Discussion
After nearly ten (mostly!) happy years in two consecutive Jaguar XKRs I decided a change was in order. They're not an easy act to follow, generous helpings of luxury and performance at very attractive values these days. I very nearly went for a Maserati Granturismo but the cost of parts, servicing and consumables put me off. I considered 981 Boxster S and Jaguar F-Type V8 convertibles but for my budget I would be looking at higher mileage examples only and, having two young kids, couldn't quite make the case for a real two-seat car.
So eventually I decided on a W204 C63 AMG and picked this one up last week from an independent dealer near Southampton and drove it all the way back to Aberdeen:
I chose this one partly because it was an unusual colour, Diamond Silver - don't think I've seen another one in that shade, most of the silver ones are Iridium or Palladium. The other main reason was the factory limited slip differential. It ticked over 46,000 miles on the way home and the paintwork and interior are in extremely good condition, I'm actually considering some sort of PPF or ceramic coating to try and keep that up.
One or two small issues I noted on the drive home, the steering is off center to the right a little bit when driving straight, probably just requires geometry correction and alignment. Bizarrely, my last XKR had that same issue on collection
There's also a rumble from the rear at motorway speeds, sounds like a wheel bearing to me. The dealer has been great so far though, said they'd get somewhere local to sort it out, ideally a Merc specialist.
Quite a different beast to an XKR, the Jags all feel very light on their feet, nicely balanced, effortless performance etc. The Mercedes is a more physical thing to drive, heavier (but slightly quicker) steering, heavier pedal weighting, even the gearshift paddles require a bit more force! On the road it feels more taught, more direct, corners a bit flatter and communicates with the driver better. The trade-off is a little less comfort and waft-ness, although the 12 hour drive home didn't feel like a great hardship. It's also more practical than the XKR - much larger boot, rear seats we can get the kids in, or even an adult up to about 5ft 6in. The front seats have a little less space around them though but it's not exactly cramped.
No real plans other than driving, enjoying and maintaining it. I gather these remap very well so I may look into that in time. Might do some sort of exhaust upgrade to free up a little more noise, although it's fairly vocal at high throttle inputs already. Before that though I will investigate ways to add Android Auto to the infotainment system. If anyone's got suggestions for any of those things I'm keen to hear them!
So eventually I decided on a W204 C63 AMG and picked this one up last week from an independent dealer near Southampton and drove it all the way back to Aberdeen:
I chose this one partly because it was an unusual colour, Diamond Silver - don't think I've seen another one in that shade, most of the silver ones are Iridium or Palladium. The other main reason was the factory limited slip differential. It ticked over 46,000 miles on the way home and the paintwork and interior are in extremely good condition, I'm actually considering some sort of PPF or ceramic coating to try and keep that up.
One or two small issues I noted on the drive home, the steering is off center to the right a little bit when driving straight, probably just requires geometry correction and alignment. Bizarrely, my last XKR had that same issue on collection
There's also a rumble from the rear at motorway speeds, sounds like a wheel bearing to me. The dealer has been great so far though, said they'd get somewhere local to sort it out, ideally a Merc specialist.Quite a different beast to an XKR, the Jags all feel very light on their feet, nicely balanced, effortless performance etc. The Mercedes is a more physical thing to drive, heavier (but slightly quicker) steering, heavier pedal weighting, even the gearshift paddles require a bit more force! On the road it feels more taught, more direct, corners a bit flatter and communicates with the driver better. The trade-off is a little less comfort and waft-ness, although the 12 hour drive home didn't feel like a great hardship. It's also more practical than the XKR - much larger boot, rear seats we can get the kids in, or even an adult up to about 5ft 6in. The front seats have a little less space around them though but it's not exactly cramped.
No real plans other than driving, enjoying and maintaining it. I gather these remap very well so I may look into that in time. Might do some sort of exhaust upgrade to free up a little more noise, although it's fairly vocal at high throttle inputs already. Before that though I will investigate ways to add Android Auto to the infotainment system. If anyone's got suggestions for any of those things I'm keen to hear them!
jackcactii said:
Nice! A real future classic in the making
Beware of premature camshaft adjuster plate and valve tappet wear on these things. and rocker cover leaks
Thanks! I had a look in the engine bay and not seeing any signs of oil leaks. What are the symptoms of the other two issues?Beware of premature camshaft adjuster plate and valve tappet wear on these things. and rocker cover leaks
Leon R said:
Nice car.
I still remember when you were on Seat.net with a MK1 Cupra R.
Cheers, yeah that was some time ago! That car is still on the road according to the MOT history. I do occasionally think about getting another for old time's sake or to turn into a track car. I saw another red one much like mine at a car meet at the weekend past there, didn't get to talk to the owner though. You still have yours, don't you?I still remember when you were on Seat.net with a MK1 Cupra R.
Very nice classy spec there OP. I had a saloon a few years ago and Iv wanted another since I sold it! A secondary cat delete on the exhaust is what you need, a bit more noise without being to anti social.
Only issue with mine was a cracked wheel, common issue with the 19’s other than that was faultless.
They are also restricted from factory so full throttle is never actually full, a remap will give full power and be up to just over 500bhp.
Oh and you’ll probably burn your shins on the protruding exhaust tips at some point when getting stuff out the boot after a drive!
Only issue with mine was a cracked wheel, common issue with the 19’s other than that was faultless.
They are also restricted from factory so full throttle is never actually full, a remap will give full power and be up to just over 500bhp.
Oh and you’ll probably burn your shins on the protruding exhaust tips at some point when getting stuff out the boot after a drive!
Cheers! Yeah it had a wheel crack repaired just prior to my collecting it, according to one of the invoices I got with the car. The wheels look like they were refurbished fairly recently, they're in extremely good nick (other than that crack) so I presume that crack happened fairly recently. I'm taking extra care to avoid potholes now tho...
Great pictures wish I could get some of my C63 like that, you will love the car. I bought mine new in 2013 and still have it to this day. They are pretty reliable too if looked after properly.
A good remap will take it to 500-520 and if you want a little more noisy while keeping the AMG tone just delete the secondary cats, don't delete the resonator or you will loose the AMG tone.
A good remap will take it to 500-520 and if you want a little more noisy while keeping the AMG tone just delete the secondary cats, don't delete the resonator or you will loose the AMG tone.
Edited by PhilT86 on Monday 10th April 15:18
Who are the best options for remapping these?A recently cracked wheel and off centre steering?... Hopefully it's not wacked a kerb or a very nasty pothole at some speed and suffered suspension damage requiring a bit more than just an alignment?
Although I suppose if the dealer is willing to stump up to rectify any issue it won't be a problem.
Although I suppose if the dealer is willing to stump up to rectify any issue it won't be a problem.
Great car.
The engine is a masterpiece that will never be repeated.
MSL in Birmingham have a good reputation. Had ours remapped to approx 520hp. Turned a rapid car into a monster.
Do I regret selling it, yes I do, should have been a keeping but life gets in the way sometime.
The only issue we had with ours was weeping cam covers which my local Mercedes garage fixed foc even though it had no warranty left.
The engine is a masterpiece that will never be repeated.
MSL in Birmingham have a good reputation. Had ours remapped to approx 520hp. Turned a rapid car into a monster.
Do I regret selling it, yes I do, should have been a keeping but life gets in the way sometime.
The only issue we had with ours was weeping cam covers which my local Mercedes garage fixed foc even though it had no warranty left.
jackcactii said:
Nice! A real future classic in the making
Beware of premature camshaft adjuster plate and valve tappet wear on these things. and rocker cover leaks
Im on the look out for an AMG estate myself. Still trying to decide on the C Class 4.0, the 6.2 or a CLA 45. I've been trawling the various threads on here. There is some good info on the second page of this thread regards camshaft adjuster wear and other preventative maintenance. Beware of premature camshaft adjuster plate and valve tappet wear on these things. and rocker cover leaks
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Congrats on the C63, looks very classy in silvers / greys especially on silver wheels. To this day one of the very few cars I regret selling.
Word of warning on the wheels - the 19's are made of cheese and the sight of a pothole will buckle them easily. When your Conti's wear out I'd recommend changing to Mich PS4s too, I found they transformed the car especially in the wet, mine didn't have a diff either.
MSL have mapped my previous E63s, but I did visit them with the C63 to do the secondary cat delete - Imran at Torqueflow does it in-house at MSL. The secondary cat delete is the factory exhaust tone with a 30% or so volume increase, I find many after market exhausts change the tone of the exhaust entirely which might not be for you.
Genuinely fantastic cars and the 'Concorde' of the modern AMG which we we'll never see again. Enjoy in good health!
Word of warning on the wheels - the 19's are made of cheese and the sight of a pothole will buckle them easily. When your Conti's wear out I'd recommend changing to Mich PS4s too, I found they transformed the car especially in the wet, mine didn't have a diff either.
MSL have mapped my previous E63s, but I did visit them with the C63 to do the secondary cat delete - Imran at Torqueflow does it in-house at MSL. The secondary cat delete is the factory exhaust tone with a 30% or so volume increase, I find many after market exhausts change the tone of the exhaust entirely which might not be for you.
Genuinely fantastic cars and the 'Concorde' of the modern AMG which we we'll never see again. Enjoy in good health!
8bit said:
Another general question - what Merc or AMG specific forums are good? As in, decent technical knowledge and reasonably well visited.
Lovely car OP, along with the Jag, both cars that I have a want for but so far have never quite convinced myself to buy.MBClubUK have a dedicated AMG section with some very knowledgeable guys over there, is always active, and it is free to join.
Do these have the same rear subframe rust issues as other C and E classes of that ilk. Be worth getting it checked out maybe. Mercedes are replacing FOC as a matter of goodwill.
Thanks all! I was very drawn to the colour, I like silver as it accentuates the lines on a car. I particularly like the Diamond Silver, haven't seen another one of these in that shade.
@Monkeylegend, thanks for that, I'll take a look there. Regards the subframes, is that being done as a recall? I'll pop the rear end up on ramps this week and have a look.
Took the car out to show it off to a mate this evening, what a machine... Just grips and goes like hell.
One thing I noticed this evening, when fully opening the sunroof (i.e. backwards) it was quite slow and kept sticking. Same for closing it forward again, had to help it along by manually pulling the front edge forwards. Is that just a case of lubricating the mechanism somewhere?
@Monkeylegend, thanks for that, I'll take a look there. Regards the subframes, is that being done as a recall? I'll pop the rear end up on ramps this week and have a look.
Took the car out to show it off to a mate this evening, what a machine... Just grips and goes like hell.
One thing I noticed this evening, when fully opening the sunroof (i.e. backwards) it was quite slow and kept sticking. Same for closing it forward again, had to help it along by manually pulling the front edge forwards. Is that just a case of lubricating the mechanism somewhere?
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