Discussion
Does anyone else have issues with their GLC43?
I have had mine from new and I must say I have been disappointed with the overall quality of the car. Two main issues for me are a jerky gearbox when changing down from 3-2 (all modes) horrendous change in sport +. Crabbing is really bad with the summer wheels on (mine is LHD). Its been in several times for the gearbox issue but they cant seem to solve it and say its normal and the crabbing is also normal apparently. I know the crabbing is well documented on RHD models but not so much on LHD. I have had issues with the speedo reading different speeds to the electronic display. The car seems to be developing rattles and just IMO seems poor quality, it will be the first and last Merc I own. Its a company car so I cant change it for another 2 years as we run them for 4.
A little rant really but also to see if anyone else has these issues?
When I compare it to my Cayenne which I had for 5 years and had no issues at all its a poor show from Merc.
I have had mine from new and I must say I have been disappointed with the overall quality of the car. Two main issues for me are a jerky gearbox when changing down from 3-2 (all modes) horrendous change in sport +. Crabbing is really bad with the summer wheels on (mine is LHD). Its been in several times for the gearbox issue but they cant seem to solve it and say its normal and the crabbing is also normal apparently. I know the crabbing is well documented on RHD models but not so much on LHD. I have had issues with the speedo reading different speeds to the electronic display. The car seems to be developing rattles and just IMO seems poor quality, it will be the first and last Merc I own. Its a company car so I cant change it for another 2 years as we run them for 4.
A little rant really but also to see if anyone else has these issues?
When I compare it to my Cayenne which I had for 5 years and had no issues at all its a poor show from Merc.
clarki said:
Sorry, cant help but I know what you say when a car begins to annoy. Maybe some just aren't built/inspected as well as others?? Can that even happen in todays day and age - who knows.
Before our slk we had a 981 boxster - rattled from day 1, paint more or less fell off whenever stones went anywhere near it, the roof always looked dirty, etc, etc. Sold within a year, would never have another porsche, but then maybe we just got a Friday car?? The merc by contrast is 4 years old, no rattles, no pebble dashed bonnet/front bumper and all in all just feels a much better built/finished car.
I think a Friday car still exists, I have one I fear Before our slk we had a 981 boxster - rattled from day 1, paint more or less fell off whenever stones went anywhere near it, the roof always looked dirty, etc, etc. Sold within a year, would never have another porsche, but then maybe we just got a Friday car?? The merc by contrast is 4 years old, no rattles, no pebble dashed bonnet/front bumper and all in all just feels a much better built/finished car.
interesting reading about your experiences with both brands, polar opposite to me but that's life I guess.off_again said:
Interesting!
Just checking online and I see that the GLC seems to be built in either Pune or Bremen. So they should be ok. My C63 is a US model and all C-classes are built in Alabama. Earlier ones had pretty good build quality but the materials werent great (squeaky door seals and stuff). Cant hold that against the US workforce!
I have the V8 engine and the gearbox is far from smooth. Its not bad, but get it in sport or sport+ and it is incredibly fast at changing. It really wakes up and is actually pretty good, a good compromise to be fair. But I believe the gearbox in the 43 and 53 models arent the same but also have a reputation for not being great. I believe that the latest 9G-Tronic is way better.
But crabbing - thats really odd. Get it in and looked at urgently. Sounds like there is an issue. Maybe have the alignment and setup looked at. From what I understand, all larger Mercedes dealers have the full setup to laser measurements and its worth taking it to them. Sounds like its all crooked and hence some of the issues. If the wheels and suspension arent working correctly, it could also reflect it in the differential and gearbox too. So I would make sure you do this sooner rather than later as it could cause a bigger issue long term.
Very informative post thank you for that, its going in in a weeks time (again) for the crabbing and the gearbox. The front tyres are trashed on the edges, they've only done 10,000km/6200miles which seems a very small amount and Merc say its normal. Interestingly I have read a few articles from the UK where the dealers are changing the tyres for all season free of charge due to the crabbing! I have winter and summer wheels so I will ask the dealer about this but a soft wearing all season doesn't inspire me for summer use as the normal have been chewed up so quickly.Just checking online and I see that the GLC seems to be built in either Pune or Bremen. So they should be ok. My C63 is a US model and all C-classes are built in Alabama. Earlier ones had pretty good build quality but the materials werent great (squeaky door seals and stuff). Cant hold that against the US workforce!
I have the V8 engine and the gearbox is far from smooth. Its not bad, but get it in sport or sport+ and it is incredibly fast at changing. It really wakes up and is actually pretty good, a good compromise to be fair. But I believe the gearbox in the 43 and 53 models arent the same but also have a reputation for not being great. I believe that the latest 9G-Tronic is way better.
But crabbing - thats really odd. Get it in and looked at urgently. Sounds like there is an issue. Maybe have the alignment and setup looked at. From what I understand, all larger Mercedes dealers have the full setup to laser measurements and its worth taking it to them. Sounds like its all crooked and hence some of the issues. If the wheels and suspension arent working correctly, it could also reflect it in the differential and gearbox too. So I would make sure you do this sooner rather than later as it could cause a bigger issue long term.
off_again said:
AMG models run weird camber and castor at the front on the C-class and I have been warned to be extremely cautious on new tires and make sure I check them regularly for uneven wear. There seems to be some simple modifications that can be made to correct this, but mines on warranty for a long time yet, so dont want to do much. Does the GLC have this?
It seems that there is a lot of adjustment in the suspension though, so I would really recommend getting it checked, aligned and worked out. Uneven wear is really indicative of this, but check what the standards are with AMG models though. You can spot the C63 adjustments a mile off, not sure what the settings are for the GLC, though a lot of the underpinnings are the same.
With the summer wheels you can see that they have an angle to them, its much less pronounced with the winter wheels I guess due to the size, 21 vs 19.It seems that there is a lot of adjustment in the suspension though, so I would really recommend getting it checked, aligned and worked out. Uneven wear is really indicative of this, but check what the standards are with AMG models though. You can spot the C63 adjustments a mile off, not sure what the settings are for the GLC, though a lot of the underpinnings are the same.
I will ask Merc to check and see what happens.
A little update, Merc say the alignment is spot on and its perfectly setup. I just cant quite believe that it would chew tyres up that quickly, anyway I have the winter wheels on now and its so much better in the crabbing department.
New tyres are being fitted to the summer wheels for next season (all 4 were needed).
New tyres are being fitted to the summer wheels for next season (all 4 were needed).
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