BigBoeing

Hello Folks,

This is my first post on the MBWorld Forum. I’ve been reading about the GLK250 BlueTEC diesel here for a few months now attempting to get a feel for the vehicle.

I finally made the plunge a few weeks ago and ordered a 2014 GLK250 with several options to my liking after reading the numerous positive auto magazine reviews and your many insightful posts. We already have two common rail diesels in our family including my wife’s VW Touareg TDI and my son’s VW Golf TDI. They’ve both been exceptional, trouble-free vehicles that get tremendous mileage, so I’m pretty much sold on the clean diesel concept. Consumer Reports rates the GLK350 as a “Recommended” vehicle, but hasn’t yet tested the GLK250 BlueTEC. My father owned an early 80’s MB 240D and nearly drove it in to the ground. He loved that car. It wasn’t my favorite, however MB has come a long way with diesel technology since the 240D.

I ordered the vehicle with the following options from a highly-rated and long-time Northern New England MB dealer. Total MSRP was $51,590.00 including the Mercedes-USA transportation charge:

— Palladium Silver metallic paint
— Appearance Package
— Lighting Package
— Interior Ambient Lighting Package
— Premium 1 Package
— Multimedia Package
— Heated Front Seats
— KEYLESS-GO
— Chrome Door Handle Inserts

I was able to get a no-negotiation, quite significant military discount through my insurance company’s buying service which caters primarily to active duty and retired military. I’m VERY happy with the deal I received given what I’ve read on this forum regarding the range of MSRP non-military discounts received the GLK250.

I searched the GLK250 inventory at numerous MB dealers along the East Coast and none had anything close to the options I wanted. So I ordered the vehicle and placed a deposit. The salesman called last week and said we have a “Decade Build Date” of today, 03 November at the MB production facility in Bremen and should receive the vehicle by the end of the year barring any shipping delays.

If anybody can explain in layman’s terms what MB “Decade Build Date” means I’d sure appreciate it. The salesman said he’d keep us closely informed of the production and delivery process. Will we receive a VIN from MB and/or the salesman in the near future? Will we be able to monitor the production/shipping/delivery process on-line?

I’d also appreciate it if anybody could describe their specific experience on the GLK250 with the Interior Ambient Lighting Package, and the active curve illumination included with the Lighting Package.

Thanks again to all the people who’ve posted here. Their information is greatly appreciated!

Respectfully,
Jim

Alex Bel

Mercedes plant divides calendar month on 3 decades - 10 days each. Your car will be made in first decade (first 10 days of month). You will get a VIN number soon, it's not a secret.
Funny, my wife just called me about to much light in front of her at the dark with this active curve illumination. I said to her you can turn this off, but she said, no I like this, just so unusual. The high beam turns on and off when there is opposite traffic. But she likes this.

As far as monitoring, my experience is different since I had an European Delivery and was able to monitor all steps until the vehicle arriving to VPC in Baltimore.

Bob338

Your sales person can tap into the production computer. Everything is in there. When production starts there will be a VIN #. Not likely you can get the name of the ship nor the loading data but since it is available for the factory deliveries, you might be able to get the sales person to get incisive and get a name of a vessel. You can track from that. We could for the European Delivery so no reason you can't get it.

Without a doubt you'll have it by end of the year

BigBoeing

Bob & Alex,

Thanks very much for your replies. They're greatly appreciated.

I discovered after I'd ordered my GLK250 that front and rear mud flaps are an optional MB dealer-installed accessory. After seeing the running boards installed on a GLK350 I decided against them. They appear primarily cosmetic and unsubstantial, and IMV wouldn't be effective at keeping snow/slush off the side of the vehicle. We live in northern New England and receive a significant amount of annual snowfall. Accordingly, I'm interested in the MB front and rear mud flaps.

Has anybody installed the GLK mud flaps? If so, would you be so kind as to post a photo? I would really appreciate it. Any comments are welcome!

Best Regards,
Jim

balticgreen

Welcome! I'm waiting on my factory order GLK250 right now. It's not my first factory order so I have some experience with this.

Alex covered what the decades mean.

I've never been given a VIN before delivery but I've also never asked for it. The VIN is available when the car has been built and the salesman can get it for you, but I wouldn't expect him to offer it up just because most people don't care.

You can track the ship yourself, but not anything in the Mercedes system. However, you can always ask the salesman. He has access to it in the computer and can always tell you whatever the current status is. It would be nice if there was a customer-facing status system, but there isn't as far as I know.

My GLK has both of those options but I don't have the GLK yet. My current C has the Lighting Package though. The active curve illumination is very subtle and not easy to notice, to be honest. I don't think the active curve alone would be worth it as a standalone option, but it comes with the xenon lights and those are definitely worth it.

You can get the name of the ship. Just ask the salesman. He obviously won't know until the car has actually been assigned to a ship, but mine was on the ship in very short time after it was built.

When you have the name of the ship, you can track it at www.marinetraffic.com. It will seem to stall while it's in the middle of the ocean because it's not close enough to the on-land signal receivers, but you can see it leave Germany and head out past Spain, then it picks up again as it gets close to the US. With your location in New England, the car should come in through Baltimore. On arrival day, you can watch the ship come up the Chesapeake Bay.

Tracking is available via satellite when the ship is in the middle of the ocean, but it costs money and not exactly a small amount of money.

BigBoeing

Balticgreen,

All quite interesting and thanks very much. Congratulations on your GLK250 order. When are you taking delivery?

I'll ask our salesman for the VIN and the shipping data. I don't think I'll need to track the ship's progress across the Northern Atlantic, however a projected arrival date at the USA POE would be great. What does MB use for POE's on the east coast? New Jersey? And how quickly do they move the vehicle to the local dealer after arrival in the USA?

Will the POE MB facility make any required on-board computer software updates before delivery? I only ask this question after reading the string on this forum addressing the recent spate of "Check Engine" and "ADBlue" caution lights some folks were experiencing. It sounded like a software fix was in-the-works from MB.

Thanks Again,
Jim

balticgreen

Roughly two weeks from now. It's on the water, arriving in Baltimore next week and then a few days after that to clear the port and get to the dealership.

marinetraffic.com will list the destination arrival date, so look that up when you have the ship name.

Ports on the east coast are Baltimore and Brunswick(I believe?). They don't use one north of Baltimore, so yours will come in through Baltimore.

When it's unloaded from the ship, it goes through customs and VPC. That takes a few days. Then it needs to be assigned ground transportation to your dealer and of course actually travel to your dealer. I'm in Maryland, so transportation from the port to the dealer is within an hour's drive and car carriers zoom around here all the time. I don't have experience with orders to New England, so I can't give you an estimate of arrival, but ask your salesperson. They know what their average arrival time is after the car gets to the port.

Yes, I'm concerned about that issue, too. VPC should make sure the software is up to date and if they don't, the dealership should. I am going to make sure that my dealer does it before delivery specifically because of that AdBlue calibration problem.

Edit: VPC is the Vehicle Prep Center at the port.

BigBoeing

Balticgreen,

I'm impressed with your knowledge of the delivery process! And again, thanks very much.

Should we expect to see some sort of formal written acknowledgement from MB regarding the "Check Engine" and "ADBlue" caution lights problem on the 2014 GLK250? In a TSB or other document? How long does it usually take with MB from recognition of a problem to a formal, published resolution?

Should I ask our salesman to have the front and rear mud flaps installed at the VPC vice our local dealer? Or would it be best to have them installed here when the vehicle arrives?

Thanks Again,
Jim

Alex Bel

My car was loaded on vessel on September 16th and arrived in Baltimore on September 28/29th. After that (after customs and VPC) my dealer called me that the vehicle on the dealer's lot in Michigan on October 4th.

balticgreen

Another forum member said there was no TSB when he picked up his car. There may be one or something else at some point, but my understanding of the solution is that it's actually not a software fix for the car but a software fix for the Mercedes computer that connects to the car for service. I don't know what they do as far as documenting that. I have never had a problem like this on any of my Mercedes-Benzes.

I've also never ordered any accessories like mud flaps. The dealer certainly can install them but they'll probably try to charge you for labor, though from my view they should do it as a condition of the sale if you want them. I'm not sure if VPC will do it if it's not part of the original order. Maybe, but I don't know. I learned from my own experiences and I don't have that particular experience.

mike-nc

Jim,

I had mine installed by the dealer. Make sure that you get the ones for the 2013/2014 model. Originally, the dealer installed the ones for the first gen model. They did not fit properly and had to be replaced. I'll try to get a picture, but they are very deep on the back and provide very good protection, thusfar. They are noticeable when they are first put on, but now I don't even notice them. They do spoil the looks, just a bit, but the protection is worth it to me.

BigBoeing

Alex,

Thanks for your delivery timeline info. That's actually much faster than I'd anticipated.

---------------

Balticgreen,

Thanks for the info on the 2014 GLK250 "Check Engine" and "ADBlue" caution light issue. You better bet I'm going to ask them about it. I don't want to "buy a problem." I wonder what percentage of 2014's are experiencing this issue? It's been my experience that you generally only hear of problems, and usually never hear from those with no problems, which of course makes sense.

-------------------

Mike,

Thanks for your info on the mud flaps. I agree...they're never usually attractive but I've had them installed on every vehicle I've owned. Between living in Alaska and New England, mud flaps and/or running boards can save a lot of wear and tear on the side of a vehicle.

If you get a chance to post a photo of your mud flaps it'd be greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,
Jim

balticgreen

True, but in a low-traffic forum like this one, usually someone says, "Hey, is anyone having this problem I'm having?" and crickets chirp. To have a dozen or so 2014 owners saying they have the problem in less than 1,000 miles is rather significant.

BigBoeing

I think even three somewhat identical problems indicates a clear trend and something MB needs to resolve immediately. Bad news travels fast in the blogosphere. Much as Apple monitors numerous forums for problems with their equipment, I can't believe MB doesn't at least occasionally monitor this forum for same. This is bad PR for the 2014 GLK250 no matter how you slice it.

mike-nc

Front and rear pictures, plus a bonus-changed the OEM wreath center caps to the silver stars. I think these look so much better, makes me not even notice the mud flaps!

BigBoeing

Mike,

Thanks very much for posting your photos of the GLK mud flaps. They look fairly substantial and appear to extend low enough to keep snow/slush on the ground.

And I like your silver star too!

Jim

BigBoeing

Gents,

The same eBay seller who's offering the significant discount on the MB All-Weather mats is also selling the MB GLK Cargo Area Tray. You can see his eBay listing here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Benz-Cargo-Area-Tray-Protective-liner-trunk-GLK-X204-/261322739335?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item3cd80c8e87
The listing is eBay Item Number 261322739335.

Best Regards,
Jim

107123210

Regarding mats, it seems there are several different designs. Here in Canada where we can\t help getting snow and slush onto car floor, Weathertec mats are popular because they are fitted and have side walls that are several inches high to contain any water. The standard winter mats like the ones from eBay seller mentioned above are different.

As other have found out, Weathertec seem slow at coming up with proper mats for the latest GLKs. But Mercedes dealers do have something very similar. And they tell me that they are priced below the Weathertec price at least here in Canada. A friend bought a set including cargo area. I "think" he said they were three hundred and something for the set. If anyone knows for sure, please post.

Alex Bel

Yes, this is better price than MBUSA ($130)

BigBoeing

Thank you Alex. I'd be curious to hear a comparison between the Weathertec cargo area protector and the MB version. I'm showing a price of $119 USD for the Weathertec versus $110 USD for the discounted MB cargo area mat on eBay.

Best Regards,
Jim

balticgreen

Weathertech is more than $119 after you add shipping, which is $18 to my state. Suddenly the OEM looks a bit more attractive.

Alex Bel

They look similar (MB and Weathertech), but one is $110 total and another is $137.95 with delivery in Michigan...

BigBoeing

I ordered the OEM MB All-Weather Floor Mats yesterday and the OEM MB Cargo Tray from this eBay seller this morning. Both have already shipped. I'm going to ask this gent about the MB OEM mud flaps. For that kind of savings I can install them myself.

Best Regards,
Jim

BigBoeing

Gents,

This is the response I received regarding 2014 GLK250 Mud Flaps from yet another eBay seller of OEM MB parts and accessories.

Best Regards,
Jim
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Dear XXXXXXX,

Thank you very much for your interest. According to my MB site these mud guards fit from 2010-2014. We do not have them listed here. However, you can purchase them through our other website www.benzpartsforless.com. If you have any questions please call us at 215-933-1157 ask for Kevin or Brandon

A2048900578 front set w/o running board $68.00
A2048900878 rear set $68.00

- keenanmotors4311

BillybobBodidly

Ordered a GLK 250 loaded up on June 13 it was built on the 23rd of July and we picked it up on the 26th of August in Stuttgart - it is now home in MN. I'm looking for rear mud flaps - and I'm told no mudflaps for the AMG styled GLK...any suggestions - only need the rears as we have running boards....Absolutely fantabulous vehicle - solidly north of 30 mpg around town...Diamond White - mocha brown leather - really enjoy this ride but need mudflaps!