Shadow5501

Fueleconomy.gov says the lx570 requires premium fuel. (Also gets worse economy than the GL550 - 12/17 for the toy vs. 13/18 MB.)

jimmyp

I hope you guys change your fuel filters on the gl 350 for long term reasons every 2 years

kurtismayfield

I drive a 2006 E320 CDI.

I inquired about the cost of having my fuel filter changed at my dealer and was quoted $199 before tax.

I searched and found a Hengst fuel filter at Autohaus for $23 and change, top radiator hose with MB clip and "O" ring (with MB logo) $21 and the Mann air filter for $18. Got free shipping and no sales tax.

My indy popped them all in and properly primed the fuel system and drained the cooling system and topped off the radiator with the 15 year type coolant for $85, cash-no receipt, while I waited.

There are many unique ways to work down maintenance costs if you are creative. With diesel there no costs for sparkplugs, plug wires, coil packs or coil on plug. In very low temps my diesel starts when gassers won't (-31 F)



On a different note...The 2006 I6 diesel does not use adblue. But if it did, I would go directly to a 'big rig' truck stop/plaza and purchase it there. Currently at Flying J it is $2.79-2.89 per gallon. Not even $22 for 7.5 gallons!

Like I said, a little bit of creativity can cut your maintenance costs significantly. That is unless you just like to biitch.

dejongj

Interesting views, especially of a certain individual...Don't fuel filters need replacing on gas (what I would call petrol) cars? Here in the UK it most definitely does...

Over here diesel is most definitely cheaper to run, and I've agreed a fixed price 3 year servicing deal with my providing car dealer as well. Including 20% sales tax that is $1,600. Not bad for what it is over here...Includes ad-blue top ups and unlimited valet cleans

kurtismayfield

That diesel fuel is more expensive is very true. At this moment local (Ohio) premium gas is $3.329 gal and diesel is $3.749, a difference of 42 cents a gallon!

But is it really? Let's take a closer look.

2013 E350 One tank, if you could use all 21.1 gallons at highway fuel economy, would take you 630 miles for $70.24 in the gasser. 11.15 cents per mile

2006 E320 CDI One tank, if you could use all 21.1 gallons at highway fuel economy, would take you 780 miles for $79.10 in the diesel. 10.14 cents per mile

To drive the extra 150 miles that the diesel gets per tank in the gasser would cost an additional (150 x $ 0.1115 =) $16.72. Added to the $70.24 for the first 630 miles = $86.97 or $7.87 per tank more than the diesel for the same number of miles driven. That's throwing away $7.87 or losing 150 miles per tank if you drive a gasoline engine.

kurtismayfield

"Tommy, can you hear me?
Tommy, can you hear me?
Tommy, can you hear me?
How can he be saved?"







Based on this assinine attempt at a swipe at Mercedes Benz you have just lumped together with them the following incomplete but significant list of autos and their manufacturers (this forum needs a good asshat emoticon!)...




Acura, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, GMC, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Lamborghini, Lexus, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz , MINI, Mitsubishi, Pontiac, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Saab, Saturn, Smart for Two, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.




Seems like the rest of the members in this thread are doing all the informing "while you fiddle about, fiddle about, fiddle, fiddle, fiddle..."

Ah_gl450

So I'm a little confused... I was hoping to get the Diesel model for better MPG = low ownership cost, but reading this seems like diesel comes with its own baggage?

GL450 ownership cost was only the oil change at every 10k mi, which is $150 in NJ.

GL350:
Oil Change=?
DEF replacement(how many miles?)=?
Anything else?

infamily

Oil change should be pretty much same, yes DEF is added cost but very 20k miles and $50 to $ 60 you do it yourself and buy DEF from auto stores, but add to 450 spark plugs and other ignition parts. I think it all depends on how long you keep your cars. Diesel gives better fuel economy and much better resale value.

Ah_gl450

I lease my cars for about 3 to 3.5 yrs and drive about 10k mi/yr.

Also, its surprising you say diesel has better resale value, but MB when calculating their lease gives GL350 a lower resale value compared to 450.

dejongj

Just do you sums. 10K/annum is nothing. And the cost of adblue and a oil change is nothing compared to how much these cars cost. I'm surprised there is such penny (cents to you ) pinching in the margins compared to the overall cost.

infamily

Also, its surprising you say diesel has better resale value, but MB when calculating their lease gives GL350 a lower resale value compared to 450.[/QUOTE]

Maybe because the msrp is lower than 450, but if you do resale value as percent of new, you will see 350 holds up better. 350s are harder to find compared to 450s. Go to cars .com to compare

glayfan40

[QUOTE=Maybe because the msrp is lower than 450, but if you do resale value as percent of new, you will see 350 holds up better. 350s are harder to find compared to 450s. Go to cars .com to compare[/QUOTE]

Agreed. If you were to lease the same MY car for the same terms (mileage and length-wise) and ask for the residuals (which is always given as % of full MSRP) of both a gasser and its diesel equivalent, the diesel will always have a higher % as compared to the gasser.

As to how much it will depend on the specific model and terms.

When I leased my 2013 GLK250 back in last June, my residual (for 2-yr, 24K miles) was 72%, whereas the GLK350 had a 68% residual for the same terms.

However, diesel models in general don't get as good a money factor (in another words, interest rate) as their gas counterparts simply because the demand/supply ratio of diesel is higher. So your residual advantage and gas savings spread across the term may be diminished by that dependent on what the MF difference is (as opposed to the residual, dealers are free to mark up the MF on any particular vehicle) and how much you drive.

But of course all of that goes away when you feel the amount of torque the diesel engine in our car can put out from 1500rpm all the way up to redline.

Ah_gl450

Right, I was talking about the %

GL350
Months: 36
RV: 63%
MF: .00225

GL450
Months: 36
RV: 64%
MF: .00225

So althought the $ of the GL350 is lower, if you price both cars with the same options, the difference is $1.00/mo in favor of the GL450. So I'm really counting on the MPG and TCO on the GL350 to win over the GL450. For 10k mi/yr, savings are about $50/mo with the current gas prices.

emilner

For some ridiculous reason MB has the residuals backwards. GL350's have a LOWER residual percentage even though they are much better on resale. I think it's because they sell everyone they make so they don't have to be reasonable. Im waiting for delivery on my GL350 as we speak....

dave2001auto

The local MBZ dealer wanted $190 for a bluetec sch. A service (OFL, DEF urea and inspection). The INDY's wanted $210 and $169. I got my OFL at an INDY for $95. He said it was 229.51 approve M1, but I did not see the drum nor the bottles.

BTW: Diesel fuel filter is about $30. The real cost is if the DPF clogs and some dealer will charge lots of $$ for the DEF Ad-Blue.

kensiko

Whats adblue?

larrypmyers

Generic name is diesel exhaust fluid.

Injected into the exhaust stream so as to neutralize NOx emissions.

BlownV8

Based on the horror stories on the GL 164 forum, I question if there are any savings with the diesel.

Osmile01

This has nothing to do with anything but I quietly took great joy out of taking the acronym 'MF' and using it as muthaf*cka and ************

DC-BENZ

Based on this, even with an oil cooler repair and replacing the DEF tank you still come up a bit better off with a Bluetec vs a Gasser in years 5-8.

BlownV8

Maybe, if the miles driven were high enough. Add in a timing chain or two, engine failure from severe oil leaks and bad oil level sensors....

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...reen/index.htm

DC-BENZ

I'm basing it on the miles stated in the case study.


Oil leaks= Oil Cooler or the little rubber gaskets around the Turbo that are $20. Or are there more oil leaks in other places on the Bluetec?


Timing Chains are an issue on both gasser and Bluetec right? Interesting enough, a friend dropped by last night for a few hours in a TDI Q7. I swear I heard the timing chain noise (never heard it before on my w164 nor x166) when he started up the engine to leave.


AdBlue = DEF = http://www.autozone.com/miscellaneou...uid/248484_0_0 . $150 cost per 100k miles.

BlownV8

No, the timing chain issues are on the diesel. Many are replaced at very short intervals and replaced again. The engines must not be pressurizing the tensioners fast enough so the chains are stretching and clattering. The oil level sensors fail to give low oil warning from a leaking oil cooler and the engines grenade from lack of oil. Spend some time on the 164 forum and you will see.

DC-BENZ

Gasser Timing chain issues -

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...aqiQ33kGQXKPMw

Is this work cheaper ($) than the issues on the Bluetec?

I have a w164 and was on the forums prior to arriving here. I paid the dealer $2k to replace my oil cooler and seals. But the leak your talking about is the same as I mentioned, not anything additional.

Also, I agree, I didn't know mine was leaking until a huge amount of oil spilled onto my carpool's clean, high angled, concrete, driveway (every day I pick them up I worry about my x166 doing the same thing).

Why the dealer didn't notice the leak during the oil changes astonishes me. Checking your oil once a week or so like the old days could help. I'm doing the 5k oil changes on my x166. I own a sports car and we (forums) ruled out the 10k oil changes long ago.

BlownV8

Show some examples. That's a general bulletin that is good for any vehicle with a timing chain. Not saying they don't exist but I have been a GL owner for 10 years and have been on the form for longer than that but do not remember reading any post where this was happening on a GL450. All I read about are diesel engine issues. Not saying gassers don't have issues but the MB diesel in the GL is plagued with issues - expensive issues that negate any fuel savings.