Hey all, just looking for some wisdom on a possible purchase of a 2013 GL350 Bluetec. 95k on the odometer. Any issues to be aware of?
Thanks

 

Many many many issues with the diesel...do some homework here....

 

If you're thinking it'll be your grocery getter, get a gasser. Seriously. This engine doesn't like short trips; it thrives on long runs.
That said, I REALLY like having 455 ft. lbs. of torque at my disposal while getting 27 mpg.

 

I bought mine as a family hauler that is also our tow beast. We get 22-26 mpg hauling the family around town. We usually get 28-30 on road trips. My record is 33 mpg, but this required not driving over 70 mph. We have a 26 foot 6000 lbs sailboat that we tow. We usually get about 16-17 mpg towing it. Most people with an F150 get 16 mpg without towing. This thing is a joy to take on road trips!

You need to take it on long trips regularly. We have an electric car for short trips and take our 2015 GL350 for regular long trips. This is important because the engine occasionally enters a mode to clean the emissions system. If this cycle isn't complete, things can plug up and cause problems. So only taking the kids to school and trips to the grocery store will cause problems. If this is your use case, don't get the diesel.

These engines also develop an oil leak. Usually between 70,000-120,000 miles. There are kits with all the gaskets and seals you need to get the job done for $115, but it's a 12-20 hour job that requires taking a lot of the top of the engine apart. Mine has 107,000 miles and just started leaking. I'm planning to spend a weekend fixing this myself in the next few months, so it's not a huge problem for me, but if you are paying a good mechanic ($150/hr) or the dealer ($300/hr) to fix this it can be very expensive.

The airbags on the suspension also wear out. Changing the front struts isn't much more difficult than changing a strut on any other car. It's a 4-6 hour job that requires an alignment when complete. The hardest part of changing the rear airbags is jacking it up and taking the tire off. I have seen lots of discussions about how expensive repairs to the air suspension are. Most of the issues are caused by not replacing the airbags when they start leaking and wearing out the air compressor. Having a good mechanic/dealer replace all the airbags, the compressor, relays, etc. adds up to a big expense. My experience is that properly maintaining the system is relatively easy. The suspension is super comfortable with and without the boat attached. There is a good reason people add airbags to the back of their trucks so they tow better!

It is a luxury SUV and mine is almost 10 years old. It requires maintenance. If you're planning to pay a dealer to keep it going, you will need a good extended warranty. If you can do some work yourself, this site will help you keep it going.

Jeff

 

To wrap it up, if you don't tow, take long trips all the time, or a very competent DIYer, run away from the diesel like Forest Gump! You will be much happier with the gas versions. The gas engine save the M278 will have fewer issues, less maintenance, and more reliable.

 

I have this exact car (2013 GL350, ~88k miles.) It's a nice car, but....after the dieselgate modifications the reliability kind of goes to crap a bit. If you drive it on long drives, then it's an amazing car. Short, around town drives are rough on it. If you do get one...
- Install a scangauge so you can stay abreast of issues, and if you see it go into regen mode, then don't stop driving (don't park..) until regen is complete.
- Pay attention to the PCV, it has a tendency to get fouled and then causes oil to suck into the turbo. You'd think that you'd then see the oil level drop, but things like post injection kind of result in a sludge like oil of fuel mixed with oil, and the oil level might even go up!
- Oil cooler seals and air suspension you need to pay attention to. If you come out to the car and it seems "off" in terms of balance, chances are you need to replace an air bag or strut. Not doing so will perhaps cause the compressor to run a lot and then a premature compressor failure.

The car is a dream to drive. Lots of power, great handling, smooth ride, amazing on long drives (freeway, etc.). But the diesel issues are problematic to say the least.

 

Yeah make sure you pick up an extended warranty. It has been worth it.

Ive had a few problems on my 2015 GL350.
Air suspension compressor/valve block.
EGR valve.
Door handle lock actuator.
Water intrusion just now.

Is the diesel engine better or worse than the gasoline? Hard to say. Especially in the 2013 year the only available gas engine was the M278 which can be plagued by the cylinder wall scoring so do some research there. The only Diesel specific problem I have experienced was the EGR valve everything else has been just common GL problems.

 

My gosh, run away. And this is coming from some that has a 2014 GL350 that I love and is my daily driver. But far too many "needy" vehicles in the wild and the OM642 platform has proven testy, at best,

 

If you're going to do short trips and low mileage every year, I'd skip it and go with the gas version.
If you're going to do long trips and a lot of mileage yearly, then i'd recommend it if you can do basic maintenance. If you're going to go to the stealhership for everything, it's a hard skip because it'll cost you an arm and a leg.

My ML350 Bluetec (W166) is now sitting at 307 000km and has been ok. Here's the maintenance sheet if you're interested.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...t?usp=drivesdk

Make sure to check if the GL had the AEM done on it. You might have some warranty left.
https://bluetecupdate.mbusa.com/home

 

I wouldn’t say “run away” more like just know what you are getting into.

Looks good, drives nice, roomy and comfortable. On the other hand it is an aging high end luxury vehicle packed with a lot of technology. Even competent DIYers will hit a wall of what they can handle on their own driveway. When some of the convenience features (optional ones I mean) fail you just kind of shrug your shoulders and say not worth the effort to fix. Factor in the cost of an aftermarket warranty or have the spare finances for repairs.

I don’t plan on keeping ours when the warranty is out.

 

I currently own GLE Bluetec, who become too small car for me, so I am shopping around for GL, or GLS.
Aware about oil cooler seals and air suspension, but comparing different years, I see like engine tune at some point, who becomes 240HP in later years.
Anybody knows specifics about the HP changes?
My friend bought black one and that definitely is not for Las Vegas.
I see rare option of rear air, but who has real experience from 3rd row seat?

 

Mine is taking on water like the Titanic and now has a litany of electronic issues and is currently a very expensive paperweight with no start and no CAN communication. Dealership wants more than the value of the car to fix it so the seats are out on my driveway and I’m going from harness to harness and junction to junction cleaning and drying the components. See my thread called “Module Mayhem.”

Neither extended warranty or insurance wants to help out. Again, if you aren’t willing or capable of doing all of this yourself then don’t buy it. I still think it is a nice looking car that drives great but after this I think I will be getting rid of it as soon as reasonable. I need a reliable means of transportation for my family… not a constant project car.

 

I would suggest holding out for a 2015 or 2016 ( last year). some of the earlier issues were resolved by this time. I almost did not buy my 2015 gl because in researching this vehicle the horror stories were terrible, but it ticked all the boxes and it was low mileage and on a BMW Dealer lot. I figured if they kept it to sell it was an okay vehicle. I bought a third party warranty as a safeguard and guess what I never used it, waste of $3000. I know some have issues with the AEM recall but I have not. I have replaced the rear bags, fairly easy job, just did front rotors and pads yesterday. I change the oil twice a year and I do not use Mercedes oil, ( that's a whole can of worms, lots of opinions). I am on the freeway on a regular basis so I think this helps because in 3yrs of ownership I have not once had a regen warning. I do as much of my own maintenance as I can but do go to the dealer on occasion. Katjek 1, I have the rear air and it works well. Panzerknacker man bad break, where did the water come from?, I just had the front windshield replaced because of an errant rock on the freeway that mashed the windshield just below the wiper on the passenger side.

 

Water coming in at rear hatch and sunroof checked sunroof drains and they are draining, but we got so much rain so fast it still found its way in.

I still like my diesel engine, and most of the problems we have had with it are not related specifically to the diesel.

 

Can you be specific as to what was changed? From my experience with MB, they change very little during a production run.

 

The 2015 is a largely different car to the 2014. Not sure about the 350, but, for starters, the 450 changed to a six cylinder, from 8. I seek out 2015s for renting them out, but wouldn't touch 2014s with a barge pole.

 

Can you tell more?
There is good deal on the model I am seeking, but with no rear AC.
So how poor will be 3rd row passengers riding in 110F weather?

 

The 2nd row vents do well to keep the 3rd row temperate. As long as you keep windows closed, the 3rd row will be perfectly cozy after 20 mins or so, even in hot weather. All of my GLs have rear factory tinted windows, not sure whether those are default in all cars, but those keep the rear rows more pleasant than the front in harsh sun.

 

The change to a V6 is obvious but beyond that what changed? The 550 carried the same engine through the entire production run. I do agree with what you are saying about the M278 and when I purchased my GLS I went with a loaded 450 due to the M278 engine problems.

 

If my memory serves correct the OM642 did undergo some small but important changes in 2015 they should have upgraded timing chain tensioners and oil cooler seals which are common issues.

The 3rd zone climate control is an outstanding option if you live in a hot area (I’m in Texas). Its nearly a “must have” if you plan on transporting people in the rear and 3rd row, and a shame that more didn’t come with it. I have not yet seen a 3rd row SUV that has rear climate control anywhere as good as the GL.

 

My younger friend, who likes to change cars every few, years, meaning he has good experience, yet the GL he bought is black/black with no rear AC.
He is having 3 small kids, so 10 yo goes to the rear, as 2 child seats take whole rear. Obviously 10 yo will not complain very loud, but we went to watch the car after it was sitting for 1 hr in the sun and you could not even touch it without risk of burning. I bought black sedan when I moved to Vegas, as at the time that was the only available with diesel, only to be forced later to sell the black and buy white one.
Amazing how many black cars are driven in Las Vegas, while not too many owners park them in garages.
Sometimes I wonder about human sanity.

 

I don't live in the desert, but it's warm here (central VA) for 4 months a year, too. The exterior color is important, but I am more impressed by how many people opt for black interiors. I have never factory ordered anything but the lightest interior I could get, but I do have two cars with black interiors. The black leather in my E350 cabrio almost makes the car unpleasant to drive with the roof down. The GL with black fake leather is not much better!

 

Great SUV’s if you are **** about staying on top of the little stuff that adds up. My 2013 has ~240k miles on it and I still enjoy within a lot of the stuff that needs attention from time to time. The bigger ticket items I have had to do are the A/C compressor & receiver dryer last week, rear air bags HAD to be done so I just did all 4 corners, oil cooler seals a while back (135k miles) & I couldn’t tell any difference after the AEM. Like the others say above, this is a traveling vehicle not an in town grocery getter. A ScanGuage is a must with an alarm set to let you know when it goes into regen. When it does just keep driving until it finishes, about 12-14 minutes. If you have the radar cruise and use it all the time you’ll replace the rear break pads pretty often. I’d buy another one but due to the comments above I’d look for the 2015 or 2016. Be sure to cut the service intervals in 1/2.

 

Black interiors wear much better than lighter colors and it is much easier to have the seats re-dyed if real leather. The MBTex in my old X164GL were fantastic. Showed almost no wear in over 250k miles. I think I must have had a good batch of virgin nauga.

 

I own 3 Bluetecs and the E is city car, driven in 10 miles distance most of the time. It does regeneration in traffic just fine, even still doing ECO stops at lights. Having AEM warranty, I stop worrying about observing DPF regeneration and couple of time, when I aborted it, it would resume following day, once engine reaches 60C.
But I agree on ScanGauge usage. I bought SG2 about 10 years ago and love SG3 who Santa brought me a year ago. When observing regeneration is one thing, having precise fuel gauge is very important to me.
Same with checking DEF level.