CLA Interior Door Gap
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all of them have it... it's part of the design (lack of quality checking?) Most cars.. even my Corolla and Accord have the plastic trim of the door extend out to the door. The CLA's doesnt. I noticed on the BMW 3 series it also doesnt but the gap isnt as noticeable. If you look at the other mercedes you will also notice a gap you just can't see the paint because the door trim extends to the door. I'll post a pic and show you what I'm talking about once i get some time
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Geez that's awful looking. Unfortunately, they all have it. It's not a one-off defect. It's an across the board design (flaw). The fact that other cars suffer from gaps doesn't diminish how blatantly wrong it looks. What I'm really wondering is 1) whether it's as obvious in person and 2) whether the gap actually tapers the way it appears to in the pictures -- which suggests an inconsistent panel gap (i.e., its bigger at the top of the door and smaller toward the bottom). It's just too hard to tell from the pictures. It might just be a shadow.
-Eric
-Eric
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did anyone inform MBUSA about this?
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Eric that is exactly what is striking about it. It gets bigger up top.
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it does indeed taper and get bigger on the top and it's VERY NOTICEABLE! Especailly on a red, white, silver car with a black interior. I looked at the other mercede models while I was at the dealer and all the cars have some sort of gap although not as big but the biggest difference is they have a panel that covers up the paint so you never notice it. See the pictures below.
First pic is a CLA door. Notice the bare metal and paint showing where the door closes. This is what is seen when you close the door with the gap.
Now look at the following pic from a C-class. See how the plastic trim extends all the way to the end of the door? My Honda accord has this piece although it only extends about half way.
This pic is from a E-class. It also has the fake mb tex that extends to the end of the door panel otherwise there is also a gap although not as big
With that said I believe I can fix it and do it pretty tastefully by using some fake leather vinyl and creating a panel similar to the ones from the other models. I have some experience working with leather and installing leather seats and I can do it professionally. If I end up purchasing this car I will definitely do this mod. I may make a kit for people on this forum. Just depends if i decide to go ahead purchase this car or not.
First pic is a CLA door. Notice the bare metal and paint showing where the door closes. This is what is seen when you close the door with the gap.
Now look at the following pic from a C-class. See how the plastic trim extends all the way to the end of the door? My Honda accord has this piece although it only extends about half way.
This pic is from a E-class. It also has the fake mb tex that extends to the end of the door panel otherwise there is also a gap although not as big
With that said I believe I can fix it and do it pretty tastefully by using some fake leather vinyl and creating a panel similar to the ones from the other models. I have some experience working with leather and installing leather seats and I can do it professionally. If I end up purchasing this car I will definitely do this mod. I may make a kit for people on this forum. Just depends if i decide to go ahead purchase this car or not.
awesome camparison pic . . with the c . . .
but i believe the easier fix is in the rubber trim piece that lines the pillar on that side
i think a "taller" weather strip (the part on the car) will hide that easier than a "trim extension" mod...
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i saw it on a grey and purple car, and it was noticeable on both because it is very shiny . .
on a black car or dark color car, it will be less noticeable after it becomes less polished (after a month i assume). .
if i had a colored car, i would get that painted black . .
but i believe the easier fix is in the rubber trim piece that lines the pillar on that side
i think a "taller" weather strip (the part on the car) will hide that easier than a "trim extension" mod...
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i saw it on a grey and purple car, and it was noticeable on both because it is very shiny . .
on a black car or dark color car, it will be less noticeable after it becomes less polished (after a month i assume). .
if i had a colored car, i would get that painted black . .
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I am not sure how MB could fark this up this bad ? Did they really look at that and go its not noticeable or was fixing it so expensive that they decided to leave it as is ? Mind boggling..... I would not buy the car just for that gap.... I bet this will be addressed in next model year...
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Oh geez...that is awful.
Not likely...they spent years perfecting the "gap." I'm sure its listed in the brochure as one of the car's features. "The CLA features something we call Magic Exterior a Feng Shui element that integrates the exterior color with the interior trim." It's not going to be eliminated during the first model year assuming they even see it as an issue.
-Eric
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looks like the gap Becky G has in the her front teeth
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oh wow, i thought MB had messed up...but no, i think they just cheaped out. Seeing the comparison between the CLA, C, and E...its not a mistake, its just a matter of a missing plastic piece. Who knows how much they saved lol...
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I dont think its just the missing piece/plastic .... I feel they should extend the door panel to minimize the gap AND also add the black trim to hide the paint to be seen form inside.
The nissan within is starting to show (in this model) !.....
The nissan within is starting to show (in this model) !.....
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When I moved the drivers seat to a comfortable position, I looked over to the passenger side just to see the width of the front and bam the dreaded gap hit me. I honestly had forgotten about it when I was looking at the car. But there she was in all her red Jupiter glory.
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Oh the horror!
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they had to cut corners somewhere
. Ugh its one thing when you dont notice it, but when you do, you'll have to live with it. You cant just add a piece there; if you look at the C, its interior door trim has been shaped with that extra flange/lip/piece to cover the bare door metal. The E makes it classier by extending the MBtex trim out even further...1 - 20 of 201 Posts
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