manumbw

Just purchased a certified 2018 C63s sedan. My first Mercedes and AMG ! Loving it so far.

I could not get the night package so doing a chrome delete lite and would also like to get better looking wheels.

- Someone local has the OEM 19" forged wheels listed for $2500. The wheels are in great shape apart from one wheel with a bit of curb rash.
- I've looked into aftermarket forged and flow forged or whatever the marketing name for non-forged is nowdays. BBS and HRE look amazing with price tags to match. Are there other options or should I get the 19" OEMs in black for $2500 ?
- Also looked at non-forged in BBS and HRE which work out to about the same I can get the OEMs for.

Given all that, any word of advice would be greatly appreciated. If you have other options for wheels please let me know as well. I've been reading up about offsets and sizes etc and its nuts.

rroberts

On "older" cars I never had curb rash incidents, but on recent AMG's it apparently is hard to avoid due to current tire/wheel designs. E.g., on my 07' SLK and 01' CLK I had one incident each in the 12 years I owned them (shops damaging the wheel clear coat during tire replacements was a bigger issue). I would avoid black wheels (what does repair cost?), and still budget for frequent repair if you are very concerned about looks. [... but then I cringe when somebody tells me my car is "pretty."]

Just posted elsewhere in this forum about a curb rash incident in my 18' C63s.

mrmotoguzzi00

dunno if these models have the 360 camera's, if yes, a little trick is to put the camera on when pulling in.... big help with curb rash...

///Bruce

This is my fourth AMG. Loved everyone. Enjoy it.

velosdesignwerks

There are a lot of options out there and even more info which can make things confusing. A big part of your decision will be the look you are going for with the car, its a very personal choice. If you'd like you can send me a message with any questions you might have and ill help out to the best of my ability.

Congrats on the AMG and welcome to the family!!

JPM-3

Some days I wish I specced the 360 camera. I'm still getting used to judging placement of the front right wheel since this is the widest car I've owned to date. No curb rashes yet, but that seems to be inevitable.

mrmotoguzzi00

We didn't get in the E550 and know that have it in the GLE63s, will never get another ride without it. Some of the options are useless, right ? but that camera is a good invention

rroberts

The camera is great. I use it almost daily to avoid pulling too far forward when parking. In my 18'C63s, however, it is a pain to turn on. For example, one has to use the poorly located dash button or put the transmission in reverse.

I too will never get a car without it, but I likely will only consider one with an activation button on the steering wheel.

Other must have features: ESP and the heads-up display.

ESP is like anti-lock brakes, no car today should be on the public roads without it. My 01'CLK55 was the first car I noticed ESP in, especially in comparison to a friend's vintage GOAT (Pontiac GTO, basically a death trap for a mere mortal to drive even on dry roads). People used to ask me why I drove an AMG and I would say because I can toss my mother the keys to go on a beer run and know that she and the car are coming back. [Can't exactly say that any more with paddle shifters and where transmission shifts mechanisms are being put. Cars are no longer intuitive to drive.]

The heads-up display is more subtle. I especially learned its value driving in Europe, using its integration with the navigation system through villages with no planned street lay-outs. In addition to convenience, it permits much safer driving everywhere. With your eyes on the road you can notice an oblivious idiot cutting into your lane that vital fraction of a second sooner to avoid them.