It’s now at the port and awaiting the ship assignment. Next up, the slow torture of watching it cross the Atlantic

 

Mine was produced on August 26th, on a ship on September 5th, traveled to Sweden, Belgium, and England, and now is 2 days out of Baltimore. Scheduled to arrive September 19th.

 

I've done this voyage 3 times and about to do a fourth one ( CLE53 cabrio ), make the most of it and enjoy the excitement when it arrives . I'm ordering same color scheme and wondered about your interior color ? I would like the Power red but fear it would be too much with the Patagonia red ?

 

Going to a dealership next week to compare colors. First choice is Patagonia Red with Magno Grey number two. The configurator makes Patagonia Red look fairly dark which is what I want. But I have seen a few photos which make it look closer to Cardinal Red. How would you characterize it. My interior choice would be the Tonka Brown.

 

Dunderhi,
I believe that the 2025 will have 2 additional 20" wheel options, one as you have on the pic.
Good luck and enjoy the process

 

Greetings,

How are able to track the car to and on the ship? I’m doing an order in December.

thanks

 

Was the 2025 price different from the 2024?

 

That was my thinking also, so I went with the black/grey interior to tone it done a bit. Having lived with piano black and its scratches, I decided to try the metal weave throughout.

 

I was kind of hard pressed to tell much of a difference between Patagonia and Cardinal red.

Here’s a video comparing the reds:

 

The forged wheels were the reason I waited for a 2025.

 

I had to rely on the dealer for updates on the production status. They will give me the name of the ship once it is assigned and then I’ll use Vesselfinder.com to track the ship.

 

Yes, but I don’t know how much.

 

you wont regret this choice. I did the same on my car and am loving it.

 

I saw that video. That video was one of the things I have seen that make me question my choice. That is just not dark enough for me and will probably end up Magno Grey. That puts me in another difficult position for the Grey looks much better with the black wheels and I hate black wheels.

As for the interior trim I put Xpel on all the screen and Piano Black surfaces on my Porsche Macan and it works great.

 

I found that my silver wheels would end up being black between washes. 😂

 

I guess the reds are all a similar ' darkness ' but I do like the Patagonia ,because it doesn't have the orange tinge that the previous Cardinal had under certain lighting conditions .
The Tonka brown would be a good choice inside ,although I'm considering the black with red stitching, side inserts and stitched AMG logo plus red seat belts making for a more sporty appearance . Decisions , decisions ! At least I don't have to worry about the top - its black .

 

The rims on my CLE 53 AMG are the 20-inch Black AMG multispoke.
I love the look they provide and compliment the MANUFAKTUR Moonlight White metallic.
However, they are time consuming to clean and I clean them often.. Too many small crevices to clean thoroughly.
I may consider changing in a year or so.
Otherwise the coupe is excellent, fast and it looks gorgeous.
LTBM

 

If the color as portrayed in the configurator was true I would probably order on the spot but the video referenced paints a very much different picture. What I want is something like Aventurin Red on a BMW 840ix. Looks like Grey will move to #1.

 

“The waiting is the hardest part”.


A beautiful configuration - looking forward to your first impressions and photos once it arrives. My White Metallic CLE 53 is scheduled for production this Friday (09.20.2024). Once completed, the journey to California makes the wait a bit longer.

Tracked the RoRo ship carrying my W212 back in October 2014. As luck would have it Hurricane Gonzalo was playing havoc with the Atlantic shipping lanes. Watched it circling in the English Channel with numerous other vessels for days on end waiting out the storm. Found myself continually refreshing VesselFinder to see it motoring round-and-round. Egads

Out of curiosity, checked current conditions and it looks like clear sailing ahead this month.

While there are weather systems and potential developments in the Atlantic, as of now, there's no direct forecast of a storm significantly impacting the main shipping lanes from England to the U.S.

It won’t be long before you’re sitting in your new AMG.

Actually downloaded the AMG CLE 53 Operator’s Manual to get a jump on things - will be studying it sometime soon.

 

Any updates dunderhi ?? Your AMG has been at the port now for just over a week.

My understanding is that once there, a RoRo Ship will be assigned and the car loaded within 5 to 15 days (depending on shipping schedules and port conditions).

Just curious

 

I just reached out to my SA. It’s been assigned to Silver Soul which arrives in Baltimore on 10/1. The ship left on 9/21. I’m not sure when it was loaded.

 

Outstanding - time to clean out the garage to make room for the new arrival.

My CLE 53 is likely waiting in port - will ping my S/A for an update later today. Once shipped, the journey here across the Atlantic with stops, and then through the Panama Canal to Port Hueneme, California takes about 30 days +/-

Once I have a better fix on the ETA, will be scheduling an appointment with the detailer for PPF and window tinting. The outfit I prefer is usually backed up for a month or so. With the roads here and trucks kicking-up projectiles of various size it's risky driving the new car beforehand, though I've done it against advice out of temptation. After PPF it's off to another pro for paint correction and Quartz coating, including the wheels (inside and out). A very strong advocate, when done right almost nothing sticks - including brake dust for the most part. Would be absolutely essential on the 2024 multi-spoke wheels with their integral band obscuring the barrels.

Will be watching for your first impressions and photos - it won't be long now.

 

I cleaned it out about 3 weeks ago. I had to since we’re going from two cars to three.


I feel your pain. The other car that I ordered was a Toyota Tacoma. I ordered both vehicles at the same time. The Toyota was built in Mexico and I tracked its ship to San Diego where it’s still sitting. It’s a race to see which one gets to Pennsylvania first.

I’m on the opposite end of the car care spectrum. I’ll run it through a car wash a couple times a year, but that’ll be about it. I post some pics when it gets here. Unfortunately, I just had shoulder surgery and my arm is in a sling for a month, so a spirited driving review might be a couple of months away.

 

J Raymond,
would appreciate information about Quartz coating.
The 20-inch AMG Black multi spoke on my 53 are a pain to keep clean of brake dust and such.
LTBM

 

LTBM

My experience with ceramic (quartz) wheel coating when professionally applied has been very good to outstanding. Had CQuartz Pro applied to the then new W212 sedan along with the wheels (inside/out). There are a number of other great ceramic (quartz) coating products available, some, and perhaps the best, are available to manufacturer authorized installers only, CQuartz Pro, Opti-Coat, and Modesta to name a few. Then there are a myriad of DIY ceramic coating products on the retail market - CQuartz UK being just one example.

In my opinion - working with a reputable detailer who uses one of the proprietary ceramic coatings available to authorized installers is the only way to go on a new vehicle. And having the wheels coated at the same time a must have option. Some installers might offer the option of coating the outside wheel surfaces only. Here again my opinion is to have the wheels removed for complete coating to include the barrels.

Have tried my hand at ceramic coating a set of newly refinished five spoke wheels on my older BMW, using the retail Quartz UK product with limited success. Just me, the wheel paint finish, idk. I do know that ceramic coating the AMG CLE53 Multispoke wheels would be something best left to an experienced professional. Once applied, the ceramic coating cannot be easily removed even on flat surfaces. Within the small spaces on those wheels, correcting problem applications would be troubling, if not impossible.

My belief is that the benefit of having wheels professionally ceramic coated is well worth the investment. While the accumulated brake dust and road grime doesn't simply wash away with a garden hose, a once over with a mild detergent and wheel brush most always does the job. No pressure washing or harsh chemicals required.