kamil.kniczek

Hi, I'm going to tell you a story about frustration and disappointment. Maybe this will save someone's money and mental health.

I'm from Poland. In 2019, I bought a brand-new GLE 300d (2.0l diesel) from an MB dealer. My wife bought wife in the same time MB GLC (facelift model). All our cars were always garaged.

Since then, GLE has been a source of problems, sleepless nights, white hair and me being pissed off too many times.

Fortunately, I bought the extended warranty for this crap car (till 2024).



The first problem came in winter 2021 - a pungent odor of windshield fluid started to annoy me when I was opening the door. I ignored that for a couple of days. I thought that it's because maybe I was using the windshield wipers just before parking the car. I thought "there's nothing weird about it". Then after a few days when I was about 30 Miles from home, the car suddenly showed me a warning : battery malfunction, emergency state or something like that. I could drive but a 250hp car was like a 50hp car. I called MB 24h service. They told me to drive home if the car was still running (it was 8 p.m.) and to go to them in the morning, so I did. In MB, they found that windshield wipers fluid pipes were located under the driver's seat as well as driver's main battery. The pipes somehow leaked and damaged the battery.... WTF...? A Mercedes Benz car can do that? They fixed that, changed the battery, the car was OK.

2nd problem - year 2022, Spring. The car started making strange metallic noises somewhere on the front wheels. I could hear it when I was accelerating the car but at slower speed, just after starting the car, and when I was parking the car. In the beginning, the noise was subtle and I could barely hear it. I said that in MB dealer service - that's normal said, when the car is accelerating there has to be a sound of it. I was sure that sound wasn't present since new, but they ignored me.

In the next few months, the noise was getting louder. In October 2022, I went to another MB dealer service. They kept the car for a couple of days. They didn’t know what the problem was, they even ordered some special stetoscope from Germany to localize to localize that sound. It turned out that there was a manufacturing defect in front Differential Assembly (part number A1673305500). MB service couldn’t repair it and they could'nt order that part for 6 months (yes, six months). Their explanation was that the war in Ukraine caused that. Azowstal was supplying MB with some very raw element used for metal alloy to build differentials. No Azowstal, no elements, no differentials. WTF !!!!!

They kept my car and gave me rental cars: GLB, E class, GLB again for 6 months. Of course MB paid for that. I got my car back in April 2023. After a ton of emails and calls to MB customer service line, they gave me a new battery (the car was parked in the open air for winter time) and new summer tires as a satisfation. Nice…. I told myself maybe it's time to sell that crap car, but I decided to give it one last chance.

3rd problem….

Last weekend the central screen turned off when I was driving. It’s not starting, there is no music, no “Hey Mercedes” commands, no reversing camera, no bluetooth… I called the MB service again. I'm scheduled for this Friday… And this evening, guess what ?!? The wipers fluid is in the car again !!! WTF !!!

im tired of all of this. The premium car for about 85000 USD is total ****. I used to drive cheaper cars and they where more reliable then GLE. GLE is 4 years old, about 58000 miles and craps like that.

THATS IT. END OF STORY. DONT BUY GLE 167. GLC IF FINE AND NO PROBLEMS, BUT GLE IS TOTAL CRAP !!!

Sigp232

Happy Holidays🌲⛄️

wildta

Not to discount your displeasure which I think is fully warranted, I would say some of it could be directed to the poor service you have received from your local dealer. I'm thankful that I have 4 dealers nearby to compete for my business.

chassis

Sorry to hear of the experience. Thanks for sharing for readers’ consideration. The word is getting out that the 167 has been a failed endeavor by Mercedes.

Wolfman

Cleaned up thread. Please stay on topic.

Thanks

Wolfman

You are right. So failed that it is the best selling ML/GLE model Mercedes has produced. Time for you to update your story

whitewagon

the 167 is not the ML/ GLE version...

mikapen

Well, I still call my 167 a GLE 🙂
It's sure better than my 164 or 166.😀

Ron.s

I (almost) feel sorry for a vindictive person trying to settle the score over an oil leak issue several year's ago. What a waste of time from a reasonably talented individual.
it’s unfair to new owners when a person can trash talk about a vehicle he’s never owned.

Wolfman

It is the way I described the sales from the start of the model. The 167 is simply the latest version of the GLE that was introduced as the ML in 1997 and then renamed in 2015 (if memory serves) to the GLE while in was the W166. Both the 2014 ML and 2015 GLE were a W166.

whitewagon

no. You are simply wrong. The 167 is a wholly new vehicle platform. It has the same name, like an S, E or C class but it is not like a 166. The ML to GLE transition was an update of the same platform

That's the big issue... most people agree that the 166 ML/GLE was a good effort from MB... and hence, the 167 would improve even more...it appears that perhaps that was not the case.

whitewagon

mercedes calls the 167 a GLE also but it's a wholly different platform.

Wolfman

You are confused. When discussing S-Class or E-Class sales over the last twenty years, it will comprise of several models/platforms. The platform in this context is completely irrelevant. If you would have bothered to read my post you would have recognized that the I stated that the current GLE is the best selling model of that model class. The GLE-Class started with the ML.
Thus, a best-selling model is hardly a failure. Hope this clears things up.

mikapen

Please read the literature. Or the name of the Forum. Or your registration. It's a GLE.
You are correct that it's a new platform. You are not correct that it's not a GLE.
Don't argue please.

BTW IMO the 167 is such a vast improvement over the 166, that I bought one.
I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT ONE if it was as unremarkable as the 166. The 164 was better that a 166, also. The 166 went "All Luxo" and was a turd on the road. The V6 gas engine was insufficient for the car as well.

(I owned a 164 and a 166. The only reason I bought them was their diesel engine with 460 lb-ft, as a Tow Vehicle for my 27' RV. It was stellar in that capacity; just no fun to drive.)

whitewagon

Never said the 167 was not a GLE. WHAT i did say the 166 was a ML/GLE vehicle. Mercedes changed the name from ML to GLE on the same 166 platform.
Please don't argue with facts.

vincheung

I may have had a stroke trying to understand exactly what is being discussed here. ML/GLE is crap, we are all a bunch of suckers that own one, and the 166 167 ML GLE are the same but not the same.

whitewagon

we have a winner!

mikapen

Here's the summary.
One of the posters is completely confused and another is an MB hater.
​​​​​​Sometimes threads just go this way.

It's all fun, until it devolves into personal attacks. Let's not go there.

whitewagon

what he said...

djgiovanni

1. V167 is NOT a joke. For one reason or another, I've owned 3.
2. W166 is NOT crap. MY' 2015 was a joy to own and drive.