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Mercedes-Benz GL450 Reliable?

86 messages,  Last post on Apr 18, 2013 at 9:36 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, SUV

    

Messages Page 8 of 9

#70 of 86 Scary experience...with 2008 450GL by sylvia14

Jan 08, 2013 (12:02 pm)

We just returned from Tahoe, minus our 450GL! WE had almost arrived to our destination a week ago when the GL starting slipping and sliding in the snow! Something totally failed...no 4 wheel drive or brakes and the car slid down a driveway...we are lucky no one was hurt. A few minutes later a sedan rear ended our car. WE had to have it towed back to the Bay area. Luckily we had 2 cars...our daughter's Subaru Forrester(which performed perfectly) saved our vacation. Now I am really worried about the repair costs that the insurance will surely not cover...since it looks like there a leak in the steering column, and who know what else. I don't think I will ever feel comfortable driving this car in the snow...it was terrifying!
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.

#71 of 86 solved my MB GL320 problems!! by bleatherman

Jan 08, 2013 (1:16 pm)

I had a GL 320 Diesel, what a great vehicle. Got to know my service advisor really well. 16 warranty claims. I got it fixed for good! Bought an Audi Q7. I will give the MB praise for riding/handling like a sportscar. The Audi is a bit more barge like, but in every other category the Audi out performs the MB. Google Earth gps dusts the MB dinosaur. Interior comfort for adults is better even though the third row seat is smaller. Dash is like a jet airplane. Handled a great ski trip to NC a week ago and this car handled a totally iced over road that was really steep. Very happy with the newer car. Let's see if it falls apart at 50k like the mB.

#72 of 86 Should I buy Landcruiser VX 200 or Mercedes Benz Gl 350 CDI (all 2013)??? by iringa026

Jan 15, 2013 (3:46 am)

I am in Tanzania, East Africa. I am considering to import Merc GL 2013 or a Landcruiser VX 200? Which one? Need advice

#73 of 86 Gl 320 Experience Continued by gregoryx

Jan 20, 2013 (12:37 pm)

i purchased a 2009 CPO GL 320 in 2011 and have spent approx 7000 on various repairs, including scheduled maintenance and i purchased extended warranty. i don't mind spending moneyon the scheduled maintenance but it's the unscheduled maintenance that bothers me.
 
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???

#74 of 86 Many problems with Mercedes GL450 - Unreliable Junk! by mygl450isjunk

Jan 23, 2013 (7:26 pm)

GL450 is unreliable and has poor quality from my experience.
 
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.

#75 of 86 GL 550 Serious Problems by texasrangers

Feb 02, 2013 (7:42 pm)

I am going to start this by copying the information that I sent to the Nevada DMW and to Mercedes corporate as well as the dealership. Mercedes WILL NOT respond to our complaints and neither will the dealership. Here is a background on this terrible car that is a big waste of money!
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.

#76 of 86 So glad to have found this forum... by joefixes

Feb 03, 2013 (2:15 pm)

I am sorry for all of you GL owners with problems with your expensive vehicle. I simply came here looking for information about the GL450 as I was considering purchasing one. I am going through a nightmare of a problem with my Honda Pilot and was hoping to replace it. I was going to purchase a CPO GL450. Wow....am I glad I spent some time looking into it! I'm certain that this is a wonderful car, but with so many people having so many similar problems, I would be a fool to stand in line to make this purchase.
 
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping me to make an informed decision.

#77 of 86 Re: Reliability Issues... [mbbq] by duck302

Feb 04, 2013 (4:56 pm)

Replying to: mbbq (Jan 29, 2009 2:34 pm)
Ha, I have a 2012 GL450 with 23K. Parked it in the garage and noticed the windshield washer lever was really hot and an electrical smell was present. Turned it off and went inside. About an hour later I tried to start the car and it would not crank. The interior lights still work, the headlights are dim, it will not come out of park. Thank goodness for warranties.

#78 of 86 worst car I've ever owned GL 450 by tom380

Feb 14, 2013 (12:53 pm)

2007 GL 450......cost 70k..........80k miles........transmission replaced at 40k $7500......check engine light this week, timing chain $5000 ?..........3 sets of tires.......numerous brake jobs......paint peeling on window trim........this is a pile of junk!!!! don't buy one...

#79 of 86 Re: Scary experience...with 2008 450GL [sylvia14] by csnlittelton

Mar 21, 2013 (1:48 pm)

Replying to: sylvia14 (Jan 08, 2013 12:02 pm)
My friend and I just returned from a similar experience. It took us 2 hours to get 2.5 miles due to complete loss of brakes, no 4 wheel drive. My GL450 slid all the way down a hill and if there had not been snow banks on the side we would have gone off a cliff. I thought the vehicle had stalled. I finally got control and within a few seconds it happened again.
 
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!!!!!!!!!

Messages Page 8 of 9

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