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Is this acceptable?

8K views 50 replies 10 participants last post by  jmc 
Not sure if this is your first "upscale" car you ever owned, but rattles are a fact of mass produced cars. some with less than others.
 
I used to be quite anal about rattles, any slight rattle and knocking, I would get all "rattled" and angry and frustrated. After owning various different cars (like over 10 of them, of various makes), I gotten used to the fact that nothing is ever perfect. No matter how tight a car is made, after a couple of years, a rattle of two will eventually creep in.
People have been complaining car makers are pricing cars too high for the general population to even get into the market for some of these upscale cars... so car makers listened and tried to make it work for most people, but something has to give, car makers still need a certain margin of profit to show responsibility to their investors, have cars that still meet certain quality stds, and also priced where the general population can somehow get access to them.

Honestly, a creak here and there, a rattle here and there , occasionally, is I think something that we shouldn't be fretting over with. Not happy with it, still under warranty, then bug the dealer with it until it gets fixed. Other than that, unless the car rattles like dangling a string of tin cans on your trunk, just enjoy the car , and let than occasional rattle be a reminder that your car is running fine. =)
 
I agree with Mav, however I am a lot like you SILVAFOXX, I am too much of a nit picking perfectionist, just ask my poor wife. I also understand that there is a certain bedding in period and a few of them will just naurally disappear over time, however the ones in the door panels are really obvious (the tin cans in the trunk analogy is a good one @mav238) and every passenger has made comment about those rattles, so I do have to get those attended to.
When I first got my CLA, a year into the ownership , the front seat back was rattling every time I drove over rough roads, I brought it into the dealer and insist on them to fix that issue, and they did. They put some thin double-sided foam tape, and the rattling is gone. some rattling , after > 5 years of ownership , is just part of the aging of the car.
 
Nothing much more than one can do but to bring in to the dealer and get them to fix it, especially if it's still under new car warranty.

We all want our car to be issue ifree especially within the first year of ownership, but the fact of life is, even the Maybach or Rolls-royce , would turn up a rattle or two during warranty period. Just exercise your right as a customer to expect the dealership to fix what is covered under warranty.
As fellow owners of the CLA, we all have gone through our frustrations and rants about the "imperfections" of our CLAs, but better to use that effort and energy of ranting to enjoy the better things/moments in life. As long as the car is not a complete lemon (which is a different story altogether), bring it to the dealer to fix what can be fixed, and take the rest of the little "imperfections" as part of owning a car in an imperfect world. JMHO...
 
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I have a couple of frustrating rattles on my dash and it is one of those annoying things where it bothers me but wonder if I’m just picky!
Part and parcel of owning a car... no matter how tight the car is made, eventually those cabin rattles from the dash and trimmings, will start to show.
 
I agree with this statement in part but my last two cars owned from new had zero rattles throughout their entire time of ownership so this is not some Utopia we’re aspiring for.


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You are probably one of the very few and niche lucky ones that own cars with "zero" rattles.

It also depends on how long you own the car, honestly, no matter how tight a car is made, eventually , even a creak or two will creep in. For me, that's not a big deal. There are more important things in life to be concerned with, that a few rattles that eventually comes in. JMHO.
 
I must be!

2014 Audi A3 TDI owned from new 56000 miles and no rattles
2017 Audi S3 owned from new 54000 miles and no rattles.

That Audi is no more or less budget than the CLA… and in fact my Ford Ficus before that had no perceptible rattles either and that was a budget company car.

I must clarify that I am referring to perceptible rattles that are audible under normal driving conditions.

As with anything there are always bigger things in life to worry about than these “problems” but I can understand the frustration felt.


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Good for you that you have the luck of the draw with all your cars... most common people generally don't...

There is the difference between a rattling jalopy and one that exudes the occasional or not so readily audible rattle.

Honestly, even if the rattle is perceptible, unless it becomes such a nuisance , I won't let it "rattle" my soul (pun intended). It's definitely the right of anyone who wants to achieve utopia level of a rattle free car, jeez... I want the utopia of my house without any leaks or the water heater breaking down after > 10 years... Nothing wrong with wanting that... question is, is it really realistic to expect that...

I have owned > 10 different cars over the years, and I kid you not... not one of the cars is without a rattle , after > 5 years of ownership. And the spread is over german cars, swedish cars, and american made. They were not rattling jalopies, but definitely an occasional squeak or rattle creeps up during the driving ... I was like some of you , much younger then, it frustrates the heck out of me... "I paid good money for it, why are there rattles!!!" ... but as you age, you learn to take things for what they are in this world... imperfect...
The minor rattles or squeaks should not be "rattling" our souls, too much things in life to be appreciative of and chill on... JMHO
 
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