betrezra

I've been here for my mb ownership from our 1st c230, to ml500, to ml63 to 09 C63, to clk55, to 14 C63, and w205 c63, and now landed on w204 c63 507 ed...... and this place has been a quality spot for tech, and car-kindship.

Am I the only one who has seen this place deteriorate into something that is less car love, tech sharing, track performance...... and more chest beating and bench racing... and juvinile pizzing contests. I'm afraid the lunatics are running the asylumn.

To top it off we create a thread in our beloved W204 section to showcase this behavior.......

I'm no serious racer, I'm not really fast, but I'm learning, and trying to enjoy this sport/hobby.

I'm afraid this place is going farther and farther away from a legit spot for tech, comaradre..... it is becoming perhaps what people at the track would joke about..... it is becoming the epitome of a bench racers forum akin to the old days of aol chat.

If you are the slient bunch who sit back and perhaps this rings a bell post up.

The usual banter will ensure shortly...... followed by dick jokes, or jabs at my mother...... but I'm curious about what the silent folks think.

Perhaps we can have a 'legit section'.... where only racing info, tech, car meets can be posted and the rest of this place can go the way of the cage match?

All the best.

604 C63

^^^ This. I think that this is something we can all agree on, ESPECIALLY those of us who have "gotten in the mix" lately so to speak. I think its a great idea that should be explored. The question is: who decides what's legit, and whether people can join up and immediately post to it and ask opinions on colour or how to fuel a car they are renting for a single day?

But to be clear: I love this idea. I think 90% of the issues here come from boredom created by lack of serious, new, interesting discussion.

C63fora2w1

I love this because I originally came here looking to learn about a car that I was interested in possibly buying. This forum doesn't welcome new people or new ideas very well. I have seen many threads where someone posts a new idea and the first 5-10 posts are people bashing them, calling them names, telling them they are stupid. New people ask genuine questions and they are beaten to a pulp. You have to have tough skin to last very long here. If you do and can tolerate the occasional flaming that goes on there is a lot of knowledgeable people here that you can learn from. I take a lot of crap from BLKROKT but he has a lot of experience and knows his ****.

A forum of this nature should welcome new people and new ideas and collectively put their heads together to solve problems and better the community as a whole.

chrisridebike8

I vote BLKROKT as moderator for the no-BS forum. When he's not crushing newb souls, he posting something that aids in the progress of our cars. I prefer draconian rule like that for forums. If you are a member of the no-BS forum and you post something like "I need more farts and pops from my exhaust," one week ban from the no-BS forum.

BLKROKT

The problem is with how do you police that section? This place already suffers from too little moderation. As soon as that section goes live, everyone will just post whatever they want in there.

I agree there needs to be a better long-term solution, just not sure how to set it up. A number of sub-sections - General, Racing, Technical, Cosmetic Offtopic? But again, how does that get policed? And does splitting in so many parts just keep down the noise, or also keeps down the free flow of ideas. I don't know, but something does need to be done.

betrezra

I'm not looking for anything revolutionary or dramatic.....

This place is the sum of it's parts (people)...... all I can say is we'll try to do our best to be welcoming and 'legit'.

I'm afraid we're not helping the hobby/sport if things keep going in the current direction.

I'll leave it at that, and I hope for the best.

This little place is one of 5 sites I visit daily.

Live long and prosper

CarHopper

Are you a member of the AMG private lounge? I never go there tbh, but, if there is a place that is policed and more of the car stuff and less of the chest beating I'd assume it would be there.

I know I don't help the problem and likely contribute in the wrong direction from time to time, but jeebus this place has changed. However, at least by now you know who to listen to and who not to so as long as you can navigate and dance around the bad, the good is still there.

QWKSNKE

I'm down for it. Right now this is the worst forum I have ever been a member of from a tech perspective.
Definitely a different culture here for people who do their own work or modifications.

CarHopper

Just go look at platforms that have been around for a while and have essentially peaked. You'll see this environment in almost all of them except for Porsche.

BLKROKT

I was saying the same thing the other day. When the 997 came out, the 996 forums barely flinched. And they still seem to be going strong. But Porsche is in a different echelon to be honest, and they're true performance cars with a loyal enthusiast base.

As much as I enjoy my C63, it's an entry-level car for AMG, not a true anything (is it a sedan, is it a GT, is it a sports car - it's none of those fully), depreciate like crazy, and the brand doesn't attract the same enthusiast DIY and track crowds that keep other brands on point. Most owners of these cars are in-and-out of them, and just happened upon it for now because it was in their price range and powerful. Most people don't SEEK out these cars, or are lifetime loyal to the brand like you see in Porsche, Ferrari, etc

It just is what it is.

mrreynol

A strong collaborative online community helps drive businesses to continue to support our platform.

ritalin

This pretty much sums it up.

The 63 is pretty much a german mustang.
Only more costly to repair.

Still a great car.

Alex.currie44

I too have been on a number of forums for the 11 cars I have owned over the last 30 yr and I would agree that at times this one gets a tad raucous. Initially I got hammered on a claim but in the end it was proven I was right, the car was wrong and a warranty replacement made it right again so my critics learned a thing or two.
There have been some really hilarious runs of posts as well and if we lose our sense of humour in it all what the hell is the point.
Yes BlkRokt is a pain in the *** at times but then again he makes a point or two out of frustration that I experience as well but somewhere in it all you have to laugh your *** off. In the end he is a pretty knowledgeable guy it seems.
So I do self filtering and just go by the garbage.
On the other hand MSG US Army (retired) Jeff Banks runs the SLK forums to a pretty tight standard. Some of what goes on here would get you reemed to a grand size or perhaps a second **** orifice or blocked. He does it with style but he has a low tolerance but when you need help with anything to do with any of the SLK roadsters Jeff is the man to ask. If he don't know he knows who has the info you seek.
So there is balance to be had but I ain't prepared to take the gas pipe over some of the shenanigans on this site because in the end you will get help and you might get a laugh or two along the way. They say it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown!

QWKSNKE

Nah. If that was the case, there would be waaay more aftermarket support

asaud7

I joined this forum just shy of 13 months ago, so my perspective is not drawn from years of being part of this community. As a newb, I found this forum to be very informative, but initially, it was very off putting to pose a question without being on the receiving end of a ribbing by senior members. However, once that "initiation" took place and you learn the culture of the community it can be a great place to connect and exchange ideas.

Sadly, I've had deeper interactions with AMG enthusiasts on social media than here which was very surprising.

Much of the shenanigans or tomfoolery displayed on the W204 forum is comprised of less mature individuals more interested in narcissistic pursuits rather than adding anything substantive in terms of dialogue i.e. the social media "star" with a performance sedan who races in "Mexico". But the aggressive manner in which the older members approach newbs who genuinely want to learn or add value to the community is suppressed when they are made to feel less intelligent or unwelcome. That's often the critical intersection when the mudslinging begins and people resort to displaying their worst behavior.

I understand the frustration when a question is posed that could easily be accessed by going to the search field and querying. Nevertheless, is it necessary to lead with accusation or mild insult as opposed to just communicating with the newer members in a less caustic way?

Just something for consideration.

604 C63

Said this exact thing countless times.

Adi-Benz

I'll kick the content off.

I don't know if any of you guys gave seen this site, but a fellow forum user posted it in a different thread. Some items I haven't seen before as well as an alternative option from carbon fiber.

http://www.maxtondesign.eu/sklep/c-class-w204.html

PS. Can anyone recommend a universal tpms that works without issue? I can't find the old post I recall [and I'm on my phone for the rest of this week]. Preferably on amazon - I would think they should work, but its best heard out of experience!

Alex.currie44

My winters from 1010 Tire have TPMS sensors that seem to work fine. VIN sensitive so have it handy if you call.

D3-AMG

I think more additions/updates to the FAQ would help. I know I've done searches where I've had a hard time separating the valuable comments from the useless ones across pages and pages of responses to a single forum post.

Also, some items do change over time. When I bought my '09 in March 2015, the consensus on head bolts was still "they are rare but significant failures" but now is more along the lines of "all affected cars will need them replaced, not 'if' but 'when'".

Now add in the fact that when a new person comes here and searches the head bolt issue, this post will pop-up along with hundreds of others. The amount of time required to read them all, find what you really need, and learn will continue to increase. I don't see that as helpful to making car enthusiasts into new owners and keeping these great cars going.

Besides the FAQ, having a way to up/down-vote posts may help too. Many technical forums have moved to this format. Then when a question is asked, the answer voted most helpful bubbles up to the top and other comments are below it. This would help get an answer to previous questions quickly and still allow someone to review the history of the response as further reading.

betrezra

Re the C63 being akin to a mustang... I disagree. having just had a track event this past w/e with M Performance School @ Cota I can say in stock form the new M products are pretty similar driving experience to my 14 C63... the C63 did want to push a little more..... but the M4 lacked the grunt of the 6.2liter. You had to really make it work for it.

The W204 is no slouch or st line only car....... now that is not to say alot of people drive it like a mustang, and mod it like a mustang..... but that does not mean it can't turn.

Funny to see people look down at a mustang, yet masses are trying to make their cars more like a "a-typical" merican muscle car with loud exhaust, and tunes, and dyno numbers.
....

The voting method of sorting out the bull crapola might work.

It's refreshing to see this place has a car loving pulse! You do CARE!

ritalin

When i compared the 63 to a mustang what i had in mind was the 2nd hand value and the performance that can be had for the dollar.
Definitely not detracting from it's abilities in any environment.
With that value, comes some undesirable second and third hand owners etc...
I agree with the lack of aftermarket support vs a lot of other platform's, but that is a given.

betrezra

Ok ic.

funny the m3 forum complains about the e36 low price pt used making it the civic of m cars ...

604 C63

Personally, Im just referring to the fact that its loud and brash and not terribly sophisticated.

kimeran

I am in agreement with this.
I have been off this forum for a while, because of the chest pumping that goes on. Spent more of my time on the Private Lounge.

I agree that there are those douche 16 year old kids that come on here and act like they have Lambos etc. And I have a really good laugh when you guys are roasting them, but not every newbie is a little 16 year old douche, so give the newbies a bit of a break.

I also feel like a lot of members have their panties in a knot, and they need to lighten up a bit and see the funny side.

That is my R2 worth (equivalent to 2c in the US )

AMG3.2

I totally agree with the bolded statement, but this isn't at all what's happening. New folks are coming in here asking questions that have been answered dozens of times, and they're not searching. After a while, it does get annoying how people are too lazy to search and would rather just have other people answer their questions. That sort of entitlement is rather frustrating after a while.

More so, I don't see many folks contributing to "solving new problems".