I've owned a bunch of Mercedes and my GLK is my absolute favorite except for the feared engine light problem.

So far, since December, my car has been in and out of the shop for engine light issues that were initially traced back to the fuel injectors, which were replaced with the fuel lines after 4 visits and 10 weeks of waiting for parts. Next, one of the N02 sensors was found to be bad and subsequently replaced. Next failure was the dreaded adblue warning while the dealer had the car. When it rains it pours.

A day later, after getting the car back, and we return to the injectors with the same error code. Things were so bad that the dealer with consultation at the factory wanted to buy the car back because they couldn't fix the problem. I started to look for a suitable replacement but found this model is very difficult to find, new or used, optioned to my specifications. (I absolutely hate the black interiors as they look cheap to me.)

Both the dealer and factory took a last chance at resolving the issue and according to my service adviser, reprogrammed the CDI module with newly developed code. That fix extinguished the engine light and the engine was again running normally.
During this time my dealer provided a loaner Mercedes (from Enterprise)for the entire time my car was in the shop. They were in contact with me on a regular basis, and treated me as a valued customer.

 

I've picked up a 2014 GLK 250 this Wednesday and with 100 miles on it so far. Hopefully I won't get the Adblue warning.

However, there are a few gripes that I have about this vehicle.

1) The height adjustment release button is missing on the Neck-Pro on the driver's side. So there is no way that I can lower the headrest (it's at the highest position now). See pic below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2P...it?usp=sharing

2) The air lumbar support seems like it doesn't hold the inflation. It deflates to about half of the hardness within 15 minutes with me setting on the seat.

3) There are unusual rattling noises coming from the rear of the car when driving over uneven roads. It seems to be coming from underneath the rear bumper around the chrome part and the heat shield above the Adblue reservoir.

Aside from these issues, everything else seems to be ok for now.

 

Your driver side head rest should be height-adjustable with the button on the door panel. Yes, it has electric adjustment! Being my first MB, I didn't expect it.

The passenger side has to be adjusted manually with the release button.

 

Unless you have the Leather Package (for US cars), in which case the headrest for the passenger seat is also electrically adjustable. If you aren't sure whether your car is so equipped, the seat controls would be on the door panel rather than on the side of the seat itself.

 

I bought my New 2014 GLK 250 BLUETEC OCT 16 2013.This is my wife & I first Mercedes Benz purchase,reading all the post on this issue,I hope we don't regret it! Had no problems & was enjoying it very much until the ADDBLUE WARNING Light showed 10 starts left while we were out of town this past Friday with just around 2000 miles. NOT GOOD!!!!! We made it back in town with 4 starts left that night. When we started it the next morning it no longer said ADDBLUE but the Engine Warning Light was Yellow !!! Called MB Service Dept., they said to bring it in. After we got there, they offered us a loaner car or we could wait to see if they could fix it soon, we decided to wait. After waiting around 1 1/2 hours or so the service adviser told us that the DEF Fluid was full & there were a list of codes that showed up. They said MB had a Computer UPDATE for this problem and hoped it would work for our GLK.The sevice tech took it for good test drive before returning it back to me. No addblue warning &The ENGINE Light were gone. They said for us to keep driving it and to let them know if there are any other problems. They were very nice at the MB Service Dept. However, I hope, I don't have to see them again! nothing personal..... UPDATE: 10/14/2014, A little over 5000 miles, have not had any more issues with ADBLUE WARNING LIGHT or engine check light. One thing i have done differently after fix was filling up on diesel around the 1/2 tank mark instead of near empty. Who knows if this helped with anything.Probably two different things.

 

Thank you very much Mike. You have helped me solve the problem!! Much appreciated.

 

At 3000 miles, our 2014 GLK warning lights came one, 9 starts remaining and the CEL. The dealer repaired it this morning in a couple of hours. Here are the incomprehensible service invoice notes as written:
CEL cause: 54065 On-Board power supply voltage maintain (when checking/testingand troubleshooting) 904083
540991 Control unit software: Install
540992 Control unit: software: Install
3027 short test codes P2BAAFA,P13E3F00,P12E3 in CDI hooked up charger
Performed software update and coding. Per LI 49.10-P-058243

AD BLUE warning:
470643 Separate parts for adblue system as per fail code check
90483 W AdBlue
3029 See job A for initial repairs. Had to go to special procedures in CDI and reset message. Had to top off Adblue, then had to go to SCR and reset.

 

IS THERE ANYWAY TO RESET the remaining start or add Bluetec warnings?

I have 10,025 miles on our GLK250. We love the comfort, handing and performance. Hate the dependability. I'm a diesel fan, but I'm being to wish I had stayed with Subaru. I know there's no comparison in the comfort, but Subaru sure beats Mercedes in dependability.
At 9,500 miles I added Bluetec, approximately 4 gallons to the bottom of the filler neck, and made an appointment for the first service. At 10,005 miles the wife called with a check engine light, I told her not to worry it was going in for service the following day. When she arrive home she also had the 10 more start warning. To this point no add Bluetec message.
I check forums, saw were someone suggested the Bluetec had to be completely full. So I
filled it completely, to the top. Then the forum said take it for a drive, I did. Also saw post that said turn the key on, don't start the car, and wait 30 seconds. This would reset the warning. Only thing I accomplished was waste my time and waste a start.
This morning on the way to the dealer the Add Bluetec light came on. While my wife was dropping off the car, a driver delivering a new Motorhome, on the Sprinter chassis, was having the same problem. Who pays for wasting his time? He's stuck sitting around the dealership instead of making his delivery on time.
I think Mercedes has got a problem, with the number of forum posts here and on other websites, the should be a recall. Who wants to take a car on the road trip knowing a faulty warning light can leave you stranded? I can only imagine getting stuck in the middle of Montana, no dealer for 100's of miles and the car won't start because of false warning light. How can an upscale Auto Manufacture build and sell a car that will tell you to add windshield washer fluid, when a tail light's inop, but can't tell it's got plenty of a required fluid? To make things more ridiculous, from what I've be told, the Bluetec fluid is strictly an EPA feature, it doesn't effect the engine at all. The fluid is actually injected in the exhaust system down stream of the engine. There should be a way reset the system when there's really not a problem.
At this point I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND anyone purchase a GLK-250 Diesel (Bluetec).

 

2014 BT250, purchased in October 2013. On Friday, got the dreaded ding, Ad Blue warning and CEL with 10 starts remaining. Dealer was aware of the issue and had already had other GLKs in for the same problem. The software update took about 2 hours this morning. Hoping the light stays off.


One thing I'd really like to know is if this happens again, and I'm in a remote location, is there any way to circumvent the limit of starts remaining? I personally think its ridiculous that for the price of these cars, they would put such a potentially problematic 'feature' in the software.

 

This NOT a MB "feature", but a requirement for certification of the technology by the EPA. The software IS an MB problem and should be resolved completely in the 250's with software update, IF the techs doing the work are competent.

Bear in mind that thousands have these BlueTec cars without problems. Those without problems don't post. You see a disproportionate number of problems from the few frustrated users. Certainly understandable. Someone counted something like 8 or 10 problems in a poll after thousands of 250's had been sold. I happen to be one, of many, who have not had a single problem of ANY type with mine @ 9000 miles. NEVER a problem in the E350.

Frustration of owners with the problem is obvious and understandable but the many satisfied users don't post. If the issue is a major problem to an owner, get rid of the car and go back to a 'ricer'! Toyota, Suburu and Honda make good cars, and there's always Kia!

 

MB is well aware of the problem and has steps in place to fix it. Think, if only you'd taken an extra trip or two into town your GLK may have gotten the software update with its 10,000 mile service and you would've never had an issue.

I'm glad the US spec has the Adblue system as it helps with the exhaust smells typical with diesel. Here in Germany there are lots of diesels and all of them smell funky compared to MB's Bluetecs.

 

And incidentally, this is NOT a safety issue and therefore not a requirement for recall in the USA. Certainly with the percentage-wise relatively 'few' problems, there would be no reason for MB to recall.

 

With all due respect, I’m reading a lot of excuses for a corporation that sells luxury, customer satisfaction and safety, and sure as heck doesn't mind charging us for it.

It may not be a safety issue in and of itself, but limiting starts when someone very well could be 100s of miles from a dealer is a concern to me. My ’10 starts remaining’ fell on a Friday afternoon so it was only an inconvenience for me not to be able to use the vehicle over the weekend. I regularly travel for days at a time through remote areas (Wyoming, Nebraska etc.) If I were on the road far from home and a known glitch in the software of my 55k vehicle prohibited me from driving it, or changed my plans, I’d be pissed regardless of who is to blame.

I don't think it’s unreasonable to expect MB to reach out to GLK owners who have early 2014 model year builds and offer a preemptive software update before this happens. If they're capable of a software fix, then they're capable of isolating the issue and identifying which units can/will fail.

I can’t speculate how widespread the issue is any more than the next guy. It was interesting to me that 15 seconds into our conversation, the dealer knew exactly what the problem was and how to fix it. The person I spoke with admitted they’d had a number back in for the same problem. 8 out of thousands sounds very fishy to me.

The Best or Nothing… right?

 

Not excuses, just reality. Nothing in this world is perfect, particularly in software.

Most of my travel is West Coast to the Rockies, both the northern and southern ones, and Wyoming so naturally I do have concerns. Find a dealer near Cody, WY or Billings, MT!

I do considering the relatively low percentage of folks with the problem. Why scare the heck out of many others with no such issue, an issue that most likely will be corrected with the next full service and corrective download? Why flood switchboards and service departments with many cars that don't have the problem? It would be a nightmare for all, including customers of other cars with no such problems just in for regular service. I'm certain the fix is there but determining the vehicles with the problem might not be possible.

There's a poll on this at the top of the page, or at least there was, that bears out those numbers. The owners who are affected, while making multiple posts, weren't that many. It's not speculation. In a stop by my dealer I spoke to the service manager who also had intimate knowledge and he too acknowledged several corrections. It IS a problem but not nearly as widespread as unhappy owners with the problem seem to make it.

I think that IF we have any disagreement, it's the natural one between someone with a problem and someone with none.

 

>>Nothing in this world is perfect, particularly in software.


Well, we can agree there I assure you. If software were perfect, I'd have a whole lot more time on my hands.


I expect more from a brand that professes to be above the fray. While I don't expect perfection, I do expect better than a reactive response when in my experience, I'd bet MB has the data they need to identify which units are defective and proactively fix this issue before it becomes 'alarming' to the customer. MB should know which models had the problematic software/hardware config and isolate proactive fixes to just those vehicles.


There's nothing alarming about suggesting a customer come in for an update based upon their build date/model etc. See above. Expensive? Maybe. Sometimes doing what's right for your customer isn't always the least costly option. If I wanted cheap, I'd have bought a Kia as you suggested another poster do. I for one feel I paid for something better. Maybe I shouldn't.

 

I absolutely believe MB has a bigger problem than a software update or reprograming issue. If that was the issue, who in the right mind would allow a car to be delivered without updating the computer? Look at how many post here are from new car's with very few miles. If this was a simple software update I'm sure MB would have notified their dealers, and sent out how to fix bulletins. Maybe they did, but my dealer claims to have no knowledge of the problem or fix. They don't have clue as how to fix the problem. They had my car all day, finally offered a loaner, said they hope to figure it out tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath. The fellow driving the motorhome, who check in with us, left the vehicle and flew home, not the least bit impressed with Mercedes. Sounds to me if a software update fix your problem, it was luck, not a true fix. Only time will till.
I'm afraid software that doesn't work is a quality control problem. Do you want to fly on a Boeing Airplane with a software problem? I don't want to drive a car with a software problem, I didn't spend $50,000 to be a test pilot for MB.
Also those who think it's only effecting a few folks should consider only a very few MB owners are on this forum. Also many MB owers are older and either don't own a computer or think it's only for forwarding emails. Usually the same email they forwarded weeks ago, only now there's even more attached addresses.
I bet there's a lot more folks with 250 Bluetec problems than we're seeing here.
At least Mazda has the good sense to keep their new US diesel off the US market until the figure out a fix for their problem.

Picked up the car today. The service manager said had no bulletins from MB concerning the Add Bluetec messages. He claimed that the tech's worked over time last night trying to figure out the problem. They did the engine update everyone talks about, which cleared the Check Eng light, but not the Bluetec message. Then they did an exhaust system software update which cleared the Bluetec message. We'll see. It's hard for me to believe MB hasn't informed dealers of this problem. Service manage said the dealership has only sold 4 GLK250 Bluetec's, so far I'm the only one with this problem. Hope that's the end of it!

 

We haven't had this problem on our 2014, knock on wood. However, I wanted to throw an idea out there, and please do not hold me responsible if you try this , although disconnecting the battery is a pretty standard thing to do (ie: storage for the winter).

If we know this error isn't actually a serious problem, and more of a software annoyance for compliance with emissions standards... why not disconnect the negative battery terminal for a couple of hours and then re-connect and see what happens? This should clear the ECU.

I'm not suggesting this is an actual fix- more of a work-around for those who can't get to the dealer or what have you. If you do try this, be prepared to lose some personal settings, although I'm not sure what will "for sure" be affected - probably memory seats, radio stations, power lift gate settings, etc.

 

And maybe also short the battery terminal to the other to discharge any battery in computer? That's what I'll try if it ever happens to me in the 'sticks' of the west! Great thought, but I'll bet the EPA has some regulation or obstruction for this to insure no operation of a diesel without the environmental safeguards!

 

This is the best idea I've seen on this issue, I'll try it next time. Maybe someone will see this suggestion an give it a try, then let use know if it worked.
It has worked on my Sprinter Motorhome for other issues.

 

I had my GLK250 since November of last year & have about 6000 Kms so far.No problems so far, knock on wood. I wonder if any Canadian Owner has this Adblue warning problem or is it just for the US Models ?

 

I think the gentleman that started to poll was from Quebec and I believe he had the problem. Can't locate the poll nor the guy's name. Is Quebec still part of Canada?

 

Their election went well yesterday so yes, I think the separatists will have to stay quiet again for a while

And yes, Canadians are having this problem too.

 

Amen!!!

 

My glk had a check engine light this past weekend, but not the ad blue warning. Dealer flashed a software update and it's resolved for now, but I had a similar random check engine light early in my FRS ownership and it took a couple software updates before it finally went away. Hope this doesn't happen with the GLK, kind of frustrating that not even 2 months into ownership and it's been to the dealer twice for issues. At least the dealer has taken care of us with free swag, free wiper blade, and free first service since we have got out last 4 cars from them

 

HOWDY! I am new to your forum and very much appreciate your informative posts. I recently plunked down a $1000.00 refundable deposit on this vehicle. My question: would you still purchase this vehicle today, knowing what you do about the AdBlue issues? Thank you. Kim