klstexas

My 2014 GL350 Bluetec has been diagnosed by the dealer as having spun either a rod or main bearing with 125K miles while driving at a constant speed on the highway at 75 mph. (I don't know which, but the internal engine knocking from the underside of the car is quite loud.) I bought the car new, and every oil change and maintenance requirement has been performed by the dealer on schedule, as this is the car we hoped to drive for another 125K miles. The car has never been driven in high water or abused in any way and easily 1/2 of the miles are highway miles. Now, the engine is filled with metal shavings and it is considered junk by the dealer. Obviously, it is not worth repairing. Does anyone have a similar experience? What are my options? Does anyone reliably rebuild and exchange these engines?

BlownV8

Highly recommend you post your questions here MB bluetec lawsuit in USA - Page 36 - MBWorld.org Forums

klstexas

Thank you. I will certainly do that. Being an absolutely new user, do I need to repost this as a new thread in that MB bluetec lawsuit page, or is there something easier to do?

BlownV8

Just post in the thread or create a new one in that section. Way more diesel traffic there.

klstexas

Thank you. I've done that. Hopefully, something positive will come out of a very negative and expensive experience!

arsupisemnet

Two things - check service history if oil cooler gasket been replaced. If so - your engine death due to dirty work.
Second thing - check if the central plastic steam on oil filter cap in place - if that one is missing - your engine death due to crappy oil service. So that gives you an opportunity to lawyer up.
For the rest - spun bearing usually repaired with no problem by those who knows what they doing, however used engine will cost you around 6k.

klstexas

Thank you...I will do that. I actually cannot access my car easily right now, as it is a few hundred miles from here. (We were traveling when this occurred.) However, when talking to the mechanic there, he showed me the shavings in the filter and filter housing, and said that the oil would have carried these shavings throughout the engine and damaged other things such as other bearings, camshaft lobes, turbo bearings, etc. As such, fixing just the culprit bearing would likely be only the beginning of several more very expensive repairs. Does this sound accurate? Also, do you have suggestions as to where to shop for used or rebuilt engines?

E55Greasemonkey

I don't see how the car is worth fixing at this point. What's it worth in running condition? $15k? The Mercedes diesels starting in 2007 are not known to be reliable either. They are total money pits. Personally I would never own one. I'd suggest walking away at this point. Maybe a tech at the dealership will buy it from you although it isn't worth much.... Maybe one or two thousand dollars. You could also donate it to a charity for a tax write-off. Consider Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Acura for your next purchase.

arsupisemnet

I will buy it for 3.

E55Greasemonkey

I'm trying to buy a 2014 GL450 (gasoline) 98k miles with a seized engine for $2500, looks like we are in the ballpark on pricing. The dealer offered $500 on trade for that one. This is just the beginning of used Mercedes costing more to fix than they are worth. Just wait until these 48v cars start going out of warranty.

arsupisemnet

It doesn't not really cost that much to fix, just a corporate greed and laziness. No more old school wrench monkeys.
But that is the trade in price for MB, BMW, and Audi.
Actually i was very surprised to see some original MB pistons at 250 a piece. Back i a day i almost bought at 500 a piece.

arsupisemnet

48 volts cars are nightmare for MB owners. There are bunch of s400 been circulating at auctions some time ago, ended up in junk yards. It would cost about 25k to fix battery systems on those hybrids, and since they don't have a starter - car dies the day battery system goes south.

klstexas

Thanks, folks. I agree...it's not worth spending much money on it at all. On the other hand, it's my wife's favorite car ever and our primary driver. I'd always heard that the drive train on this is good for 300K. It is the best riding car we've ever had, and everything else on it is working perfectly. It looks great and has always been garage-kept. The rear air shocks have already been changed. It has new brakes and tires. It's one I've maintained in support of intending to drive it another 8 years/125K miles. So having that reality disappear and being confronted with another extremely expensive new or nearly new car simply isn't something we were ready to do, especially in this market where inventory is non-existent. I'll exhaust other reasonably affordable possibilities first.

BlownV8

Dump and get a 450. The diesel will be high maintenance and less than reliable even if you repair/replace the engine. The gasser drives the same as the diesel but with much better throttle response and acceleration. The only reason to own the diesel after 2008 is if you tow. Even then, I wouldn't recommend since there are better and more reliable tow vehicles made by different manufacturers. I would say to look at the 550 but those engines are known to have some issues too. If fuel economy is important and you want a relatively reliable SUV, look at the 2017 and later GLS450's.

Your only chance is to if you have had or having the emissions update and the dealer will replace under warranty. Good luck.

klstexas

I'm starting to lean that direction also. Yes, I tow a 5000# boat. A lot of very nice cars are available that can do that. Good to hear on the GLS450's, as they are certainly in the mix. Sad to hear about the 550 though. I was surprised an order placed for a GLS450 now would be delivered in the December timeframe. This whole inventory mess is really challenging everything.

chassis

The GLS450 is a solid towing platform. The M276 in both variants has the power and torque to tow up to the GCW.

BlownV8

Would stick with a 2018 or 2019 GLS450 CPO and not a new one.

E55Greasemonkey

Expecting any MB diesel built after 2006 to last 300k miles is simply not realistic. Any of the newer (2014+) twin turbo V8's won't make it that long either. You're already living this...and to put another diesel engine in it...even if it's a reman, will mean everything else around it will fail, and you'll be right back to where you began, with more money out-of-pocket. It's the very definition of insanity. The most reliable MB SUV's are the naturally aspirated gasoline V6 and V8 models, with the twin turbo V6 being next best. Unfortunately some of those V8 models (m273 engine) are getting old as they began production in 2007 and ended in 2012. There are still N.A. V6 options after that in the smaller but still good ML/GLE. The natural aspirated models will get you to 250k miles IF they are serviced correctly with the correct OEM fluids and filters and specifically the trans. service being done every 40k miles. But don't expect a repair-free voyage to that 250k mark. This is Mercedes, not Lexus. Twin turbocharging is proving to shorten the lifespan of MB's engines built since 2014. I've been working on MB vehicles exclusively for 20 years this month, and spent over 27 years in the business. I also own 6 MB's in the family, the newest a 2011. You are getting good advice from the previous posters. Ignore any diesel lovers if they chime in. They are a special and dedicated group who seem to be left over from the 1980's MB diesel era. Now, those cars WOULD make it to 300k miles, or 600k miles, or whatever. But not any more. The last good diesel MB built was the 2006 E320 CDI (straight 6). There's a reason MB no longer sells diesel's in the U.S.

BlownV8

The later model NA V8's in the GL will get more than 250k miles if properly maintained. Mine was still going strong after that mark but water intrusion killed the vehicle. Even with over 250k miles, I didn't have to add oil between oil changes. Now, it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows. My engine was outside of the supposed problem range with the idler sprocket issue, but it still suffered from premature wear. If that part had not gone bad, I feel the engine was just getting broken in and still ran flawlessly until it was totaled.

I ran the GL450 on regular unleaded and fed it Mobile 1 and a Mann fleece filter every 10k miles. Was, by far, the cheapest MB I've ever owned in terms of maintenance cost. My only regret was fixing the intake flap. That was a total waste of time and money.

klstexas

That's good to hear. There are a few nice ones around, although they sell for mid-80's in this market. I simply may not have a choice. Correction: the 2020's and newer are in that price range. The 18's/19's can be found for 55 to low 70's.

klstexas

Thanks a lot to the 3 of you for some exceptional advice. I'm going to go do some shopping for a used GL450. .

E55Greasemonkey

Consider a 2012 GL450 with lower mileage, last year of the N/A V8....if you want something inexpensive.... they are in the mid to low $20's. They are slightly dated and you'll have to replace all the air suspension at some point, but they're pretty solid otherwise.

klstexas

How do you feel about a 2018 Certified GLS450 Twin Turbo V-6 3.0 L/183? I'm honestly not sure what the "Certified" moniker means, but the car only has 38K miles, so it should have some time to go before significant expenses.

chassis

Yes, the 2018-2019 GLS450 is the best preowned MB available IMO. Solid engine and GLS luxury. Good choice.