xxaarraa

Looking for information on fitting a hitch receiver to my 2011 C63 sedan. I already have a truck, but also want my C63 to tow my race bikes and lightweight Kendon trailer (<1500 lbs total) to the track on weekends I feel like driving the car instead. PLEASE NOTE:

NOT LOOKING TO TURN THIS INTO A 'DO NOT TOW WITH YOUR C63' THREAD.

I called a few dealers in my area and clearly, they don't offer a factory hitch receiver for the C63. I am pretty sure uHaul or a local shop can put one on. A fellow racer tows his bikes to the track with his C300 and barring a taillight bulb warning, he says his car does fine.

Here is specifically what I would like opinions on. FROM FOLKS WITH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. NOT LOOKING FOR CONJENCTURE.

• Is there a particular type/model/brand of receiver that works better for our cars than others?
• Does fitting a receiver void the factory warranty? My 2011 is still under the original 4 year / 50k warranty till end of next year and I would like to know if adding a receiver will give MB a reason to deny any warranty claims.

Again, only from folks that actually know this from experience, not what you think is likely to happen. Definitely not interested in "get an SUV" comments, I already have one thank you very much. Thanks a lot MBWorld.

Johnnie58

Funny man , I did this when I got my RS6 I posted on the Audi forum I got all the crap your talking about , I have the same trailer and a couple of bikes to tow also , Audi told me it can't be done , ,,,,!!,,! I found a tow bar specialist he got an all road em tow bar and bingo , no holes in my bar not cutting to my diffuser it was beautiful . And when the tongue was not in you couldn't see a fn thing from behind it either ! Perfect He has just done and edition C63 used a stock oem c class tow bar and modified the tonge to scoop under the diffuser it need a tiny amount of cutting at the underside but nothing you could see unless lying under it , so I'm in oz but just get it to a professional tow bar guy and pay a bit more to have done. No worries , the car here has even done 911 Porsche , Audi rs4 , S5 , bmx 335 coupe etc , so yes it all can be done

Enjoy, ride hard

John

Merc63

What's the tow rating on the c63? Does it even have one?


Man I would die laughing if I seen a c63 rolling up with race bike in tow... I think you're going to be way over weight doing this. What's payload of a c63?

You bet your *** a hitch will void all kinds of warranties. It's not designed to tow a trailer. Electrical, brakes, drive line, I could see them voiding all kinds of stuff because of it if they were inclinded to... All depending on the relationship and situation with the dealer if a warranty claim came up.

May I ask why, when you have a SUV designed to tow, that you would want to try and rig up a sports sedan to do something which it was never designed for? I don't get it... ?

Edit, payload is 950lbs. There is no trailer info listed. I think the DOT guys would have fun with this one.

Johnnie58

Don't worry about the bs mate, I towed with my 720nm RS6 for 6 years not one issue ever , still managed to win drags at the lights too !!!

Check this , c class oem bar rated at 700kgs
Quote:
Originally Posted by gsrjc View Post
why would you even want to tow something with the C63?
Because a C63 is a torque monster of a car and will tow with ease? Not only that, but I can tow in comfort.

I ask about a tow bar, nothing available for C63, but there is a 700kg tow bar for the normal C class. I kinda wanted a 2000kg one so I can tow a race car/trailer.

I think the reason MB might not want the C63 to tow is the gearbox might not be made for those weight loads? I've had a once off tow bar made for a previous car and it was all up $650 installed (2 tonne too)

EDIT: I just noticed all the Aussies have already asked/investigated this, and the Americans are like "towing wtf". Must be an aussie thing to feel as if you need a tow bar haha

Read more: https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...#ixzz3N2rZXCna

xxaarraa

The only piece of information you posted that's not irrelevant is the 950 lbs. I need to double check that, seems low. Even Accords have a 2000 lb tow rating.

"You bet your ***" - is that speaking from personal experience as my original post requests? Or is it your own wild *** guess? Seriously, I don't mean to be rude, but I am not interested in your opinions on lifestyle. I have seen too many of these threads degrade into irrelevant exchanges of opinions of guys who don't have bikes and who don't tow (hence shouldn't be posting in the first place).

Just looking to hear from folks that have done it. Thanks Johnnie58, that's good to know!

Johnnie58

No worries , I have sold my Rs and have been looking for a good c63 for a few months I have already seen the Towbar guy that did my Rs , he has done a c63 already here it's about $870 fitted 700 kg rated in braked from memory I will be fitting one to mine . So people can laugh.. Hahaaa calling it a it a super sedan It's just a c class with a big motor nothing more nothing less

Merc63

Oh I have all kinds of experience with the dealer and warranty. It depends on your dealer and your relationship with them. Why don't you call your particular dealer and ask? Every dealer is different so it makes no sense to ask guys online.

I have a bike and tow daily, not with my c class, with a proper vehicle, a truck. This isn't opinion, it's fact, a c63 was never designed to tow, hence the lack of a tow rating. What do you think DOT is going to say when you get pulled over lol. Maybe you should have got that accord for that big tow rating.

Do you wonder why these threads turn into a **** show? Cause it's ridiculous to be towing with a c class let alone a c63. What's next your lambo?

Merc63

LOL 2000kgs behind a c class are you out of your mind?? Some SUVs don't even have that rating. That's hilarious.

QWKSNKE

If your owner's manual does not cover towing and there is not a tow label in the door jam, then yes it will void your warranty in regards to components that could receive damage such as transmissions, rear diffs, suspension, and/or brakes.
Not to mention, if involved in an accident while towing and the officer knows much about cars, you could end up with fines, loss of driving privileges, etc. Depending on your local laws in regards to improperly operating a motor vehicle.

jvanbrecht

The US is very conservative in there ratings for tow packages. I remember towing a giant *** caravan (much more than 2000k's) with an Opel Cadett (which then became an Opel Astra/Saturn Astra, but back when we had one.. it was a Pontiac Lemans in the US) when I was living in South Africa.

Now yes, I do agree, the C63, and for the most part, all cars similar, are not geared for towing. But that does not mean it is not capable.

To the OP, you can tow with a C63 if you have a custom hitch installed, however, there is no stock bolt on hitch for the C63 due to the way stuff is mounted and routed in the under carriage, and the lack of need for a hitch. I researched this extensively, and not for towing, but to mount a Tow Hitch Bike Rack.

However, you do not want to tow with a C63, the gearing is not designed for it, and you will wear out the transmission much much faster.

Merc63

I would be more worried about loss of liability insurance from towing with a vehicle that isn't qualified for towing.

Having said that I just talked to my German friend and he said in Germany you can order a c class from the factory with a trailer hitch so there has to be some guidelines and thought put into that. However, I am not sure if these cars are certified for towing in North American spec.

I would call the dealer and ask for their guidance. Also insurance to see about coverage.

Don't you take a generator, tire warmers, fuel, tools, etc when you race?

Spdrcrj

When I bought my C63, I looked up Uhaul's site info. They will install a tow hitch on a C63 AMG. I talked to my local installer and they said some vehicles are not listed because they wont install hitches on them since they are not safe to do so. Examples are RS5's and M4's, the two other vehicles I was looking into. Looking forward to seeing the work once you get it done. :-) I have had Uhaul install a hitch on a VW GTi before and they did great work, no tail light out warning either. I would recommend them.

fwiw....I decided to buy a Jeep to tow my trailer. lol

jvanbrecht

Not sure where the OP's location is, but based on his vehicle history (Toyota Tacoma is only sold under that name in the US market), I am guessing the US. So yeah, even if you manage to get a tow hitch installed, you will likely have insurance problems, and if you get into an accident, you will most definitely get hammered on by law enforcement, and if there is a fatality involved.. you are going to be royally hosed.

realjones88

It looks like there are parts made by Mercedes that allow a hitch to be fit on a c63:

http://www.mbpartsworld.com/showAsse...roduct=7802010

I'm not sure if this is actually what you are trying to add, but it's worth a look.

Merc63

There ya go, tow away.

jvanbrecht

Wow, that looks like a pain to install... and worthless for anything other than trailers (which I guess is what the OP wants it for).

xxaarraa

This is great information, thanks a lot for sharing. Looks like for around ~300, you can get all OEM parts and get an installer to install it. I will investigate this route further and post back.

xxaarraa

I got a PM recently asking for this information, so I figured I should post it in this thread for future reference.
_________

__________

Yup. A C300 hitch ( ) works on our cars (W204 C63) with two modifications:

• The rear diffuser will not work with the hitch. It has to be trimmed. Pretty easy to do with a dremel (see pics), but it means you cannot run an aftermarket 'big fin' diffuser, stock only. I suppose you could trim an aftermarket diffuser also, but you'd be trimming quite a bit and it would look off.
• Our rear exhausts have a bracket that connects them from left to right. The hitch gets in the way of this bracket so bracket had to be spaced out on both sides with spacers to clear the hitch.

Oh, as for insurance and liability and all that jazz, people talk out of their *** on that front (including in this thread). I called my insurance company and got this in writing - "Your car does not have to be rated by manufacturer for towing for us to cover your trailer and belongings. What we (insurance company) care about is whether your trailer is added to your policy, and the amount of coverage you carry on your trailer"

As for manufacturer warranty, I couldn't tell you. My car is out of warranty now anyway, and when it comes time to trade in, I plan on removing the hitch before going to dealers. Just because I would prefer to not get into this discussion with dealers on a car I am about to trade in anyway.

Diffuser trimmed:



Exhaust clamp spaced out:



Final product: (I wanted the wiring to be quickly disconnectable when I trade the car in, so we didn't bother running it seamlessly underneath the car)











Obviously, the C63 makes for a great tow car. It tows my ~1200-1500 lbs like it's not even there. What's best - I can get the bikes to the track and do a few sessions in the car as well, which I do sometimes.



For all the haters and sceptics, here's my real tow car

need2speed

Nicely done :-)

zcct04

This thread has lots of unsubstantiated opinions about the C63 not being capable of towing. Nobody has offered any logic for that assumption, so I went hunting for some facts. I found C-class towing specs on benzworld:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w204...s-09-c300.html

They don't list C63 but everything else (down to a wimpy C180) is good for 1185-1215 kg (2,612-2,679 pounds). The AMGs have a stronger engine, a stronger transmission and a stronger suspension. If a C180 can handle that much, a C63 should be able to do it without breaking a sweat.

Being able to add a lightweight track car to the stable without having to invest in a truck to pull it with is pretty appealing. I really appreciate the post updates from xxaarraa.

deadlyvt

Now you just need to convert the trunk to a box and your set

C63AMG2011

Good work on that c63 man! You get the best of both worlds, race your bikes and do a few turns with the car. Amazing!

That truck is amazing! Props

roadtalontsi

i tow cars around my parking lot with my smart car all the time. people say there's no way it can pull a 6000lb truck, well it does. It may not like it but all 68 squirrel powers make it happen. I dont see any reason why a c63 couldn't tow. The chassis has amg stiffening/extra welds, the spring and dampening rates are much higher, the brakes much bigger. Should you tow a small light trailer going 150? no. tow a small light trailer at regular speeds sure why not. It's no more dangerous than people hauling those scary uhaul trailers at 90mph that even say on the side 45mph max speed. lol.

Props for posting this up for the community to reference and actually towing with it. Id almost consider installing one to put a tire carrier on it for track use but the wifey would kill me.

AMG_Notts

Who are you to deem it ‘ridiculous’ to be towing with a C class. A puny Corolla can tow, so why not a torque monster? And the OP has a legit reason for doing so. I wouldn’t buy a crap car just to please some random guy in a forum who for some weird reason gets upset about what others use their cars for.

I came across this thread as I’m getting a C63 AMG cabrio next and will be fitting a bike cartier/hitch cargo box for my luggage when I go on long European trips. I apologise beforehand for the nightmares/ptsd this will give you.

AMG_Notts

good point re the wear on the transmission. However, I think it can handle light towing loads since the same engine/tranny combo is used for heavier cars/SUVs too. As long as you’re towing light stuff like bikes you should be within normal weight parameters the gearbox was designed for - just don’t go towing a 2 ton twin axle caravan!