RE: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG: PH Buying Guide
Discussion
I had a saloon for a brief period and it was a hoot. i found myself having the windows down, manually downshifting far too often - just an orchestra following you around, never owned a car that sounded so good.
My issues with it mainly stem from the dealers shocking service/knowledge. I had had a very expensive oil change which is required to maintain FDSH. The bonus of this gave me 1 years roadside recovery as a week or two later (unrelated to service) i developed a misfire. I pulled over and they sent out the RAC as no Merc vehicles were in the area. the RAC chap kindly let me photo his screen showing the fault code (and as a bonus told me which parking sensor at the front was faulty). After the recovery the Merc dealer was trying to charge me £1200 to change the inlet manifold gasket/bolts as they are 'common on these'. when i mentioned the fault code he said 'what fault code?' didn't inspire confidence, so i said thank you, i will have my car back please. They did kindly wave the 'diag' charge. I bought a £90 Merc based Diagnostic Device which pointed to a cam sensor, a Bosch component that was readily available for £23 and took me 10 minute to swap with one 10mm bolt by way of special equipment needed. the parking sensor was £6.
The only other thing i needed to swap was rear dampers, which are the same part number as standard c class, so not expensive (non genuine).
I only sold as i needed my bank balance to look better for a mortgage application. that and the commute to work cost twice as much as my previous car
ebayed the obd reader for £80 as didn't have a merc next
My issues with it mainly stem from the dealers shocking service/knowledge. I had had a very expensive oil change which is required to maintain FDSH. The bonus of this gave me 1 years roadside recovery as a week or two later (unrelated to service) i developed a misfire. I pulled over and they sent out the RAC as no Merc vehicles were in the area. the RAC chap kindly let me photo his screen showing the fault code (and as a bonus told me which parking sensor at the front was faulty). After the recovery the Merc dealer was trying to charge me £1200 to change the inlet manifold gasket/bolts as they are 'common on these'. when i mentioned the fault code he said 'what fault code?' didn't inspire confidence, so i said thank you, i will have my car back please. They did kindly wave the 'diag' charge. I bought a £90 Merc based Diagnostic Device which pointed to a cam sensor, a Bosch component that was readily available for £23 and took me 10 minute to swap with one 10mm bolt by way of special equipment needed. the parking sensor was £6.
The only other thing i needed to swap was rear dampers, which are the same part number as standard c class, so not expensive (non genuine).
I only sold as i needed my bank balance to look better for a mortgage application. that and the commute to work cost twice as much as my previous car
ebayed the obd reader for £80 as didn't have a merc next
We owned a 2012 4 door red one for about 18 months.
Absolutely epic car and I would encourage anyone who can to own one at some point before they are legislated/taxed out of our reach.
Such an occasion just to start up, ours was remapped to approx 520hp and it absolutely flew. So much more organic and gritty than the turbo’d successor (although still excellent)
Only issue we had was a leaky cam cover which was fixed foc by my local Merc dealer which was very nice of them as I did not buy from them and no warranty.
If you are I thinking about it, just go for it.
Absolutely epic car and I would encourage anyone who can to own one at some point before they are legislated/taxed out of our reach.
Such an occasion just to start up, ours was remapped to approx 520hp and it absolutely flew. So much more organic and gritty than the turbo’d successor (although still excellent)
Only issue we had was a leaky cam cover which was fixed foc by my local Merc dealer which was very nice of them as I did not buy from them and no warranty.
If you are I thinking about it, just go for it.
thirdbrother3 said:
I had a saloon for a brief period and it was a hoot. i found myself having the windows down, manually downshifting far too often - just an orchestra following you around, never owned a car that sounded so good.
My issues with it mainly stem from the dealers shocking service/knowledge. I had had a very expensive oil change which is required to maintain FDSH. The bonus of this gave me 1 years roadside recovery as a week or two later (unrelated to service) i developed a misfire. I pulled over and they sent out the RAC as no Merc vehicles were in the area. the RAC chap kindly let me photo his screen showing the fault code (and as a bonus told me which parking sensor at the front was faulty). After the recovery the Merc dealer was trying to charge me £1200 to change the inlet manifold gasket/bolts as they are 'common on these'. when i mentioned the fault code he said 'what fault code?' didn't inspire confidence, so i said thank you, i will have my car back please. They did kindly wave the 'diag' charge. I bought a £90 Merc based Diagnostic Device which pointed to a cam sensor, a Bosch component that was readily available for £23 and took me 10 minute to swap with one 10mm bolt by way of special equipment needed. the parking sensor was £6.
The only other thing i needed to swap was rear dampers, which are the same part number as standard c class, so not expensive (non genuine).
I only sold as i needed my bank balance to look better for a mortgage application. that and the commute to work cost twice as much as my previous car
ebayed the obd reader for £80 as didn't have a merc next
I had similar when a bonnet sensor broke so kept beeping saying it wasn’t shut. New sensor £12 on internet and literally 2 screws, unplug old plug in new, 2 screws back in. Dealer said they’d have to run diagnostic at £110 and a weeks wait as they ‘fully booked’, I said no thanks I’d rather spend £12 on a new one and if it’s not that then il come back. As I was driving out the car park he ran out to stop me saying ‘he shouldn’t do this but a space has just come up and they will run the diagnostic for free right now’, ok go on then. 10 mins later ‘it’s a bonnet sensor £12 part and £100 for hours labour to fit’ i declined his generous offer of fitting took the part and did it myself in about 4 minutes. My issues with it mainly stem from the dealers shocking service/knowledge. I had had a very expensive oil change which is required to maintain FDSH. The bonus of this gave me 1 years roadside recovery as a week or two later (unrelated to service) i developed a misfire. I pulled over and they sent out the RAC as no Merc vehicles were in the area. the RAC chap kindly let me photo his screen showing the fault code (and as a bonus told me which parking sensor at the front was faulty). After the recovery the Merc dealer was trying to charge me £1200 to change the inlet manifold gasket/bolts as they are 'common on these'. when i mentioned the fault code he said 'what fault code?' didn't inspire confidence, so i said thank you, i will have my car back please. They did kindly wave the 'diag' charge. I bought a £90 Merc based Diagnostic Device which pointed to a cam sensor, a Bosch component that was readily available for £23 and took me 10 minute to swap with one 10mm bolt by way of special equipment needed. the parking sensor was £6.
The only other thing i needed to swap was rear dampers, which are the same part number as standard c class, so not expensive (non genuine).
I only sold as i needed my bank balance to look better for a mortgage application. that and the commute to work cost twice as much as my previous car
ebayed the obd reader for £80 as didn't have a merc next
I wonder how many people get ripped off just taking their car in when a light comes on as if I’d have just listened to them a £12 fix would have cost me £200+!
Dezbo said:
Glenn63 said:
Probably the best car Iv owned and regret selling. It’s the perfect all rounder for me can potter around town like a normal c class but with that wonderful V8 burble massaging your back in the seat, but get on it and it can be a wild brute of a car! I even saw 30mpg on the long drive from Lancashire to the in-laws in Inverness. Prices have only slightly dropped to what I paid 4 years ago.
Make sure you have a good check of any car as they are creeping into chav price sector and when they realise all their moneys going on fuel things like servicing/ brakes/ tyres take a back seat and then they try to sell them just as everything needs doing and if it’s a PPP car the brakes are MUCH more expensive than the normal ones.
Had one of these for 4 years, great car but they are firmly in the Chav price sector now sadly as I found out from the sort of chancers enquiring about it. I will admit there is now a snob factor for me and I couldn’t own another one when I see typical current owner profiles and how unsocially these are often drivenMake sure you have a good check of any car as they are creeping into chav price sector and when they realise all their moneys going on fuel things like servicing/ brakes/ tyres take a back seat and then they try to sell them just as everything needs doing and if it’s a PPP car the brakes are MUCH more expensive than the normal ones.
I do really like these, a saloon or preferably an estate for me and probably a subtle colour (or anything other than white!)
I've got a thing for this era v8 super saloon, they typically make excellent daily drivers but still make you smile. The c63 is second on the list for me, m3 is third despite being a bmw fan boy and i just dont feel fussed on the RS4.
I've got a thing for this era v8 super saloon, they typically make excellent daily drivers but still make you smile. The c63 is second on the list for me, m3 is third despite being a bmw fan boy and i just dont feel fussed on the RS4.
I bought a W204 C63 Saloon brand new in 2014 and ran it for 5 years covering just over 60,000 miles with no significant faults or problems at all. It once weeped oil out of the nearside rocker cover gasket which dripped onto the exhaust manifold (a bit smelly and smokey) but it wasn't an expensive Main Dealer fix. That was about it, problem wise.
Servicing costs are quite high, but I bought a service pack from my MB dealer and I'd advise anyone to buy a good warranty as any catastrophic failures (Engine, Gearbox, Diff.) will be seriously expensive.
Fuel costs are high, but I'm sure everyone knows that. Mine averaged somewhere between 13 - 16 mpg, depending on my mood. I never achieved more than 23 mpg even on a long run.
Mine came out of the factory on Yokohoma Advan Sport V105 tyres. Rears would wear out in 6,000 miles. I tried Conti's once, but they didn't seem to last any longer.
Since changing my car (which I still miss t.b.h.) I now run its replacement on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. I'm impressed with their grip & handling and they seem to wear much better - having got 10,000 miles out of a set on the rear of my new car.
My car had 19'' alloys and while some people say the ride quality is compromised, I found the ride not too harsh but the 19'' s look so much better. Rear camera is a must, but it's a basic one compared to later MB versions and the Harmon Kardon stereo was superb. Cars with Harmon Kardon get a six cd player, rather than the single one too, if you use that old tech!
Buy and enjoy I say. One of the best cars I've ever had.
.
Servicing costs are quite high, but I bought a service pack from my MB dealer and I'd advise anyone to buy a good warranty as any catastrophic failures (Engine, Gearbox, Diff.) will be seriously expensive.
Fuel costs are high, but I'm sure everyone knows that. Mine averaged somewhere between 13 - 16 mpg, depending on my mood. I never achieved more than 23 mpg even on a long run.
Mine came out of the factory on Yokohoma Advan Sport V105 tyres. Rears would wear out in 6,000 miles. I tried Conti's once, but they didn't seem to last any longer.
Since changing my car (which I still miss t.b.h.) I now run its replacement on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. I'm impressed with their grip & handling and they seem to wear much better - having got 10,000 miles out of a set on the rear of my new car.
My car had 19'' alloys and while some people say the ride quality is compromised, I found the ride not too harsh but the 19'' s look so much better. Rear camera is a must, but it's a basic one compared to later MB versions and the Harmon Kardon stereo was superb. Cars with Harmon Kardon get a six cd player, rather than the single one too, if you use that old tech!
Buy and enjoy I say. One of the best cars I've ever had.
.
I had an early one in 08 which wasn’t a PP version and I ran it for nearly 3 years without fault. It was a complete hoot to drive and every journey was an event despite the mundane nature of the route I was taking to work at the time. I followed this with an XFR then an M5 both of which had impressive power plants in their own right but nothing compares to that 6.2l NA engine...
Interestingly, the W204 C-class platform was used by MB for my E500 Coupe, too. It is a stonking beast, I must say, that I used as a daily driver, and owned for 5 years. A true sleeper. I have now got 44,000 miles of faultless motoring on the clock - and as it is the rare gen 2 2012 model year E500 coupe, it has the 4.7 litre twin-turbo V8 "M278" engine, it produces 408ps/600nm torque, but is blue-efficiency, so has lower road tax in band K. Only 10 other cars were sold in the UK in gen 2 with this engine spec. Sadly, a new Taycan now forces a sale, but it was a real brutus to have owned!
I’m on my second one of these now. Had a PPP before mapped to 520. At winter time it does struggle to deploy that much horsepower to the rear, and after a year I tried a Prefl RS3 (also mapped).
Pace and handling wise, once you sort out the woeful Pirellis and standard brakes, the RS3 would obliterate the AMG in most scenarios but the AMG is a much nicer place to be more of the time.
The ride might be a tad firmer, but on most models there’s none of the annoying features on newer cars like stop start, autonomous braking, and all the other things that imo don’t really belong on a performance car.
The AMG is much more of an occasion to drive; the noise and the theatre was what I missed the most. The Audi cabin felt a bit of a downgrade in comparison. It was stupidly fast and the performance from that 2.5 was eye opening given the difference in capacity between the two cars, but a year later I was back in another C63.
Both cars I’ve had have been pretty reliable. The first needed a handbrake cable replaced (common fault as the silly design footbrake stretches). The current one has had an electronic control module and an aircon pressure sensor over the 18 months I’ve had it, and a slightly weeping cam cover was done FOC as goodwill.
I would say go for a warranty; it’s paid for itself this year but ultimately compared to BMW M cars and Audi RS models I’ve owned it’s proven a very reliable car and I’d recommend anyone that enjoys a good muscle car needs to try one.
Believe it or not service costs were virtually the same between the RS3 and the AMG. Tax and fuel cost is much more expensive but then - it’s a 6.2 v8!
Pace and handling wise, once you sort out the woeful Pirellis and standard brakes, the RS3 would obliterate the AMG in most scenarios but the AMG is a much nicer place to be more of the time.
The ride might be a tad firmer, but on most models there’s none of the annoying features on newer cars like stop start, autonomous braking, and all the other things that imo don’t really belong on a performance car.
The AMG is much more of an occasion to drive; the noise and the theatre was what I missed the most. The Audi cabin felt a bit of a downgrade in comparison. It was stupidly fast and the performance from that 2.5 was eye opening given the difference in capacity between the two cars, but a year later I was back in another C63.
Both cars I’ve had have been pretty reliable. The first needed a handbrake cable replaced (common fault as the silly design footbrake stretches). The current one has had an electronic control module and an aircon pressure sensor over the 18 months I’ve had it, and a slightly weeping cam cover was done FOC as goodwill.
I would say go for a warranty; it’s paid for itself this year but ultimately compared to BMW M cars and Audi RS models I’ve owned it’s proven a very reliable car and I’d recommend anyone that enjoys a good muscle car needs to try one.
Believe it or not service costs were virtually the same between the RS3 and the AMG. Tax and fuel cost is much more expensive but then - it’s a 6.2 v8!
Edited by mrnoisy78 on Tuesday 5th January 17:45
The Black Series just looks fantastic with all the OTT carbon aero- just not at £80k imo!
Back in around 2013/14 they were quite attractive lease deals and did have a bit of an image problem, however this wouldn't bother me. I gave one serious consideration before I bought my M6, but the V10 appealed slightly more, maybe a 507 someday
Back in around 2013/14 they were quite attractive lease deals and did have a bit of an image problem, however this wouldn't bother me. I gave one serious consideration before I bought my M6, but the V10 appealed slightly more, maybe a 507 someday
Also check for rattles on startup with a warm motor after 15-20 minutes since running. Oil drains down and there can be a horrible momentary rattle when re-starting. Had a 2012 estate which was OK, but the 2014 saloon I had developed a rattle on warm startup after about 25,000 miles. Had work done by 2 MB dealers replacing or adjusting cam followers, but never completely fixed. 2nd MB dealer had the car for 5 weeks! Eventually had a letter from AMG telling me it is a "characteristic of the M156 engine" I don't think so! However, I still miss the awesome soundtrack!
I'm running a 2014 Edition 507. Absolutely love it. No major issues in the three years I have owned it.
While I have minor gripes, the engine always brings a smile to my face. Given the direction toward ever smaller numbers of cylinders, the addition of turbos and electrification I now have to keep it forever.
While I have minor gripes, the engine always brings a smile to my face. Given the direction toward ever smaller numbers of cylinders, the addition of turbos and electrification I now have to keep it forever.
Thread reasurrection!
Still miss my W204 C63 wagon, now 6 years on.
Anyway, as a reminder, here's a vid I took in Germany (I was fortunate enough to road trip on the continent twice in it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGwPDCyUXQU
Still miss my W204 C63 wagon, now 6 years on.
Anyway, as a reminder, here's a vid I took in Germany (I was fortunate enough to road trip on the continent twice in it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGwPDCyUXQU
The wagons are all round usable although as others have said the 19s wheels are made of chocolate, having replaced a front and rear rim in the last 4 months.
I assume your 186mph run on the autobahn was a remapped 500hp m156? I only got to 155 mph on my German autobahn trip in the summer which was taking liberties given the family were in the car at the time.
On a side note it's no where near as quick as my bmw m4 was or as sharp steering or handling but at the same time the gearbox is more refined on the merc and mine is the face-lift. I'm not an audi fan but I looked long and hard and couldn't think of anything else that would be fun that wasn't too large. Having driven an m5 round Bedford I was seriously unimpressed with that heffer!
It's going to be very hard of what will come next for me after the 6.2. To be fair the 4l is a nice machine but ever complex cars means much higher running costs when they hit 5 years old plus.
I assume your 186mph run on the autobahn was a remapped 500hp m156? I only got to 155 mph on my German autobahn trip in the summer which was taking liberties given the family were in the car at the time.
On a side note it's no where near as quick as my bmw m4 was or as sharp steering or handling but at the same time the gearbox is more refined on the merc and mine is the face-lift. I'm not an audi fan but I looked long and hard and couldn't think of anything else that would be fun that wasn't too large. Having driven an m5 round Bedford I was seriously unimpressed with that heffer!
It's going to be very hard of what will come next for me after the 6.2. To be fair the 4l is a nice machine but ever complex cars means much higher running costs when they hit 5 years old plus.
Glenn63 said:
I had similar when a bonnet sensor broke so kept beeping saying it wasn’t shut. New sensor £12 on internet and literally 2 screws, unplug old plug in new, 2 screws back in. Dealer said they’d have to run diagnostic at £110 and a weeks wait as they ‘fully booked’, I said no thanks I’d rather spend £12 on a new one and if it’s not that then il come back. As I was driving out the car park he ran out to stop me saying ‘he shouldn’t do this but a space has just come up and they will run the diagnostic for free right now’, ok go on then. 10 mins later ‘it’s a bonnet sensor £12 part and £100 for hours labour to fit’ i declined his generous offer of fitting took the part and did it myself in about 4 minutes.
I wonder how many people get ripped off just taking their car in when a light comes on as if I’d have just listened to them a £12 fix would have cost me £200+!
A diag tool is definitely money well spent for anything complex and modern with an expired warranty. That, and finding a good independent garage away from the main dealers, who don’t understand why you think £100 an hour is expensive! I wonder how many people get ripped off just taking their car in when a light comes on as if I’d have just listened to them a £12 fix would have cost me £200+!
But that engine, what an engine! It should be on every PHer’s bucket list to own something with an M156, before they all disappear.
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