I have been driving lexus RX for the past 22 years. Since they changed the engine from a six cylinder to a 4 cylinder I hate it. I am about to retire and I need to replace my 15 year old rx 350 but concerned about reliability of the GLC. I love everything about GLC. It is quiet and fast even though it has a 4 cylinder engine. I test drove it and I truly love the GLC. Can you help me to figure out the maintenance cost and potential issues for the first five years based on the past. I never had a mb and what I am reading online is bit scary and bit exciting. I am stuck with consumer reports removing GLC from their recommended list. Please help me make my decision. Thank you all.

 

You ask “Should I buy RX or GLC” on your voting poll. How can anyone respond with either yes or no I wonder…..????

Maybe you want to ask “should I buy GLC instead of RX”, then I might be able to respond with yes or No.

You state, “I hate RX” and “truly love GLC”. Seems to me you already made up your mind. And which car does not have one or the other issue?

This is a Mercedes forum and I for myself would never buy Japanese, …… but to each their own.

 

the reason why I hate RX is because of their 4 cylinder noisy engine. Same time I am really concerned about MB being a money pit as well. This us where I ask MB customers to help me.

 

welcome to the forum, though I'm guessing you won't be here long. I bought my daughter a '98 RX300 for her first car, and when she went to college it became my extra car, beach in the summer and winter daily driver. After a few years I upgraded to a 2006 RX330, which I assume is pretty close to the 15 year old model you've been driving for 22 years. Mostly uneventful and relatively dependable, I nonetheless hated that they weren't Mercedes. Both 6 cylinders, they were woefully underpowered and I averaged only about 18 mpg. Last summer the Lexus needed a starter and the old one was fused to the transmission; took my mechanic a week to get it out. I had replaced the alternator some months before. Now admittedly I've never had as many miles on any of my 12 Mercedes, but I don't think I've ever replaced a Mercedes starter or alternator. I replaced the Lexus with an ML400, and also purchased 2 GLC300s in 2002; all are head and shoulders better than the Lexus, or, as Robert DeNiro referred to the brand in Analyze This, "Toyota".

 

As a soon to be senior, I have owned enough vehicles (5 MB, 4 Hondas, 1 Toyota, 2 Nissans, 2 Buicks, 1 Ford) to say that reliability isn't something you can buy. It is experienced. It takes luck, knowledge, and mostly the right mindset. Fix it and move on. Tired of fixing it or costing too much, move on. Reliability isn't about cost of ownership. Lots of people want to buy a car, do no more than the basic maintenance and call it reliable. Reliability to me is the machine availability at the time you need it. Every asset has unique needs based on the desn/manufacturing/assembly. No vehicle is perfect and luck varies as issues don't always affect every unit. This variability plus unknown labor and parts cost leads to a guess at best on maintenance cost if your usage requirements were known. I perform basic work (oil, brakes, plugs, etc) on my own as a shade tree mechanic. Lots of different situations that affect costing. Pull out the recommended services from the owner's manual and get the dealer to price it out at however many miles or years you want if you must have an estimate. Past and present owners may not line up to your situation such as a 2018 GLC is not the same as a 2022GLC. Not only do they have different engines but even among the same systems, different revisions of the same part can vastly affect failure point. In some cases, the relocation of the same part can lead to huge labor differences simply because of accessibility. Ultimately, the past does not predict the future. SO instead of looking for the end of the rainbow based on what others say, I find a vehicle that makes me feel good (features, fit, function and fun), don't buy the 1st model year or redesign and make today your best day while you're able because the day when you lose keys draws closer.
When you go to a forum, you're going to find problems. Some will scare you. Many might not apply but you won't know because you don't know when a revision was made. Case in point. I bought a 2012 MB E550. Got on the forum and found so many reporting studdering brake problems at varying mileage. I started collecting data on what they drove and when the problem occurred. It was apparent that it was an underdesigned rotor that overheated and warped the rotor but it didn't apply to me because the only E550 (less than 5% of all E-class) had the upgraded Bembo brakes assembly. I also had an 2006 E350 that had the best feeling brake system on earth but the SBC (servo brake controller) can fail unexpectedly and you will lose all brake assist instantly. I read reports of it happening but not to everyone. MB extended the warranty for 10 years but no recall. Scary but it never failed on me.
For some, the cost of ownership of a MB is going to be unbearable. To those I say thanks for looking but please live within your means. This is a car has a finite life. In practicality, 10 model years in my opinion before a minor accident, through no fault of my own, can render it to totaled by insurance definition. I EXPERIENCED THAT TOO. That doesn't mean old MBs are no good but the mindset to address worn parts that cost more than the book value is a tough line to cross for some.
Good luck.

 

Thank you so much for your reply. I am looking for these kind of experiences which will help me to make my decision. Anyone has any major issues with GLC? Any warranty issues? I hope they will cover bumper to bumper if I take their extended warranty. Please share your warranty experience as well as your repair history. I am looking forward to test drive 2023 GLC 300.

 

VERY WELL said, ………. I could not agree more!!!!

 

One factor I always considered is reputation of the service department.

No, no problems at all in our '19.
I think it's prettier than a Lexus too, inside and out.

 

WAAAAAAAYYYYYY prettier than any of the Japanese SUV’s.

Put it next to a Toyota Highlander, ………. 🤢

 

This comment reminds me of this thread for some reason and since OP is asking about reliability I think this thread might be helpful as well: https://mbworld.org/forums/glc63s-gl...-beauties.html

 

Get a GLC!
I owned RX300 & RX330 (V6) for ~15 years and than switched to 2016 GLC300 (4 Cylinder Turbo).
RX's needed one repair (Oxygen sensor) in 15 years, never had any breakdown. I owned GLC300 for 6 years, no repair. However, I paid far more in routine maintenance (at dealership by choice) in 6 years of ownership than I paid for RX's in 15 years.
I now picked another RX since I wanted to wait for the arrival of EQC ( the EV version of GLC). I am not a badge fan, but GLC was far more superior (in esthetics and ride) to RX's.
4 Cylinder Turbo are now adopted by nearly all manufactures but you can pick a new 2022 RX with V6 engine.

 

Thank you so much. I appreciate your comments.

 

MB reliability is bottom of the barrel. MB dealer experience is below the bottom of the barrel. You have been driving one of the most reliable brands in the world for 22 years. You will experience severe culture shock from a reliability point of view if you change from Lexus to MB.

The GLC has a 4 banger with dubious genealogy related to the M274 engine which has a reputation for fatal piston cracking. MB claims to be leaving ICE vehicles behind and going all-EV. This means their commitment to ICE products is declining. I wouldn't want to own a product which a manufacturer is losing passion for.

Consider instead a BMW X3, Porsche Macan or Genesis GV70.

 

This is so valuable, I did read something about this but thank you so much for sharing this info.

 

Yes, very valuable indeed. Really?????

You have numerous members tell you that they have no issues with their GLC, and one member telling you there is an issue with the M274 engine. How valuable is that? Chassis mentions this EVERY chance he gets.

Chassis tells you that MB reliability is at the bottom of the barrel, but for some reason still driving an MB????

Yes there have been reported issues about the M274 engine, but it certainly does not mean that every engine has these issues, nor does anyone know how the engine was treated PRIOR to the failure (properly maintained, high octane gasoline, regular oil changes, etc.)

I recently had a C300 with the same engine, had 104k miles and was meticulously maintained with no issues whatsoever!

I have had numerous BMW’s in my household, because the wife just loved driving them. I finally convinced her to go MB, as all BMW’s we had have been very unreliable and high on maintenance. The last one we had and I finally got rid off was a 2011 X5, which cost me a fortune to keep it running as all kinds of stuff constantly broke.

Is a Porsche really more reliable and lower on maintenance? Not sure, never had one, but would think this not to be the case.

 

Both of you and forum member no_mulligan (I quoted in the spoiler) have a point, there were reported issues with the M274 that is a fact but like you said it is not guaranteed to happen but something to keep in mind which forum member chassis were kind to bring up as well.

That shouldn't be a concern for OP if as they stated they will be looking for a 2023 to test drive, if that is still the X253 (and not the X254, which I thought that is the first model year of the X254? but it was never recommended to get first model year vehicle, that car also have a relatively new engine, the M254 with the rather quirky? if I should say, 48V hybrid system) ) then the X253 should be reliable as that is the end of the generation which means most if not all issues should be resolved, at least that is what usually happens.

The facelift X253 in North America (if OP resides in North America) starting 2020 GLC 300 had the M264 anyways which the 2019 C 300 and 2019 E 350 also got so the M274 issue doesn't apply to OP.

 

I really don't believe you know what past issues would apply to a prospective purchase. No manufacturer walks on water. Every model has issues but not necessarily every owner. I wouldn't listen to any cheerleader on what to drive or not drive. There's a vehicle for everybody. Go find your own. The difference is stunning in the various configurations/options offered by MB. You're not going to find 3 or 4 trim levels like LX, EX or Touring. Many of these options can really drive the MSRP up appreciably. I'd put my time into finding out what the options are, which are must haves and where such a vehicle is located for a test drive instead of silly opinions on value or reliability. That applies to any make/model you're interested in. As long as you're happy, no other opinion matters.

 

This is such inaccurate and misleading information.
MB ranks above average in the 2021 JD Power dependability rankings of 3 yr old vehicles. Top is Lexus (81 problems per 100 vehicles), MB reports 122 faults per 100 vehicles while the industry average is 163 per 100. The real "bottom of the barrel" is Land Rover at 244 per 100. MB is subjectively a more sophisticated vehicle than a Lexus but sophistication=increased complexity=greater potential for problems. The OP will need to assess if any perceived increase in sophistication is sufficient to overcome the relatively minor potential decrease in dependability. For me it certainly was.

The piston cracking issue on the M274 is completely false because Low Speed Pre-ignition (LSPI) which causes piston cracking affects ALL turbocharged, direct injection engines regardless of brand. It can be easily addressed by using the appropriate API-rated oil. Please refer to the thread on this site titled "Cracked Piston Cylinder 2" which covers this issue,

 

Thank you for your post.

 

You can read this class action lawsuit details yourself.

https://www.classaction.org/news/mer...ng-m274-engine

 

I did not write that the issue does not exist and am aware of what you just sent. What I said is that this does not affect every M274.

Thank you.

 

Agree 100 percent but MB hiding this fact from customers and keep selling them is beyond any reasonable justification in my opinion.

 

They're not. They stopped selling them in 2018 or '19.

Now it's a completely redesigned engine with few internal parts retained. Different block, head, pistons, hollow crank and lubrication system.

 

Thank you sir.

 

The possibility of a class action suit, based on the one occurrence in your link, only indicates that CA is fertile ground for Ambulance Chasers.
​​​​​​If I succumbed to all the possible Class Action suits available to me, I'd be filling paperwork for a dozen appliances, jacks, and assorted fictional Lawyer Support Causes.

It's a Nothing-burger.