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Bought a 2014 GLK with 79,000 miles, have some questions
1. First thing I did was change the oil when I bought it at 79,000 mile as well as the engine air filter. Looking at the Carfax, the first oil change was at 9,800 miles but it def missed an oil changed because the next one was one at 22,000 and the one after that was at 37,000. These are pretty big gaps, 10k is streaching it but tolerable but 15,000?
Kinda paranoid if the engine has sludge and if I should do a LiquiMoly Engine flush. Not sure though as I heard mixed reviews, some say it can destroy the engine but idk. Anyone have any advice?
2. I attached the carfax, not sure if I need to do any other service, looks like it got a big service at 67,000 which did the spark plugs, transmission, engine oil.
3. Headlights get condensation when it's rainy, but I hear this is normal?
4. I noticed Mercedes cars tend to run a little on the hot side as far as the engine temp goes, is this normal?
Lift up on the gas cap when it running , if a lot of suction your PVC system is clogged or gasket failed , if smoke likely PVC failed from sludge . The get a vacuum test. It’s a car, it has a motor . I change my oil at 3-3500 in city driving . 10,000 is a scam so you think you’re buying a car that needs less maintenance! I’ve had oil tests don’t at Blackstone at 3500 they say oil not deteriorated. There is a lot of maintenance that when skipped will lead to future big money repairs. You can check voltage of antifreeze to see if it’s bad. But a few gallons and a simple drain refill fix that. Brake fluid is supposed to be flushed with the ABS activated with a scanner to open it up every 40,000. I bet it hasn’t been done. Brake fluid absorbes
moisture. It will also brake stronger with the water removed . There are a lot of things to do. Figure it was not maintained and look into it.
Lots of oil change options just don't show up on a CarFax (or other similar service). I wouldn't necessarily assume that the "missing oil changes" didn't happen if the ones that do show up line up with suggested mileage / time interval suggestions. The PO likely just dropped into a five minute oil change place, or independent garage to have the oil changed. Whether that's a good idea or not is the source of lots of debate, and best handled in other existing threads.
Speaking of which, not all miles are created equal. ;-) If I lived in my daughter's NYC, very hilly neighborhood and did my miles around here, I'm sure I wouldn't exceed 3,000 or so miles between changes. OTOH, I put as many as 8,000 miles on a single road trip in the course of a couple months, and I have absolutely no issues waiting until I get home to do an oil change. In fact, all the changes I've done are between those long (!) road trips, meaning that I'm changing my oil at 7,000 or 8,000 mile intervals. The oil coming out of the engine after those miles is clearly used, but doesn't look bad at all, and certainly not "scary".
And finally, I should mention that my M272 engine idles much quieter when I use the recommended "European Car Formula" Mobil 1 oil (meets the MB 229.5x spec). I've used "regular" Mobil 1 when I didn't have the EC formula oil, and got noticeably more lifter / valve train noise at idle.
About sludge , I had an oil pan leak had it fixed it had no sludge so I’m not worried. The problem is you can’t see inside the motor . A clogged PVC I guess is one of the only ways unless you take off valve covers for other work. A flush might move junk into a small oil hole and block it , I would think . Oils do have detergents . Get an oil test done . Blackstone is good they measure everything and give a written recommendation on oil and your driving
About sludge , I had an oil pan leak had it fixed it had no sludge so I’m not worried. The problem is you can’t see inside the motor . A clogged PVC I guess is one of the only ways unless you take off valve covers for other work. A flush might move junk into a small oil hole and block it , I would think . Oils do have detergents . Get an oil test done . Blackstone is good they measure everything and give a written recommendation on oil and your driving
Originally Posted by habbyguy
Lots of oil change options just don't show up on a CarFax (or other similar service). I wouldn't necessarily assume that the "missing oil changes" didn't happen if the ones that do show up line up with suggested mileage / time interval suggestions. The PO likely just dropped into a five minute oil change place, or independent garage to have the oil changed. Whether that's a good idea or not is the source of lots of debate, and best handled in other existing threads.
Speaking of which, not all miles are created equal. ;-) If I lived in my daughter's NYC, very hilly neighborhood and did my miles around here, I'm sure I wouldn't exceed 3,000 or so miles between changes. OTOH, I put as many as 8,000 miles on a single road trip in the course of a couple months, and I have absolutely no issues waiting until I get home to do an oil change. In fact, all the changes I've done are between those long (!) road trips, meaning that I'm changing my oil at 7,000 or 8,000 mile intervals. The oil coming out of the engine after those miles is clearly used, but doesn't look bad at all, and certainly not "scary".
And finally, I should mention that my M272 engine idles much quieter when I use the recommended "European Car Formula" Mobil 1 oil (meets the MB 229.5x spec). I've used "regular" Mobil 1 when I didn't have the EC formula oil, and got noticeably more lifter / valve train noise at idle.
Originally Posted by Mmr1
Lift up on the gas cap when it running , if a lot of suction your PVC system is clogged or gasket failed , if smoke likely PVC failed from sludge . The get a vacuum test. It’s a car, it has a motor . I change my oil at 3-3500 in city driving . 10,000 is a scam so you think you’re buying a car that needs less maintenance! I’ve had oil tests don’t at Blackstone at 3500 they say oil not deteriorated. There is a lot of maintenance that when skipped will lead to future big money repairs. You can check voltage of antifreeze to see if it’s bad. But a few gallons and a simple drain refill fix that. Brake fluid is supposed to be flushed with the ABS activated with a scanner to open it up every 40,000. I bet it hasn’t been done. Brake fluid absorbes
moisture. It will also brake stronger with the water removed . There are a lot of things to do. Figure it was not maintained and look into it.
another question:
To my knowledge this model has electric steering, but does it still need fluid? I know some electric steering systems still need fluid, so idk if thats something that needs to be changed
The steering is electric, therefore no fluid to mess with. Although you may want to do a brake fluid flush. Just make sure you do it right (including the ABS pump) or make sure the shop can do it right.
I would also get the alignment checked and adjusted, or if you're almost due for new tires you could wait until then.
Oil changes can go up to 10K miles if using good quality 229.5 spec oils. I would opt for about half that, right around 5-6K miles, but YMMV.
There shouldn't be condensation in the headlamps; electronics and water don't mix well.
Regarding oil flushes: it's probably best to do a few short OCI's to clean whatever can be safely removed rather than using aggressive chemicals and risk plugging something up. Detergents in modern oils are not for cleaning, they are for anti-wear properties, anti-thickening or loss of viscosity, among others. There are certain elements in oils (like esters) that can act like cleaners and remove sludge, but these are not "detergents" in the way Tide pods might be.
Anyway, welcome and all the best with your new-to-you Benz.
As Andreigbs says brake fluid, it absorbs water , corrodes parts, and reduces braking noticeably. Temp is normal but it’s old so drain and fill. It’s easy. Use the fluid for your Vin model year . Be sure it’s the same color.water in lights will corrode the socket and coat the glass with a film. Check socket bulb gasket or look for split seams that can be sealed with Silicone. I changed all fluids under 80000, transmission, differentials ( you don’t know if they went through deep water) . Change everything, it’s time.
3. Headlights get condensation when it's rainy, but I hear this is normal?
4. I noticed Mercedes cars tend to run a little on the hot side as far as the engine temp goes, is this normal?
3. Condensation in the head light housing is often the result of the little vent holes being plugged. Headlight housings have to breathe a bit or the condensation will build up. It can eventually damage the reflective surfaces.
4. The temperature on your gauge is completely normal for your GLK.
My GLK 350 runs at the same 90-92 degrees C. That temperature gauge does look a little worrisome, since the pointer sits above level. Another carmaker would have designed the gauge to sit level in normal operation, but MB, in all its wisdom, wanted to show us real temp numbers, not just four meaningless tick marks. They labeled the gauge with round numbers and aligned them to match the gas gauge to the left. So the normal operating temperature just happened to point the needle above level, alarmingly.
I've developed much faith in the 350's cooling system, though. I use the car to tow a 3,000 lb. Scamp travel trailer. That temp needle stays put on fast summer runs at 100 degrees F. Only once has it raised one 2-degree-C tick mark, when I was pulling up a steep grade, going slow in heavy traffic. It has a big radiator, and no turbos, which are a massive source of heat themselves.
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