I have the 2016 GLC 300 which is my first Mercedes Benz. I bought it at a MB dealer as a 2019 as a lease return. Since then, I have had the fuel line hoses repaired, all four door handle LED lights replaced, driver's side window re-calibrated (so it would close properly), and now.....the biggest issue: a possible engine replacement. Here's my story:

Last night, after getting home from work and parking for a short time while I picked up the family to head out for dinner, the dashboard warning lights came on with multiple warnings: "Park Vehicle and Keep Engine Running" along with a battery icon AND a solid check engine light which was also blinking at one point. I knew my battery was on its way out so I figured it was all related to that. However, the engine was running very rough at idle and ranged from 600-800 RPM. It felt like it was going to choke and die. My drive home from work earlier gave me no indication anything was wrong and the vehicle performed flawlessly.

So this morning, I limped the vehicle to the dealer so they could put in a new battery and diagnose the CEL. They called me at the end of the day to tell me the bad news. One of the pistons was damaged and a new engine might be needed. Anyway, they said "it is very likely covered under warranty" since I still had the extended warranty in effect. Something is seriously wrong with the engine so I have to wait a few more days before they can confirm that a new engine is requried. I can't imagine where they could get a new 2016 engine in 2021, but I hope the news can't get any worse. I really thought German engineering was much better than this.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out....here's to crossing my fingers for a good outcome.

 

Any update on this? If they need to replace the engine (because the piston damaged the sidewall, for example), then the usual course of action is for them to order a rebuilt engine, swap it out, and have yours rebuilt for someone else. This is the normal way of dealing with severe engine issues, and if properly rebuilt, should be nearly equivalent to a brand new engine.

You don't want your local MB tech to try to rebuild the engine -- they don't have the skills, knowledge or expertise for this (much less the parts in stock). So having a factory rebuilt engine is the by-far the better course of action. They have all of the parts and these folks rebuild engines by hand (which many believe is preferable -- but I am on the fence with that) each and every day.

Either way, while disheartening, if they replace under warranty, you'll basically get an equivalent-to-new engine under warranty.

 

"I really thought German engineering was much better than this"

German vehicle engineering is excellent!! German vehicle reliability after several years is not. Spend a few hours doing some research on Youtube and the internet and you will see for yourself.
German cars are beautiful, they're the best performers, they're solid and screwed together the best, the fit and finish is the best. But.......they have the reputation of falling apart after several years.
I got tired of driving boring common vehicles all my life and decided to purchase a 2021 GLC 300 and a 2021 X M40i. These are my first German vehicles and I'm a bit nervous.

 

No update on progress yet and it has been 2 weeks since they've had my vehicle. Last update was one week ago when they said they had to completely tear the engine apart to confirm the problem. It's still in the diagnosis stage with no actual repairs taking place. The dealer has provided with me a complimentary 2018 CLA sedan as a loaner but I sure miss my GLC 300.

 

Good engineering and reliability I think go hand and hand. It's hard to have one without the other. Anyway, I agree with you that German cars are indeed beautiful. I've owned Lexus, BMW, Toyota (x2), Jeep, Honda (x3), Saturn, and Ford over the past 4 decades. Although my Mercedes is by far the most sleek and has the best creature comforts of any vehicle I've owned, it has also been the LEAST reliable. After this experience, I am seriously thinking of selling it and going back into something more dependable. I can then put my money into other things.

 

Solution - Quit watching YouTube and reading those forums. Google will continue to show you the same derogatory stuff, since they evaluate your viewing and search habits, and send more of the same to you. Just enjoy your cars.
I don't know anybody whose German cars "have fallen apart after several years." And I sure know a lot of German Car owners.
Well, there WAS that Bug, converted to a Dune Buggy that did break an upright after hitting that log.... Bad log.

 

I guess you could also just bury your head in the sand and continue to be a Mercedes-Benz Fanboy! When talking longer term German poor reliability, it is not just MB with that reputation. VW, Audi, BMW and even Porsche have the same reputation. They are wonderful vehicles. Except them for what they are and not what you want them to be. The Germans built superb tanks during WW2 but they too had poor longer term reliability.

 

I have to say, all you need to do is take care of your car and it will run. My highest mileage 2002 325i has 289K miles on it and I would still daily drive it. Sure, there were issues, but all they need is to do every service and not care about the service expenses and so on.

 

Since 1999 we've had 4 other MBs and 3 BMWs, an Acura MDX and an Acura RDX, and my wife is on her 3rd Dodge Durango (2014, 2017 and 2019). For repairs, the Acuras were about the same as the Mercedes (with the BMWs slightly better). Dispelling the stereotype, the Durangos have been the most trouble-free of the lot (we drove each of them about 45k on leases and the 2019 is at 15k).

I drove the CLK to 140k, the E-class to 80-90k, and the 2009 SL has 72k on it right now (I am the second owner, and have had it for ~3 years), At higher mileages there were a few repairs, which while not ideal, were nothing major.. The GL was only leased, and in the 3 years/45k we put on it, it was only in for one small trim piece that was fixed under warranty.

The GLC 300 seems to be very well assembled and designed, and seems to me to be more of a blend of Japanese-like engineering and German engineering.

 

I am very interested to hear how this turned out and how much it cost ?

 

Moving away from Mercedes-Benz as a brand...

 

The story isn't quite over yet, but I eventually got my GLC back after a month in the shop. They spent about $6000 in labour and $6000 in parts for a total of $12,000 in repair costs. Thank goodness for an extended warranty as it didn't cost me anything. About 2 days later, I noticed a clunking sound under the hood that sounded like loose engine mounts. I brought it back and they loosened the bolts and re-tightened everything up again. It was all good for about 6 weeks until I lost compression in one of the cylinders. Back in the shop for another month. This time, they changed the injector, fuel rail, and eventually the computer. They didn't give me a cost this time and gave me some story that too many people worked on it and didn't record their shop time. Anyway, I estimated that event to be about $8000. Without a warranty I would have been in for $20,000 (I'm in Canada so about $16,000 USD).

So, I'm leaving MB and getting a Volvo XC60 T6 later this month. I even asked MB to give me a quote on a new 2021 GLC 300 and suggested to them to swap it out with my busted one that was in the shop. They gave me no breaks on the trade-in, a high interest rate, and a price that was $300 more than I was already paying a month. I guess they don't want my business so I'm leaving.

 

Forgive me for chiming in, and I do feel sorry for your tale of the damaged engine and repair from hell (as it seems to be turning into). I just want to mention that no car manufacturer is immune to a dud on the assembly line or a defective part being installed as part of the build that may cause a problem down the line. Busted engines are certainly not the norm otherwise you would be hearing about it in the news. I certainly can see your angle of wanting to try a different brand after such a mess, and I hear the Volvos are quite nice!

There was some talk about a difference between initial design and long term quality - I do believe the two are hand-in-hand. You can tell a lot about a car by it's initial quality, build construction and more. However, with more tech, gadgets and gizmos on a car, there's an increased chance of problems. What is the result of that? Your most reliable cars have typically been Toyota, Honda, etc. which many may consider to be a bit lackluster on features and design, but that sparseness of features results in longer reliability of parts overall because there simply is less stuff to go wrong. My previous car was a 2008 C-class with almost 200k miles. It was built like a tank, with basically no rattles or flimsy hard plastic and the way it was put together held true for years. I've been in "cheaper" cars that feel like they were spit and duct-taped together. I think I'm rambling, so I'll end here.

In summary though, best of luck with the Volvos! But do remember... no car is immune from a part failure or defect that causes something down the line. Searching online for any car model, I bet you can find someone complaining about the same problem with that brand and swearing off the brand forever. The angry customer always has time to post their comments and thoughts on a forum... the happy customer does not, and this causes a skewed view of the world.

Happy driving!

 

"Your most reliable cars have typically been Toyota, Honda," - but only because they spent so much on successful advertising campaigns to convince the public of their "claim."
Honda, in particular, faced serious reliability and complexity problems. And Toyota's continuing electrical gremlins.
Ad saturation DOES affect perception.

 

Oh good point too! :-)

 

@dalazernet Interesting post. Have you ever, or do you now, worked in the employ of an automotive parts, sales or service business?

 

Nope... I work in IT, and I've seen my fair share of both a dud from the factory in terms of servers and computers, and also entire models that can be plagued by something years down the road. Vehicles can have the same kind of problems, especially as they get more complex in terms of technology.

 

THE SAME THING just happened to my 2017 GLC300 this week. Luckily the warranty had.... TEN DAYS LEFT.

Looks like I will be with a loaner for a little while, however my guy in the finance dept gave me some good intel. Apparently this has been happening frequently with this engine. Becoming a known problem. When the problem has been presenting, they are opting to simply replace the whole engine right off the bat rather than repair, fails again, repair again, etc.

Hopefully yours get fixed quickly Giselle.