We have the 2016 CLA every small pothole every divot in the road even some manhole covers, the car has a violent bang, its so loud and hard that it feels like the car just hit a humongous hole, is this normal for this car, Ive talked to some other Mercedes owners and I get mixed reviews about that. Could it be the suspension, low profile tires or something else. Mercedes tells me its an entry level car (which I think is a bs answer. Any clue why this or how to solve this issue someone might know of, we dont want to keep the car anymore because of it, we experience this every day we drive it. Thank you
Bad bumps
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Welcome Darren 
,
Firstly, those are Not the normal handling characteristics of the CLA!
Additional info. which will help the membership with their replies:
a) Month/year of purchase- .....................
b) Mileage at purchase............................
c) From a MB Dealer or private owner............
d) What city are you in/near....................
e) Month/year first noticed "violent loud banging".......
f ) Mileage today......................
g) Month/year MB told you it's an entry level car.............
h) Month/year of last service..............
i ) What are your 4 tire pressures f to r...............
j ) Original 2016 tires & wheels y or n ................
k) Have you run a CARFAX y or n...................
l) Have you inspected underneath for damage y or n.......l
,Firstly, those are Not the normal handling characteristics of the CLA!
Additional info. which will help the membership with their replies:
a) Month/year of purchase- .....................
b) Mileage at purchase............................
c) From a MB Dealer or private owner............
d) What city are you in/near....................
e) Month/year first noticed "violent loud banging".......
f ) Mileage today......................
g) Month/year MB told you it's an entry level car.............
h) Month/year of last service..............
i ) What are your 4 tire pressures f to r...............
j ) Original 2016 tires & wheels y or n ................
k) Have you run a CARFAX y or n...................
l) Have you inspected underneath for damage y or n.......l
Darren,Welcome Darren
Firstly, those are Not the normal handling characteristics of the CLA!
Additional info. which will help the membership with their replies:
a) Month/year of purchase- .....................
b) Mileage at purchase............................
c) From a MB Dealer or private owner............
d) What city are you in/near....................
e) Month/year first noticed "violent loud banging".......
f ) Mileage today......................
g) Month/year MB told you it's an entry level car.............
h) Month/year of last service..............
i ) What are your 4 tire pressures f to r...............
j ) Original 2016 tires & wheels y or n ................
k) Have you run a CARFAX y or n...................
l) Have you inspected underneath for damage y or n.......l
We really need this information in order to answer you. Give it a try, please.
Joined
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134 Posts
The first generation CLA with sport suspension ,18 inch rims or larger, and run flat tires, has absolutely horrible ride quality if you're looking for something comfortable. The difference between sport / AMG suspension and regular suspension on MB models is night and day in terms of comfort. Handling however is inversely proportional to ride comfort on most MB or AMG cars. If you're hearing a really loud bang and it sounds like it's damaging the vehicle, you may have a broken shock /spring. If it's loud but not brutally bad, then it might be normal.
Joined
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11,859 Posts
Also gen1 sport with rfts aint that bad
Its firm yes harsh sure but horrible is in the butt of the beholder
The horrible ride has saved many asses (especially mine) in some pretty ridiculous maneuvers ... so for me i will take handling and life over comfy ride and a coffin
Its firm yes harsh sure but horrible is in the butt of the beholder
The horrible ride has saved many asses (especially mine) in some pretty ridiculous maneuvers ... so for me i will take handling and life over comfy ride and a coffin
Joined
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57 Posts
My 2¢ here. I have the same generation CLA as you, and I have mine with the base comfort suspension and 17" wheels with Bridgestone DriveGuard RFTs (which are supposed to be smoother than the OEM Pirelli Cinturato P7 RFTs).
Even with my "comfort" suspension, yes, the bumps in the road are harsh and road noise is high. Uneven surfaces, mild potholes, and sunken manhole covers have caused bumps big enough for me to inspect the car afterwards, something I never worried about on my previous cars.
I don't think you're having some abnormal issue unless see sagging or you hear a bunch of clattering or loose rattling coming from the chassis. This is just how gen 1 CLAs are. The problem is that the suspension on gen 1 CLAs does not have much travel at all. See for yourself: drive it over one of those larger, rounded speed bumps without slowing down too much. The whole car will follow the speed bump and wallow like a boat, unlike a car with a better suspension that just soaks it up without too much movement. This is exacerbated by having 18" wheels and/or Sport Package.
The tradeoff, as @jmc noted above, is that the car handles like a train on rails; I've taken turns faster than what is normally comfortable and I've taken it on drives through windy mountain roads and taken corners at about 2x the speed that the speed advisory signs say, and the car is glued to the road, and of course 4Matic helps with that as well. This is a huge positive for me with this car, it's very fun to drive when you're trying to take it to the limit.
If you want a soft, compact MB, your options are:
- A-Class
I had a base suspension loaner FWD A220 for the first time during my last service in Feb, and I was impressed at how well it took bumps. I purposely took it over bumps that are very uncomfortable in my car and they were not very noticeable in the A. Road noise was quieter but not as quiet as in C/E-Classes. This will come at the expense of handling, though; I took a turn at speed in the FWD A220 and it severely understeered and skidded, good thing there was nobody else on the road!
- C-Class
The C-Class will be softer, more powerful, have more interior space, and is also quieter than both the A/CLA, but also costs more $$$ unless you find a good CPO model. This would also give you RWD/RWD-biased 4Matic and its associated handling.
And something worth considering:
- New (2020+) CLA
The new CLA has 18" wheels standard and is sportier than the A-Class, but reviews indicate that unlike gen 1, gen 2 seems to be much more compliant on the road while still having some athleticism.
Trade-in of your car and CPO of these models may help you out with the price as well if you're looking to switch out your 2016.
Other than that, in general, I will say that my car has been reliable, easy to maintain, efficient, and just looks so damn good.
Even with my "comfort" suspension, yes, the bumps in the road are harsh and road noise is high. Uneven surfaces, mild potholes, and sunken manhole covers have caused bumps big enough for me to inspect the car afterwards, something I never worried about on my previous cars.
I don't think you're having some abnormal issue unless see sagging or you hear a bunch of clattering or loose rattling coming from the chassis. This is just how gen 1 CLAs are. The problem is that the suspension on gen 1 CLAs does not have much travel at all. See for yourself: drive it over one of those larger, rounded speed bumps without slowing down too much. The whole car will follow the speed bump and wallow like a boat, unlike a car with a better suspension that just soaks it up without too much movement. This is exacerbated by having 18" wheels and/or Sport Package.
The tradeoff, as @jmc noted above, is that the car handles like a train on rails; I've taken turns faster than what is normally comfortable and I've taken it on drives through windy mountain roads and taken corners at about 2x the speed that the speed advisory signs say, and the car is glued to the road, and of course 4Matic helps with that as well. This is a huge positive for me with this car, it's very fun to drive when you're trying to take it to the limit.
If you want a soft, compact MB, your options are:
- A-Class
I had a base suspension loaner FWD A220 for the first time during my last service in Feb, and I was impressed at how well it took bumps. I purposely took it over bumps that are very uncomfortable in my car and they were not very noticeable in the A. Road noise was quieter but not as quiet as in C/E-Classes. This will come at the expense of handling, though; I took a turn at speed in the FWD A220 and it severely understeered and skidded, good thing there was nobody else on the road!
- C-Class
The C-Class will be softer, more powerful, have more interior space, and is also quieter than both the A/CLA, but also costs more $$$ unless you find a good CPO model. This would also give you RWD/RWD-biased 4Matic and its associated handling.
And something worth considering:
- New (2020+) CLA
The new CLA has 18" wheels standard and is sportier than the A-Class, but reviews indicate that unlike gen 1, gen 2 seems to be much more compliant on the road while still having some athleticism.
Trade-in of your car and CPO of these models may help you out with the price as well if you're looking to switch out your 2016.
Other than that, in general, I will say that my car has been reliable, easy to maintain, efficient, and just looks so damn good.
Joined
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395 Posts
Until Darren answers Geo K’s questionnaire, we can all chime in with millions of theories, all of which may be wrong.
From me, tires made a huge difference in ride quality including shock absorption. I threw away a perfectly good set of Drive Guards Runflats for Michelins Non-Runflats and they’ve improved the ride quality quite a bit. At first it didn’t seem like it, but as the tires broke in, it was night and day.
Of course, none of that would have mattered if the shocks were bad. It also wouldn’t matter as much if I was living in Michigan where roads are full of deep and suspension-destroying, ball-joint tearing pot holes.
If you want honest feedback, give Geo K’a questionnaire a shot.
From me, tires made a huge difference in ride quality including shock absorption. I threw away a perfectly good set of Drive Guards Runflats for Michelins Non-Runflats and they’ve improved the ride quality quite a bit. At first it didn’t seem like it, but as the tires broke in, it was night and day.
Of course, none of that would have mattered if the shocks were bad. It also wouldn’t matter as much if I was living in Michigan where roads are full of deep and suspension-destroying, ball-joint tearing pot holes.
If you want honest feedback, give Geo K’a questionnaire a shot.
Hi Darreng3 Soy Gonzalo desde Argentina.
Tengo el mismo problema desde que compré mi cla urban aut '13 vino con rft dunlop y era un concierto de ruidos! Lo llevé a Mercedes y oian el ruido pero no me lo podían arreglar. Cuando me lo devolvían de los service o revisiones algo ajustaban y los ruidos en la suspensión no estaban, pasaban 3 o 4km y aparecían de nuevo. El gente lo condujo y me dijo es inaudito no podes andar asi; aún asi no encontraron la solución despues de 4 años de ajustes y cambios de amortiguadores me ofrecieron cambiar a neumaticos comúnes y regalar un kit de auxilio y les dije que no. Me comunique con Mercedes Alemania describiendo el problema y mande la historia clínica del concesionario. Me hicieron llamar de mi país y consultaron online etc y nunca me dieron solución quise hacerles juicio pero habia pasado mucho tiempo de la pérdida de garantía asi que no pude hacer mucho más. Sigo con el auto que amo y con el problema que me hace odiarlo.
Gonza, Can you translate to English?
Hi Darreng3 I am Gonzalo from Argentina.
I have the same problem since I bought my cla urban aut '13 it came with rft dunlop and it was a noise concert! I took it to Mercedes and they heard the noise but they couldn't fix it. When they returned it from the service or revisions something was adjusted and the noises in the suspension were not there, they passed 3 or 4km and they appeared again. People drove it and said it is unheard of you can't walk like this; even so they did not find the solution after 4 years of adjustments and changes of shock absorbers they offered me to change to common tires and to give away an aid kit and I said no. I contacted Mercedes Germany describing the problem and sent the medical history of the dealer. They made me call from my country and consulted online etc and they never gave me a solution I wanted to sue them but it had been a long time since the loss of the guarantee so I couldn't do much more. I still have the car I love and the problem that makes me hate it.
I have the same problem since I bought my cla urban aut '13 it came with rft dunlop and it was a noise concert! I took it to Mercedes and they heard the noise but they couldn't fix it. When they returned it from the service or revisions something was adjusted and the noises in the suspension were not there, they passed 3 or 4km and they appeared again. People drove it and said it is unheard of you can't walk like this; even so they did not find the solution after 4 years of adjustments and changes of shock absorbers they offered me to change to common tires and to give away an aid kit and I said no. I contacted Mercedes Germany describing the problem and sent the medical history of the dealer. They made me call from my country and consulted online etc and they never gave me a solution I wanted to sue them but it had been a long time since the loss of the guarantee so I couldn't do much more. I still have the car I love and the problem that makes me hate it.
Joined
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11,859 Posts
Maybe this is too blunt ... but this particular chassis and suspension is not tuned for boat rides and thats pretty much it.
I suppose one could go with aftermarket suspension parts and soft low load sidewall tires but then whats the point of getting this type of vehicle to begin with?
My 3 cents
I suppose one could go with aftermarket suspension parts and soft low load sidewall tires but then whats the point of getting this type of vehicle to begin with?
My 3 cents
Darren, Go back and review my first response. Those are standard Diagnostic Questions, which can help the 12,000 Members understand your issue more clearly and render advice and answers for you. I think some are even yes or no. Give it a try, we want to help.
I experience this same senesation and feeling when driving my 2016 CLA 250. The Clank or Bang that I hear when hitting a bump is truly concerning. Very loud and violent. I truly prefer to feel the bumps and road in my car but something makes me think it’s beyond normalcy...Much worse than the Weak ass cars I upgraded from...please let me know if you find a solution
2016 CLA
40500K mileage
NYC/high way driving
clean car facts
Car seems to be lower in front than in back (is that normal?)
Pirelli Run flat tires
Tire pressures are 41,41,41,39
used car dealership
Don’t have Reference point as I just got it
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