bop11

What it basically comes down to is; 'Would you rather be seen in a Mercedes or something else'? I'm sure, two years ago, most people bought their Toyota Carola because of its great reliability history, but then Toyota recalled most of them. Should they have bought something else? Posibly. Did they get screwed? Only if the dealer didn't treat them right. Will they still recommend or buy another Toyota? Probably!

"You pays your money, and You takes your choice"! (1846 edition of Punch)

phil17

This is a really good discussion thread . Sorry for my earlier post, I misunderstood the "remote" part thinking you are travelling into the unknown for work often at like contruction sites etc away from dealers. lol

My experience is a bit biased because my 2010 was not super reliable, left me stranded on the higway due to a bad thermostate once. (it was an early build though)

I'm really hoping my 2013 is better because after driving a bunch of cars before deciding, the GLK had the least compromises.

My alternative would have been the XC60. it's roomy but i'm just not sure Volvo's are as depandable as they use to be. some of the "gadgets" feel outdated and attention to details not there ( eg: sun visors don't extend, the interior door frame is not wrapped so you see the body color of the car)

I like the restyled Q5 with the S line package but a couple of co-workers who's owned them (2011 and 2012) said the 2.0T burns quite a bit of oil? Enough that they keep a bottle in the car. I'm not sure if this is true but none of them will consider Audi as their next car.

It's funny you brought up the GMC Terrain. My younger brother has one and that car surprises me everytime i drive it. Super roomy, got lots of features and feels nice and heavy going down the highway (super quiet too). It's a bit overpriced in Canada once optioned but it's the first "american brand" car we've ever owned and i've been pleasently surprised. Ours is a 2012 and has 40,000kms on it already, absolutely trouble free.

Rounding back to the GLK, extended warrentie might be worth it in your case. Since you do a lot of driving, opt for like the 160,000 6 year option at time of purchase to get a better deal. The fact that my 2010 wasn't that reliable and i still got a 2013 is a testiment to the quality of the vehicle. It's sized right, relatively efficient and once you spend time with it, you'll realize where every single extra $ goes into the car to make it better than the rest.

Good luck with your search and hope you find the car that meets your needs.

lyonkster

Aw, come on, just do it! I did! Although I haven't even received my '11 GLK yet . Let's have a couple of former Forester owners here, and see how the GLK compares!

boylston

The GLK is very comfortable. The ergonomics so well thought out. The car is comfortable on long drives and it is a huge improvement over the Subaru. My sister has a Forrester and there is no comparison. I have driven New England to FL in an X3, CRV, RAV4, Ford Escape and the GLK is without equal for comfort and responsiveness. Friends recently got a new Ford Edge and are ready to trade it in after only two months. Visibility from the GLK is also excellent. Options can add 25% to the base price. If you get close to a base model you will also have great value.

iewoals

Haven't had too many miles on mine (2010) yet. Coworker has quite a few on his, just passed 41,000 miles, mostly highway. No issues on his 2011. Well except for turn and head lights needing replacement often. But then the dealer has done it for free.

I think it's a nice car. Would I say it's reliable? Not sure I'd say yes to that one. Mine seems to have electrical gremlins that appear once the weather turns cold. Stability went haywire once and randomly applied brakes making my car swerve left and right on a straightaway. Also had it sputter once on startup when it was only a few weeks old. Was told it was unburnt fuel in the line since I started and stopped it quickly and then started it again later.

So it hasn't been as carefree as my Civic was way back when. But all cars seem to have some small issues these days. Our Toyota minivan has had a whole bunch of recalls on it. So if you like the car then go for it. Just remember that the cost of a repair with the GLK will probably be a lot more than with an equivalent Japanese or American SUV.

danykane

I just wanted to thank everyone on here for their insight and advice. I decided to purchase the 2013 GLK and give it a go!

Pick it up on Jan31st.

I should be a very good test subject for reliability based on very high kms per year.

This is very exciting.

I'll be sure to post pics when I get it. It will have the following:

Paint: Black
Interior Sports Package (Included in basic price)
AMG Exterior Package (Included in basic price)
Chrome Package (Included in basic price)
Mirror Package (Included in basic price)
MPP - Premium Package
MCO - Convenience Package
MXW - Bi-Xenon Headlamp Package
MNP - COMAND Navigation Package
MDA - Driving Assistance Package
736 - Dark Ash Wood Trim
758 - 20inch AMG Twin 5 Spoke Wheels
3M Full Kit

danykane

Your post made me laugh! I also considered the XC60 and Q5. I hit my head HARD on the door opening on the XC60 getting into the car for a test drive. No to that car. Also made the same observations as you did. All the forum sites for Audi do claim that older models (2011-2012 Q5's) burn oil. Not sure about the 2013 but all the horrible reviews on servicing (re: owned by VW) made me say no way!

I got a killer deal on my 2013 GLK and I'll share the story once I pick up the car.

Thanks again. This was so helpful and informative.

phil17

Congrads bud!, Can't wait to see a black one fully loaded like that. you made a great choice!. Now the waiting part is going to be painful.

danykane

Yeah, waiting is gonna be hard but luckily I'm in L.A on business which is the only reason why I can't pick it up earlier.

I still would love anyone else to weigh in in regards to long kms or having lots of mileage on their car just so I can be prepared.

By the looks of it, I'll probably have more kms on my new car than most ppl on this forum within a year/ year and a half!?

Good point on the Extended Warranty. I decided to buy that in a few months....no point in adding it to the financing plan right now and pay the 1.9% interest on something that won't be needed until 80,000kms from now.

Was everyone one else as excited as I am when they were at the buying/ waiting for car stage? It's gonna be hard to focus on work down here. Ha ha

boylston

Congrats on the car! You made a great choice. We look forward to the pics.

bop11

In this day of look alike cars, it is refreshing to see some people still are excited about their rides. I remember in the '50's '60's when we couldn't wait to see what next years models would look like. It seems they all came out about the first of October. Vertical tail fins, horizontal tail fins, bigger engines, with the shift on the stalk will we go back to 3 people in the front seat? A zillion different color and chrome combinations. Cars with 60 hp but only weight 1800 pounds. Cars with 400 hp and still only weighed 2200 pounds. Seems the government and EPA have relegated those days to crash test dummies . At least the GLK is not cookie cutter outside and total plastic inside. A fun truck to drive when you need something for hauling but still looks classy when you show up at Lincoln Center in the snow. Hope you love it on trade-in day as on pick-up day.

REVTO9

I would look elsewhere as well. My GLK is now on its third trans/transfercase. 63000 miles on it. Its a great car to drive but has not been the most reliable suv on the road. We were looking to trade but the resale on this car is not very strong where I live. We have not done any towing or hard driving with the car. We were on a long trip the last time it went out and hsd to drive 1200 miles hoping it would make it home. The cost to replace the trans/ transfer case is not cheap. You could buy a decent used car for the same amount of cash. It wss 7000 usd discounted at the stealership.

gstarglk

Made an account to say the following:

I have a 2010 GLK with 110k km's on it, not. a. single. problem.

I had to have the side marker bulb replaced and I drove over a pothole which bent one of my wheels, but other than that, regular maintenance and she's fine.

Amazing car.

danykane

Hey, thanks for the post!

I purchased my GLK a few weeks ago and already have over 4,000 kms on it and so far it's been fantastic!

You really don't know how great of a car it is until you drive it for a while and go through -40º C weather for a solid week and super long drives. It feels so safe, solid..AND quiet on the road. Has better fuel mileage than I expected and I LOVE all the features like the adaptive headlights, lane assist, auto wipers...even the ECO mode that turns the engine off at the stop lights. I still can't bring myself to use the Park Assist as I feel like I'll be less of a man if I even attempt to use it! Maybe my wife will use it so it won't be a waste of a feature. Also, read the manual front to back and put in an SD card to save my over 850 customer contacts on the NAV using different groups...pretty nice (although it doesn't seem to find several roads in small town Canada).

All in all, love it. Just REALLY hoping it lasts.

REVTO9

Good luck with your glk. It is a great car to drive. The handling is hard to match in this class. Really like the feel just wish the reliablity was there.

whtglk

Hello guys/gals

New to the forum, I have an 10 glk350 which I purchased in 4/09. To date I have 70,000 miles. Things that have gone wrong=1...drivers side door actuator/lock. Maintenance is up to date. Rear brake pads just got replaced. Front pads have plenty of life left. Changed out one tail light bulb and new windshield due to a rock from a truck.

In all honesty I was hoping to have it traded/sold by now but it's been so very good to me that I'm actually going to keep driving for a lot longer than I originally planned. So far it's proven to be a realiable vehicle.

danykane

Hey Everyone,

Thought I would post an update on my new 2013 GLK350...

So far I have around 6,000kms on the car and the only slight issue I've had is this little rattling noise that seems to be coming from the front left interior where the windshield meets the dash. Very minor but I've had the service techs look at it twice and it could mean that the windshield seal is not quite done properly. They are looking into it for me.

Again, this is a very minor thing but the service staff has been a pleasure to deal with. The only other small thing I wish was in the car was a sunglasses holder/ compartment. I'm putting my glasses in the center console where the iPod/ media interface is and my glasses are getting scratched. Also, I'm definitely gonna get proper winter tires put on next winter...the Pirelli all seasons that come with the car new sucks on snow...obviously.

So far, I'm really satisfied with my purchase so far and I'm hoping I hear from several people with high mileage with reports on how their GLK is holding up.

Oh...and here's a tip, when washing your car at a spray wash bay leave your car keys in the car. Otherwise, every time you spray over the door handles the car locks and unlocks a million times.

Thanks!

bugelrex

Would love to hear more updates from you, especially with the number of miles you put on the car. Thanks!

danykane

No problem...

Here is an update. To date I have approx 35,000kms on the GLK and so far only a couple minor complaints.

There was a few service appointments I had to make for this noise coming from the front passenger windshield area...they haven't been able to find the problem but it's a very minor issue.

The service staff at my local dealership is very good and wait times for service are approx 2 days to 1 week. Not too bad.

Where this car is worth the money is the comfort on very long drives...amazing.

Where this car sucks....the NAV system. It is garbage. It only seems to know major highways and roads. In any smaller town (trust me, I've driven every part of Western Canada) you need to use your iPhone Google Maps to be a backup or else this NAV will probably try to add several hours because it doesn't know half the roads out there. I don't use the voice recognition as it's just as bad as all the other manufacturers out there.

Lack of sunglasses compartment is a daily drag. Bought one of those clips that clip-on to the sun visor...it's still a pain.

The small features on this car (lane assist, auto high beam, parking sensors) are all great add ons and I highly recommend it.

Overall, this car is very reliable so far but I'm still early on in it's mileage. However, the safety and handling on this car makes it worth every penny and then some.

Any other specific details you want to know please just ask.

Thanks again.

bugelrex

Thanks for the update, happy to hear no major problems. Horror stories on MB repair costs are quite scary

icool007

After two years of 2011 GLK 350 4Matic, 18k miles city driving, only had to change both left and right side of low beam light bulb once this year. And then like the car so much, I just bought a 2013 GLK 350 4Matic for my parents with a great deal 'cuz I think 2014 GLK350 is out next month. I am hoping to drive it as long as it last! finger crossed....

whtglk

Well I'm about 78,000 miles on my 2010 GLK350 4Matic....so far so go(knock on wood). Still riding on my original front brake pads(Akebono brake pads are great!..). Tires are my only complaint. Not too many choices for the 20 inch wheels. Mileage is at 18.5-21.9mpg.

Ex-Military

The 20" wheels are an option which I think doesn't belong on a SUV, it's spoils the ride and increases the weight of the wheel which reduces fuel economy and restricts performance. It might look cool to others, but ultimately low profile tires on big wheels are best left to high performance sports cars.

I think the GLK 250 would be a better fit for the amount of driving you do and that engine will plow on for hundreds of thousands of miles without issue.

fabbrisd1

Frankly if it was me - with that mileage requirement - you'd "save" with a GLK250 - top candidate putting the tires aside... whole bunch of fun !

whtglk

Well I'm up to 85K miles on MY10 GLK 350 4Matic..so far so good. I thought about trading it on something new but the truth is I see no reason as she is running better than ever(knock on wood). She is still on the original front brake pads(and I bought her in April of 09)! My only complaint is the Pirelli tires,They suck in the snow.I will get some original 19's and add snow tires. Keep the 20's for Spring and Summer use only.

For the interested the specs on my truck are:

Lighting package(hid's cornering lights)
Full leather w/ wood interior
20's wheel package
running boards
aluminum rails

No navigation,power lift gate,memory seats or sunroof.