# Byebye Golf R, helloooo......



## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

The Golf was the most disappointing ownership experience I've ever had but that chapter is closed, never to be revisited.

Onward with the new one, all good so far, I can feel a big order going in to Imran 

Just need to get some miles on it now and then into Sport+ :car: ....


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Looks fantastic, congrats keep us updated on your opinion on it would be great, and finally welcome to the Mercedes dark side


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Very nice indeed.


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## ikon66 (Jul 23, 2008)

Nice one, had my A250 for a year now and considering the CLA 35 OR 45s as my next one in a couple of years


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

So much nicer than a Golf


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

SteveTDCi said:


> So much nicer than a Golf


Oh yes.

I know a lot of people love their golfs and I respect that, I loved mine for a few, infrequent, short periods but waaaaaay too many downsides for me to love it like I wanted to love it. Glad to be rid tbh.

Fingers crossed this one will reignite my enthusiasm for cars and detailing.


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

ikon66 said:


> Nice one, had my A250 for a year now and considering the CLA 35 OR 45s as my next one in a couple of years


A45S piqued my interest but when they released the pricing it wasn't going to be for me this time round and got a cracking deal on an incoming stock model that was my exact spec.


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)




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## A&J (Mar 4, 2015)

Nice one Joey...beautifull car...I love the edgy instrument cluster look!


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## TonyHill (Jul 28, 2015)

Curious....what was so disappointing with the Golf?


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Looks very nice enjoy - wife really likes her A class, but our local dealerships are woefully cr4p...


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

TonyHill said:


> Curious....what was so disappointing with the Golf?


Off the top of my head....

On collection - windscreen trim was damaged and they ripped a piece off another one in the showroom to replace, the car cover they used transferred loads of sticky spots to the bodywork, the service schedule had been set up wrong, there was a paint defect they hadn't corrected, the number plate screws were squint, paint wasn't in great nick after the salesman grabbed a scruffy rag and started wiping at the sticky spots. The google maps satellite view that was very prominent in the brochure and pre-sale was discontinued as a service. I did enjoy my complimentary bottle of VW branded water tho.

After agreeing a polish to correct, picked up the car and they'd left a whole lot of polish residue that resulted in the salesman grabbing the same manky cloth, I told him not to bother.
Golfs have no roof gutter, if you crack a window with water on the roof, it'll cascade into your window switches at the next corner. Having the rear windows down at any speed over 10mph causes a horrible buffeting resonance.
There's no nrv in the front washer pipes so when you pull the washer, it takes a tangible time to hit the window - wait, wait, wait, dribble, surge, there we go. (No issue with the back, just the front.)
Reversing camera resolution is like an 90s gameboy in resolution. The lines don't move when steering.

The black rubber seal are not black, they're a nasty greyish brown, no amount of restorer will get them to black because they never were black. The end of the window seal at the rear doors scratches the paint because it has a sharp corner, I thought the doors were mis-aligned - "oh no sir, they all do that" and it's true, they do.

Between the mk7 and 7.5, vw bean counters saw fit to stop providing battery covers. Also the puddle lights in the door were changed to reflectors only, saving 18 inches of wire, a bulb and holder.

Exhaust trims pitted after about 3 months - "that's not a warranty item sir, that's wear and tear". Petrol cap stuck and needed stripping/reassembly.
The wheel hubs are the most rust prone I've ever seen.
Every trip for 2 years, I'm alerted to the fact the VW wants to access my messages on my phone, 3 different phone models in that time. Every. Flipping. Trip. Android auto connection is flakey. Connecting to wifi hotspot for services is worse.
Driving round town with gearbox in drive is like driving a diesel, changes up way too early and never ready to pull away, driving round town in sport it revs to high, it really needs a D+ or S-.
The fake sound thingy rattles at higher revs.
In diagnosing a vibration, VW blamed 2 buckled wheels despite the vibration was apparent with a different set of wheels and tyres. For piece of mind, took the wheels to be checked/straightened - no issues found.
Rotational squeak at 5k miles diagnosed as warped disk - not a warranty item sir.
Second service - another report of a buckled wheel but only one this time.

I realise a lot of those things may seem quite/very petty but the sheer volume of them has a cumulative effect.

On the plus side - the swishy rear indicators are cool, and for the 0.025% of the time when you find yourself on a nice road and where weather and traffic conditions permit, pushing on in race mode is very very good indeed.
And when the paint is in good condition, and it's clean, and the sun is shining, it looks fantastic.

But at the end of the day, those good things were not enough to win me over.


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## bigmac3161 (Jul 24, 2013)

Bet he wished he'd never asked now 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

bigmac3161 said:


> Bet he wished he'd never asked now


:lol:

Quite cathartic for me tho


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

JoeyJoeJo said:


> :lol:
> 
> Quite cathartic for me tho


That little lot would have boiled my urine too.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

But apart from that it was ok? 😂

Like you said though, culminatively small issues become annoyingly big.

On the positive though, new car looks the dogs.😀


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

Shame about the Golf-R, never good to spend money on a car that feels disappointing as an overall experience. I'm not a massive fan of the R but I can understand they'd be a good drive. 

I do like that A35 though, looks good in that colour and that bit more subtle without the rear wing and the chintzy stuff. 

I can imagine that interior being quite divisive as it certainly looks quite, busy shall we say. That said it looks like there's plenty of toys to play with and it's up there with the bigger models like the C and E Class. I like it haha


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Thanks all  

I agree on the subtle part, the golf isn't exactly in your face but it does have a nice presence and would get a second look because there's something about it.

I obviously keep looking out the windows at the A35 and I'm liking that it's not as obvious, there's little hints but it's not shouty or overly aggressive looking if that makes sense.

The dash options are certainly a novelty, I'm sure after a few weeks it'll be left on one most of the time and have another for longer runs and that's it but it's really nice to have the options. (I won't now go off on one about the VW dash inadequacies  )


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## DLGWRX02 (Apr 6, 2010)

Lovely looking motor,I was looking at a yellow version recently as it caught my eye and got me thinking.. 

Would agree totally about the defects you encountered with the VW, that would have sent me bonkers in the end, the dealership would have certainly known how annoyed i was at it too. lol.


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## GSD (Feb 6, 2011)

If you posted on here about the Golf I missed it was it the car or the dealer experience ? The Merc looks absolutely awesome what an instrument display and to top it of I love the colour.


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## GSD (Feb 6, 2011)

Don’t worry mate just seen the second page .


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

JoeyJoeJo said:


> Off the top of my head....
> 
> On collection - windscreen trim was damaged and they ripped a piece off another one in the showroom to replace, the car cover they used transferred loads of sticky spots to the bodywork, the service schedule had been set up wrong, there was a paint defect they hadn't corrected, the number plate screws were squint, paint wasn't in great nick after the salesman grabbed a scruffy rag and started wiping at the sticky spots. The google maps satellite view that was very prominent in the brochure and pre-sale was discontinued as a service. I did enjoy my complimentary bottle of VW branded water tho.
> 
> ...


As an A45 owner you can, from my own experience expect the fuel filter cap to be a pain, the actuator that opens and locks it isn't reliable. The gearbox revs far too high in anything other than comfort really, sport is almost bearable and sport + is useless for anything other than hammering it. Only way around it is manual changes which of course, is what I do. More fun as well and better economy.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Brian1612 said:


> from my own experience expect the fuel filter cap to be a pain, the actuator that opens and locks it isn't reliable.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


To add to this, having been through it with the wife's car, if it starts pinging open on its own, get it booked in and replaced under warranty - ignore what they say that it may take 1/2 day to find out what the issue is - it's a known fault and literally 10 minutes to change.

The next stage, it doesn't release and you can not open the filler flap, the only way then is they have to slide the cover off and prise it open - just make sure the cover doesn't get scratched as wife's did - which they then had to order and it had to go back in again for...


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Andyblue said:


> To add to this, having been through it with the wife's car, if it starts pinging open on its own, get it booked in and replaced under warranty - ignore what they say that it may take 1/2 day to find out what the issue is - it's a known fault and literally 10 minutes to change.
> 
> The next stage, it doesn't release and you can not open the filler flap, the only way then is they have to slide the cover off and prise it open - just make sure the cover doesn't get scratched as wife's did - which they then had to order and it had to go back in again for...


I've had mines repaired under warranty apparently. Was playing up again after 7 months... randomly opens while driving along the road now. Need to thump it to get it open. I love the A45 but I will say the fuel filler cap is shoddy engineering. Ordered a replacement actuator direct from Merc for 30 quid, fitting it at the weekend. Hopefully this lasts longer...

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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Brian1612 said:


> I've had mines repaired under warranty apparently. Was playing up again after 7 months... randomly opens while driving along the road now. Need to thump it to get it open. I love the A45 but I will say the fuel filler cap is shoddy engineering. Ordered a replacement actuator direct from Merc for 30 quid, fitting it at the weekend. Hopefully this lasts longer...
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


Fingers crossed - we had a right royal pain in the proverbial with Merc local dealers over this.


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Good tips cheers.

A few trips today - loud start is pointless but I love it 

Actually got a text message on the system, no errors or permission requests popping up on the phone, just worked it's like witchcraft!


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

VW are well into their penny pinching. I'd pick a Ford over a VW any day of the week. Then there's the warranty where nothing is covered as it's all wear and tear.


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Nice to see one that isn't yellow or black and minus the aero pack:thumb:

How is the ride on those wheels and more specifically tyre noise? A friend's wife has one and my overriding memory of being driven in it was the dreadful tyre noise, seemingly regardless of road surface type...oh and a rattle from the dash:wall::wall::wall:

Enjoy.

Cheers,

Chris


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## paulb1976 (Nov 2, 2012)

Awesome car 

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## SBM (Jul 4, 2013)

Lovely car Op and will be interested to see if you have any of the issues that the A45 owners report. Good luck and health to enjoy :thumb:


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## Dunc2610 (May 23, 2011)

Question for those that have the A35, can you have the aeropack without the silly wing on the roof, or is it all or nothing?


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## blademansw (May 23, 2011)

Looks great mate. I love the new MB UX, it really is a cut above everything else, especially the touch panels on the steering wheel. I had a new A class a couple of months ago when my C was in for service and I couldn't fault it to be honest. And I really wanted to hate it as its an A class rather than the E class courtesy car they normally give me lol.


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Summit Detailing said:


> Nice to see one that isn't yellow or black and minus the aero pack:thumb:
> 
> How is the ride on those wheels and more specifically tyre noise? A friend's wife has one and my overriding memory of being driven in it was the dreadful tyre noise, seemingly regardless of road surface type...oh and a rattle from the dash:wall::wall::wall:
> 
> ...


In the 30 odd miles I've done, I haven't been aware of the road noise as I've been playing with the screens and stuff  but will report back.

It's on 18s but I haven't check the tyre model yet so that could be a factor.

I will say that it is much more planted than the golf for the little trips I've done, there are a few curly slips and roundabouts around me and I sometimes found the golf a bit squirrely (on both 18s and 19s) and on occasion had a brown trouser moment when a fast curve tightens and I didn't think I was going to make it. The A35 induces a lot of confidence and seem easier to drive quickly (caveat - very limited trips to asda and dominos so early days/first impressions etc).

There's a nice graphic showing where power and braking is being applied, it's interesting to watch but kind of tricky going round tight bends.

I'd also forgotten what it's like to have a door with positive "resting" points at just open, half open, full open. The golf had a first one but was supposed to have a "hold anywhere" feature after that but it didn't work very well and couldn't be trusted.

I like the aero it's got tbh, there's a little roof lip and diffuser etc, I don't like the black pack at all, I might have been tempted with 19's if I could have had them in silver as I'm of an age where if I see black wheels on a car on the move, my first thought is "the wheel trims have fallen off" 

Same with mirrors, when I first got in to cars, you got black mirrors and (if available) you had to pay for body coloured mirrors so I find it funny that's done a 180.

Another small difference with the golf, the front vw windows have a small front quarter but the A35 has all window so it's nice to see a bit of red of the mirror caps from inside the car.


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Dunc2610 said:


> Question for those that have the A35, can you have the aeropack without the silly wing on the roof, or is it all or nothing?


Not sure but maybe, mine has premium (which comes with leather) but is specced back to semi leather seats (which retains the red stitching an belts that I like).


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

That looks fantastic! :thumb:


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## LSpec (Apr 7, 2013)

car of my dreams.. we need more pictures


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Apologies also for posting only negatives! Forgot to say saw one of these in person last monday, had the aeropack etc and it looked great. Grown on me big time!

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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Brian1612 said:


> Apologies also for posting only negatives!


No apology required, all good info as I get used to it, things to look out for


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Max boost but still playing by the running in rules 










Apologies for the poor quality of this one, passenger was a bit jiggly but shows that view I was talking about showing where the drive is going


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Two week report.....

Still loving it, cannot believe how much better it is to be in than the golf.

Road noise is more apparent than the the golf (subjectively) but I've super conscious of it, I don't think it'll be obtrusive, esp in the sportier modes.

I *do* have a sticky fuel filler cap  Not done anything about it yet but will call them tomorrow.

Less rear legroom than the golf, not an issue for me.

Android auto integration is fantastic, so slick. I also like the MB nav so far.

Something I hadn't realised but it has a built in tracker and you can subscribe to the service for £79 for three years so doing that, saves having a tracker fitted which I was planning. Includes geofencing which is nice.

Little disappointed I need a data subscription from vodafone for some of the services but going on holiday soon and will activate the trial, see if I want to continue.

Love the steering wheel, lovely shape, very tactile. The paddles are excellent too, beat the golf plastic jobbies by about a million points.

I near sh't myself the first time the lane assist activated, I thought the wheels were falling off or there was some massive problem.

Wasn't sure on the chrome trim but I actually like it, it keeps the subtle thing going and is very appropriate imho

On the detailing front, the quality of the paint and finish is fantastic. There's the usual mild orange peel you get from modern paints but I did a deep clean today followed by a clay mitt, fully expecting to do a machine polish but absolutely didn't need it. Not a swirl anywhere, just a couple of small rubbing marks where the boot closes so will see if it needs adjusting. Have to give due credit to the dealer prep too, spotless and no defects. Even the bit at the rear doors I moaned about in the golf has a nicely rounded peice of rubber 

If you're in the market for this type of thing, definitely worth considering.

And a few gratuitous pics...


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Got in the car saturday morning to go on holiday... main dash doesn't come on. Uh-oh.

Try again, still nothing so drive to the dealer hoping a quick check and tweak will fix.
Known issue apparently, software update required. Can take several hours... I don't have several hours says I. Dealer checked what was available and sorted us out a C 220d coupe for the holiday. Turns out the car actually needed a new controller unit so really glad we don't hang about waiting for the software update.

Disappointed to have a fault so early and the timing was particularly poor (but could have been worse if it happened while on holiday rather than 5 miles from the dealer) but very appreciative about how it was handled.

The 220 is a really nice car and a real mile muncher but can't wait to get back in the A35 when I get back.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

That's the fear with all these digital dashboards, once they fail outside warranty the bills aren't going to be cheap.


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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

100%

Don't even want to consider the replacement cost of the screens themselves never mind he control unit, bet it's eyewatering


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

JoeyJoeJo said:


> 100%
> 
> Don't even want to consider the replacement cost of the screens themselves never mind he control unit, bet it's eyewatering


Bit late to the party but the car looks really good in red. I do prefer it without the bling bling aero pack too. Much more of a sleeper.

I had an A250 4matic when the C class went in for panoramic roof change. Fine car and very capable but it also suffered from the screen issue that you had but it worked when i turned the car off and on.

But it also had another issue where the screens and radio wouldn't turn off whatsoever after the car was off for 20-30 minutes :lol:

It was a pretty quick car so can only imagine what the A35 is like


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Rayaan said:


> Bit late to the party but the car looks really good in red. I do prefer it without the bling bling aero pack too. Much more of a sleeper.
> 
> I had an A250 4matic when the C class went in for panoramic roof change. Fine car and very capable but it also suffered from the screen issue that you had but it worked when i turned the car off and on.
> 
> ...


Was the roof replaced due to rattles, as I have a fair few rattles I need addressing before warranty out next year


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Derekh929 said:


> Was the roof replaced due to rattles, as I have a fair few rattles I need addressing before warranty out next year


No, not for a rattles. It never had any.

It wouldn't open or close, made a grinding noise so they changed all the cables and motors etc.

And now it rattles :wall:

So my next job is to stick some felt tape where it rests on the plastic when closed. Only has a small 5cm piece currently. Im going to put a full length one in in an attempt to sort it out. Otherwise, Ill go back as its been less than a year


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Derekh929 said:


> Was the roof replaced due to rattles, as I have a fair few rattles I need addressing before warranty out next year


Do you think they'll address the rattles or just put them down to wear and tear?

Dealers hate doing rattles even on new cars.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Kerr said:


> Do you think they'll address the rattles or just put them down to wear and tear?
> 
> Dealers hate doing rattles even on new cars.


Oh yes a Mini , BMW, and merc will sort rattles this current mini has been great but the R56 they had the dash out 3 times till they nailed it with special felt kit mini had made, merc they did two already , it's a creak I have that annoying, but after theV8 gets up the revs it's all fine:lol:

I just can't live long with rattles


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## streaky (Dec 2, 2006)

JoeyJoeJo said:


> Got in the car saturday morning to go on holiday... main dash doesn't come on. Uh-oh.
> 
> Try again, still nothing so drive to the dealer hoping a quick check and tweak will fix.
> Known issue apparently, software update required. Can take several hours... I don't have several hours says I. Dealer checked what was available and sorted us out a C 220d coupe for the holiday. Turns out the car actually needed a new controller unit so really glad we don't hang about waiting for the software update.
> ...


I really like the shape of that :thumb:


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Kerr said:


> Do you think they'll address the rattles or just put them down to wear and tear?
> 
> Dealers hate doing rattles even on new cars.


Well the rattle came after they did the job, and its only from the panoramic sunroof system. It goes away when the sunroof is tilted or opened so it sounds like its moving around over bumps and patchy roads.

Still have about 3 months left of warranty and think a speaker might be on its way out on the passenger side - crackles on bluetooth


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## ikon66 (Jul 23, 2008)

Check the sunglasses compartment, that’s been know to cause rattles


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

ikon66 said:


> Check the sunglasses compartment, that's been know to cause rattles


Doesnt have one on the W204 C-class coupe


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## blademansw (May 23, 2011)

Rayaan said:


> Doesnt have one on the W204 C-class coupe


My S204 has one, wonder why they didn't fit it on the coupe.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

blademansw said:


> My S204 has one, wonder why they didn't fit it on the coupe.


Doesn't have any grab handles at the front, windscreen and roofline is less steep at the front than the saloon and estate


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