Considering upgrade have a 2013 GL550 now, what are the best packages options to look for? Noticed not many have bizenon lights anymore (outdated?). Would like any and all opinions on some of the newer options, magic vision, is bang olefson worth cost, massaging seats, really just the opinions of the board. Thank you!

 

If you're buying it used, then the options should have very little bearing on the cost of the vehicle as that stuff adds almost no value at auction. Active seats (massaging) are standard on the GL550, as well as HID xenon lights. Not sure what you mean by "magic vision", unless you're talking about night vision, which is a very difficult to find, as well as a completely useless option. If you can find one with the Bang & Olufsen stereo, get it. The option is rare, but the system is absolutely outstanding. For FM and Sirius, it is not much different than the standard stereo because of the highly compressed signals. But if you stream music or use CDs, you'll be blown away by the performance. I also have the Designo interior, which is absolutely gorgeous with everything wrapped in diamond stitched high end soft leather. Even the dash and door panels are leather wrapped and the roof panel is Alcantara suede.

Stay away from high mileage vehicles as those are much more susceptible to issues that you can read all about on this forum. Lower mileage vehicles are mostly trouble-free.

 

Thank you for the reply! I found one with both of the options you detail (B/O and Designo leather interior) it has around 43k miles and they are asking $57k; orignal sticker $108k. What sort of due diligence should I do, aside from buying the extended warranty which is a no brainer for me? I am 1000 miles from dealer so visiting it is not an option.

 

Check for oil leaks on the front of the cam covers, and between the engine and transmission (rear main seal). This requires a high power LED flashlight and lying on the ground under the vehicle.

Check for coolant leaks around the radiator mounting points, the top and bottom hoses, and the hoses attached to the coolant reservoir.

 

That is great information! Except I'm 1000 miles away and guessing the dealer wont do that? What issue are we checking for? Is that a CPO covered issue if it were to occur?

Thank you!

 

Magic Vision consists of heated front windshield washers. The nozzles are installed on the windshield wiper blades. It works well, particularly nice if you live in a colder climate area. Not sure if it was standard on the 550.

 

The goal is to find oil and coolant leaks, if any. I had to argue with my dealer multiple times for them to repair obvious oil leaks. It’s unclear to me how easy or hard it is to get oil leaks repaired under factory or extended warranty. From a consumer’s point of view it should be a no brainer. The dealer will likely not use a fine toothed comb to look for reasons for you to negotiate a lower price or to walk away from the deal.

 

I just got my 2017 GLS550 with 16k miles Saturday. I looked at others that had more options installed, but had more miles on them. Mine was 4 hours away, so I worked the deal the best I could remotely before making the trip to finalize. I kept my search within 500 miles and used MB main site to search the CPO inventory. Knowing the maintenance costs and schedule of GL/GLS’s and how things like suspension airbags will eventually fail, I put a higher value on having lower mileage than some of the options.

I heard the B&O sound means no spare tire, which was a deal breaker for me. Honestly, the HK system sounds good to me and a $5K sound system upgrade in a car is a bit over the top (though I’m sure it sounds awesome.

I actually wanted the Magic Vision wipers at first, but was informed the replacement blades were expensive, which made it less important than some of the other options.

A must for me that wasn’t standard was a trailer/tow hitch. I didn’t have one on my last GL and it’s a pain to add them afterwards. I honestly just want it so I can haul my bike when needed.

Driver Assistance Package seemed to be on most of not all of the vehicles I looked at. Rear Entertainment Pre-Wire & Power Easy Entry seemed to be on most as well. I haven’t had time to really test out the Heated/Cooled Cupholders. Rear heated seats are a nice addition as well, though my daughter can’t enjoy them because she’s still in a booster seat.

The last option I had to have was the Pano roof. It’s much improved from my old ‘08, and lets in a lot of natural light.

The one thing I tried to tell myself about some of the options is I’m not going to miss it if I never had it in the first place.

Not sure if that’s any help to you. I will say the GLS550 is a great ride and the standard equipment is great by itself. Make sure to ask if it’s still under original warranty and for how long. Get a price for the extended CPO from one of the recommendations on these forums. Also know that all the additional things they try to sell you on are negotiable (for most places), and you have 30 days to buy the extended warranty after purchase without any “penalty”, so don’t feel pressured to overpay. I got the 2yr extended warranty and the wheel coverage, both at cost +$100 for the wheels. Just stick to your guns and let them know from the beginning that you’re fine with purchasing the extended warranty from someone else. I can’t say for sure that you can buy the wheel coverage elsewhere, but the finance manager assumed I would so she gave me the discount.

Good luck!

 

Congrats! Pics!

 

Thank you for the reply and I agree about dealers willigness to help me THE CUSTOMER!!

 

Jason, thank you for the reply and your car info! How did you track that down that car, just the MB CPO site? Did you trade anything in? I have a 2013 GL550 to trade in, but not sure how that will work if dealer is farther away than I would drive to get the car. ANY OPINIONS on that I would like to hear!

Last thing; were you able to negotiate much on the price of the car? And what is the wheel package you mentioned?

Thank you again!

 

@chassis I need to wash it now after rain and parking under a tree at my office, but I promise pics will come. I'm putting the one I took the other day.

@MNMBbuyer Whatever you decide, just make sure you know what you're getting before going in. I'd suggest making a list of your "must-haves" for easy reference, and then maybe a list of the other options in order of importance (if you're crazy and a little OCD like me). One of the things that sucks about purchasing from a place that's really far away from you is you're going to feel more pressure and rushed when you get there, at least I did since I drove 4 hours to get there and I really didn't want to be there until late in the evening completing the deal and then have to drive back another 4 hours to get home. When you buy locally, or at least closer by, you can take your time going over the vehicle in person and not feel like you have to make a final decision right there and then. Even with all my prep and thinking I was going in knowing what I was doing and wasn't going to let the situation get the best of me, there were multiple things I forgot to check or ask about once I got there and started the whole process. I probably should have taken a Valium or something to calm me down so I could think more clearly, haha.

With all that said, I'm still happy with my purchase, and it's night and day compared to my '08 GL450. One of the things I didn't realize is the cargo cover was missing. I was going to actually purchase one, but then decided to check the build sheet and saw that it was part of the standard package. I checked the photos, and it wasn't in any of them, so I reached out to my sales guy and he checked and said it wasn't returned with one. He did come through though and found one for me and said he will get it to me. But that's just an example of the little things that can be missed in the heat of the moment.


My “new-to-me” GLS550!

 

I had searches set up on various apps, plus MB CPO inventory search. I ended up going over my initial budget, but I also started with 450’s and then moved up to 550’s, and then decided I wanted low mileage over sound system or other select features.

I sold mine to a local used car dealer that I know. I would do a Carvana and KBB estimate on your car so you know what to expect. I got a little more than Carvana, and possibly a little less than I would have with a trade, but that’s because mine was much older and definitely had some “issues” in terms of work needing to be done. I didn’t want to risk driving it there and them seeing the car and giving me a low ball value knowing I’d have to either take it or drive back home in it without the new car.

I can tell you a local dealer here in Charlotte offered $17K for a family members ‘14 450 with 71K on it. She was ready to buy a new GLS on the lot, but walked away because of their offer. Carvana offered more, but she still may try to get a better deal on a trade somewhere outside the area.

The wheel package I was referring to is like road hazard protection. Here is some info:
https://www.mbusa.com/en/financial-s...ire-protection

 

Ours is leaking at the back of the engine, I'm pretty sure it's the rear main seal given where the oil seems to be coming from. Any cost estimate? I know the trans has to be dropped.

 

I haven't gotten a quote for this. The search function on this site might turn up some users with past experience. Judging from the amount of time to pull the transmission and change the rear main seal, to me it seems like an over $2000 job. I would say 8 labor hours @ $200/hr plus parts, which might be a sizable cost due to the prevalence of single-use fasteners by MB. As is typical with Mercedes, torque specs are important as are cleanliness of mating services.

The job itself isn't rocket science, it just takes time. I have changed a clutch on a Ford F-250 6 speed MT and it is around the same magnitude of labor.

 

Yea, I've rebuilt engines/transmissions, done swaps, etc, but I kinda don't want to do this job myself, lol. Was hoping they'd fix it when they recently had the trans dropped to replace some AC lines but I didn't see the leak until after it came back from that work which sucks. $2k sounds about right though.