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⏱️ 700HP Facelift converted C63 S Coupe with Drexler 3.06 plated LSD
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CKS PANAMERICANA VS OEM MERCEDES PANAMERICANA GRILLE
CKS grille: The inside areas are finished in GLOSS BLACK (the silver bars naturally stand out more due to this and gives the car a more "classy" look) OEM grille: The inside areas are finished in MATTE BLACK (the silver bars can sometimes look more darker at certain angles and a bit more "shadow chrome" due to this illusion)
CKS is almost identical to OEM in looks. One very minor issue I have noticed is the old prefacelift distronic star emblem does not fit 100% flush in the aftermarket grille and there is a bit of play when you press the star. I've tested two C63S distronic stars and both will not sit flush. It's not noticeable but it still annoys the sh*t out of me.
These differences were never mentioned anywhere here or on the CKS website so I'm truly hoping others will make their decision based on my experience.
The good thing is It's almost impossible to tell the CKS and OEM grilles apart really. And both of them produce an individual look.
Classy look = Iif you have the black night package and you're keeping the old bottom air dams from the prefacelift, feel free to get the CKS aftermarket Panamericana grille. It actually matches the night package perfectly. Sport look = If you don't have the night package or you're planning on installing the facelift air inlets as well with your night package, get the OEM panamericana grille as the facelift air inlets are the same finish as the OEM black areas of the grille (if you're really fussy).
CKS did a superb job with their aftermarket Panamericana grille. It's an inexpensive way to transform the look of your car, but after my experience I personally recommend you go through the trouble and buy the OEM grille + distronic star + AMG emblem from CKS.
I also purchased my OEM grille from CKS and what makes them the place of choice is that they will give you a free AMG emblem included with their OEM grille. No one else offers that.
PS: For the C63, avoid the Chrometec or china replica grilles at all cost. Some of them are really sh*t and include one too many chrome bars etc.
Last edited by Jimmy_c63s; May 10, 2020 at 05:49 AM.
I recommend nobody ever do business with CKS. I emailed them back and forth before getting my grille from them, double-checking to make sure that it would work with the distronic+. They assured me it would, I even selected an option for it at checkout. They sent me a box with the grille and a star that was *not* distronic. On the box it literally said, "NOT for distronic" so I emailed them with pictures of the label and the star asking them why it said that and if that star really would work with distronic. They assured me, again, that it would. It did not and they went radio silent. After acquiring the proper star, I emailed them again, repeatedly asking to be reimbursed for the cost of the star. I even left off taxes and shipping costs in my request. I just wanted to get what I initially paid for. They completely ignored me. I paid for, and selected an available option for, a product that did not work. Then I was ignored when I tried to rectify the situation, even spending my own time researching which star would work properly and ordering it myself.
Go OEM. Don't waste time with CKS, they're snakes. I have only ever taken the time to write negative reviews about a few businesses, but this is one of them. They knowingly swindled me out of money for an incomplete product.
Can someone provide the MB part number for the Non-Distronic Star that will fit in the OEM Panamericana Grille? It is my understanding that I cant just pop out the non-distronic star on a 2017 C63 and put it in the grille. Is that correct? Apologies if it was answered in another thread, but I couldn't find the answer.
I recommend nobody ever do business with CKS. I emailed them back and forth before getting my grille from them, double-checking to make sure that it would work with the distronic+. They assured me it would, I even selected an option for it at checkout. They sent me a box with the grille and a star that was *not* distronic. On the box it literally said, "NOT for distronic" so I emailed them with pictures of the label and the star asking them why it said that and if that star really would work with distronic. They assured me, again, that it would. It did not and they went radio silent. After acquiring the proper star, I emailed them again, repeatedly asking to be reimbursed for the cost of the star. I even left off taxes and shipping costs in my request. I just wanted to get what I initially paid for. They completely ignored me. I paid for, and selected an available option for, a product that did not work. Then I was ignored when I tried to rectify the situation, even spending my own time researching which star would work properly and ordering it myself.
Go OEM. Don't waste time with CKS, they're snakes. I have only ever taken the time to write negative reviews about a few businesses, but this is one of them. They knowingly swindled me out of money for an incomplete product.
I wrote a review too. I remember there were a handful of ppl here who purchased from CKS and had the same issue. We need to all write negative reviews!
Curious how many of you there are out there that had bad experiences with CKS? I've been thinking about getting their Panamericana grille. Their google reviews are pretty good?
⏱️ 700HP Facelift converted C63 S Coupe with Drexler 3.06 plated LSD
Originally Posted by jherm
Curious how many of you there are out there that had bad experiences with CKS? I've been thinking about getting their Panamericana grille. Their google reviews are pretty good?
I only bought from them because they were cheaper than Mercedes. But don't expect custom service. Put it this way, at first I was under the impression that their "CKS" version was identical to OEM as I had asked them before purchase and they said it was the same and even recommended I buy their aftermarket one over the OEM in a previous e-mail to them. I was happy with the product when it arrived until the dealer pointed out the differences to me.
After I asked them about this, they simply said:
Hence, the reason for this topic so others will know before dropping hard earned money. I had absolutely now way of knowing the differences until it was pointed out to me by the installer. After reading the Panamericana Grille topic in this forum dozens of times, there was no mention about the differences, so here they are.
PS: Months later I ended up buying the OEM Grille and other things from them but it was a $500 AUD mistake I don't want to repeat and hoping others will be informed before making their decision.
I recommend nobody ever do business with CKS. I emailed them back and forth before getting my grille from them, double-checking to make sure that it would work with the distronic+. They assured me it would, I even selected an option for it at checkout. They sent me a box with the grille and a star that was *not* distronic. On the box it literally said, "NOT for distronic" so I emailed them with pictures of the label and the star asking them why it said that and if that star really would work with distronic. They assured me, again, that it would. It did not and they went radio silent. After acquiring the proper star, I emailed them again, repeatedly asking to be reimbursed for the cost of the star. I even left off taxes and shipping costs in my request. I just wanted to get what I initially paid for. They completely ignored me. I paid for, and selected an available option for, a product that did not work. Then I was ignored when I tried to rectify the situation, even spending my own time researching which star would work properly and ordering it myself.
Go OEM. Don't waste time with CKS, they're snakes. I have only ever taken the time to write negative reviews about a few businesses, but this is one of them. They knowingly swindled me out of money for an incomplete product.
I also have an issue with them. They assured me they were sending me the right star emblem. They ended up sending the wrong one, I sent multiple photos and made sure it was very clear that I did not get the proper distronic glass star. They ended up saying that it is the right one and what I was given is what I will get. Then they went quiet on me.
⏱️ 700HP Facelift converted C63 S Coupe with Drexler 3.06 plated LSD
Originally Posted by notbadgoodsize
I also have an issue with them.
Beware. CKS customer service is the worst.
They pinched my 35,000 points (I made about $3500 worth of purchases) and told me they were forfeited because I enquired about using the points for an Edition 1 boot spoiler.
After emailing back and forth my points have been removed and I can't even log in to their site to look at my past purchases.
They've got OEM products at reasonable prices but if you want customer service, forget it. The communication and the way CKS handles things is like trying to get blood out of a stone.
Be careful and always triple check the product you're getting is the right one before paying them 👎
Last edited by Jimmy_c63s; Mar 2, 2021 at 01:23 AM.
I haven't had any issues, fitting or mounting my CKS grille. Hasn't faded or chipped in the 8 months I've had it. Beware though dealing with overseas sellers, they really don't want to pay any shipping fees on a return.
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CKS PANAMERICANA VS OEM MERCEDES PANAMERICANA GRILLE
