I have 87000 miles on the clock. I have extended warranty to 100,000k miles but by time I am approaching the end. I know these vehicles are expensive to repair out of warranty. A single airmatic suspension may be near $2k. What are your experiences. Should I consider trading for a newer or new model before the warranty expires? Thoughts welcome. By the way this has been one of the best MB products I have owned. Almost zero problems. (yeah I just jinxed myself.....)
Cheers!

 

The gas powered X166 GL/GLE/GLS are great vehicles. If you own past 100k, do not take to a dealer for work. You can save huge money by buying your own parts and taking to an independent or DIY.

 

I just traded in my 2013 with 168,000 and I could have kept going to 200,000 but had the itch for a new car. Yes the airmatic suspension will eventually fail but that is really a wear part. You can buy aftermarket alternatives and replace it all for much cheaper than Oem parts. The Arnott aftermarket air struts and air bags are just as good as OEM. You won’t notice the difference. The other maintenance item to watch out for are the turbo coolant lines. The plastic ends get brittle and crack due to the heat from the engine and age. Once one starts to leak replace all 6 of them and then you good to go. Also may want to keep an eye on the radiator for leaks. The aluminum radiator has plastic end caps and they tend to have some seepage at high mileage.

 

It's the classic used vs. new debate.

Sure, one could trade a 7-year old SUV with 100,000 miles for a factory new replacement or a 2-3 year old CPO. However, both those options will cost more that fixing almost virtually every wear item and all the "typical" maintenance issues combined, other than the engine literally blowing itself up. With a little TLC modern vehicles can easily go to 200,000 miles. Of course, 200K vehicles do not look (or feel) new inside and out.

That said, there are plenty of reasons why a new replacement (or CPO) would be desirable. New luxury features, new safety features, no wear, and everything is tight and squeak free with a warranty that provides predictable expenses.

So it really comes down, IMHO, to ones desires as the cost of replacing the Airmatic parts is inconsequential in the big picture.

 

All good information. Appreciate the reply Jim

 

Cadet, I think you hit the nail on the head. I have other expenses right now and don't want to dive into a steep payment right now. Since my GL is paid for, has more than enough power and is still very comfortable, I may hold on to it for a while. I have a good indy shop that friends use and have recommended that I can try out.

Once I get finished with graduate school payments for my daughter, I will look at getting a newer ride.

 

Good decision. Drive it into the ground and avoid the trap of a newer car with payments...

 

I was always taught that when it comes to making a decision about a car (having payments vs not having payments) is to keep the paid off vehicle and start setting aside $$$ in the amount of what one will be paying if one were to buy a new car. It helps gauge the financial impact and helps one save up for a down payment once they are ready to pull the trigger. I once saved up $8k and drove the vehicle I had at the time for 14 more months then sold it for $2.5k. Ended up buying another used car(newer to me) and was able to pay it off in under a year. May not seem like a lot of $$$ to some but it was a lot for a college kid.

 

i plan on keeping my 2015 GL550 until the parts/labor outweights keeping it running. if its only a few thousand / year, than i'm ok with keeping it. Much cheaper than a car payment of $500/month for 4 years.

 

I strongly agree with this logic.

 

Unless, of course, the Independent charges more, or sells you stuff you don't need. German Indy's are famous for this.
And they may not have the equipment to properly diagnose an elusive problem.
In our area, it's 50/50 whether an Indy will save money.

 

I just sold my 2015 GL550 with 67,700 miles on the clock. It was a CPO vehicle that I owned for 4 1/2 years. White/Tan with all kinds of options, Panorama, Bang & Olufsen, Rear Seat Entertainment, Drivers ***'t Package, etc., etc. $103,305 list. It was a great vehicle. It was special ordered from a very good friend and he traded it in on a 2017 - with the same options and I had the dealership CPO it. I purchased pre-paid maintenance and a 2 year unlimited mile warranty.

Got the itch for a wagon, so put it on E-Bay and sold it immediately with 8 months left on the ELW. Rear brakes, battery, two sets of tires and and Front CV Boots. Other than eating up tires every 15k miles, these are fabulous rides. I wouldn't have hesitated keeping it many more years, but got the itch for a wagon! I over maintain my vehicles and I don't wait 10k for an oil change. Mobil 1 goes in every 5k.

Take care of yours and it will last a long, long time! Yes, they are expensive to maintain, and after my pre-paid maintenance, I found an independent shop to service it, which was 50% less expensive than the Mercedes dealership! Good Luck!

 

just replaced 5 turbo return coolant lines(1400$),radiator and rear bags 3k miles ago,no more coolant leaks,2013 450,117k miles,car feels solid i think it can get to 250k miles no prob