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Comments
2.5 years and 6100 of maintenance later I am about to sell this car and buy something, anything else. She is at dealer every other month for something. It is crazy. In comparison, I have BMW and no problems at all. I also owned an Acura rl - no problems. The Mercedes line is not good
I have owned a 2008 GL320 cdi 36000 miles, for 18 months. The engine uses 2 lts per 700 miles, mercedes assure me this is within parameters, it breathes through the oil filler, also within mercedes parameters, black exhaust deposits on rear bumper and tail pipes mercededs assure me this is also normal!. Dealer never mentioned it when I went to buy it, how strange!) |A front suspension strut has failed (Warranty work) associated suspension levelling problems returned to dealer with steering wander (warranty work). Self levelling sensor arms seized all round, now the tailgate latch has failed, to buy, with all discounts and self fit £188.00 All I wanted was a vehicle that would drive from service to service without lifting the bonnet. My Mitsubishi did it for 12 years. NOT IMPRESSED AT ALL.
i have spent many thousands of dollars fixing my 2007 GL and it still needs more work.
The power steering failed ($2200), the check engine light ($2200 for intake manifold and it didn't fix problem), the suspension is knocking, the transmission makes a terrible sound when going into gear.
If anyone organizes a class action suit please post it here.
2008 GL450 has had the following problems:
- Power steering mechanism (something under the hood) - replaced under warranty a few years back
- Steering fluid leaking - had to replace the entire Rack and Pinion system - ~$2,500
- All four air shocks (when parked car would "fall" down on itself, then pump itself back up when running) - ~$2,000
- Electronic console/nav/radio/etc. - ~$1,500
- Ignition electronics (car failed to start) - $500
- Now the steering column must be replaced - ~$2,200 (motor that raises/lowers malfunctioned so entire column must be replaced)
5 years, 75,000 miles on it, so the vehicle is not young but to have this amount of breakdowns to parts that shouldn't really ever break is inexcusable. I raised the issue with MBUSA and spoke to a case manager, but they are unwilling to do anything about it.
Unfortunate because aside from these problems, I love the vehicle. Despite the problems, I may get a 2013 because I can't find another vehicle in this size that has the same ride, handling, comfort, etc. Too bad the price to pay is unreliability. This time I will lease and let them pay for the repairs.
Thanks for the report.
On another note...I have been blaming my poor husband...because the brake handle has broken on him twice!!! I thought he was pulling it too hard..but from other posts it sounds like a common problem. WE have maintained the car well, and I mainly drive it around town...SO I am pretty disappointed. ONe other thing...we seem to be replacing our expensive tires on a yearly basis! I miss my old Suburban!! Thanks for listening.
by comparison i have a bmw and the only time i've ever been to the dealer is for the scheduled maintenance.
last week - after a $400 B service 2 weeks prior, my wife had the serpentine belt AND the power steering pump belt disintegrate while driving. she lost the ability to easily steer and lost ALL power to the vehicle. thank God she was able to glide into a service station. i will spare you the back story of deciding not to drive her vehicle on a family vacation over the holiday etc but suffice to say that we could have been driving in a winter snowstorm through the west virginia mountains and had the car fail. the service advisor tells me that they don't know how it happened but the belts failed becuse the pulley harness melted which caused the belts to get loose and ultimately fall apart and tear up under the hood. by the way, the b service includes an inspection of the entire assembly and belts etc. i have extended warranty and the repair is covered but i am not fearful of my wife driving it again.
has anyone else heard of this???
I own a Mercedes Benz 2012 GL450, I bought it new. it is at 27000 miles now.
My GL450 has so many problems. suspension noises for left and right sides, radios turns on by itself, excessive dust on front wheel, car suddenly level up when parked sometimes.. it has been in the shop back and forth at least 4 times, around 3 weeks time in the shop. Rental car guys know me personally because I have been there so many times. I finally got my car back today, suspension noises are gone finally (after at least 3 times trying), but new problem showed up, I can't start it with first try. For one time, I tried at least five times in my garage today. It is scary !!! especially for a one year old car and I am disappointed considering I bought it over $70k and it is a Mercedes !
I tried to work with Mercedes Benz customer service and dealership. Here are their responses.
Mercedes Benz customer service: Mercedes offers little help and very arrogant, manager told me "you car is still drivable", they don't care about customer satisfaction as they claimed.
Dealership: they try to sell me a new GL450 2013 at MSRP. Good job dealership, take advantage of your customer who needs help and still thinking make money from your customer with a lemon car.
We purchased the vehicle on December 3, 2011. On December 20, 2011, with only 648 miles on the vehicle, the vehicle had to be towed out of our garage due to an issue with the transmission. The transmission gave out. Had to be reassembled.
On May 2, 2012, with 4,280 miles on the vehicle, we brought it in because of a terrible moldy, wet smell coming from the air vents. The air filter was removed, replaced and “Frigi-Fresh” was put into the blowers. The AC system was also revitalized. The smell came back within two days. The dealership did not fix this problem.
On June 15, 2012, with 5,791 miles on the vehicle, a warning light became illuminated. There as an internal short which indicated a problem with the airmatic system. This problem was fixed by the dealership by replacing the airmatic pump, relay and fuse. The moldy, wet smell coming from the air vents was also addressed on this visit. The service department noticed the smell as well. The service department performed a cleaning on the system again as per the RO. On this same service date, we indicated to you we heard a popping sound when making sharp turns. You verified that there was a problem with the left front steering knuckle and bearing assembly. The part was ordered and the dealership fixed this problem.
On July 23, 2012, with 6,707 miles on the vehicle, we brought in the vehicle due to the moldy, “rotten gym bag” smell . The service department verified our concern again and opened a case. Along with the FTS, the service department performed various tasks including odor evaluations and turning the AC to max and then leaving car in sun for one hour. The RO indicates the service department still found a smell. The dealership did not fix this problem.
On August 24, 2012, with 7,600 miles on the vehicle, we brought he vehicle back to the service department for the smell of mold or a “rotten smell” . The service department performed a “Wynns Fresh Air Cleaning Treatment”. The smell came back by the next day thus, the dealership did not fix this problem.
The bottom line is the dealership is simply putting a Band-Aid on the problem each time we go in for the mold smell in the vents. We have been told many things, namely- all cars do this so it is ok, turn off your AC 5 minutes before you go home (who wants to do that when it is 100 degrees outside). The dealership has also told us that the hot weather is to blame. Well, the first date we brought the car in with the smell was on May 2, 2012, where the mean temperature of the day was 57.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The second time we brought the vehicle in was on June 15, 2012, and the mean temperature was only 75.5. And, how can you compare a Honda to a Mercedes by the manager telling us that his Honda smells too. We paid $84,000 for this vehicle and we expect more than a Honda.
My husband is understandably very upset. The dealership and Mercedes corporate has not fixed the problem. You, the dealership, has also treated us like second-class citizens. Our concerns and feelings have never been validated. The upper-management has never communicated with us nor acted as a liaison for us with Mercedes corporate. This entire experience has been demeaning and rude. We really expect a lot more when you pay that much for a car. You act like you sell $84,000 cars all day long. My husband works hard for his money and although the car payment is well within our monthly budget, we feel like we are wasting some $1400 a month on nothing but problems.
We did not want to get out of our lease, we did not want a new car. We wanted you to simply fix the problem. But, the service manager has told us to get an attorney and that the problem will never be fixed. That is very sad, in my opinion, that an employee tells you to get an attorney; that is very low class. Thus, the problem will not be fixed. The dealership told us you would work on doing something for us- i.e. a new car, but the dealership had the service manager call and tell us the dealership would do nothing.
Mercedes corporate sent my husband a letter indicating they would not buy back our car. In fact, this was not what we asked for- we asked for you to fix the problem. You did not address the issue of the car not getting fixed. Again, putting a Band-Aid on the problem does not solve the problem. My husband said that if you didn’t fix the problem, then buy back the car. You only addressed the issue of buying back the car. We were also assigned a case manager named Lois who never followed up with my husband and instead only referred him to a manager who would be in charge of deciding upon a buy-back. Again, why wouldn’t Mercedes figure out a way to fix the problem?
We are just dumb-founded. You would think that spending a lot of money would get you different treatment. This must NOT be how Mercedes operates. You spend that kind of money because you expect to be treated better than average. Again, we work hard for our money. We are very sad and disappointed neither Mercedes corporate nor Mercedes of Reno will fix the problem of the mold smell coming through the vents. Why can’t you help us? Why can’t you do something to permanently fix the problem? That is what we are asking.
We are now going to explore a class action lawsuit. Looking for others with this problem. My mom's 2012 ML350 is having the same problem.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping me to make an informed decision.
I live in Colorado and have driven in all types of conditions with other SUVs and have never in my life had anything like this happen. I am getting rid of this 2012 GL450!!!!!!!!!
Then, I remembered my 2007 GL450 experience. Other than the engine catching on fire, I've had most of the issues listed on this site. MB certainly knows about the problems and have done an excellent job of alienating customers who have purchasing multiple vehicles from them.
Never again!
This expensive car has had the most problems in a car we have EVER owned. Any word back from the MB corp on your problems....sounds like a design flaw to be sure.
I own a 2003 M-Class that I bought new and it has been free of any serious maintenance issues per se. The only out of the ordinary issues were:
1) Transmission lines were leaky and replaced under warranty
2) I happened to leave the moonroof open during light rain and that shorted the electricals - I had to get a switch panel for the window glass etc... in the middle - Granted it was my fault but this has never happened in my Honda S2K, Solara drop top or Lotus Elise when I have been drenched, driving into sudden rain top down.
3) Just a few K miles ago, the rear differential was acting up and got addressed by my friendly neighborhood mechanic (NOT the dealer)
As you may be aware, the M class was wrought with problems between 1998 and 2002 and they turned around in 2003... Truck just hit 106K and I am thinking of moving up to the GL.
But the threads I see in the forum genuinely scare me. Is it a safe bet to go with 2013 or beyond? I see a significant drop in issues reported since MY 2013. or is it just a crap shoot?
Your thoughts?
Cheers!
--njexpress
.. Has anyone had a similar issue with the AIRMATIC? Something tells me that having to replace the AIRMATIC this many times has to be a defect in the vehicle... Are there any lawsuits or recall efforts out there? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thx
How to Effectively Complain about your Car Problem may help.
more recently the buick and the bmw have come out with good options.
do not take the risk. too much information out there
i've had a M class 2002 which lasted pretty good until last couple of years when it became a constant expense and now i have a GL that i bought for my wife which has more yellow/warning lights than any other car i've ever purchased
Maybe there's a Secret Warranty on the suspension.
I have eliminated the GL totally. It even sounds like the 2012/13 LR4 is far more reliable than the GL. You are right, too much bad info out there to pull the trigger.
I have narrowed down my options to wait a while and see if:
1) the 2015 Audi redesign is worth the wait after more pics emerge or
2) Wait till the 2015 q7 arrives and go buy a 2013/14 Q7 and save myself the depreciation
3) Swallow the looks of teeh 2014 Lexus GX and get it for reliability reasons or
4) Given the window of time I have, continue to research the 2012/13 Landrover LR4.
I wish you the very best with the Missus's GL.
Thank you again!!
Cheers!
--njexpress
Problems all got repaired by Mercedes before 50K miles: steering leak, oil cooler leak, DPF sensor. if this GL will last as long as one of our 2008 Sprinter, with now 487K miles (same engine) will be wonderful. Love mercedes
1980 300D sold
1983 240D sold
1983 SD300 sold, my best car ever
1984 300D sold
1995 e320 wagon 175K still with us
2002 S430 sold 139K miles
2003 SL500 40K miles our baby since new
2004 C320 wagon 89K still with us
2006 R350 sold 70K miles
2008 Sprinter 487K miles Work
2008 GL320 108K miles love this car
2009 sprinter 22 K miles Work
2009 C300 wife gone lease 40K
2010 sprinter 14K miles work
2011 GLK wife 30K miles perfect
My secret is to choose the right Mechanic... I spend less money on all those mercedes to keep them on the road than one of our service vehicles Ford E350 6.0 Powertroke with just 100K miles...
2
Took a $20k loss so we could break free from this lemon. We are so much happier! Mercedes is worst product on the planet and doesn't stand by product!
Never buy again! We LOVE our new Lexus!
2009 GL320 Nothing but a piece of [non-permissible content removed]!!! Need to visit the repair shop every two months. Had to replace the Heating Element for Hi-Def Fluid $1382, Engine oil coolant leaking $1200. Airmatic suspension replaced under warranty both sides. Power Steering failed under warranty. There are also other issues, dealer cannot seem to find out the source of the problem. Spending $82K on this SUV is not worth it. I DON"T RECOMMEND BUYING ANOTHER MERCEDES AT ALL. POORLY ENGINEER... "The Best or Nothing" Thats [non-permissible content removed] joke!!!!
The funny thing about the GL320/GL450/GL550 hardly any recall on this vehnicle. Let me know if there is a class action lawsuit on this POS...
Mercedes Benz 2008 GL450 ISSUES!!
When the GL450 first came out, we leased it and frankly did not have any issues. About 3 years ago, we purchased a CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) 2008 GL450 with about 30,000 miles or so on it. The car truly was a dream until it hit exactly 70,000 miles and then suspension issue after suspension issue. Someone in the thread hit it right on the head, the dealer only goes by error codes and this car does not give error codes. I'll skip the boring details, but the car has always been serviced by the same dealer I purchased it from and they always made me feel I'm crazy as the car never dropped when they had it. They even kept it for a week and it didn't drop. Well, it dropped when I got it back and I took a cell phone video and showed them and they changed the air ride suspension and struts. Now, just today I'm driving and I have the heat at full blast as my windows were fogging up and the blower isn't working. With all of these issues, I've spoken to the dealer and they claim my experience and issues are ONLY occuring with my vehicle, clearly they need to read this forum. I love this car, but I'll never purchased a used Mercedes, too many issues. I'm just thankful I purchased the extended warranty on it.
We purchased a brand new 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450. Fully Loaded, including entertainment and towing packages. In January 2014 our problems started. The car had just a little over 60K miles. Airmatics were gone, one after another within days. One of them even blew up. 4 Electrical problems, including radio, and door locks. All repairs costed more than $4,500 within 6 months, and it continued until we had enough. It just started to fall apart after 60K miles. I gave it away for $26K. Lost almost 50 grand in 4 years. I was lucky with that history of repairs. Do yourself a favor get a Japanese car. Our time, hard earned money and peace of mind are valuable. Stay away of this car and brand.
Ouch.
I'm so glad I got to read this now.
I was going to trade in my 2011 328xi Wagon (which is with 50k miles and never gave me any problem besides replacing light bulbs once in a while) for a GL.
I just changed my mind, thanks for the feedback!