New Mercedes V8 Engines constant problems
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 22
Likes: 15
GTS
New Mercedes V8 Engines constant problems
I posted this on the GLS580 subforum, but I thought I would post it here for potential GLE owners because the GLS V8 share a significant number of the components with the GLE V8 and the "new Mercedes" experience is no longer was it use to be. I hope this helps anyone thinking about buy a Mercedes in the future.
I purchased a new 2021 GLS580 in April of 2021 ($121k) and have had nothing but problems.
It has been in the shop >5 times with issues that cause the engine to go into imp mode. Error codes keep indicating misfiring of multiple cylinders. Car has also had a faulty "hydrolytic system". The dash randomly resets during driving.
The problems started occurring when the car had <1500 miles and have continued to plague the car. I has left my wife and three small kids stranded on the side of the road twice.
It has also broken down when we went out of town on a trip and I had to spend 4 hours going to the dealership during our vacation and basically beg them to "reset" the computer so we could drive back home to drop it to our hometowns Mercedes dealership.
At first the dealership keep insisting that it was a "software issue" and "resetting" would fix it, that definitely did NOT fix the problem. Then they did a "software update" that also did NOT fix it. Then they ordered and changed some parts also did not fix the issue.
After I explained the issue to the service manager I was told that they would arrange for a buy back, multiple complaints later and still nothing. Then the dealership advised my to call MB costumer service and they opened up an investigation in NOV and they refused to issue a buyback. MB Customer service solution after 4 months was that they offer to pay 1 month payment for the car, I told them that I have no confidence in the car which keeps breaking down. The advisor told me that I could call a Lemon Law attorney if I wanted. WOW, unbelievable.
Two days later the advisor called back and said since I didnt finance through MB Financial they would not even offer me the 1 month payment but they would give me 1 year extra warranty. Absolutely unbelievable.
There are many more annoying details but it make me upset thinking about it, I write this in hopes of hopefully helping other not to make the same mistake I made
I have had to leave my clinic on one occasion to pick up my wife and kids because this GLS580 broke down on the side of the road and the second time I had to reschedule a patients tumor surgery because my wife was stranded on the side of the road with or kids.
Multiple other trips to take the car into the Mercedes dealership had been an absolute waste of time.
I personally pay the extra money to buy a Mercedes for peace of mind; this has been an absolute nightmare.
$121K for a GLS580 that has been breaking down since it had <2000 miles on it, absolutely pitiful.
BUYERS BEWARE do NOT buy a MERCEDES, the dealerships and the company do not care about their costumers. Go spend your money with a respectable company that stands behind their product!
I have bought 5 Mercedes (E350, GLB250, GL550, AMG GTS and GLS580) vehicles for my family over the last 7 year; I will never buying another Mercedes ever again. Apparently Mercedes does not care.
How the mighty have fallen, Mercedes USA you should be embarrassed
I purchased a new 2021 GLS580 in April of 2021 ($121k) and have had nothing but problems.
It has been in the shop >5 times with issues that cause the engine to go into imp mode. Error codes keep indicating misfiring of multiple cylinders. Car has also had a faulty "hydrolytic system". The dash randomly resets during driving.
The problems started occurring when the car had <1500 miles and have continued to plague the car. I has left my wife and three small kids stranded on the side of the road twice.
It has also broken down when we went out of town on a trip and I had to spend 4 hours going to the dealership during our vacation and basically beg them to "reset" the computer so we could drive back home to drop it to our hometowns Mercedes dealership.
At first the dealership keep insisting that it was a "software issue" and "resetting" would fix it, that definitely did NOT fix the problem. Then they did a "software update" that also did NOT fix it. Then they ordered and changed some parts also did not fix the issue.
After I explained the issue to the service manager I was told that they would arrange for a buy back, multiple complaints later and still nothing. Then the dealership advised my to call MB costumer service and they opened up an investigation in NOV and they refused to issue a buyback. MB Customer service solution after 4 months was that they offer to pay 1 month payment for the car, I told them that I have no confidence in the car which keeps breaking down. The advisor told me that I could call a Lemon Law attorney if I wanted. WOW, unbelievable.
Two days later the advisor called back and said since I didnt finance through MB Financial they would not even offer me the 1 month payment but they would give me 1 year extra warranty. Absolutely unbelievable.
There are many more annoying details but it make me upset thinking about it, I write this in hopes of hopefully helping other not to make the same mistake I made
I have had to leave my clinic on one occasion to pick up my wife and kids because this GLS580 broke down on the side of the road and the second time I had to reschedule a patients tumor surgery because my wife was stranded on the side of the road with or kids.
Multiple other trips to take the car into the Mercedes dealership had been an absolute waste of time.
I personally pay the extra money to buy a Mercedes for peace of mind; this has been an absolute nightmare.
$121K for a GLS580 that has been breaking down since it had <2000 miles on it, absolutely pitiful.
BUYERS BEWARE do NOT buy a MERCEDES, the dealerships and the company do not care about their costumers. Go spend your money with a respectable company that stands behind their product!
I have bought 5 Mercedes (E350, GLB250, GL550, AMG GTS and GLS580) vehicles for my family over the last 7 year; I will never buying another Mercedes ever again. Apparently Mercedes does not care.
How the mighty have fallen, Mercedes USA you should be embarrassed
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,509
Likes: 1,513
From: Orbiting the planet
This place is a joke.
Unfortunately you're not the first to have this problem with the one-sixty-lemon platform and sadly won't be the last. The one-sixty-lemon platform has been plagued with problems since it's release in 2019. I'm sorry to hear MB or the dealership did not offer more support in regards to a buyback. Also, the 167 cheerleaders will be reporting you to the admins for such bogus claims. 
Last edited by E55Greasemonkey; Feb 22, 2022 at 10:48 PM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 22
Likes: 15
GTS
Unfortunately you're not the first to have this problem with the one-sixty-lemon platform and sadly won't be the last. The one-sixty-lemon platform has been plagued with problems since it's release in 2019. I'm sorry to hear MB or the dealership did not offer more support in regards to a buyback. Also, the 167 cheerleaders will be reporting you to the admins for such bogus claims.
Only reason I posted my experience is to hopefully help any potential future Mercedes Benz costumers make an informed decision.
Hopefully we are all car enthusiast here and this is not dictatorship with censorship of anything outside the party lines.
The great thing about these forum is that we can learn from others experience.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,509
Likes: 1,513
From: Orbiting the planet
This place is a joke.
Trust me this is not a bogus claim, I wish it was.
Only reason I posted my experience is to hopefully help any potential future Mercedes Benz costumers make an informed decision.
Hopefully we are all car enthusiast here and this is not dictatorship with censorship of anything outside the party lines.
The great thing about these forum is that we can learn from others experience.
Only reason I posted my experience is to hopefully help any potential future Mercedes Benz costumers make an informed decision.
Hopefully we are all car enthusiast here and this is not dictatorship with censorship of anything outside the party lines.
The great thing about these forum is that we can learn from others experience.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 791
Likes: 412
From: Fredericksburg, VA
2020 Mercedes GLE350 4Matic; 2023 Tesla Model Y
All I can say is that was pretty weak.
V8 engine problems and terrible customer service apply to G Wagons customers and all potential Mercedes customers they are not car specific.
Potential Mercedes customers should be able to hear how Mercedes is conducting business.
Censorship of bad news does help the people on this forum, it only helps the dealerships and MB. Makes you wonder what the admins care about.
V8 engine problems and terrible customer service apply to G Wagons customers and all potential Mercedes customers they are not car specific.
Potential Mercedes customers should be able to hear how Mercedes is conducting business.
Censorship of bad news does help the people on this forum, it only helps the dealerships and MB. Makes you wonder what the admins care about.
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 835
Likes: 20
From: Houston, Texas
2005 E55 AMG
Sorry to hear this experience for you. Just like anything else, some have bad some have good experiences. We have owned an E55, ML550, GLC63 and now a GLE580 in which none have ever had any engine issues (keeping fingers crossed).
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Super Moderator
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,534
Likes: 3,669
From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Trust me this is not a bogus claim, I wish it was.
Only reason I posted my experience is to hopefully help any potential future Mercedes Benz costumers make an informed decision.
Hopefully we are all car enthusiast here and this is not dictatorship with censorship of anything outside the party lines.
The great thing about these forum is that we can learn from others experience.
Only reason I posted my experience is to hopefully help any potential future Mercedes Benz costumers make an informed decision.
Hopefully we are all car enthusiast here and this is not dictatorship with censorship of anything outside the party lines.
The great thing about these forum is that we can learn from others experience.
I am very sorry that you have a lemon that impacts not only the enjoyment of your car but also affected your family, wasted time was then were met with lackluster responses from the dealership/MBUSA.
I strongly recommend getting an attorney involved to get rid of that car and get properly compensated. The best of luck with your efforts and please keep us posted.
That said, please post in the general forum about your grievances about MB or the dealership and otherwise be model (GLS/GLE) specific. If there is anything specific about your issues and the engine itself, please detail that here. Just complaining about V8’s in general isn’t helpful to anyone…
Last edited by Wolfman; Feb 23, 2022 at 09:23 AM.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,987
Likes: 2,187
From: Colorado
'21 AMG53 wDPP & ARC, 19 GLC300 - Former-03 C240,2 ML BlueTecs,20 GLE450 E-ABC,15 Cayenne D,17 Macan
Trust me this is not a bogus claim, I wish it was.
Only reason I posted my experience is to hopefully help any potential future Mercedes Benz costumers make an informed decision.
Hopefully we are all car enthusiast here and this is not dictatorship with censorship of anything outside the party lines.
The great thing about these forum is that we can learn from others experience.
Only reason I posted my experience is to hopefully help any potential future Mercedes Benz costumers make an informed decision.
Hopefully we are all car enthusiast here and this is not dictatorship with censorship of anything outside the party lines.
The great thing about these forum is that we can learn from others experience.
Having to repeatedly return to the same Dealership is maddening.
Now that you're here, though, you have signed up to keep the V167 forum updated on your findings, continuing efforts, and the outcome.
We don't need to know about your work schedule - just the V8 story.
Hope some revelation occurs, either at home or in Germany. If there's more than a handful of cars affected, they will be investigating.
IF a problem is actually identified (like diagnosing a tumor), then something can be done.
BUT it will be unlikely that you or your family will ever trust the car again. That's not unusual - about 2/3rds of people who have a major accident, trade or sell their car within a year. I'd start shopping.
Hope it turns out well and that there is a swift resolution.
Last edited by mikapen; Feb 24, 2022 at 11:53 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,987
Likes: 2,187
From: Colorado
'21 AMG53 wDPP & ARC, 19 GLC300 - Former-03 C240,2 ML BlueTecs,20 GLE450 E-ABC,15 Cayenne D,17 Macan
@komodor I thought of a way to come out of this.
First, pull a CarFax on your car. See what the Dealership has reported to their system. This may affect your value, but continue.
The CarFax site will then ask you if you want a bid. Say "Yes" and fill out their questionnaire; get a bid. (NADA, KBB and others offer this service - shop them if you are interested. No commitment except for a set of emails that will "remind" you of their bid, but IMO they stopped after a couple of days.)
It may be more than you paid new, and you can begin removing stuff from the car. Mine was about a 10% profit. You can also use that bid to trade the car at a Dealership for your next car, saving the Sales Tax in most States.
First, pull a CarFax on your car. See what the Dealership has reported to their system. This may affect your value, but continue.
The CarFax site will then ask you if you want a bid. Say "Yes" and fill out their questionnaire; get a bid. (NADA, KBB and others offer this service - shop them if you are interested. No commitment except for a set of emails that will "remind" you of their bid, but IMO they stopped after a couple of days.)
It may be more than you paid new, and you can begin removing stuff from the car. Mine was about a 10% profit. You can also use that bid to trade the car at a Dealership for your next car, saving the Sales Tax in most States.
