Chuckman

I just bought a '17 C63 AMG Cabriolet a couple of days ago, Obsidian Black Metallic, and am very excited to be a new owner of such an awesome vehicle. Cutting right to the chase, I have some newbie questions that I hope the group can help with:

1. I need a sunshade right away. I know I can go to Wal-Mart or a host of other stores, but I want something of premium quality, that will be a great fit to the windshield. Optionally, an AMG logo on the sun facing side.

2. Window tint and Clear Bra or not. Because I live in Florida, getting my windows tinted seems an obvious thing to do. And because every vehicle I've owned going back more than 10 years has had a Clear Bra, I'm leaning towards having one put on my C63 AMG. However, this is the first vehicle I've ever leased, so I'm wondering if it's worth the out of pocket expense, given that I could very well return the vehicle after the three-year lease. I'm leaning towards just the window tint.

3. There is a paper that came with the vehicle, listing a dealer installed option, which is Mercedes-Benz 1st Class Interior & Exterior Protection, for $599. Can someone explain what this includes, and is it standard for all MB dealers to include on these vehicles? I asked my dealership's salesman, and he said they got my car from another MB dealer, and it was something they put on the car (or it can be what they weregoing to offer on the car

4. After the 1,000 mile break-in period, is there an initial service due at the dealer? I believe the service manual says the first service is 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.

5. What are the oil/filter change intervals, and must they be performed at the dealer, or can they be completed at an independent store?

6. For scheduled service, is a pre-paid package from MB worth it, or would it be better just to pay as you go? When I bought the '15 Audi S4 I previously owned, I purchased the AudiCare package, which provided the 15K, 25K, 35K, and 45K service. That could not be refunded, as it stays with the vehicle.

GordonGEICO

The first service, for the rear axle oil, is at ~2000 miles. I say "~2000" because some people do it at around 1850 miles which is around 3000 km.

Your first oil change is at 10,000 miles (or 12 months) and then 20k/2-yr, 30k/3-yr, etc.

Full list:

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/servi...ance_schedules

Chuckman

Thanks. I spoke to the dealership yesterday, and they told me that because my vehicle was a C63A, it didn't require the rear differential oil change as you mentioned above. Is that because my C63 is not the S, or Sport, model? For the rest, I just wanted to see what the community was doing, maintenance wise, versus the published maintenance schedule. Also, is it worth it to buy a maintenance package, or just pay as you go?

GordonGEICO

The dealership is wrong. All AMG with a limited-slip differential require that service. Check to see if there is a sticker on the inside of the windshield, it should mention it under "ADDITIONAL OIL CHANGE."

Regarding the prepaid maintenance, it's only worth it if they will cut you a deal. None of the dealerships I called would give me any discount. It's not any cheaper than paying as you go if you pay the full price for the prepaid maintenance unless your dealership of choice is really bending you over. And it sounds like your dealership doesn't have a clue since they don't know the service is required on your car.

pghc63

agree with GordonGEICO, you need the service
This car is a lease , so you can skip the service as you will need it again at 10,000 miles and it costs around 150-200. You can say that the dealer told you you don't need it
as far as clear bra , I think on these cars , it is a waste of money. The whole idea of clear bra is to avoid rock chips. If you have a lot of them you can respray the bumper and hood for less than the price of clear bra.
The only time I will do a clear bra is on exotic or rare car that respraying a bumper will decrease value , then it will pay off
as far as the protection package , this is one of the tricks dealers play to make money by charging you excessive amount of money for stuff that cost them close to nothing
you should have paid attention before you bought the car and discounted that package from price

Chuckman

If that was the clear sticker on the driver's side inside windshield, that also mentioned caution during the 1,000 mile break in period, it was removed. Can I assume all C63 AMG vehicles contain a limited slip differential?

Thanks for the other recommendations. I'll skip the Clear Bra and pre-paid service/maintenance package. I am still considering window tint, though, seeing as I'm in Florida.

VaserC63S

That's correct. The S models have the electronic one and the non-S mechanical one. But they both require the oil service. Read the manual you'll see that. And yes the clear windshield sticker has that indicated on there too.