Hello all, I'm new to this forum & I'm about to purchase a used 2017 AMG C63. I live in California, but I'm currently trying to decide between 3 cars (two are a C63S & one is a non S) which are all out of state & could use some advice. I've searched the forums for weeks but could't find the answers to some of the questions I have. I'd really appreciate any advice/input from all the C63/C63S owners out there & thanks in advance. From what I've seen, the S is only marginally more expensive than a non S when buying used. Here's the breakdown of the cars I'm considering:

1) 1 owner 2017 Polar white non S w/ 15k miles for $53,500 before tax & fees.

Pros: Certified CPO, premium 2 package (Electronic Trunk Closer, Ambient Lighting, Hands-Free Access, Comand DVD Player, Comand w/Navigation and Voice Control, Power Folding Mirrors, Touchpad, Hands-Free Comfort Package), Performance exhaust, rear side airbags, and 19/20 AMG cross spoked forged wheels.

Cons: will need to ship to CA, No HU display, has the standard seats w/ Dinamica fabric centers, no tech like Drivers Package/Distronic/Parking Assit Package/Active Lane assist etc.,


2) 1 owner Certified CPO 2017 Polar White C63S w/ 25k miles for $60k before taxes & fees.

Pros: Premium Package 3 + Active blindspot assist etc, Perform Exhaust, Parking Assist Package, 19/20 incch cross spoked rims, Silver Fiberglass trim, night package, Carbon brakes (but this actually seems a con since they're so expensive to replace). In vegas, so it's close enough to drive home

Cons: Has the standard seats but they're at least in full leather w/ the embossed headrest + red/pepper detail + heated & ventilated. I do also consider the carbon brakes as kind of a con as well.


3) 2 owner 2017 AMG C63S w/ 16K miles for $60 - $61k before tax & fees.

Pros: Fully loaded minus carbon brakes.

Cons: Dealership has not been helpful & the car has 2 owners already & probably will need to ship home


For only a $6-7K price diff it seems like an S is the better deal over the long run. On the other hand, saving $6-7K could be used to tune a non S C63 & to get more power, but I don't know how much I'll loose out by not having the extra options that usually come in the S like Drivers assistance/parking package/Parktronic & Distronic/electrical diff etc. I don't how much not having that stuff will affect resale value down the road or if i'll actually use/miss/appreciate all the extra tech.

What I'd like to know from other C63/C63S owners is:

1) How imperative/useful is the tech like the Drivers Assistance Package / Parking package / Active lane & blind spot assist/ surround view camera etc. Does that stuff really help or work well enough that I shouldn't consider any C63 S or non S w/o, it or is it more gimmicky than actual useful reliable tech & is just more stuff that might break in the long run? Will not having it destroy resale value or make the car less appealing?

2) How necessary is it to have the performance seats? I'm 5'6 160 lbs w/ a pretty muscular build & have sat in them for only a short time so I have no idea how comfortable they'd be long periods, but other on the forum say they're fine. Would not having the performance seats really hamper resale value or less appealing? I drive my cars hard & while I want comfort, I do feel like the regular seats my not hold me in place as well but I'm not sure. Also, I know it'd probably be more expensive to do so, but if bought a car w/ standard seats, is it even possible to swap out the seats for performance seats later on down the road? I'm guessing they'll have to be coded in, but are the brackets & electrical plug & play/interchangeable?

3) If I got a non S, how well do the smaller brakes perform? Are they inadequate for the car?

4) How long do the carbon brakes last (pads & rotors)? Apart from the high cost of the parts, is there anything special about the replacement process vs normal brakes? Is this something I can do on my own since I used to be master tech?

5) How necessary is the electric diff & race mode if I don't track the car regularly? What parameters does race mode actually change vs Sports + apart from suspension firmness? Can i get the same effect from a tune?

Any input on these questions would be very helpful & very much appreciated. Thanks for your time & happy holidays.

 

I have had my 2016 C63S sedan for just about a year and a half now. I can give you my input on what i have as well and will let others chime in.
I have about 42,000 miles on the car now and it has been tuned for about 20,000mi. No issues so far at all it has been a very reliable car.

1) How imperative/useful is the tech like the Drivers Assistance Package / Parking package / Active lane & blind spot assist/ surround view camera etc. Does that stuff really help or work well enough that I shouldn't consider any C63 S or non S w/o, it or is it more gimmicky than actual useful reliable tech & is just more stuff that might break in the long run? Will not having it destroy resale value or make the car less appealing?

- I have the following packages (driver assist, active lane/blindspot, distronic, carbon package). The tech in my car has been very useful in many different occasions. When i used to live in Jacksonville i would travel from there to miami often and having the distronic made the drive very easy. Here in miami there is a a lot of traffic and under 20mph the system does not make me do anything. It does stop/go traffic as well as lane keeping on its own under 20mph. It's responsive to traffic, holds distances well, and takes corners OKAY (holding the wheel around road/highway bends makes me feel more stable). Lane keep and blind spot monitoring work very well and so does the collision prevention system (in miami people short stop a lot). Long term reliability of the systems, who knows only time will tell but up to know they have been completely reliable for me.
As far as resale value, i keep an eye on the market closely and it seems the vehicles that are more well equipped hold the value better than those that are less equipped. However everything really depends on how you take care of the vehicle and how many miles are on it when you go to resell. I bought my car to keep it forever so resale value for me was not as important.

2)How necessary is it to have the performance seats? I'm 5'6 160 lbs w/ a pretty muscular build & have sat in them for only a short time so I have no idea how comfortable they'd be long periods, but other on the forum say they're fine. Would not having the performance seats really hamper resale value or less appealing? I drive my cars hard & while I want comfort, I do feel like the regular seats my not hold me in place as well but I'm not sure. Also, I know it'd probably be more expensive to do so, but if bought a car w/ standard seats, is it even possible to swap out the seats for performance seats later on down the road? I'm guessing they'll have to be coded in, but are the brackets & electrical plug & play/interchangeable?

- The seats are a personal opinion tbh. As you mentioned some hate them and some love them. I do not like them in my car but i am 6' 185lb. The sport seats for me are a bit too tight and on long journeys it would be uncomfortable. I feel planted and comfortable in my comfort seats for as long as i want to drive (I've gone on 450mi rally before and been the only one without a hurt rear end lol). Resale value might vary slightly on this but i couldn't imagine by much.
If you did buy a vehicle with standard and swapped them out it can be done without recoding. I have a friend here in miami that did the same on his 2017 C63 Sedan recently. The only catch is you have to find the same body style car to swap with (ie sedan/sedan, coupe/coupe). You might be able to find someone that doesn't likes their sport seats to swap with you like my friend did, luck of the draw lol

4) How long do the carbon brakes last (pads & rotors)? Apart from the high cost of the parts, is there anything special about the replacement process vs normal brakes? Is this something I can do on my own since I used to be master tech?
- I don't have carbon brakes but the replacement can be DIY. I have many friends that had the carbon brakes that replaced them on their own. There is a method to retract the rear piston in order to get the caliper off, search the forums or look in your manual for the exact method.

5) How necessary is the electric diff & race mode if I don't track the car regularly? What parameters does race mode actually change vs Sports + apart from suspension firmness? Can i get the same effect from a tune?

- Race mode is only available in the S models. I have a lot of fun with mine outside of the track and if you drive the car hard like you said its an option that you will throughly enjoy. It changes your suspension, throttle response and the gear ratios (to hold gears longer). As well with race mode, the performance gauges in your entertainment center would only be available on the S models as well (not sure about 2019-2020, I know for the pre FL model years this held true)
Most of the changes in your drive modes are related to the TCU and most tuners for this vehicle do not touch the TCU. We tune this platform very often and with a tune it will increase your hp and tq, the lag in comfort mode throttle response is improved, speed limiter is removed, and a few other changes are made but only to the ECU remapping. The TCU readapts on its own to the new ECU remapping and relearns your driving habits to perform the best it can for you specifically. A tune cannot give you race mode.

 

1). I use all the electronic assist packages. The most useful is the 360 camera. The resolution is great and I can place the car within an inch in any parking place. The most useless is the parking assist. I tried it once to parallel park and it nearly curbed the rims. The steering assist works well enough but it can't handle a medium turn at freeway speeds without disengaging.
2). I don't have the performance seats, 6'1 185lbs. I never had any intentions of tracking the car. Primarily I sit in Southern California traffic during the week, with the occasional mountain or lakeside jaunt on the weekends for apple pie. Also, the pre 2019 models didn't offer the ventilated seats option on the performance seats. I consider ventilated seat a mandatory option. I will never buy another car without them.
3). No idea. I have the S. For an extra 7k, I would get an S, just because.
4). I have the standard S brakes (red calipers). At 22.5k miles, the rears are at 2mm and fronts are about 5mm. I think the brake based torque vectoring and traction control contributes to increased rear wear. If you're constantly super heating your brakes than the carbons make sense. I'm not aware of a performance difference, atleast considering what I have read and been told by friends that have the carbons. Haven't looked at the cost of replacement.
5). I don't think a tune can replace the electronic rear differential. From what I have experienced Race mode takes the engine to redline before shifting. I suppose this could be tuned.

Get #3.

 

Hi, hope you had a good thanksgiving & thanks so much for your reply & for taking the time to answer my questions; it was really helpful. Based on what you wrote I was wondering a few things:

1) Are you using a Velos tune? If not, what tune are you using & how much HO/TQ did you gain? How did having a tune affect things with your warranty? Did the dealer ever find out or do you uninstall it before going in for service - can't the dealer can easily detect a tune after it's been uninstalled?

2) You mentioned that resale value is not an issue because you plan on keeping the car forever... How do you feel about owning the car after warranty? Are you worried about reliability issues & costs as the mileage gets higher?

- My only other German car was a BMW N54 335i that was tuned. Before it was tuned, something broke every 3-6 months. I really never had problems w/ the motor itself, but everything around the motor like the electronics/water pump/thermostat/hoses/pulleys/AC/sensors/steering rack/etc would breakdown often. Luckily I was able to fix everything myself & had the tools from way back when I was a master tech, but I'd prefer not to spend my weekends under a car now that I'm older.

3) If you didn't have all the options & upgrades (drivers/parking/lane assist) would the car feel less special or less worth it? Could you live w/o them now that you've had them & do you feel they're worth the cost? What about if you had a non S & saved $6-8K, would not having race mode or the extras deter you from getting the vehicle?

4) How fragile are the carbon brakes & do you know if the rotors can be swapped out for normal steel ones? Do they squeak a lot at lower speeds or when they're cold. Could you find out from your friends?

- I was able to get the dealership down to $59,500 from $63K for the 2017 Polar white C63S that's CPO & has 25K miles. It's pretty close to fully loaded but it has the carbon brakes. I've heard something as simple as sliding the wheel onto the hub too hard or having a rock/pebble hit the rotor can chip the ceramic rotors & that the rotors cost close to $2500 each... If that's the case, then they seem like a huge liability. I'm really want this white C63S, but the carbon brakes & their cost & fragility is keeping me from pulling the trigger. I know the brakes ideally will last around 80-100k miles, but I don't want to have to spend $5k should I need to replace them & if I want to sell the car 4-5 years from now; no one will buy a car that has a $5k brake job coming up.

The salesman asked one his techs if the carbon brakes can be swapped out for normal brakes & the tech said NO but he didn't explain why. At the very least, I don't see why I couldn't just swap out the expensive ceramic rotors out for less expensive steel rotors while keeping the caliper & pads the same. If i can find a solution for the carbon brakes them I'm all set to buy this car. I'd be very grateful if you could ask your friends about the brakes & if they can be swapped out along w/ how fragile they are & how long they last.

Thanks for all your help

 

Hello, thanks so much for your reply & for taking the time to answer my questions; it was very helpful. Based on what you wrote I was curious about a few things:

1) Why do you feel car #3 is the one I should go for? Is it because it's fully loaded except for the carbon ceramic brakes? What about the the fact that it already has had 2 owners? If I sell the car 4-5 years from now, wouldn't having 3 previous owners (including myself) make the car undesirable & have less resale value?

2) Do your comfort seats keep you planted well enough? How do you feel about their look vs the performance seats? Is the actual comfort really that much better than the performance seats?

3) How long do you plan on keeping your car & why?

4) Do you know how fragile the carbon brakes are &if the rotors/pads can be swapped out for normal steel ones? Do they squeak a lot at lower speeds or when they're cold?

- I really like the 2017 Polar white C63S that's CPO & has 25K miles & i'm getting it for $59,500 before fee's. It's pretty close to fully loaded, but has carbon brakes. I've heard the ceramic rotors are very fragile & they can chip from something as simple as sliding the wheel onto the hub too hard or having a rock/pebble hit the rotor & that the rotors cost close to $2500 each... That seems like a huge liability. I'm really want this white C63S, but the carbon brakes & their cost & fragility is keeping me from pulling the trigger. I know the brakes ideally will last around 80-100k miles since I won't be tracking the car, but I don't want to have to spend $5k should I need to replace them & that should I choose to sell the car 4-5 years from now; no one will buy a car that has a $5k brake job coming up.

The salesman asked one his techs if the carbon brakes can be swapped out for normal brakes & the tech said NO but didn't explain why. Do yo know if can just swap out the expensive ceramic rotors out for less expensive steel rotors while keeping the caliper & pads the same?

Thanks for all your help

 

1) Are you using a Velos tune? If not, what tune are you using & how much HO/TQ did you gain? How did having a tune affect things with your warranty? Did the dealer ever find out or do you uninstall it before going in for service - can't the dealer can easily detect a tune after it's been uninstalled?
Yes i am using our tune. Apologies you could not find the section on our website, here is the link to the C63 page, https://www.velosdesignwerks.com/pro...017-w205-copy/
it has all of the information as well as dyno graphs from a vehicle here in Miami (numbers will vary based on conditions), we offer gains of 109hp and 141tq at the crank.
My warranty was unaffected and i returned the car to the dealer many times for service and once for a cylinder 5 spark plug replacement just about two months ago (common for this plug to go out on our vehicles). I did have friendly SA that assisted me and being their friend always helped me get what i needed done. Depending on what i was going in for i either left the tune or swapped back to stock but either way the dealer never even mentioned it.
We recommend always swapping back to stock incase they do an ECU update on the vehicle (this will prevent the handheld from needing reset and will allow us to tune the latest file from Mercedes). The dealer does not see the flash at their level, and would need to consult AMG corporate to dig deeper. Keep in mind no tuner can say their tune doesn't void a warranty, with tuning there is always a risk and that is just part of it.

2) You mentioned that resale value is not an issue because you plan on keeping the car forever... How do you feel about owning the car after warranty? Are you worried about reliability issues & costs as the mileage gets higher?
- Well i am already out of warranty as of Nov 15th and still feels the same lol i haven't had anything major go wrong with the vehicle and nothing has costed me much outside of normal oil changes and tires (probably the biggest cost). I just swapped my spark plugs which cost me $120 in parts and i do my own labor so i save a lot there as well. So far my vehicle has been very reliable and i know of others with close of 90,000 miles on the same setup that can say the same. To be honest i am not worried much about the reliability, the car hasn't given me a reason to be afraid. I believe with regular and religious maintenance the car will run just fine.

3) If you didn't have all the options & upgrades (drivers/parking/lane assist) would the car feel less special or less worth it? Could you live w/o them now that you've had them & do you feel they're worth the cost? What about if you had a non S & saved $6-8K, would not having race mode or the extras deter you from getting the vehicle?
- to me all of the options i have i thought wouldn't be big to me in the beginning. But after using the distronic in traffic (consistent here in Miami) is probably the option i love the most. The lane assist is okay but it is finicky if you don't use a blinker (guess it does force you to be a safer driver lol). Without the options i personally wouldn't like it as much just because i've gotten so used to the creature comforts at this point. Its hard to go back once you get a taste, to me they are worth the money.
I wouldn't have bought the vehicle if it was not the S. The race mode to me was necessary as i drive my car very aggressively and do launch it quite often. My last vehicle was a Lexus RCF and i did not have a race mode in that. It was the only feature i hated that i didn't have so i knew it was necessary for me on the next vehicle.

4) How fragile are the carbon brakes & do you know if the rotors can be swapped out for normal steel ones? Do they squeak a lot at lower speeds or when they're cold. Could you find out from your friends?
- I am waiting for feedback and will let you know what i hear.

 

1) Why do you feel car #3 is the one I should go for? Is it because it's fully loaded except for the carbon ceramic brakes? What about the the fact that it already has had 2 owners? If I sell the car 4-5 years from now, wouldn't having 3 previous owners (including myself) make the car undesirable & have less resale value?

2) Do your comfort seats keep you planted well enough? How do you feel about their look vs the performance seats? Is the actual comfort really that much better than the performance seats?

3) How long do you plan on keeping your car & why?

4) Do you know how fragile the carbon brakes are &if the rotors/pads can be swapped out for normal steel ones? Do they squeak a lot at lower speeds or when they're cold?

- I really like the 2017 Polar white C63S that's CPO & has 25K miles & i'm getting it for $59,500 before fee's. It's pretty close to fully loaded, but has carbon brakes. I've heard the ceramic rotors are very fragile & they can chip from something as simple as sliding the wheel onto the hub too hard or having a rock/pebble hit the rotor & that the rotors cost close to $2500 each... That seems like a huge liability. I'm really want this white C63S, but the carbon brakes & their cost & fragility is keeping me from pulling the trigger. I know the brakes ideally will last around 80-100k miles since I won't be tracking the car, but I don't want to have to spend $5k should I need to replace them & that should I choose to sell the car 4-5 years from now; no one will buy a car that has a $5k brake job coming up.

The salesman asked one his techs if the carbon brakes can be swapped out for normal brakes & the tech said NO but didn't explain why. Do yo know if can just swap out the expensive ceramic rotors out for less expensive steel rotors while keeping the caliper & pads the same?

Thanks for all your help[/QUOTE]

1. I bought mine fully loaded and without the CCBs. I love it, so I would buy it again. I do not know the effect of having multiple of previous owners.
2. The comfort seats keep me planted for my purposes. I've sat in the performance seats, and I thought they were too snug to be comfortable for a long commute. Also, in 2018, they didn't have the option to have ventilated seats with the performance seat option. I like the look of the diamond stitching. I'm also not a huge fan of alcantara. The comfort seat don't have it.
3. It was 2 years old on Thanksgiving, it still makes me grin like the joker when I goose it. When it doesn't make me grin anymore, I'll get something new. This could prove a challenge because I don't see anything out there that tickles my fancy for a similar price.
4. I have no experience with CCBs other than second hand knowledge. I can tell you that my normal steel brakes still squeal on a lite application of force. Took it in a couple of times, MB says that its all normal. Not a deal breaker.

If you're not tracking the car, CCBs are a waste of money, it just makes you think you have a bigger *****. Also, I wouldn't want to drive a car where I have to worry about the fragility of a component. Also, CCBs require specific pads. I'm pretty sure the dealer is not just going to give you 4 new steel rotors and pads for free, not to mention labor.