mkaresh

I wanted more up-to-date car reliability information that made the differences between cars clearer. So a few years ago I started getting people together to make this possible. TrueDelta now updates actual repair frequencies, not just dots, four times a year, to track cars closely as they age.

We've had good participation by Mercedes-Benz owners, and I'd like to also be able to provide reliability stats for the second-gen GL. Just a matter of getting enough owners involved.

Participants simply report repairs the month after they occur on a one-page survey. When there are no repairs, they simply report an approximate odometer reading four times a year, following the end of each quarter.

To encourage participation, participants receive full access to all results, not just those for the GL, for free. I'll share results for the second-gen GL in this thread after each update.

http://www.truedelta.com/join

tfinan

My 2013 is loaded in the garage when you are ready.

mkaresh

Thanks, I appreciate it. Four so far, with yours. These appear to be selling well, so we should get there.

JimBarnhart

I've been involved since I got mine.

mkaresh

Thanks, I appreciate it. The 2013 GL isn't yet included in the main reliability survey. Need another 10-15 signed up first.

mkaresh

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL-Class to include owner experiences through June 30, 2013. (Another source is about 14 months behind.)

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008 GL-Class: 103, high, small sample size
2007 GL-Class: 130, high, small sample size

We'll have further updates in November and February.

To view competitors' scores and descriptions of reported repairs, and to sign up to help:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

mkaresh

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL-Class to include owner experiences through September 30, 2013.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008 GL-Class: 129, high, small sample size
2007 GL-Class: 122, high, small sample size

We'll have further updates in February and in May. We'd love to be able to cover more model years--a matter of getting more owners involved.

To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

rmemory

Just signed up. Looking forward to seeing the data you compile.

somersetjon

How do you tell if the truck is a model year 2013 or 2014.

Thanks

mkaresh

Are you in the US or Canada? The model year should be in a number of places: window sticker, owners manual, title, registration, etc. It will also be marked on the vehicle as well, including a digit of the VIN. 10th digit will be D for a 2013 and E for a 2014.

http://support.alldata.com/alldata-r...-to-year-chart

somersetjon

I'm in the UK, UK V5 documents states:


Type 166
Variant A77UM1
Version RZAAD702


The VIN number's tenth digit is 2??


Any ideas based on that lot?

mkaresh

Frankly, I don't know how the typical car buyer in the UK figures out which year they have, as the official system there (as far as I can tell) is based on when the car is first registered rather than any manufacturer designation.

Most manufacturers make whatever annual changes they're going to make some time between spring and the end of the year. In the US, when a significant change is made the model year is usually advanced, even if it's still early in the calendar year. A car can be designated a 2014 here as early as January 1, 2013. Illogical in that the model year can be far out of alignment with the calendar year, but helpful in knowing what features or changes a car includes.

This isn't done in the UK. So those produced after the change we designate with a half-year, e.g. 2013.5. In our stats we then group the 2013.5s with the 2014s, to align the US and UK systems.

But many owners probably don't know if their car was produced before or after the annual change unless this change was substantial.

If anyone knows more about the UK system, and can correct or add to this, please do!

mkaresh

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL-Class to include owner experiences through December 31, 2013.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008 GL-Class: 147, high, small sample size
2007 GL-Class: 137, high, very small sample size

We'll have further updates in May and in August. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be.

To see the repairs behind these stats, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

mkaresh

Our reliability stats for the GL-Class now include owner experiences through March 31, 2014, making them nearly a year ahead of other sources.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2008 GL-Class: 110, high, small sample size
2007 GL-Class: 152, high, very small sample size

Thank you, once again, everyone who has been helping. Next update in August.

For a deeper dive, including the stats for other cars and repair descriptions, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

Todd in PA

Just joined!

mkaresh

Thanks!

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL-Class to include owner experiences through June 30, 2014 (making them about 14 months ahead of some others).

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 GL-Class: 15, low, very small sample size

Next updates in November and in February. The more owners participate, the more comprehensive and precise these will be. I'd love to be able to drop the small sample size disclaimer and have stats for other model years.

For repair descriptions, the stats of other cars, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

mkaresh

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL-Class to include owner experiences through September 30, 2014.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 GL-Class: 25, low, very small sample size

Additional participants would be very helpful. (I'd love to be able to drop the disclaimers and cover all model years.)

To view the repairs behind these numbers, check the stats for other cars, and sign up to help improve this information (next update in February):

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

mkaresh

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL-Class to include owner experiences through the end of 2014.

Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 GL-Class: 20, low, small sample size

For the details, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

ioman

ehh stop trying to get traffic to your site. Post the results here please.

Is the car reliable or not!?

mkaresh

I did post the results here. The 2014 is looking good so far.

We need more participants to provide precise results. So it doesn't make much sense to both ask me to provide the results and to not try to get more people involved. I wish I could pull stats out of the air, but it doesn't work that way.

mkaresh

So, how have these cars been doing lately?

Our reliability stats for the GL-Class now include owner experiences through March 31, 2015. (Others are nearly a year behind.)

In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year ("low" is best):

2014 GL-Class: 10, low, small sample size

No stat for a model year? Then we very much need more participants for it. And a larger sample size would be very good to have for the 2014. Next updates in August and November.

For repair descriptions, the stats for other cars, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability

mkaresh

Our reliability stats for the GL-Class now cover the year ending June 30, 2015. (Others are over a year behind.) Repair trips per 100 cars:

2014 GL-Class: 19, low, very small sample size

For the descriptions of all reported repairs, results for other models, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

mkaresh

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL-Class to include owner experiences through September 30, 2015. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:

2014 GL-Class: 27, low, small sample size

We'll have further updates in February and in May. Additional participants are needed to provide precise stats for all model years.

For the details, including repair descriptions, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class reliability ratings and comparisons

BlownV8

You really need to separate the gas vs diesel models. I have a feeling the diesel models are clouding the picture of the GL's reliability. Also, with the 166 GL, you have 4 distinctly different engines. Unless you break it out by model, the results are only amusing and not really useful.

mkaresh

I'd be happy to split the results by engine if we had enough owners participating to make this practical. In most cases where I've looked at differences by engine, though, they aren't large.

We've updated our reliability stats for the GL to include owner experiences through the end of 2015, about eight months ahead of other sources. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year--lower is better:

2015 GL: 23, low, very small sample size
2014 GL: 39, moderate, small sample size

With more participants, we could provide more precise stats and cover all model years.

For the repairs behind these stats, reliability information on other models, and to sign up to help improve this information:

Mercedes-Benz GL reliability ratings and comparisons