GLE Class (W166) Produced 2015-2019

New (CPO) GLE 350, left me stranded twice

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Old Dec 28, 2017 | 10:46 PM
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GLE 350
New (CPO) GLE 350, left me stranded twice

Long story short bought a 2017 GLE 350 CPO with 7k miles. Car is in absolute pristine shape. Took it home before the holiday. The next day the car wouldn't start. Obvious battery issue (or so I thought). Called road assistance, got a jump start, and took in in for service. The resolution was "Battery tested OK, found bus keep awake due to cluster not shutting down. Performed software update of instrument cluster." Forward two days and the car is doing the same thing not starting because something drains the battery. I called the led dealer and had the pick up in a flat bed.

I am curious if anyone has heard of a similar issue. I am just hoping I didn't get a lemon because I really love this car.
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Old Dec 29, 2017 | 10:38 AM
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Personally, I've never heard of this problem. Maybe someone else has. I'd say it may be a bit premature to call it a lemon. However, with a CPO vehicle, we don't know how many times they attempted to have it diagnosed. Some people don't have a lot of patience with these types of problems. They may have had it looked at 2 or 3 times, lost patience and just decided to get rid of it. Maybe you can have a dealer check the VIN to obtain a service history. Being still under warranty, the previous owner wouldn't have went outside of MB Service. I'm always suspicious of cars with that few miles on them, being sold.
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Old Jan 5, 2018 | 01:24 PM
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From: at the mercedes dealer next to you
2020 GLE350 2020 Toyota Rav4H AWD XLE
sorry to hear about the troubles, Unless this problem is consistent and i mean like everyday and MB didnt change the batt and alternator for you, i would go to a lemon law attorney and see what your options are, assuming you got this car from a MB dealer, you may be able to return the car no questions asked but make sure you raise hell with them because you went through the trouble
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Old Jan 5, 2018 | 03:55 PM
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Originally Posted by CyberGuyPR
Long story short bought a 2017 GLE 350 CPO with 7k miles. Car is in absolute pristine shape. Took it home before the holiday. The next day the car wouldn't start. Obvious battery issue (or so I thought). Called road assistance, got a jump start, and took in in for service. The resolution was "Battery tested OK, found bus keep awake due to cluster not shutting down. Performed software update of instrument cluster." Forward two days and the car is doing the same thing not starting because something drains the battery. I called the led dealer and had the pick up in a flat bed.

I am curious if anyone has heard of a similar issue. I am just hoping I didn't get a lemon because I really love this car.
Curious as to what the Carfax said about your car. Was it a lease (usually states sold at auction), or was it a loaner (usually shows selling dealer as having first title). Ask to see the VMI. It may tell you how many times the problem happened prior to your purchase. If the dealer won't show it to you, then you might have to get tough, but not belligerent.
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Old Jan 5, 2018 | 10:24 PM
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I had a very polite yet firm talk with the general manager and told them I was leaving on vacation the next day and they needed to figure out what is going on with the vehicle. They sent a flatbed to drop off a loaner and pick up my car. I just got back from my trip so I will call them tomorrow first thing in the morning to see what the news are.

In regards tot he Carfax, it shows 3 events: the car was offered for sale in March, followed by a pre-delivery inspection/wash a day later, and then offered for sale again in September. No entries for title.
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Old Jan 11, 2018 | 08:41 PM
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Quick update: came back from vacation, got the car, and so far so good. They replaced the battery, performed a "hermes/mbrace software flash", instrument cluster update. Hoping for the best now.
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Old Jan 12, 2018 | 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by CyberGuyPR
Quick update: came back from vacation, got the car, and so far so good. They replaced the battery, performed a "hermes/mbrace software flash", instrument cluster update. Hoping for the best now.
Glad to hear that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.
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Old Jan 12, 2018 | 07:34 PM
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CTEK SOLUTION

Purchase a CTEK charger. So many of these low mileage, sit on a transporter, sit on a dealer lot have batteries in a very low state of charge. Dealers that give them a rapid quick charge don’t solve the root of the problem. Even with a new battery, put it on the CTEK or similar charger to bring the system up to par. And ... don’t leave your keys close to the parked vehicle at night. They can still “communicate” with the vehicle systems and cause a parasitic drain. These new vehicles are rolling computers and it is crucial to keep the batteries at an optimum level of charge. There are other things at work here as well, such as the alternators not charging as before because of algorithms that diminish charge levels to save fuel by limiting the charging rate. Anyway, get the CTEK and top her up about once a week and I’d bet you never have another no-start or electrical gremlin problem for the life of the vehicle.
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Old Jan 12, 2018 | 10:25 PM
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GLE 350
Funny thing is that I have a CTEK for my Camaro (summer car) which is away for the winter in the garage. The first time I experienced the battery problem with the GLE I took the CTEK off the Camaro and put it on the GLE and it did nothing. Fast forward to today and I realize that my Camaro's battery is completely dead. I have a strong feeling my CTEK is malfunctioning and not charging even though the lights come up as they should. I will test tomorrow and see if this is the case. Maybe it was all a weak battery charge since day one. More to come.
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Old Jan 12, 2018 | 10:57 PM
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Barry Hanna's Avatar
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CTEK TROUBLESHOOTING

Check this site, it may help with the CTEK.
https://smartercharger.com/troubleshooting/
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