MBWorld.org Forums - CLE Class Coupe (C236) & Cabrio (A236)

2024 CLE450 ReNNtech piggyback upgrade

Empath — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:31:42 GMT

Hi everyone! The topic says it all.

I've been in contact with Renntech regarding a performance upgrade for my car, and they've offered me the following module: 👉 Renntech Power Module � 417HP / 442LB-FT | M256 3.0 Inline-6 EQ Boost

Since this is a 48V mild-hybrid platform, I'd love to hear from anyone who has installed this or a similar piggyback module on the M256 engine. Specifically interested in:

Real-world power difference � is the gain noticeable in daily driving?
1/4 mile or 0�100 figures before and after, if anyone has measured
Long-term reliability � any issues after extended use?

Worth noting that Renntech themselves flag on their product page that these engines can be susceptible to turbo failure under increased power output, and recommend considering a turbocharger upgrade as a precaution. So I'm also curious whether anyone has paired this module with a turbo upgrade � and if so, which one you'd recommend for the M256.

On the warranty side, the good news is that this module is fully reversible � the harness unplugs completely in minutes before any dealer service visit, leaving zero trace, so warranty exposure is minimal.

This is a daily driver for me, so reliability is the priority over outright performance. Any real-world feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Ali

Digital Extras Purchasing

jrwest — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:20:59 GMT

Just had an ordeal trying to add the Dashcam option from the phone app. Ordered it, the charge hit my card but did not go through to the car. Called them and they said they would refund the charge but to try again from the Mercedes Me web page on my computer. They admitted the phone app is not reliable. This I knew from my last car, an AMG SL that reported the top being down when it was in fact up and locked. This time it went through and is working. Bottom line, Mercedes needs to fix this app once and for all and to anyone looking to purchase any digital extras don't use the app !

Benz claims they cant fix my instrument recall !

Empath — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:30:35 GMT

Hi everyone!

Yes, so as the title says � in short, I bought a brand new 2024 CLE 450 from Korea, but here in the Middle East the dealer agreed to fix one of the recalls (the 12V battery issue) but refused to address the infotainment recall. Their reasoning was that it's a Korean-spec car with Korean options, so replacing the infotainment unit could conflict with other features and introduce bugs.

I've asked them to send me a detailed email so I can escalate to MB Germany, hoping they can sort it out � even though I haven't experienced any issues yet. That said, my navigation can't function or update to the GCC region because of this, and certain features like the digital light welcome animation remain locked due to the regional differences.

If only MB Korea had been upfront about this from the beginning, I might have reconsidered. There's also another issue: the upper front ambient light optic tube appears pinched or kinked somehow, but they said they'll look into it � hopefully they fix that too.

Worth noting: unfortunately we don't have MB Middle East service where I live, which is a shame, but it's something I can live with. I wasn't aware of any of these details before purchasing, and honestly it's quite frustrating.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Dealership tracker location

at t 2d — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:52:04 GMT

I just came across a tracking box in my new X5 that was hidden in the back right corner of the hatch. It was behind an access door I was thinking about storing a few things in. It was magnetic and just stuck to the metal structure. I looked up the info on the sticker and it said it is an "asset tracker" with a cellular modem and 7 year battery. I assume they are either selling my location habits or it is a way to find the car if there is a loan default.

I started thinking about my 2025 CLE AMG 53 and wondering if it has a similar easy to get to place the dealer may have stuck something similar. Any suggestions where to look? I poked around in the trunk and didn't see any obvious places to check

Thanks

2027 Facelift

HoustonCLE53 — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:23:35 GMT

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/m...ty-270986.html

2026 CLE Cabriolet top

jrwest — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:17:51 GMT

Has anyone else noticed that the top rubs the top of the back seat headrests when opening and closing? Seems a bit odd to me.

Suggestions for new car exterior and interior wash & clean

johnyboyd — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:17:03 GMT

Hi all

i have a pretty silver color 6 month old CLE. Its lightly driven so far. Was curious what sort of vehicle cleaning places folks take their vehicles
to, if not doing on their own?

I live in east bay, in Pleasanton, in northern california.

thx for advice/references.
-john

New CLE Cabriolet owner in the UK

dtrjones — Sun, 31 May 2026 21:29:53 GMT

Hey guys,

I've finally picked up my CLE450 Cabriolet in the UK on Friday. It's been a bit of a long wait. I ordered the car in November 2025, but that was the CLE300. Decided in February that the 300 wasn't enough so upgraded to a CLE450 :) but that meant that I lost my allocation and had to wait potentially another 6 months. Anyway the car arrived in the dealership on the 26th of May which I think was a good result considering and I picked up the car a couple of days later.

Super happy with how she drives. Very smooth and comfortable. The back seats are quite firm and to be honest my previous Vauxhall Cascada (Buick used to sell this car in the US) a 2.0 CDTi - yes I know it's quite an upgrade had more comfortable back seats, but almost everything else is much better. The tonka brown seats looks much darker than in the photos and really makes the car feel premium with the open-pore wood trim with aluminium strips and metallic graphite grey paint. Fuel economy is pretty decent, I'm around 33 mpg and it's climbing, but to be honest, I've pushed the accelerator down a few times, you know just to see! :boink:

Some oddities with Mercedes UK, there online e-brochure specification has energiser comfort and air balance for CLE450 / 53 but it appears those features don't come with the UK version, also the digital light projection system might be a bit limited as well, although you get the cool welcome animations. I've also not got the car to assist with lane changes using the driving assistance package even though the option is enabled, could also be a UK limitation?

Those oddities aside, I'm loving the car, done 350 miles in a couple of days and it doesn't feel like I've driven much at all. Making full use of the assists just to keep things nice and relaxed!

Big Clunk

danh63 — Sun, 31 May 2026 15:01:11 GMT

So this has happened twice. After washing my car and putting it in the garage for the night, the next day when I put in drive it won't move. Give it a little gas and there is a HUGE clunk and then it goes and doersn't happen agin untill the next wash.

Anyone else having this problem??

Active Radiator Dampers???

duffer5 — Thu, 28 May 2026 17:52:16 GMT

Per this video, TimeStamp 7:15, there appears to be active Radiator Dampers. I don't believe on my USA based 2024 Cle53 that I have them. Do others have this feature.

C236 CLE200 Upgrade Burmester 17 Speaker System

iCARMIX — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:58:59 GMT

Many Mercedes vehicles come from the factory with only a standard version of the audio system. Take this brand-new Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class Coupe (C236) for example. Although the car originally comes with an already higher-level Advanced Sound System, it is still equipped with only 9 speakers at most, resulting in a lack of three-dimensional sound quality. Therefore, if you want to further elevate the overall audio performance, you might consider upgrading the vehicle with an original Burmester 3D Surround Sound System.

The original Burmester sound system dedicated to the CLE Coupe comes with a total of 17 high-power speakers, including 5 midrange speakers, 4 tweeters, 2 woofers, 2 surround speakers, and 4 3D full-range speakers. Additionally, it includes the Burmester power amplifier, Burmester speaker covers, and the necessary fiber optic cables and wiring components for installation. During the upgrade, besides removing door panels, seats, rear trim panels, and other interior components to reroute the signal cables, the vehicle also needs to be programmed using original factory diagnostic equipment to activate the Burmester sound control interface. Therefore, it is best to have the work carried out by qualified technicians with extensive experience in genuine upgrades to ensure a smooth installation.

After the team completed the upgrade, the performance in highs, mids, and lows has reached a much higher level. The most impressive part is that two speakers are embedded inside the headrests of both front seats, achieving a near-field listening effect that delivers every detail of the music and vocals directly to your ears. Combined with the woofers under the front seats and the midrange and tweeter speakers surrounding you, every single note delivers a punchy, high-quality listening experience!

Here's a shortcut to my iCARMIX website, if you want to see more of this:
https://link.icarmix.com/burall

Graphic Goodies

DV8Cellars — Wed, 27 May 2026 12:41:50 GMT

A few days ago I got in the car, turned it on and I saw a message on the screen that said soemthing about Graphic Goodies and it went away before I could read the entire thing. I then noticed a little yellow car above the square that shows my phone on it. The next time I turned the car on, the first thing it goes to (full screen) is a Yellow car, I can't even tell what the car is as it goes away very quickly. Has anyone has this happen on their car?

Major Failure on CLE53 for the first time

furio_CLE53 — Wed, 27 May 2026 08:10:28 GMT

Hey , During some dynamic driving, during one of the hard accelerations at full throttle, the check engine light came on and the engine started shaking. After turning off the car and waiting a bit, the error was gone, but upon another hard acceleration, the error reappeared and the whole engine started shaking again.

The car went to a Mercedes dealership. So far, the scanned codes show a turbo actuator fault and a misfire on cylinder 6. They�ve been diagnosing the car for 3 days now and still don't know what the root cause is. What I found online is a possible issue with the wiring harness�specifically, it might have melted near the 6th cylinder, which is closest to the turbo's heat shield.

This is definitely not the quality I expected from Mercedes. I�ll keep you posted on what happens next, because I�m probably just the first, but not the last one with this problem. The car has 40,000 km on the odometer, which is about 25,000 miles, I think. So it's a bit much, but nothing crazy.

The funniest part is that in Europe we get a two-year warranty, and this breakdown happened exactly two weeks after the factory warranty expired. Fortunately, I have an extended Mercedes warranty, so I hope it will be resolved free of charge.

Rogue Over-the-air Updates

S1000MR — Wed, 27 May 2026 01:34:14 GMT

What�s up with Mercedes pushing over-the-air updates without clearly telling owners what�s changing?

I have a new AMG CLE 53 and after the latest update my startup screen now shows the fully electric AMG GT sedan in mustard yellow. They can call it a �coupe� all they want, it�s still a 4 door.

Before approving any update, I want to know exactly what Mercedes is sending to my car. Not vague �performance improvements� or �enhanced user experience� descriptions.

Are they changing:
� UI elements?
� telemetry/data collection?
� startup branding?
� features?
� system behavior?

This is starting to feel less like owning a car and more like leasing software!

And honestly, I don�t need my gasoline AMG booting up with an advertisement for an EV AMG every time I start the car.

Change it BACK!@

Yes I called them, told them to add a report button to the app; who has the time to deal with this?

Thougts on this for a new exhaust

slk3202001 — Mon, 25 May 2026 22:10:50 GMT

Hello everyone, Would very much like to have a louder exhaust on my CLE 53. A google search found me this one. From what I read require not cutting or welding and works with the existing OEM controls. Looking for thoughts. I know very little
about adding parts to a car..just know I like the sound of a good exhaust. I added on 3 years ago to my MX5 and it was the best money I ever spent.

Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Performance Valved Exhaust System - Yonristic Performance