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Welcome to the site! Great looking and well-optioned GLE. You will love it and it will serve you well if maintained according to MB specifications. I also enjoyed the LX25 tires, they are better than the factory LX Sport tires.
Posting some pictures to keep this thread alive.
Note the drl additions and also note the inner housing of the headlamp is painted black. Looks like a match with the upgraded front grill. Also for those who do not know I have HID Lights 55 W 8000 K .
Also note the native DRL ( inside the housing) I have added extra they are kind of dancing DRL that is when I turn on the ignition they dance like Knit Rider scanner for few seconds before glowing up.
sub786sub Your vehicle looks great. I've been holding off customizing mine because my original plan was to trade it in around 2025. Now, I'm thinking of keeping it for longer. I want to get new rims or have the ones I have painted, I really want the grill you have AND I'm looking to get it wrapped. For me that's a lot when the original plan was to trade it.
Your vehicle definitely inspires me to move forward with the customizations. I just wish some of these I could do myself.
Don’t get too inspired. It’s a Mercedes but unfortunately not what it used to be. Mine has had all of the engine stabilizers replaced - leaking, on a new vehicle !?- yes perfectly normal. Engine leaking from multiple areas , huge fix job. Apparently this is acceptable for Mercedes with 50K miles. Absolute joke. Too many issues. Windshield washer fluid tank , cracked - Service says - oh it’s a known problem form vibration - really !? Why isn’t MB fixing it !? $1,500 later. MB is an absolute money pit - as soon as the warranty expires - get rid of this suv immediately- otherwise you’ll regret it later. My friend had the AMG version , as soon as warranty expired engine starts leaking - some valve in the back etc - service says , they have to take the whole engine out to get in the back to replace the this part - quotes him $28K parts and labour. His only mistake was buying and owning Mercedes past the warranty period - MB isn’t responsible for the shoddy job they do, the customer is. Yes MB looks nice but it’s a huge headache to own. Why people still buy MB is beyond me. I wouldn’t touch BMW or VW. Huge problems. I would buy Lexus, Toyota. How do I know !? I have two MB GLE SUVs and my wife has GLC. Save yourselves the trouble. Learn from our mistakes.
@chassis How do you clean the Motive power after each usage? or do you have different one for different fluid? (such as, brake fluid, differentials fluid, transfer case oil) Thanks
@chassis How do you clean the Motive power after each usage? or do you have different one for different fluid? (such as, brake fluid, differentials fluid, transfer case oil) Thanks
Isopropyl alcohol. Wipe the inside of the chamber with a shop towel, then pour in some alcohol and swish it around, then pour it out. Wipe with a shop towel. Repeat one or two more times until the unit is clean. Dispose of the alcohol properly.
Thanks @threeMBs and @whitewagon . Did either of you consider the John Dow JDI-6EV? I'm a tool junkie and want the best, if it is reasonably priced.
What I don't like about the John Dow unit is the suction speed of around 0.04 gpm. This means 40-50 minutes to extract 8 quarts. Way too long and my small compressor will be running continuously during that time.
I went for a 5k oil change at the dealer. I observed my dealer spent 5 mins to change oil w/ an extractor. They made me wait 1 hr and charges me $250 anyway.
I bought this John Dow JDI-6EV to extract oil this time (from my 2018 GLE350) by myself. I connected the adapter to the oil tube without using the straw. It gurgled in 5 minutes. I let it slurped for another 2 vacuum recharges(my 2 gal compressor is not big enough to provide constant vacuum).
To prove extractor cannot drain every drop. I tilted passenger side (because drain hole opens to the driver side) 6 inches off the ground and drained about another 1/2 cup from the pan. After adding 7 liters of LiquiMoly 5w-40, the oil level rose to 1 notch above MIN on the oil dipstick after shut down for 5 minutes. I realized I drained too much oil. I should have stopped after it started gurgling.
I went for a 5k oil change at the dealer. I observed my dealer spent 5 mins to change oil w/ an extractor. They made me wait 1 hr and charges me $250 anyway.
I bought this John Dow JDI-6EV to extract oil this time (from my 2018 GLE350) by myself. I connected the adapter to the oil tube without using the straw. It gurgled in 5 minutes. I let it slurped for another 2 vacuum recharges(my 2 gal compressor is not big enough to provide constant vacuum).
To prove extractor cannot drain every drop. I tilted passenger side (because drain hole opens to the driver side) 6 inches off the ground and drained about another 1/2 cup from the pan. After adding 7 liters of LiquiMoly 5w-40, the oil level rose to 1 notch above MIN on the oil dipstick after shut down for 5 minutes. I realized I drained too much oil. I should have stopped after it started gurgling.
Great report @tedy , thanks for confirming bottom drain vs top extraction results.
Don’t get too inspired. It’s a Mercedes but unfortunately not what it used to be. Mine has had all of the engine stabilizers replaced - leaking, on a new vehicle !?- yes perfectly normal. Engine leaking from multiple areas , huge fix job. Apparently this is acceptable for Mercedes with 50K miles. Absolute joke. Too many issues. Windshield washer fluid tank , cracked - Service says - oh it’s a known problem form vibration - really !? Why isn’t MB fixing it !? $1,500 later. MB is an absolute money pit - as soon as the warranty expires - get rid of this suv immediately- otherwise you’ll regret it later. My friend had the AMG version , as soon as warranty expired engine starts leaking - some valve in the back etc - service says , they have to take the whole engine out to get in the back to replace the this part - quotes him $28K parts and labour. His only mistake was buying and owning Mercedes past the warranty period - MB isn’t responsible for the shoddy job they do, the customer is. Yes MB looks nice but it’s a huge headache to own. Why people still buy MB is beyond me. I wouldn’t touch BMW or VW. Huge problems. I would buy Lexus, Toyota. How do I know !? I have two MB GLE SUVs and my wife has GLC. Save yourselves the trouble. Learn from our mistakes.
I have a 2016 300d and it has about 70000 miles on it. It's had a few little issues but nothing significant - certainly no leaks, vibrations, cracks in washer tanks, etc. There are issues with costs, especially if you go to the MB dealer to have things done, but you can do the basic maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations, brake flush, brake pad replacements, etc.) yourself with no undue excitement - it's just a car. There are good ones and bad ones, and some models do have known issues. From what I've seen on the forums I use most people are very happy with theirs.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
All ATF is the same. Usually they ignore the FE fluids, since they are utterly pointless unless someone really wants to trade wear for MPG.
Do people think there are 200 different types of ATF for 200 different transmissions? No, a ZF takes the same fluid in Audi or Mercedes....they just get a different part number for dealer tie-in sales. I would either use red ATF or ANY Dexron 6 over the blue FE. Maxlife adds some seal conditioners, and is ftw.
Just passed the 90,000-mile mark and the car continues to perform flawlessly — no mechanical issues to report.
Recent Maintenance:
Rear brake discs and pads replaced
Front brake pads replaced
Air filter and cabin filters changed as part of regular service
Engine oil and filter consistently changed every 7,000 miles
Upcoming Service:
Transmission service (finally!) is scheduled for the end of the month — long overdue, admittedly.
Other Notes:
Tires will need replacing soon; the current set has lasted a solid 36,000 miles.
Still love this car. It’s been incredibly reliable, comfortable, and enjoyable to drive.
Zimmermann Brake Discs and Pads Oil change every 7000 Miles
have you had to change the motor mounts at your mileage? if so did you do yourself? how complicated?
just got a quote for about $2000 to change thy motor and transmission mounts... since it's 4 matic there's thy front differential that complicates the work
No. I am glad I do not have do. There is also no indication that there is a problem But I am aware of this problem that some models have these issues .
All ATF is the same. Usually they ignore the FE fluids, since they are utterly pointless unless someone really wants to trade wear for MPG.
Do people think there are 200 different types of ATF for 200 different transmissions? No, a ZF takes the same fluid in Audi or Mercedes....they just get a different part number for dealer tie-in sales. I would either use red ATF or ANY Dexron 6 over the blue FE. Maxlife adds some seal conditioners, and is ftw.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Even though different oem ATFs spec different visc and coefficient of friction, fluids shear down and the FM additives wear out and the coefficient "rooster tails" to a point that one fluid can cover all specs, in regards to different oems like ATF+4, Dexron III, Mercon V etc. Dexron Vi is back-speced for Dex 3, as I was explaining to my friend recently. If you have a Dex 3 trans, Dex 6 is a compatible upgrade.
BUT all the ATFs you see here are all Dexron VI by design, and it is backspeced for older apps. I hope this helps. Just avoid the Dex/Merc stuff, it's Dex III. In fact Castrol has an AIO ATF for CVT too... Dexron VI is all you need.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; Aug 7, 2025 at 10:20 PM.
Changed the poly-v belt today. Easiest job ever. It took 20 minutes including fetching tools and putting them away, and I really took my time. Poly-v belt replacement is not a recommended maintenance item by MB, I chose to replace it because I wanted to do it. The new belt should be good for more than 100k more miles.
There is really not much to say. 17mm socket to release belt tension, use a 4mm allen key to lock the tensioner in the released position. Pull old belt off, put new belt on, release tensioner tension, remove allen key, and ease tensioner onto belt. Done.
No codes, no XENTRY, very easy. The engine sounds like it runs a bit quieter with the soft new belt that is a bit shorter than the hard stretched belt with 96k miles. I kept the old belt as a spare.
Tools:
1/2" ratchet drive
17mm socket
4mm allen key
thin flat screwdriver to release the intake s-duct
Parts:
Belt 003-993-57-96 $47+tax in stock at the local dealer
I didn't use this video, but it is a good guide for the M276 3.5L NA.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
