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Hi, I picked up a brand new 2017 GLE 250d SUV on wednesday with 15 miles on the clock. As we were about to leave the dealership the "low coolant" warning light was on. The dealer took it back into the shop and checked it and topped it up. All seemed ok. We left the dealer to drive home. About 40 miles into the journey the light came on again. We called the dealer. He said top up with water and get it checked when we got home. We did this (took 500ml) and warning light went off. Just 10 minutes later light came on again. MB Assist told us to stop driving. Ultimately car was taken away on a recovery truck, back to dealer. Dealer has sent a video of vehicle, this shows there is an incorrect connection on the coolant pipe, meaning that there is one pipe behind the fire wall completely unconnected to anything. They say the connection should be a T shape, but it is not. A new part has been ordered from Germany! Is this a one-off, has anyone else heard of this happening? Should I reject the car? Could it have caused damage to the engine? Thanks
I had low coolant issue when I first got my 2016 as well. They checked it and said they topped it off. The light never came back on but I have the scent of coolant from time to time and the vehicle runs on the hot side all the time.
I seriously doubt any damage to the engine was done. I'm sure you had enough coolant in the vehicle to prevent any. This is the first time hearing of something like this. I'm going to give a look to see if mine looks the same as this pic.
Last edited by phoenixone; Mar 4, 2017 at 09:19 AM.
are you sure that's brand new. hard to see from the pic, but it looks like more than 50 miles of road dirt on some of those parts. sounds odd as i don't think that would have made it through QA if it was pouring coolant. should have been lots of puddles all over. where are you located? ron
Its definitely a brand new vehicle I can assure you. I picked it up from the main dealer, it was ordered in to my spec. I've been waiting since november for it! Its the photo - its very grainy. We topped it up 500ml (just under a pint) and within 10 minutes or so it had dropped the same again. When the MB technician did a pressure test on it on the roadside, all the coolant came out underneath, prior to that there was no sign of it leaking. Im in UK. thanks
strange. i've seen/heard of loose bolts, connectors, etc. in vehicles, but a missing (integral) part is new to me. is this an alabama car? you may have been lucky enough to get a build tech on their first day on the righthand drive line.
it sounds like the warnings prevented you from serious overheating so probably ok (but i'm no tech). that said, i would at least make sure everything is well documented and you retain all papers, etc. just in case. good luck, ron
GLE's are made in alabama. i think some for export. ron
I was aware of the Alabama plant, but assumed the ones sold abroad were assembled in Germany. It never dawned on me that the Alabama plant may export them overseas. Good point.
GLEWinnie,
Can you check the VIN plate in the door well for location of manufacture?
Last edited by GLE43_Sube; Mar 4, 2017 at 01:25 PM.
I received a low coolant warning about 6 months after buying my GLE. It happened a few days in a row after the car was sitting outside for an extended period of time. It was a time of the year when we were having large temperature swings from daytime to nighttime (November). I called the dealer and they told me that they were receiving many calls like mine and they found that the coolant sensor is extremely sensitive and if the coolant fill from the factory was just a little low, there would be a warning. They added a little coolant and it has never occurred again. So, I have to surmise they were correct!
Maybe this tidbit will help someone...
I complained from almost day one about smelling coolant and they "couldn't reproduce the smell" as usual. Then the light came on about 6 months after I had it and they topped it off and did a pressure check and said all was fine...I still smell it every time I drive it a little hard but not a drop I can see anywhere under the hood or the ground.
I complained from almost day one about smelling coolant and they "couldn't reproduce the smell" as usual. Then the light came on about 6 months after I had it and they topped it off and did a pressure check and said all was fine...I still smell it every time I drive it a little hard but not a drop I can see anywhere under the hood or the ground.
the systems still vent even though they are "closed". i perceive that you may be like me; i notice just about everything. but, when i drive my wife's car and ask "what's that banging" the reply is "i don't hear anything". ron
Understand....but I've owned many vehicles over the years and whenever there's a strong coolant smell it usually isn't venting...it's a leak of some kind.
I've been smelling coolant in my car for the past week or two and the coolant low light came on three days ago. I wonder if there's a connection? I'm almost due for my service A so I'm going to have them check everything out.
As much as I love driving this car, I can't say I'm 100% pleased with the niggling issues I've had.
This is a brand new car. It had 15 miles on the clock when I picked it up and the warning light came on as soon as I started it. There is no smell. It seems to have had an incorrect part fitted during manufacture. I can't see how this can happen and I am concerned what else could be wrong that their quality control has missed. Clearly this issue has not been picked up.
I received a low coolant warning about 6 months after buying my GLE. It happened a few days in a row after the car was sitting outside for an extended period of time. It was a time of the year when we were having large temperature swings from daytime to nighttime (November). I called the dealer and they told me that they were receiving many calls like mine and they found that the coolant sensor is extremely sensitive and if the coolant fill from the factory was just a little low, there would be a warning. They added a little coolant and it has never occurred again. So, I have to surmise they were correct!
Maybe this tidbit will help someone...
We had the same experience with our 2016 300d. I added about a pint of coolant/water and the light went off. Our dealer told us the same thing at the 10,000 mile service. No problems since then. Wonderful vehicle.
Thanks but this isn't really the same issue, my issue is that there was an incorrect part on the pipework for the coolant. It should have been a T shaped connector to allow 3 pipes to connect. But it wasn't T shaped. The dealer said they took off the part and checked the part number and this is not for this vehicle. They have now fitted the correct part, which came in from Germany yesterday. Vehicle has been re-built and they want me to take it back. My concern is that this is really no longer a "new" vehicle (as it's been stripped down) and I am concerned that there may be other defects. How does an assembly line in a factory that only builds SUVs manage to put the wrong part onto one vehicle? How do I send the picture to MB? I have no direct contact for MB. Ideally I would like to send it to MB Alabama. Thanks all.
How do I send the picture to MB? I have no direct contact for MB. Ideally I would like to send it to MB Alabama. Thanks all.
You can scrutinize mbusa.com for weeks. You won't find a contact email address. Who ever heard of such?!!! I'm convinced they don't want you to email them. Below is the Alabama plant website. They only accept contact for employment and to arrange tours. When you click on Customer Support, you're taken back to the mbusa.com website. Here's the address for the Alabama plant: 1 Mercedes Drive, Vance, AL 35490. The only phone numbers (888-286-8762 or 205-507-2252) on their website are for tours. Maybe you can call them and get a no. for a manager in the actual plant.
I managed to get an email address for MB Customer Service some time ago. It was such a convoluted process, I don't even remember exactly where I got it from. Try reaching out to "Jennifer". I emailed her on behalf of other forum members over the loose seat issue.
I understand this is not your issue, but I also had a low coolant light and had the dealer top it off shortly after purchasing the car. They barely put any fluid in it but I also smell coolant "odors" a lot of the time around the vehicle. Still to this day. It has also been very quickly checked for leaks and nothing was found on a few occasions.
Can you get the part number? Maybe someone will know which vehicle it would have gone on since I'm sure more than one type of vehicle is made on the GLE production line. Another thing I would be concerned with is "diminished value." Not so much as a wreck would diminish it but down the road when you try to sale it and someone asks for those sometimes unreliable carfax or autocheck reports, that service problem is probably going to show up. Now it may not worry a lot of people, but if it showed up on a car that I was looking at, I would ask a lot more questions, or move on to the next vehicle.
Good luck
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When you click on Customer Support, you're taken back to the mbusa.com website. Here's the address for the Alabama plant: 1 Mercedes Drive, Vance, AL 35490. The only phone numbers (888-286-8762 or 205-507-2252) on their website are for tours. Maybe you can call them and get a no. for a manager in the actual plant. 
