a330captain

I thought this was interesting and maybe worth looking over as the difference in Cost of Ownership is staggering in my opinion.

http://www.dieselforum.org/files/dmf...ort_dd2017.pdf

jasonjeross

This report is a classic case of theory versus real world. Not to mention they obviously did not research the cost of the parts for maintenance in conjunction with DIY vs dealer maintained.

The GL 350 is in no way cheaper to own (TCO) than the gas versions.

Case in point: Go lookup average prices of diesel to gas. Then go lookup the oil changes, fuel filters, air filters, tire costs, def. You are going to be shocked.

Now, I will admit that due to MB's lack of actual engineering in their engines you have to run premium fuel which does "balance" the cost differential between diesel and gas. However, once again I'd recommend other brands that can make the same (or more) power with regular gas and not require the high priced maintenance of these trucks.

aeggroup

Oil change - the same price (at least at my MB dealer) and it's $107 with filter and tax.
Tire cost is the same for gas and diesel ( 2013 and up)
DEF - cost about $15 to fill it up when you DYI.

So what are you talking about ?

jasonjeross

It's 9 quarts of oil at approximately $9/quart + $10 oil filter (if you don't buy it from MB) for a grand parts total of $91 (and this is NOT buying it from MB of course). How in the world does your dealer only charge $107? They would make no money.

DEF at $15? You must be mistaken as the tank hold 7+ gallons and 2.5 gallons of DEF at wally world is $12.00. Do the math please.

Do the gas (450/550) engines require 9 quarts of oil like the turbo 6 diesel?

aeggroup

I don't do the math, I pay my bill and I know how much I paid )

DEF ? Okay -it's $30. Do you feel better now ?

Here is the link for $99 oil change ( plus tax)
http://www.mbofbrooklyn.com/Oil-Chan...intenance.aspx

JimBarnhart

y

a330captain

Dont shoot the messenger just passing on the data.
If you have real world data thats verifiable please present it here as I would like to see it please.
Part of my doing home work on new purchase.

Mbenz260e

Definitely an interesting read thanks for posting.

The fuel consumption is a no brainer on the MBs especially if you are going to put on miles, even with the increased cost of diesel at times. The maintenance costs I have factored on 3 vehicles so far and even considering the fuel filters and DEF, diesel still runs out. Plus I am hooked on how the diesels drive now.

jasonjeross

You do know the filter is $135 right? Have you changed one before? It's not "hard" per say to change the filter, however replacing the intake snorkel setup is a nightmare (think nuclear missile silo with two keys that must be turned at the same time). Sad part is it COULD have been so much easier if they moved the filter to a different location (not to mention the "clic clamp" pliers you need to remove the OEM clamps without trashing the fuel lines and then learning that NO dealer replaces the filter with OEM clic clamp style clamps (they use cheapo jubilee style clamps)).

IF (and I suspect most do) have their fuel filters replaced at the dealer, grab your ankles when getting the price.

DEF is not a big deal, but it does add to the already painful 9 quart oil changes at $9/quart for the semi-exotic 229.51 spec oil (ever try finding that on the shelf at any autoparts store? Good luck. Napa is about the only place I can find that and I have 4 different parts stores in a 5 mile radius by me.).

Let's see...flush your brake fluid yet? You'll be in for a fun surprise when you see the cap states "DOT 4+" brake fluid. What's that? No parts store carries that? Of course not. So then you either have to order said fluid spec online (at crazy prices) OR freaking use synthetic 3/4 fluid which is more than adequate for a street driven SUV (yea I know all about wet and dry boiling points. If you are having boiling issues on your GL you got some serious driving issues).

In a nutshell to "properly" maintain the GL it becomes a money pit. I'm sure this is not exclusive to just this particular MB as apparently there engineering is so superior to other manufacturers that you need to use exotic parts and fluid to achieve the same result as "cheap" cars.

I'm looking forward to using off the shelf fluids and parts soon.

43221B

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find....33255&id=33256

You can personalize this page to find out how much you would save in fuel by driving the diesel. It is significant particularly on the X166. I don't think the cost of Adblue, or fuel filters is a big deal in the grand scheme of things. If you aren't servicing the Adblue yourself, check how much your dealership charges and get it in writing before buying. Many of the dealerships will negotiate. $50-$100 is reasonable. I'll pay $100 for adblue to save $1000 in fuel each year and spend 1/3 less time at the pump.

You should also drive the diesel to find out if you like the engine's acceleration characteristics. You could like it more or less than the gas. Personally, for a large SUV, I like all of the acceleration characteristics of the diesel better than the gas with the exception of starting from a dead stop. Otherwise, for daily driving, I find it smoother and requiring less effort than the gas when accelerating. It does take some getting used to though.

JimBarnhart

I do like that I took a 400 mile trip this weekend, got 29.1 mpg on the trip, and had between 1/4 and 1/2 a tank left. I smiled when we'd stop for a bathroom brake and my buddy couldn't believe I didn't need to fill up.

jasonjeross

Except when you realize that the fuel filter/oil change/brake fluid maintenance price at the dealer is ~$800 if you are lucky. How often you do this is up to you, however the x164 platform had a mandatory fuel filter change every 20,000 miles. DIY is MUCH cheaper ($135 for the filter once again), however I suspect few GL owners can or will do it themselves.

emilner

If you hate MB so much, leave. Every single post you have made since signing up has been to bash. Lack of engineering? Please show me a twin turbo V8 anywhere that does not require premium fuel. Who exactly makes more than 400hp on regular gas? How does tire cost come in to play between a diesel and gas truck? Do you even read the garbage you write?

glayfan40

Per MY13/14 MB Maintenance Manual fuel filter replacement is only required every 40K miles or 4 years.

That and DEF refills are the only two additional maintenance items on a diesel compared to its gas counterpart. All other items should be equal unless I'm missing something?

The spec 229.51 synthetic motor oil has actually been on sale on Amazon for ~$40 / 6 quarts.

JMCarter

Glad I'm not the only one tired of his rants, I am open to all kind of opinions but constant diatribes get tiresome and make you suspect an agenda (or generally crappy attitude about everything). Hope he finds a Suburban to live with and wishing him all the luck in the world.

Mbenz260e

Thanks for the tip, Amazon right now is $41 for 6 after MIR, $6.83 after rebate is pretty good.

Also agree its just DEF and Fuel Filters. Oil change is about the same as the gasser and the brake fluid and tires etc are the same...

captivabenz

Also remember, the retail price of the 350 is much less than the 450-amazing since Audi and others you pay a premium for the Diesel!

Mbenz260e

Yes good point this is a noticeable difference on the GL presumably because V-6 vs. V-8. The E is pretty close as is the ML. Other manufactures really seem to charge a premium on the diesels.

jasonjeross

I don't need to find a twin turbo v8 to make that power, I can look at naturally aspirated engines.

Off the top of my head, look at a toyota 5.7 liter engine. 381 hp/401 lbs-ft regular 89 octane fuel.

Tires? GL350 came with run flats due to no spare tire due to stupid packaging (read: location) of the DEF tank. As a result you get to pay the high tire prices for run-flats vs. the gassers. I know this changed in MY13 (funny it took how many years to implement such a common sense change).

I'm not here to bash, I'm here to inform. Sounds like a lot of MB owners are living in a cloud and then get butt hurt when the truth is told to them.

emilner

That's not over 400hp.

Tires- again, you are talking about a different truck that's 2 model years out of production. Wrong forum.

And frankly- have you seen ANYONE complaining because their truck or car blew up with OE or Renntech tuning? I can't think of one thread. Maybe there is one in a forum I don't visit, but you are acting like these are all hand grenades. I know you said you used to tune vehicles for a living- maybe you are so pessimistic about tunes because you weren't so hot at your former job??

RostamDastan

-Where I live the price of Diesel and premium fuel is the same.
-I get 24 to 30 MPG in highway -- a GL 450 would get 18 MPG at the best.
-I get 20 MPG in city -- a GL 450 would get 13 MPG.
-I paid 75$ for DEF replacement at 10K miles.
-GL350 has a much better re-sale value, the engine will never die, and is a torque monster when you are towing or driving in a mountainous road. It is also 2K cheaper than a 450. Owning a Diesel is a no-brainer to me.

dave2001auto

Has $129 excludes the diesels and AMG. Out in CA they advertise $169 excluding the diesels and AMG.

Missed the Mobil 1 rebate and sale on the ESP or 229.51 oil. Any good prices for 229.51 grade oil?

dave2001auto

BTW: My diesel fuel filter has never been replaced. Will be replacing it at 55,000 miles.

Dog hauler

Jasonjeross says that fuel filters are $135 when done at the dealer. Who out there has had a fuel filter replaced? What did it cost?

And what are folks paying at the dealer for an oil change? I plan to DIY my oil changes (haven't put the first 10k miles on the car yet) unless there is some major PITA part about doing that but am curious about dealer prices.

JimBarnhart

Prices vary a lot across the country. My dealer has coupons they e-mail periodically that get it down reasonable. The other think I would consider, if something goes wrong with your vehicle under warranty, I like to be able to say I do all my service with them. I've seen that helpful in previous threads.