Manual swap shops on the West Coast?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
From: Pleasant Hill, CA
2013 C63 P31 Eurocharged, 2006 SLK55 R171, 2013 Audi RS5
Manual swap shops on the West Coast?
Unfortunately my beloved 2013 C63's transmission looks to have failed. I am considering a manual swap, I know it costs a lot more, but if a new transmission/rebuild is already 10K+ it is probably worth it. Failure happened not too long after a fluid change so I wonder if that's part of why it failed.
Does anyone know of a shop on the West Coast that is known for doing C63 or AMG manual swaps? DC Motorworks in Georgia looks awesome but I'd be spending a lot on shipping. I'd love to be able to only ship 1 way and then be able to drive it home.
Does anyone know of a shop on the West Coast that is known for doing C63 or AMG manual swaps? DC Motorworks in Georgia looks awesome but I'd be spending a lot on shipping. I'd love to be able to only ship 1 way and then be able to drive it home.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 21
Likes: 6
From: Johns Creek, GA
2010 E63; 2017 GLC300; 2000 BMW 323i, 2020 GLS450
DC Motorwerks
Can’t help you with the west coast but I can tell you that the guys at DC Motorwerks are great. They do all the work in my E63 that I chose not to do myself however I haven’t done a manual swap. Did see one of their finished cars a couple weeks ago and looking thru the windows, it looked factory.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 380
From: Texas
10 C six trizzle
A good condition salvage transmissions can be had for around $2k. installation should be around that as well. Failures are not common unless you have a blower. I'm not sure on the conversion price but I'd also want to experience it and get real feedback other than "it's so great" and "the stock slush box is so horrible". Sure it's a cool concept but I have feeling given the cost it is not what you're expecting. Every manual mercedes I have ever driven (every modern 2000+ north american model) is quite terrible in terms of performance and sportiness. It's not a bash on them, they function great, shift soft and smooth... too smooth. They feel like the shifters are tied up together with rubber bands. Ofcourse they do as none of them were designed for that. They are for commuter cars. To put this further into perspective the jeep wrangler manual is basically the same as the benz unit. Now if people were swapping in T56 / Magnums I know it would be solid and feel incredible.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 273
Likes: 58
From: Melbourne, Australia
C63 Coupe, 2014, 507
It is all bolted up & ready, however the vehicle bodywork (not AMG or GM) has not yet been completed so I can't validate the "feel" of the install.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 415
Likes: 109
From: Whitehouse Station, NJ
2012 C63 P31 Sedan
A good condition salvage transmissions can be had for around $2k. installation should be around that as well. Failures are not common unless you have a blower. I'm not sure on the conversion price but I'd also want to experience it and get real feedback other than "it's so great" and "the stock slush box is so horrible". Sure it's a cool concept but I have feeling given the cost it is not what you're expecting. Every manual mercedes I have ever driven (every modern 2000+ north american model) is quite terrible in terms of performance and sportiness. It's not a bash on them, they function great, shift soft and smooth... too smooth. They feel like the shifters are tied up together with rubber bands. Ofcourse they do as none of them were designed for that. They are for commuter cars. To put this further into perspective the jeep wrangler manual is basically the same as the benz unit. Now if people were swapping in T56 / Magnums I know it would be solid and feel incredible.
I suppose it's possible that the flywheel setup used on the Merc application may fix some of this compared to the Jeep, so I can't say for certain it is an issue and the folks that have driven these manual swapped AMGs seem to be happy with the results.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 869
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2013 c63 Magnuson SCed
Having owned a manual Jeep wrangler with the NSG370, I can confirm that it is not a great feeling transmission. Some of that may be due to the rubber bushings Jeep adds to the shifter assembly, but it never seemed to like fast shifting. This is one of the things that concerns me about the manual swap. I love the idea of it, but am also worried that the slow shifting nature of this transmission might ruin the experience.
I suppose it's possible that the flywheel setup used on the Merc application may fix some of this compared to the Jeep, so I can't say for certain it is an issue and the folks that have driven these manual swapped AMGs seem to be happy with the results.
I suppose it's possible that the flywheel setup used on the Merc application may fix some of this compared to the Jeep, so I can't say for certain it is an issue and the folks that have driven these manual swapped AMGs seem to be happy with the results.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,298
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From: Texas
10 C six trizzle
While it cannot be validated it can easily be stated I've yet to drive a T56 that felt bad. Not to mention multiple gearing options and sequential shifter options.
I can't help think anyone would simply be thrilled wirh a manual swap and probably has rose-colored glasses concerning how nice it feels. I've never read any review of any manual Mercedes that was favorable. A 30 year old Civic's 5-speed is infinitely better in feel and precision.
Last edited by roadtalontsi; May 8, 2026 at 01:46 AM.
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
From: Pleasant Hill, CA
2013 C63 P31 Eurocharged, 2006 SLK55 R171, 2013 Audi RS5
I never found a West Coast shop, but luckily my issue ended up being the cluch pack. Sorry I didn't update this thread sooner, I expected to get a response from my shop confirming the issue earlier and then update here, but they took time to test and diagnose. Started a new thread about that: https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...ed-advice.html
Last edited by Birdseye; May 11, 2026 at 08:40 PM.
Member
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 149
Likes: 15
From: NY
2012 C63 AMG P31 Coupe
Unfortunately my beloved 2013 C63's transmission looks to have failed. I am considering a manual swap, I know it costs a lot more, but if a new transmission/rebuild is already 10K+ it is probably worth it. Failure happened not too long after a fluid change so I wonder if that's part of why it failed.
Does anyone know of a shop on the West Coast that is known for doing C63 or AMG manual swaps? DC Motorworks in Georgia looks awesome but I'd be spending a lot on shipping. I'd love to be able to only ship 1 way and then be able to drive it home.
Does anyone know of a shop on the West Coast that is known for doing C63 or AMG manual swaps? DC Motorworks in Georgia looks awesome but I'd be spending a lot on shipping. I'd love to be able to only ship 1 way and then be able to drive it home.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
From: Pleasant Hill, CA
2013 C63 P31 Eurocharged, 2006 SLK55 R171, 2013 Audi RS5
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 380
From: Texas
10 C six trizzle
Want to ship it to texas? Are you wanting to put a new oem transmission in, used or an upgrade? I'll put a quote together for you. As mentioned above the labor cost would be $2k to remove, replace, set adaptations etc... I've actually had cars sent from california for big jobs since it's so much cheaper.
