7 things that have gone wrong with my new £65k CLA45s AMG

[@georgedale2821]

I’ve had two CLA 45’s from new and the only thing I’ve experienced was the engine transmission error message, which quickly rectified itself on the motorway when I kicked down to overtake. Great car, still loving it

[@TobiasHenreich]

Same here - got it once

[@toheeb_sheyi]

WHAT THE PRICE FOR USED ONE

[@benjamingibbs8788]

Same happened to me.

[@benjamingibbs8788]

Actually, the car went into a limp mode from the car wash back to the house. It drove in a single high gear (not sure, but I think third gear), while showing “transmission malfunction.” Fixed itself.

[@Redog75]

Sorry to hear about the issues! 13 months into owning my 2022 CLA 35 I've had 2 issues. One is a defective door handle on the drivers rear. Keyless go won't lock/unlock. Not the end of the world, but there's zero word (over a month and counting) when a replacement will be ready. The other issue is excessive moisture build up in the rear taillights (passenger side). My service people still have not gotten back to me. I have to say, I'm very happy with the car and relative build quality. I'm completely disappointed with the service level from my local MB dealership. Time to find a new one. Forgot to add: a humorous issue was the Mercedes Me app was removed from the Canada Apple store for about a week so it stopped working HAHAHA!

[@nysoprano1]

Crazy… I’ve legit never had 1 issue with my Benz. I’ve owned 4 and currently still have 2. Mabey just my luck. About 6 years ago switched from bmw to Benz and never looked back.

[@Shiron95]

In the 2 years of owning my CLA35 I have the odd few creaks, had to take the car in during the 1st year to have something replaced in the rear passenger door as it was creaking badly. Also in the first year I had a message pop up one time saying 4matic is inoperative, only had that message come up once and never again. I'll admit I do question the build quality also for the price we've paid but at the end of the day it is an A class unfortunately haha

[@jadenkumar]

How is the cla35? I’m planning to get one and want to make sure it’s reliable and stuff.

[@Shiron95]

@@jadenkumar I've not had any problems with the car other than what I've mentioned, it's a good daily driver

[@mrrbatty]

Ha, the coolant thing i've had as well! Another fun one for me was my passenger front window not popping up once the door had closed into the frame, which Mercedes apparently fixed with a software update... fairly sure they use the term 'software update' for a lot of things they can't explain easily.

[@Happytruth]

The issue you speak of isn’t a software update I had that problem when you park up and lock the vehicle you notice one window mine was passenger side came back down half an inch and the app showed window open, in the instruction Manuel it tells you how to reset with the door window functions by holding the button. I think it happened to me from cleaning and catching the button.

[@mauriciomorales8863]

Great review, Adam. I have to say that your comments about your old c43 influenced a great deal on my decision of getting one, so huge thank you for that! Great you're enjoying your magnificent car now. I'm still enjoying my 2019 C43 that I got CPO in Ontario, Canada with ~40,000km (~25,000mi), back in February. So far, apart from tire noise (those continental run flats are horrible), no issues whatsoever. The one thing that I complain about is not mechanic. it's the overall interior plastic quality. I had prior to this one a 2016 C300 with the 4IL 2.0 liter engine and 241hp, 7sp (amazing as well and waaaaay simpler), and the plastics were more spot on. less creaks, very solid. Even the sunglasses compartment was nicely carpeted back then. now, it's the naked plastic and rattles with any sunglasses you dare to put in there! Keep these videos coming!!

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Hey! Sorry for not getting back to you on this one I missed your comment! Great to hear you picked up a C43 and are enjoying it. It is a shame that cars these days have more mass produced/important plastics but unfortunately the way of the times :(

[@Temilei]

Should have stuck with the C43 amg 😉. I have had zero issues with mine in the 2 years owning apart from the app connectivity issue, it’s a software problem you have to update the app on your phone, that’s how I got mine to work properly after few months of not connecting.

[@Emma__Smith]

I sold my c43 AMG for a BMW m240xi. The c43 build quality is quite spotty, tons of interior rattling and plasticy sounds. I also had quite a few issues with the c43 tech/dash crashing and rebooting. I loved my c43 but I am much happier with my m240

[@lenol0315]

it hurts me to think about switching brands lmao

[@Emma__Smith]

@@lenol0315 Trust me, it hurt me tons at first. But the G42 m240xi is pretty awesome. and MUCH faster than the c43 I had.

[@JR007x]

Question...did you ever figure out how to fix the tech/dash crashing and rebooting? My '22 C43 AMG does the same and I plan on taking it to (try) and get it fixed under warranty, but wanted to ask if you had it fixed. Thank you!

[@Emma__Smith]

@@JR007x unfortunately MB was never able to figure it out, after 4 visits I just gave up. Sorry 😔

[@JR007x]

@@Emma__Smith Appreciate the reply and sorry to hear. Last question if you don't mind...do you recall what they tried? Thank you!

[@davidedwards1411]

I’ve had two of those problems with my A35. Coolant warning just before my first service, I’m now curious if it pops up again nearer my B service and I’ve also had the transmission warning which has only happened once so far. 🤞🏻. Loving your channel. 👍🏼 Dave - Brisbane 🇦🇺

[@JJM23]

I’ve had this car nearly 2 years and while it’s fun to drive, fast and blah blah, I CONSTANTLY have transmission issues, such as “transmission malfunction” message every other day and the car always goes into neutral when putting my foot down… all this is still happening after the engine had blew up after only 12,076 miles and been replaced… the car is now for sale as I’ve now got the g80 m3 (no transmission issues🤤).

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Sounds like you were incredibly unlucky and got a really bad one :( So sorry to hear. The G80 m3 is a great car though! Enjoy 😁

[@Gabo3141]

I’ve had my cla45 2023 for 6 months now. I love it so fun to drive. Only issues I have is with the rattling. Very squeaky car

[@nealc9230]

Sounds like you have had a few too many issues Adam lol.... I had door card noise and a clicking seat belt mechanism in the door pillar right next to my ear - all replaced and fine afterwards... Got to say sadly that after owning 8 Merc's there is a common feel with build quality or area's of improvement needed compared to my new ride...

[@Thisismyhandle218]

My brand new, at the time, 2021 GLC43 they hadn’t connected the seat controls on the door to the seat basically - couldn’t move or adjust it, and it was as far forward as it could go I’m 6’1 so not ideal, my wife to had to drive it 🫠 for a couple of days before they took it in to fix it. It also had a creaky B pillar plastic where the seat belt was fitted. I’ve since sold it and have a Macan Turbo now, it has made me question the brand which saddens me as I do love AMG.

[@ZoneTwelveOnline]

These types of things are really not built to last but designed to last just long enough to survive the warranty.

[@UncleRic1980]

It’s been 11 weeks to fix a coolant problem I’ve had a flipping nightmare Cars lost 24k whilst it’s been there oaying over priced insurance to drive a a180 loan car around my heads gone 😢

[@Jon-ug3le]

US here, I had a CLA45 and had it 6 months before trading it in for a M3C....why? the creaks and rattles were just too much! Luckily I sold it at the height of Covid and broke even but my view is entry level Mercedes with a powerful motor do not mesh, although my RS3 was fine. I liked alot about the car, mainly the size I could not take the build quality.

[@soupratt]

Wow. Almost a carbon copy of the issues with my CLA45S. Had the transmission issue multiple times and have been stranded on the freeway without ANY drive. The only way to get it back was to turn the engine off and on again a few times and eventually the transmission worked again. The transmission also started to behave like a torque conveter transmission slipping. They checked the car and updated the software which didn't fix the issue. Then they had to change the valve bodies in the transmission (hardware). The issue is VERY dangerous as it can cause other cars to run into the back of you if you have no foward drive. The engine check light came up 3 times and they "updated the software" which didn't help. Then they found out the fuel pump was an issues and had to have that replaced. Cabin quality is pathetic and the number of rattles etc is unimaginable in a >$130K AUD car. Also had the coolant warning issue from 2 weeks after picking car up. THey could never fix it. Just filled up the coolant and was told that this engine eats up coolant (concerning). After the transmission issue happened a 3rd time I refused to accept the car back (I was almost taken out by a truck on the freeway). Eventually MB did a buy-back and I was able to get rid of it. It was a fun car when it worked but the number of issues in 2 years was unbelivable, culminating in a potentially fatal transmission issue. So glad to get rid of it. If you have had the transmission issues then it isn't a minor issue. It's the potential start of a major problem and you need to get MB to sort it out permanently. The last thing you need is to be stranded or have your life at risk on a freeway/backroad.

[@GrrMeister]

*Had none of these problems with my '04 Fiat Punto 100k Miles + !*

[@jasonleon1976]

And i bet its a lovely place to be in

[@jamesolaleye4492]

I had the same issue regarding transmission malfunction when I took it in to Mercedes to get looked at they said it was because of the ghost immobiliser I had and I didn’t wait for it to be disarmed before driving

[@GLA45Amg716]

I have a GLA 45. I’ve had a few creaks but Mercedes takes care of it if you tell them.

[@miltonlaxer]

I have a 2023 CLA 45 and I also have seen the transmission error a couple times. If I emotion start occasionally I'll get a check engine light and a the engine will be misfiring. Turning the car off and on fixes the misfire. I've had low coolant warnings before. It also happens to me about every year. Some of my doors sometimes make creaks/squeaks. One up front was fixed but the rear passenger side still does it. if I push on the door hard it goes away.

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Sounds very similar to mine. The door creeks are a pain. I had mine fixed but they seem to keep coming back. Still love the car though but sometimes wish it was more solid!

[@Doshinkyo]

Creaks, Squeaks and Rattles are nothing to do with the harder suspension in Sports + mode. I have the same issue in my Merc. It's build quality.

[@trevorsutherland5263]

LOL. That's it? I was worried as here in the US, we are only getting the 45S in 2024 (and possibly that is it), so I've been waiting saving to get that one as I plan to keep it forever. Good to hear no crazy mechanical problems. I'll say this however, I have a 2017 Alfa Giulia Ti and now at 80K miles I only had ONE issue and that was with the AC compressor turning itself off after 2/3 hours on a road trip.

[@kiritokun1791]

Damn for a car that is 2 years old and with the amount of issues just is not acceptable. I understand there is lemon but if its a common issues then Mercedes needs to address it

[@Loppy6086]

Tbh you’re right and im a bit scared since mine is supposed to arive in January. My damn mazda 3 had no issues whatsoever and also no interior creaks until now (at 58k km and almost 5 years old)

[@jamiebell5362]

My 2020 A45s had a recall for a coolant pipe replacement, you checked to see if this is relevant to yours also? Mine hadn’t leaked and also got the low warning light coming on a couple of times.

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Hey Jamie, thank you for sharing and the heads up. I’ve got the car booked in next week to be properly investigated.

[@phillipcole-c7p]

ive had my w205 c220 cdi for a year now no problems

[@al_fidel]

Great content mate 💪 by the way , how's the wind noise on the highway ?

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Thank you! There’s quite a bit but not too bad for a car in this segment. The skinny tyres don’t help! Overall though great cruiser but also a beast when you adjust the drive modes :)

[@Happytruth]

Hi Adam I sold mine recently I didn’t have most of the problems you’ve had but I admit that the build quality for £60k is a bit dubious. But the problem I had which you’ve mentioned Transmission malfunction I got cured through Mercedes and if you haven’t had the software update for this issue I doubt it is cured. You need to tell Mercedes to run the software update relating to this issue!

[@davidcooke813]

This is the very reason I'll will never own a merc or any unreliable German car ....way to unreliable ... poorly made ... Lexus all the way ... incredible quality and reliability...! Nothing ever goes wrong ...! Amazing machines

[@bogdaz4078]

I’m having issues with my ambient lighting but it’s under warranty but this is the second time it’s going in for the same issues

[@FleetAdmiral215]

Had the engine light come on afew times on both our Mercedes & the Mercedes Garage aren't sure what caused it as there's nothing wrong? Love my Mercedes, but it's annoying & costly

[@sandroguidi3072]

Same car since 1 year and half and couple of similar problem. Plus now I've to go to the service again as clima doesn't work at all...even at lower temperature is not cooling down. For such kind of car, brand mercedes AMG I was not expecting such issue. Few months ago also at service because 'something' noise was around the front left tyre...they fixed....but again, a bit of shame considering the quality of the brand.

[@matthewr1990]

I beg you know the answer to the rattle in rear passenger side seat area. It drives me nuts in my CLA

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Hey Matt, will be covering this soon in a video. They replaced a specific clip on the rear seat to fix mine.

[@matthewr1990]

@@ABAUTOAMG I’m looking forward to it. I need it gone. Did you find that rattle was intermittent. Like very specific road surfaces at certain vibration levels. It’s so hard to pin down because of this.

[@ABAUTOAMG]

@matthewr1990 Yeah I had all sorts and it was sometimes on and off. Hopefully if you show my video to them it will help 👍

[@97.MAK88]

I’ve had the coolant low message about 6 month in to having the car, surely that doesn’t sound right ? I’ve also had anti theft alarm malfunction messages 6 months in…

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Hey, I’d take the car to Mercedes to get checked under warranty. In the end they replaced the sensor in mine to fix it.

[@agkiagki5033]

Nice keep up the good work (:

[@lenol0315]

my app isnt working either for my a220 i cant buy the options it says im not Identified when i try to buy the package on the site , yet the app says im Identified i have creaks and rattles :(

[@nathanwang5361]

I topped coolant like 3 times a year and had them check - no leak This one is just unlucky, one of the parking sensor stopped working, most likely a rock on road hit it, visually just bit scratch, but cost is during parking, the 360 won't show any distance, just red circle, luckly the 360 view itself still works, but to repair it, dealer qoute $1200 LMAO

[@rdrrua]

after 2020 c63s - I am not buying mercedes ever again :) there's probably significant difference in attention they are paying to S class over A, C, E (even their AMG versions) - in terms of build and tech quality issues. completely different cars in terms of quality

[@jamiebell5362]

Does the SOS button light up at all? Should be white when functional and red when there’s an issue/no signal on the internal SIM card

[@ABAUTOAMG]

It was white the last time I checked it.

[@imtall885]

So I just got a newer C-Class, and it’s amazing, but I noticed when it’s in sport+ the upshifts are amazing, but I can notice when it downshifts it downshifts a little hard, is this normal ?

[@cenkarson777]

only downshift when you're below 4,5k revs and slowing down

[@nikolalefterov7472]

Huh I guess Im now kind of relieve that im not the only one with those issues.. I had the same cracking noises from the dashboard as well, never addressed them as I sold the car.. I also got occasional the SOS error, but not like you every time i start the car. The new owner also wrote me that the car wanted to top up coolant exactly one year after its build date... the coolant was full.. My mercedes me app was kinda meh as well but it was working, never had the issue with the transmission, you may need to double check that before your warranty goes away. But ye in general build quality in CLA even though its an AMG it was very poor... But then again it costed me only 80k EUR, now Im owning tesla model S plaid that i bought for 140k, and it is also not perfect, I even had a front drive unit major failure on 6000 km, so I guess in general all new cars are kinda trash nowadays... But ye the thing that annoys me the most in the CLA was the cracking noises.... So far my tesla is really quite knock on a wood for 15k kms...

[@antoniomartins2900]

I was laughing when he said the amount of money that this car costs, girl.... are you serious.... girl.... don't make me laugh!

[@warriora7245]

Only thing I hated about my cla was that it was a 35 not a 45s😅

[@zeon2677]

C43 or CLA45s? Especially engine wise?

[@ABAUTOAMG]

I still prefer the CLA45s over my C43. Its much more fun and aggressive to drive and feels much quicker. Both great cars though.

[@ulysees321]

Point 4 the creaks in the cabin, did you take it to Mercedes and complain? and they replaced the parts?

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Yep! Took it to Mercedes-Benz of Milton Keynes and they were great. Checked the car all over and fixed it all under warranty.

[@ulysees321]

@@ABAUTOAMG that sounds really positive experience, sometime dealers just dont wanna know

[@Loppy6086]

@@ulysees321I dont think they’d complain really. If they fix your car under warranty they get their money for the service from Mercedes so

[@ulysees321]

@@Loppy6086 youd be surprised at the difficulty people have been having on the A35 forum currently especially with the Valve issue on the 19/20 plate cars requiring new cylinder heads

[@Loppy6086]

@@ulysees321 damn didnt know… most likely a wide spread known issue by mercedes and they, being pieces of crap, dont wanna reimburse the dealerships for the repairs… They decide what gets repaired on warranty and not. Wow didnt expect that from Mercedes to be honest. Im waiting on my facelift cla 45. Hopefully they’ve fixed their stuff🙏🏻

[@adebih8126]

how is the ground clearance of cla45s?

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Not bad at all, I’ve never had any issues once heard a little noise over a massive speed bump but it was just the little rubber protector.

[@savavuckovic9215]

Thanks

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Thank you so much

[@Johndctrains]

Adam great video let me know about Mercedes me if you need me to help out at all I deal with them daily

[@chris4390]

They stopped using the Mercedes me app, at least here in Australia. They've replaced it with another app called service which is basically the same thing except slightly updated features

[@johnshaw359]

Yeah, I saw a video from the funny Australian chap, but I wasn't certain, I believe they turned it off as it ran on win XP or something related to that OS.

[@ABAUTOAMG]

Ah! That’s interesting we still use the same Mercedes me app here in the UK.

[@robertvittori]

@@ABAUTOAMG I just received a new 2025 CLA45s and had problems with the app on my iPhone. My problem was hidden data from an older Mercedes Finance app on the phone. After I deleted that app, reinstalled the Mercedes App everything worked fine. I am in the USA.

[@88johnv]

FIRST THING THAT WENT WRONG = GOING TO PAY THAT PRICE FOR THAT CAR !! lol love Mercedes owned a ml63, s550 and currently a S600. but that nothing about that car screams luxury to me on the exterior looks like a boy racer car to me like a civic type R lol and i am only 35 lol

[@Mandela_House]

Simple answer is get a Lexus…..

[@Warrengraff-ym2yj]

Those problems are pretty concerning considering it's a pretty new car. Reeks of poor craftsmanship I'm staying away from this car. Sorry

[@roberthomberg]

Bro its Only a C43 😅

[@ABAUTOAMG]

It’s a CLA45s 😅

[@gourami7]

75k for a CLA !!!

[@patrick_1984]

Merc build quality has gone to the dogs. My C43 ride is rubbish on anything but glass. Creaks from pano roof.

[@bigthunder1499]

Do you have the W205 or W206?

[@jonathanng138]

​@@bigthunder1499w205

[@antoniocalimero1173]

This is not a Mercedes at all... It was never the intention to make a Mercedes look like a childish plastic look computer case, with colored fans... Bruno Sacco will laugh at Mercedes, who has lost his way..

[@bobbob-s3l]

hows the built quality compared to c43? im planning to get that for daily drive.

[@lenol0315]

the gearbox is jerky in comparison thats the main difference id say, class has torque converter where as A class has dual clutch

[@polopowered]

Just buy a Toyota.

[@klinkhammer-p4g]

found the guy that likes vanilla ice cream

[@polopowered]

@@klinkhammer-p4g as long as it's vanilla Gelato. Yum yum!