I believe it is a heat shield on the exhaust. I never bothered to look into it any further after I figured out it is not the timing chain.
The thing that kept me going in my extended downtime was reminding myself what a great motor it is. I am actually tempted to buy a e55 to have as a spare.
It is a heck of a road trip vehicle. Most I did in one day was 1100 miles:
Sounds like a good trip. Mine just got back from a road trip from Northern CA to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Mammoth Mtn/Mono Lake area. A return through Death Valley was planned, but due to flooding and related road closures, we ended up going around it. Yours is a baby for mileage purposes though. Mine hit enough miles to have gone to the moon on the trip and rolled past 240K on the return trip. Other than picking up a screw in a tire leaving Vegas, it was a pretty uneventful trip for the GL and it did really well. No problem keeping the cabin nice and cool in 110F temps and seats are the most comfortable for long drives of any car I've owned.
Ditto on the seats, Mercedes is great. Our R500 is even more comfortable with the larger legroom (at the expense of trunk space) and middle captain chairs (limited to 6 though). Sat in an uncle's 2012 GL450 and our R class is better for the rear passengers. Unfortunately it is currently down with a siezed engine. Been trying to find a shop that will replace it with the M113 5.5 AMG engine or the M273 5.5. I figure might as well go big if I'm replacing the engine anyways. Would be nice to have the M273.
Same here. I believe it is a heat shield on the exhaust. I never bothered to look into it any further after I figured out it is not the timing chain.
The thing that kept me going in my extended downtime was reminding myself what a great motor it is. I am actually tempted to buy a e55 to have as a spare.
It is a heck of a road trip vehicle. Most I did in one day was 1100 miles:
I've given some thought to E55s too. I'm a little hesitant though since the newest ones are 15+ years old, and even though MB extended the warranty, I'm not a fan of SBC. Very tempting though.
Ditto on the seats, Mercedes is great. Our R500 is even more comfortable with the larger legroom (at the expense of trunk space) and middle captain chairs (limited to 6 though). Sat in an uncle's 2012 GL450 and our R class is better for the rear passengers. Unfortunately it is currently down with a siezed engine. Been trying to find a shop that will replace it with the M113 5.5 AMG engine or the M273 5.5. I figure might as well go big if I'm replacing the engine anyways. Would be nice to have the M273.
I've given some thought to E55s too. I'm a little hesitant though since the newest ones are 15+ years old, and even though MB extended the warranty, I'm not a fan of SBC. Very tempting though.
Great cars. SBC is a not an issue anymore with the reset of the box at MB now being offered free of charge.
Last edited by Max Blast; Aug 12, 2022 at 10:28 PM.
Not a fan of the maintenance costs on the 6.3, at least from what I'm reading. Also the engine is going to cost a magnitude more.
The M156 is a beast of an engine I'd love to own, but I've been scared off by the lengthy list of common problems (cams, cam buckets, cam adjusters, fuel injectors, head bolts etc. etc.)
My local dealer had a used R63 a few years ago that ended up getting purchased by an out of state buyer.
I've given some thought to E55s too. I'm a little hesitant though since the newest ones are 15+ years old, and even though MB extended the warranty, I'm not a fan of SBC. Very tempting though.
15? The bulk of the production ended with 2012, though some were sold into 2015.
True about the E55 but the G55 used the M113K until it was replaced by the M157 in 2012. The M156 63 lacked the torque needed to push the G63 quickly enough so they kept the M113K. I skipped the AMG's with the M156 due to all the issues I read about and some of the early adopters said it was lacking compared to the 55. Many love the engine but I never viewed it as reliable enough for my hard-earned money.
Not to confusing the E55 motor, the E550, and the E55 vehicle.
Kinda nervous about buying a motor and being unable to dynamically test it before installation, so yeah buying a E55 motor is not high on my priority list. It just fits in my imagination of driving this thing till I die. It is a ... pleasing ... motor for a road trip, the way it just effortlessly purs along. Much of my 1100 mile road trip was done at 85 mph on the interstate. Effortless and practically silent.
Last edited by eric_in_sd; Aug 13, 2022 at 02:06 PM.
The E55 as a car was a W211 and did NOT feature an M273 engine. That engine derived from previous M113. Car replaced by E63 in 2007. that engine a clean sheet design not derived from a main line engine. There was likely a W210 E55 as well.
I’m fairly certain the Wikipedia M273 article is in error when it suggests an ML450. In USA, the only gasoline V8 W164 was the ML550, the other gasoline models being ML350 with M272 V6.
Sounds like a good trip. Mine just got back from a road trip from Northern CA to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Mammoth Mtn/Mono Lake area. A return through Death Valley was planned, but due to flooding and related road closures, we ended up going around it. Yours is a baby for mileage purposes though. Mine hit enough miles to have gone to the moon on the trip and rolled past 240K on the return trip. Other than picking up a screw in a tire leaving Vegas, it was a pretty uneventful trip for the GL and it did really well. No problem keeping the cabin nice and cool in 110F temps and seats are the most comfortable for long drives of any car I've owned.
Nice one. I've made an almost identical trip but on my Ducati.
I just did a 350 mile trip on Saturday on Nigerias roads. I continue to be very impressed with the truck.
The E55 as a car was a W211 and did NOT feature an M273 engine. That engine derived from previous M113. Car replaced by E63 in 2007. that engine a clean sheet design not derived from a main line engine. There was likely a W210 E55 as well.
I’m fairly certain the Wikipedia M273 article is in error when it suggests an ML450. In USA, the only gasoline V8 W164 was the ML550, the other gasoline models being ML350 with M272 V6.
Correct, but don’t forget the 2006 ML500 (a W164) which came with an M113. A rare bird, like the R500.
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