Zik Mir

So as you guys know i had the P219C where they kept the car for a month to replace the headgaskets due to low compression in Cyl #1. Now on my way back home from our honeymoon the car broke down near Montreal on the freeway. Terrifying and we thought we would get hit and die. Cars coolant temperature show up to max and the messaged showed up saying Switch of Engine. Had to pay $1200 to return home. Car is sitting in Montreal while i live all the way 800km home.

They fixed the car at MB Montreal said faulty thermostat for coolant. Now they are negotiating with MB Canada on how to return me the car. So mind you, i have no car since 2 week not even a loner. At this point i would rather go to the scrap yard and find my old 01Camry and use that since it would be more reliable.

Now i hope mercerdes cover the $1200+ for roadside assistance that i had to pay. They seem to only cover $600 in canada. Any tips from this point? Trade the GLB for a corolla?


History of issues since bought:

• Spoiler (needs replacement, dealer recall, replacement done)
• Rear lamp (water got in, dealer replaced under warranty 2nd month)
• Windshield (has a gap, whistle noise above 130km/h, replacement pending for free. Replaced still issue came back again)
• AC (in summer it doesn't cool properly, dealer suggested to bring the car in on a hot day to test)
• Speedometer (reads 3 km slow on speeds above 20km/h, tested via gps)
• Headlights (Both headlamps fogged up already, dealer said its normal??? Resolved it self)
• Rattle sound from rear (Can be due to the defective spoiler or something isn't tight in the back, Dealer fixed with a kit)
• Error code P219C Piston missfire (Dealer replaced headgastkets, kept the car for a month)
• Coolant thermostat faulty (Dealer fixed and pending pickup)

chassis

MB is a rubbish brand. Great looking cars with crummy as-delivered quality, poor medium term reliability and sickening dealer relations.

W205C43PFL

Sorry to hear about the issue but wait a minute, why did you need to pay for roadside out of pocket. Your vehicle should come with 24/7 roadside by Mercedes (they will likely send CAA as they contracted to them) with a new vehicle purchase for up to 3 years.

Zik Mir

Restricted highway A-30 near Montreal, roadside assistance told me I have to call the local 3 digit number to get help. They guy who shows up didn't even speak English and I had to pay out of my pocket at the scene. Trust me, nothing went good other than us not getting run over and killed.

W205C43PFL

Sorry to hear about that experience but glad to hear you were safe. Lemon happens and no car manufacturer is perfect and so neither is MB. Lexus too have lots of recall but they don't have as much of technology as the GLB does so less things can go wrong. Sorry things ended up this way for you. We don't have the lemon law here but you can try submitting a claim through the arbitration plan: https://www.camvap.ca/

I am sure this vehicle once properly repaired will be much more reliable unless it really is a lemon but if you have lost confidence with this vehicle, the good news is that it is a seller's market, you can sell the vehicle back to MB Canada or to dealerships (could be MB or could be non-MB, like private dealerships) and won't lose a lot of money or any money at all due to how high the value of used GLBs are at the moment. After that, you can use that cash to buy a vehicle you want.

If you want to try another MB you may but if you want to try something else you could too, it is really up to you at that point. You mentioned GLC in your poll, that vehicle has been in the market for a while now and the current generation is nearing the end which means most if not all problems are fixed for this generation so it will no doubt be more reliable than the GLB. However, it seems like the bitter taste of the lemon GLB has made you reluctant to consider another MB which is perfectly fine. Whatever you get, hope you enjoy it and doesn't give you problems. You may also share with us what you got afterwards. Good luck and keep us posted.

Nuieve

As someone who lemon'ed a car before, my advice is always: Lemon it if you can. Hire a lawyer and they'll find a way to get every single penny you spent on it back. Consider it a free rental. Then if you really like the model buy it again. You'll just have the same car for the same money, just newer and better.

Having said that, after 4 MBs I consider it to be a junk brand. Fancy, but junk, like Yugo. I keep buying them because they're so gorgeous and no other brand has good looking cars these days. But after 10+ years with the brand I have zero respect for it. They break down all the time, I had 4 transmission replacements. And a couple of dozen service visits.The only dealer in the area has a 2 month service backlog now. No wonder they're always in the bottom of all reliability and customer satisfaction studies. Having said that, I'm totally planning on getting the GLB, haha.

Vladimir Livson

If you really cannot stand the car anymore, sell it. It is a seller's market right now and you might recover the full cost of the car. As far as Lemon law goes, it is not as simple or short duration process. If I remember correctly, you would need to have documentation stating that dealer could not resolve the same issue 3 times and vehicle was out of service for a certain duration of the time (30 days or so). Like any other lawsuit it will most likely drag forever and you might not get what you want in the end.
Keep in mind though if you sell the car you might not be able to get a new one for a while or for a reasonable amount, for the reason stated above (seller's market).
I have owned Toyotas for 25 years and never had any complains or significant issues with them, and the reason I moved to MB was the fact the Toyotas got so expensive that the car I wanted was almost the same price as MB, and dealer lots were empty. From what I read most of MB's issues are associated with assimilating new technologies into their cars vs. Toyota/Lexus using old and proven technologies for decades. As long as you do not have high expectation of "Toyota" reliability on MB cars you will be fine, with underlying expectation that your local dealer takes care of you and gives a loaner, if something goes wrong. So far, mine has been good to me.

Zik Mir

I am selling it now. Just dont want to deal with this any more. I have been given two options, go for the GLC or 2021 X3. The BMW will give me $50,000 for trade in and i think its fair. My only question is what is more reliable? X3 or GLC? I dont want to jump from one lemon to another. I heard good about the GLC but i feel its a bit pricy.

Any tips?

W205C43PFL

I bolded your sentence, seems like you already made a decision. The X3 it is.

Zik Mir

Not at all. I want to test drive the GLC. Prince comes second. After all the heck i went through i just want a reliable car. Thats why asking an honest question what is better here. Imo, i find x3 ugly.

W205C43PFL

That is very fair, especially after spending all that money.

I guess you should still shop around, do you like other German brands like Porsche and Audi? Macan is pretty reliable for example.

Did you make sure that the $50,000 offered is a good price in your area or are they lowballing you?

Zik Mir

My mercerdes dealership offered me $40,000 and NO discount on GLC. BMW is giving me their demo X3. It is 2021 model, with $6000 discount and since its trade in no Tax(15%). The X3 is 6,000 km used. I will go test drive it on the weekend. So if you add it up, they will give me $50,000 for my GLB, and give me the X3 which is fully loaded. Every other dealership wont go over $45,000. Tbh BMW seems to good to be true but thats their offer. Maybe they really want to get rid of their 2021 model of X3. I just have no idea if its a trap or what. I would be more comfortable with a GLC since i read it has a good build quality. Thats why asked what you guys think? Are X3's lemons or are they really giving me a deal here lol Honesty im 100% lost.

W205C43PFL

I think the reason why they are tying to move it is because the X3 got a life cycle impulse for 2022.

Zik Mir

Very well could be. They want to get rid of it and same reason im trying to get rid of mine for my own reasons. Wife doesnt want to sit in my GLB after it broke down on our honeymoon.

W205C43PFL

Get what you want. If you don't like the design of the X3 don't force yourself, you don't want buyer's remorse.

Zik Mir

The truth is i dont like GLC looks either. GLB looks the best, sporty and aggressive with my AMG package. The only other i liked was GLE which was out of my budget. X3 looks fat and slow. So im screwed either way. I loved GLB's dual clutch 8 speed. I dont think either GLC nor X3 has it.

W205C43PFL

Hmmm and you only looked at both BMW and Mercedes, nothing else interests you?

W205C43PFL

Here are some options, you could stick with Mercedes but then you don't like the GLC's design.

I understand why you like the GLB's design since a lot of people prefer the boxy look. I won't recommend considering the GLA since they share the same platform with the GLB and you have bad experience with your particular GLB.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the GLC is nearing the end of the generation so most if not all issues are fixed or you could indeed get that X3, if not you can consider Audi in the form of a Q5. If you like, you could consider a Porsche Macan, the 2nd facelift came out and you could get the slightly older model for some discount hopefully. Alternatively if you don't want to consider German brands, you can consider Lexus, or even Genesis.

Do you have to have an SUV or you can get a regular sedan or something? If you don't have to have an SUV and would like the practicality you could consider a C 300 wagon. BMW wise you could consider a 3-series and audi wise A4. Lexus wise IS 350. Genesis wise G70.

Last but not least you could look for another GLB since you do like that vehicle and the overall package. It was unfortunate that it ended up being a lemon but hopefully the new GLB doesn't suffer the same issues.

To help you better, please let me know the needs and wants you might have when considering a vehicle and we can work together to pick some vehicles to test drive.

Vladimir Livson

Try test driving new 2022 Lexus NX, and if you are afraid of the new model issues, see if you can test drive outgoing 2021 model year. I think out of the luxury brands reliability wise, Lexus is #1 and Audi is right behind. When I was considering which car to buy I looked at Audi Q3 but passed on it since they did not offer seat memory at any trim level.

Zik Mir

I really cant thank you enough and every one else really trying to guide me through this. Last night i really felt bad thinking of giving my GLB away cause i truly love it. But at the same time i know if i drove it to the dealership it might break down on the way because sadly it is a lemon. It is what it is so i realyl have to give it away.
Here is what i really want in my next vehicle:
- Has to have excellent speakers / screen . (I really dont want a 10 year old crappy screen from a toyota. Thats why i dont like lexus, i love my GLB's high res screen and the stock speakers have a nice bass to them)
- Has to have a quite ride. GLB was really loud at least for me maybe again i got a lemon with bad door seals and knocking from the rear. What ever...
- Quick or at least snappy when flooring. I know GLC is faster, i drove it but it felt so slow. Even though it was faster. GLB has a lot of drama when flooring, gives the feel of fast, maybe due to the dual cluth gearbox.
- RELIABLE!!!!! Please can i make it from my house to montreal without breaking down? (800 km drive)
- Under $70k canadian pesso.
- Has to look sexy not like a toyota.

I did call Audi, they are asking me to come try out the Q5 but i have no idea how they feel and drive, never tried one of them before.

Vladimir Livson

I had similar disappointing experience with C300 loaner, I had for 5 days. For a supposedly more HP and Torque C300 felt heavy and slow. The seats were more comfortable, the interior was slightly better and ride was smoother. However it felt heavy and I could not feel any difference between Comfort, Sport and Sport+ modes, plus it was cramped, and I could not stand old Command wheel interface. When I switch GLB into Sports mode I can feel the torque immediately without flooring the pedal.
I agree with you regarding Toyota's outdated interface, screen and cameras, although new 2022 NX supposedly fixed most of these issues.
Not sure what model year your GLB is but if it is 2020, it could explain some of your issues, since it was first production year.

W205C43PFL

I am more than happy to help and I am sure everyone else here is too! Thanks for joining us on mbworld.

I agree, after you going through all that you deserve better.

Let me do some researching to confirm some vehicles I think I would recommend and once I confirmed the needs you listed are equipped on those vehicles, I will get back to you to see if you like it or not. If not, we can always look at other ones.

I didn't get a reply from you on: if it has to be an SUV but since you are still talking about SUVs so I will be looking at SUVs.

In the mean time please tell me do you prefer German or it is fine from other countries like Korean and American for example (removed Japanese from the list because they don't meet your requirements.)

Definitely go test that Q5 when you have a moment, the more vehicles you test drive the better.

If you have other requirements please follow up with us all.

Something to note about the GLC, may I ask what year did you test drive? The facelift so 2020 and above gets a newer engine and the power delivery is much better. I had the same experience when driving pre-facelift C 300 s as loaners when my vehicle was in service but I was surprised about the improvements with the facelift C 300 especially in Sport+ mode.

W205C43PFL

Same, I had the same experience when driving pre-facelift C 300 s as loaners when my vehicle was in service but I was surprised about the improvements with the facelift C 300 especially in Sport+ mode. Is there a chance the one you driven was a pre-facelift?

Agree about the model year, first production year is not without its flaws although there are successful first year launch most still have some issues that needs to be sorted out for the generation later on.

chassis

We have the current model X3. It’s solid reliable. Fun to drive and we like the appearance, although that’s subjective. BMW dealer experience is fine, not great not bad. MB dealers have been mostly miserable but not all of them. They seem to reside at the ends of the spectrum, hard to find an “OK” MB dealer.

Vladimir Livson

It was 2021 C300.
I think the transmission is the key here. Even though Double Clutch transmission on GLB is jerky at low speeds, it shines at higher speeds.