No change, still doing it. Oh well, time for the pros with a lift to figure it out. Nothing is slipping per se, I can stand on the gas and it goes like it should. Just those slow parking lot turns, something in this driveline system hums and can be felt. I give up. Will update once I know…

 

BMW has had its share of differential and transfer case problems, all which apparently have some limited slip mechanisms. After fluid changes, owners have been told it can take a couple hundred miles of driving before the fluids saturate the clutches. Maybe it'll work itself out if it's been fed the right juice.

 

What is baffling to me on this car’s differentials - the plugs aren’t magnetic. I’ve never known a car’s differential drain plug to not be magnetic to grab the metal pieces as they shave off naturally.

 

Neither are BMW's -- I bought some aftermarket magnet plugs to install when I change fluids next week.

 

Interesting......

Dropped it this morning. Now what are the odds that as I'm waiting for my ride home, another 2020 GLS450 shows up with the exact same issue. The difference, the other one had nearly 120,000 miles and never been serviced. Mine, was serviced less-than 45k miles ago, and the fluid looked new coming out.

Shop says history is showing it's the transfer case, not the differential or axle. Would make perfect sense, considering it sounds exactly like when a limited slip clutch pack is slipping, and the transfer case is the one component that indeed has a limited slip setup.

But...makes me also wonder how one with 45k miles on the fluid, and the other with 120,000 miles on the fluid, would have the same issue at the exactly same time. Leads me back to the transmission mount, as time is the only constant between the two, and time is what wears out a mount, not mileage.

We shall see.....

 

Conclusion: It is indeed the transfer case. The second GLS450 they had today, after they changed the fluids on it, it too continued to have the issue (albeit less, but considering 120k miles on it's original fluid, you would think so). The only remedy from MB is an entire new transfer case at $8,000 for the part. There are no repair kits, it's all or nothing for the repair.

At this stage, it's an annoyance, so we're living with it per my wife's decision. I am going to add a bottle of Lubegard LS supplement to see if it helps (not expecting it to). According to the shop, the source for the guidance they seek out, provided stacks of similar complaints to Mercedes Benz about this issue with this transfer case. It is a known issue. I was advised to just live with it, in hopes that the problem becomes so well known that MB will issue some type of remedy or exerted warranty on the transfer case. I am not holding my breath. I will be launching my subtle tactics to get her to come off of her stubbornness of keeping this car. In no way whatsoever will I be paying $8k for a new transfer case on this beautiful turd of a vehicle.

As God as my witness - I will never own another Mercedes Benz product for the rest of my life. 93k miles, no remedy other than $8k for another part that will ultimately do the exact same thing again. The poor interior quality elements, the poor tire life due to design alignment aspects, the wobbly ride that we have all debated here before, and now a failing transfer case on a car that has lived in a garage it's whole life, babied to the point that rarely has it ever even seen 4,000 rpms, never towed a thing, never loaded down, fluids changed in advance of requirements with genuine MB fluids, and so on. I'm over it. These are not forever cars (not even decade cars) anymore. They're throwaways, and I do not trust them. I don't mind parts failing. It happens. On all brands. What I do mind however, is the arrogance of the manufacture to not fix their mistake, nor offer any sort of alternative. Example: Windshield Wipers. How many times have we complained about MB's windshield wipers over the last decade+ with no improvements and no after-market options allowed. Forget it.

There was an Australian YouTuber once who criticized Mercedes as "over engineered **** boxes". I am reminded of him at this point in time. This brand just isn't worth the hassle anymore. Sad, because they're beautiful cars to look at, and nice cruisers. But so are many others that don't perform like this.

Additional criticism of the garbage dealership network in my area - They will no longer work on ANY Mercedes Benz (regardless if they sold it to the owner or not) past 2013. They simply turn them away now. The Penske dealers here in DC (Tysons, Chantilly), and even the highly regarded Arlington dealer, same thing. Sounds like MB has put out an order to dealers to no longer support their cars prior to 2013 model years.

 

100% FIXED.

See this thread for the fix on mine, post #7.
https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ml#post9282495

End of the day - the Transfer Case needs a bottle of Limited Slip Modifier for the clutches. Mine at 95k miles, the MB OE fluid simply wasn't strong enough to quiet down the clutch pack anymore. May be great when the car is new. But after 6 years and 95,000 miles on the torque converter in general (fluid was changed at 50k miles too)....not so much.

 

Congrats ! What do you plan to buy with the $8K you saved? (lol)

 

$10 6-pack of beer and some peace of mind.

I'm about to start writing college tuition checks this year. A $8k torque converter for a 100k mile Mercedes Benz was not going to happen!

 

.

 

Huh? We blew through the warranty period on this car within the first 18 months due to mileage in 2022.

 

Did you use the Severe Service maintenance schedule?

 

No, no need for it on ours as it's not seen anything severe outside of a few chicken nugget wars in the back seat over the years. No towing, no off roading, not even dusty roads, no high speed. The old fluid only had about 40k miles on it in general as well, did tip/tail service of all things fluid/filter/plugs related at the 50k mile mark, all with MB fluids. It's basically a street legal golf cart for us.

It is my style to actually not follow the manuals for service/maintenance. I tend to do the services before they're due in general, especially now that I'm getting back into my cars after a decade of spending the time on the house. I'm enjoying car maintenance / repair / tinkering again like I used to some 20 years ago when I cut my teeth on a 1995 Lexus LS400. I do what I know I can do, and let the shop handle the items that I can't.

 

The reason I asked was because the wrong gear lube can destroy innards in a hundred miles. Or maybe not. I learned the hard way.

I really don't trust oil additives any more. Which is a big change for me, having supported the BG distributor for decades.

 

Agreed, but in this situation, not much of a choice. It was either going to be annoying and get worse, eventually leading to failure anyway.

The issues I've had with all of my Mercedes cars, have all been head scratchers of stupidity by their engineers, almost as-if intentional. From the hardwire in the seat of the W212 and front differential with no fill plug, to seat controls that are so cheaply constructed and installed that they simply snap off, cheaper than a child's $10 toy truck from the store. It would not be a surprise to me that their fluid for the transfer case is not ideal for a higher mileage X167.