A35 AMG - thinking of getting one

[NastyRhythm]

Hi everyone

I'm looking at potentially purchasing an A35 Amg next year, and have been looking at prices etc

Budget will be around 35k ish depending.

Having looked at a few online to gauge an idea of price, I'll probably be looking at ones that will be 1-2years old with about 15k miles on it.

My question really is about the cylinder head issues and valve problems.

Have they revised the cylinder head or is it a ticking time bomb for those outside of warranty? I mean I'd be properly annoyed if I spent that amount then after a year or so the valve goes and head needs changing.

The A45 is probably out of my budget tbh, but the A35 seems like it ticks all the boxes. Love the look and interior, and I really don't like VWs or Audis tbh

I mean for the price I could get a slightly newer i30n performance. Ok yes not in same league by any stretch, but perhaps a wiser choice? I'd much prefer the A35 as it looks stunning, 4wd and that interior is awesome!

Anyone purchased and had cylinder head issues outside of warranty? Is it a purchase you regretted? Or is it still worth it

 

[NastyRhythm]

Would I be better off joining Facebook groups and asking?

 

[AMGeed]

Would I be better off joining Facebook groups and asking?

I don't think there are many A35 owners here who can give you an opinion to be fair.
For the money (£35k) there are better AMG's you could get (C63 or E63 for example) Just my opinion.

 

[Jukie]

Would I be better off joining Facebook groups and asking?

In addition to Roger’s response, you may wish to consider we’re in a holiday period. The site has been relatively quiet these past few days. Give people some time to read and reply.

 

[Reorb]

I’m sure an A35 would be a lovely car, but I’ve owned an I30n and they are bloody fantastic! Give it a go before making a choice

 

[Neiltodd]

have a look at the Amg a35 owners thread, that may help

 

[SarahAnn200]

My ex had a 19 reg A35 when we were together and I remember thinking the ride was a lot harder than cars I was used to at the time but then some of our roads here are bumpy seaside coast roads. I was fine on smooth roads and the motorways. I think it's always different when you are not the driver though and it might have been fine if I'd been driving it.
I've recently bought a cla35 shooting brake which has the same engine etc and I love it. I've had a 2019 c43 estate (that i should have kept but i wasn't using it) and i love it as much as that.
With a lot of today's cars being so quiet, I think you will really like the noise they make, especially in sport + but the exhaust sounds really nice just pottering around in the cla35, I'm sure the a35 is the same. I remember my ex's sounding really nice.
The only way to really know is test drive one.

I remember reading about a chap who had an a35 that he got rid of because of issues. Not sure if he was on this site or detailing world. Think they called him Chris and the car was yellow but I'm sure there are a lot of happy owners around

I did look at going back to a C43 estate (I love the new shape) but I pay cash and had set myself a budget of £30k and the cla35 was a better deal to me than going back to an older c43. They'd just reduced the cla35 by £5k and its a 72 reg so was the cheapest on autotrader from a merc dealer so a 2 year warranty which is slightly longer than the original warranty left on it.
I've never considered a c63 because i think they are a bit too much in the noise department for me and the E classes are too wide for my garage although i do love E classes too

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

My ex had a 19 reg A35 when we were together and I remember thinking the ride was a lot harder than cars I was used to at the time but then some of our roads here are bumpy seaside coast roads. I was fine on smooth roads and the motorways. I think it's always different when you are not the driver though and it might have been fine if I'd been driving it.
I've recently bought a cla35 shooting brake which has the same engine etc and I love it. I've had a 2019 c43 estate (that i should have kept but i wasn't using it) and i love it as much as that.
With a lot of today's cars being so quiet, I think you will really like the noise they make, especially in sport + but the exhaust sounds really nice just pottering around in the cla35, I'm sure the a35 is the same. I remember my ex's sounding really nice.
The only way to really know is test drive one.

I remember reading about a chap who had an a35 that he got rid of because of issues. Not sure if he was on this site or detailing world. Think they called him Chris and the car was yellow but I'm sure there are a lot of happy owners around

I did look at going back to a C43 estate (I love the new shape) but I pay cash and had set myself a budget of £30k and the cla35 was a better deal to me than going back to an older c43. They'd just reduced the cla35 by £5k and its a 72 reg so was the cheapest on autotrader from a merc dealer so a 2 year warranty which is slightly longer than the original warranty left on it.
I've never considered a c63 because i think they are a bit too much in the noise department for me and the E classes are too wide for my garage although i do love E classes too

Glad to hear that you’ve found a car you live as much as the C 43

 

[liamt]

I've got a 2022 pre-facelift A35 and so far it hasn't missed a beat. Coming from owning a number of C Class saloons the ride is more harsh but it is an entry level performance car, personally I don't find it uncomfortable even when In sport+. I'd be looking for a premium plus spec car as it should have the adaptive suspension which gives you some flexibility regarding the suspension set up.

There are known head gasket/cylinder head issues with the earlier 2019-2020 cars but from what I've seen on other forums, I believe modified parts were fitted to cars from 2021 onwards but don't quote me on that . If you are looking at used I'd avoid one that has been modified.

 

[NastyRhythm]

I’m sure an A35 would be a lovely car, but I’ve owned an I30n and they are bloody fantastic! Give it a go before making a choice

Awesome yer tbh I'm starting to lean towards the I30n limited edition one, mainly as it'll be newer, have longer warranty etc, and from what I've read they are great fun.

Having thought about it for a while now, I think the A35 is just too much of a stretch for my budget tbh. And although I prefer the A35 , I'd kinda like the idea of 5 year warranty with the I30n

 

[SmartAmg]

Awesome yer tbh I'm starting to lean towards the I30n limited edition one, mainly as it'll be newer, have longer warranty etc, and from what I've read they are great fun.

Having thought about it for a while now, I think the A35 is just too much of a stretch for my budget tbh. And although I prefer the A35 , I'd kinda like the idea of 5 year warranty with the I30n

I can understand your reasons leaning towards the i30n, but you've just said yourself it's not the car you really want, just a thought. Good luck on whatever you choose.

 

[Reorb]

Awesome yer tbh I'm starting to lean towards the I30n limited edition one, mainly as it'll be newer, have longer warranty etc, and from what I've read they are great fun.

Having thought about it for a while now, I think the A35 is just too much of a stretch for my budget tbh. And although I prefer the A35 , I'd kinda like the idea of 5 year warranty with the I30n

They really are fun. The warranty also covers you on track!

 

[NewbieAMG]

Awesome yer tbh I'm starting to lean towards the I30n limited edition one, mainly as it'll be newer, have longer warranty etc, and from what I've read they are great fun.

Having thought about it for a while now, I think the A35 is just too much of a stretch for my budget tbh. And although I prefer the A35 , I'd kinda like the idea of 5 year warranty with the I30n

I've had an i30N for almost three years. It was second best car I've owned after C63. It gave me lots of emotions when driving and was an absolute hoot. Didn't cost anything extra apart from tyres and fuel. In all honesty, look past the badge and boring interior. Try test driving one and you'll be very impressed!

 

[ALFAitalia]

My neighbour has a black one....only spoilt buy all the red bits it has all over it from the factory. He loves it and says its way more fun than the Golf GTI it replaced.....To me the only real issue is the looks.....a bland hatch shape with bits of plastic stuck to it. The A Class certainly looks more....erm? ....classy than the Hyundai.....But I realise there is way more to a car than its looks.

 

[NastyRhythm]

Tbh I really like the look of the i30n, plus you don't see many of them about, unlike golf's and Audi
It's more the 5 year warranty that's attracting me.

The A35 looks awesome and that interior is amazing, but the cylinder head issue is what's putting me off. I'd be properly gutted if I had one for a couple of years then needed to fork out thousands and thousands for a new engine. It's too risky I think.
Reminds me of the Focus RS issues they had with the head bolts and blowing head gasket.

I've never owned a car in warranty before and so this purchase I'd really like to last me 10 years if possible. I do very little mileage, 60 miles a month, if that.

 

[sgregory124]

Tbh I really like the look of the i30n, plus you don't see many of them about, unlike golf's and Audi
It's more the 5 year warranty that's attracting me.

The A35 looks awesome and that interior is amazing, but the cylinder head issue is what's putting me off. I'd be properly gutted if I had one for a couple of years then needed to fork out thousands and thousands for a new engine. It's too risky I think.
Reminds me of the Focus RS issues they had with the head bolts and blowing head gasket.

I've never owned a car in warranty before and so this purchase I'd really like to last me 10 years if possible. I do very little mileage, 60 miles a month, if that.

60 miles a month? Not being flippant here but at such low mileage, what’s the actual point of getting an A35/any performance car.

These cars need to be driven - arguably your going to have more problems with it sat around doing nothing…..

 

[liamt]

Before I got my A35 I researched the head gasket/cylinder issues as I was also concerned despite the car being new. Whilst it is documented that the M264 engine is prone to such failures In the A35, the issue does appear to be rather random. Some people have experienced it, others have not and at different mileages too. To me this suggests there may be multiple variables at play that may contribute to a failure such as:

1. The car not being properly ran in when new (A35s also have the usual AMG running in period).

2. Poor service history/ maintenance.

3. Any engine based performance modifications on the vehicle.

I think point 3 is an important one, the M264 engine is used in a few models such as the A250 which has simply been tuned by AMG in the A35 to get the performance it has. Any additional modifications may be pushing the engine to its limits making a failure more likely. This is why I suggested avoiding modified examples in my previous post. If you buy a used one from a main dealer that is at least three years old, you will get the two year warranty that applies to other used AMG models which is something to also consider.

 

[C320]

Get the car you want. That makes you happy. If you can afford it. If you can make it work. Any car needs to be driven and maintained regardless of fuel type. Unless you are laying up a classic or have a summer car etc. With that low mileage do consider a battery tender. Due diligence as above. Check it has not been modified to the point of compromising it.

On the note of failures. These engines run hot. It’s known for spark plugs to shrink if left to the extended maintenance intervals. You would be looking at cutting your service in half. Rather than the annual oil change, an oil change at 6 months would be my suggestion. Could be an interim one you don’t have recorded by an independent but keep the invoice etc. It’s about keeping it cool. Sat around for periods of time fluids degrade.

As stated here. Many of the problems were with 2019 models. However, there were random cases too after that. Almost all are successfully addressed under warranty. A warranty is a must from the research online. An absolute must have. It is not just the main issue you are concerned about. Other issues such as valve timing and valve seals have also been a concern for some. I think the AMG warranty is 2-years anyway on used approved.

Echo the above running in service. Check records meticulously. Buying something used with higher mileage? Worth budgeting for a carbon clean. On the note of carbon build-up. Try make at least one longer journey every few months. Having said that, are those 60 miles of driving multiple short trips? If so, and the engine spends more time below temperature than above it, this may not be the car for you. You might be better suited to an electric or hybrid.

 

[AMGeed]

60 miles a month? Not being flippant here but at such low mileage, what’s the actual point of getting an A35/any performance car.

These cars need to be driven - arguably your going to have more problems with it sat around doing nothing…..

Exactly the reason I sold my W212 E63. Lack of use.
Doing less than 200 miles a month is just a waste on an AMG IMO
Luckily I only lost £200 on resale over a 3 year period, but some AMG's can depreciate rapidly.