TheSpooky

2012 GL450, 122, 000 miles, Single owner California car, No accidents, always serviced at dealership since new. For $14K plus 2K shipping.
Repair per CARFAX
-Front strut(s) replaced @ 44k
-Oxygen sensor replaced @ 60k
-PCV Valve replaced @ 88K
-Spark plugs, rear brake pad @ 117K (6 months ago)
-Four wheel alignment 6 months ago
Would you consider purchasing this car or am I setting myself up for a bunch of headaches?
Thanks for your input.

papichuloy2k

Hi,
In my experience, I would buy a high mileage GL450. However, make sure that there is no oil leaks, antifreeze/coolant or power steering leaks. Also, that there is no issues with the transmission, burning excessively oil, or coolant going into the head gasket. All these can be inspected on site. However, since you are getting it from the MB dealer (or at least has been serviced at. the dealer), you could run a risk. In my case, although I checked all those issues, I just bought a 2008 GL450 with 180,000 miles serviced at the dealership HOWEVER, I bought it from a shady (now, I knows a shady dealership), that cleaned the undercarriage and threw dirt to make the appearance more natural and oil-leak free. The dealership also cleared the "check engine codes" and cleaned up the coolant leak. This dealership knew before hand all these and sold it to me. It was a great price though BUT I would have not bought if I had known all these issues. When I inspected the car, I did not notice none of those leaks, however, on day two, all the leaks appeared and the check engine light showed. I went back to the dealership and he said that the sold the cars as is with no warranty. So, I am stuck with it. The stealership only offered me $150.00 back BUT will not take the car back. The oil leak is between the engine and transmission and it seems costly to repair..probably more than the car is worth. These are my 0.2

I am hoping someone to chime in and reply to my post as to how to repair those leaks...I have been saving for a while to buy a family wagon, and this stealership with no business ethics took my savings away in a heart beat.

In a nutshell, 12 grand is a lot of money to roll the dice in my case for a high mileage vehicle.

rapidoxidation

If it was serviced at the dealership since new, the dealer will have ALL the maintenance info on it. Ask for that from the salesman (assuming you're buying it from the dealer that maintained it).

oldmangrimes

Technically a 2012 GL450 is a X164 and this is a X166 forum, but I think it's a legit question to post here. I thought GL450s were common enough that you shouldn't have to pay to ship one across the country, just wait a few weeks and you'll find one close by. Is there a color, or option, that makes it worth $2000 more than the local GL450s? These days there are 100 different places online that cars are listed for sale so it takes a little more time than it used to find a car. "Dealer serviced" is great, but it isn't a magic stamp that makes a car perfect. The dealer can identify problems that the owner chooses NOT to fix, and owners can still defer scheduled maintenance, especially one they know they will sell soon. You ask if you are "setting yourself up for a bunch of headaches", that depends on how much you can fix yourself or if you'll pay for a warranty and plan to pay to fix everything. I would expect an 11-year-old high-mileage Mercedes to have a number of problems every year. Whether they are "headaches" or just "little issues that are worth it for the pleasure of driving a Mercedes", that's up to you. I have a 2013 GL and it definitely has caused headaches but they are worth it to me because it's such a great vehicle to drive. I would strongly recommend paying for a professional independent inspection of the car in California before it is shipped. There are mobile inspectors in every city, I've used them many times before, they come to where the car is, cost a couple hundred bucks, and usually find things that have not been disclosed by the seller. The last time I used one, I was all set to buy a car from out of state, and the inspector found that the car had been repainted and there was nothing on the Carfax about it. Worth every penny.

TheSpooky

@rapidoxidation, it is not from a MB dealer.
@oldmangrimes. Thank you for your thoughts. I came across this example while I was looking around ( locally and out of the area). Yes, 2K in transportation makes this a difficult choice. Actually I can find good examples with 80-100K miles for ~ $18-20K at local MB dealers. I was given "Lemon Squad" as a mobile inspector, are there any other as well that you have dealt with. I am not concerned with small fixings many of which I am capable of handling,it is the big job that worries me. I do plan to look for a warranty.

Iknownothing

With the added cost of $2000 shipping you are looking at $16,000, So if you can find lower mileage vehicles at $18-20,000 locally why pay for the shipping. You should be able to get an $18,000 vehicle for $16,000, maybe even less if the owner really wants to sell. I am in Canada and prices are higher but given that I bought my 2015 gl350 bluetec with 110,000 kms (about 70,000 miles) on it for $38,000 from a reputable Dealer. They were asking $42.000, I offered $36,000 they came back with the $38,000 so I was happy with that and they even fixed a couple of little issues for me. So if you are willing to try and bargain with the sellers I would stay local.
Bob

TheSpooky

Thanks to all, I decided to pass this one in favor of something that I can pick/check locally.

papichuloy2k

Cool! Great choice and good luck!

Iknownothing

OOPS, should always proof read things, I made a mistake on the asking price, it was 40,000 not 42.
bob

AkTech

How do you check/diagnose for "coolant going into the head gasket."? Recently I am getting "low coolant level" warning, I have topped it twice now, message was gone, but reappeared about a week later.

papichuloy2k

LOL, I meant coolant going into the engine or head, not “going into the head gasket” LOL..

AkTech

I get it! Lol. Question stands, how to diagnose internal coolant leaks?

papichuloy2k

I am not an expert, but check the inside of the oil cap, and if you see a white thick substance forming is coolant mix with the engine oil (if it is bad). The oil dipstick might show something too. If you change your oil, you’ll see it as well. However, losing coolant not necessarily means head gasket failure. It could be a failing coolant reservoir (like in my case), and possible a compromised radiator hose, cracked radiator, etc. Look around with a flashlight in the engine compartment and try to pinpoint the leak. However, if your engine overheated that could definitely leads to a compromised head gasket or warped head. Again, without being there to physically inspected I can only advise what I have done to trace a coolant leak. I hope this helps.

oldmangrimes

One way to check for external leaks (common on the turbo X166 GLs) vs internal leaks is with your nose. Coolant has a distinct smell, so when it is leaking and hot, the steam can be detected by the smell. Sometimes you can smell it in the cabin while you are driving, before you see the steam and before the engine gets hot or an error message happens. If you lift the hood while the engine is hot and running, you can often smell a leak before you can see it. A small leak may not drip onto the ground, it may spray out as fine steam and then be blown by the engine fan and evaporate so you have to see the dried residue around the leaking point. Also, you can buy UV dye (I've never used it) to add to your coolant, and then after running the engine for a while you can look around the engine in the dark to see the glowing residue.
If you think the coolant is leaking internally, another way to check is to look at the exhaust. If it is much more white than normal (this is harder to tell in the winter when it's cold) then you might have a headgasket issue and the coolant is leaking into the cylinders.