@Huleyman Great information - thanks for sharing.

 

Update on order: My dealer said their custom order allocation for me will close in about 10 days (they lose it) if I don't confirm I want it beforehand. I wondered today if other dealers in my area (within 50 miles) had earlier allocations to do custom E53 builds. So to honor this deadline I called 5 other dealers today and found out 2 had earlier allocations than the one I configured yesterday and unsurprisingly they were all eager to make orders. One build date is 24 days earlier than the one I made yesterday, and another is 18 days earlier. I'm a bit torn because I want to reward the customer service at the original dealership, but maybe all the future service appointments for this E53 being at the original dealer (closest to me) will turn out to be reward enough for them. Delivery 24 days earlier seems like a reasonable reason to order elsewhere. I can wait, but I'm not convinced it really makes much difference to anyone to wait. Thoughts?

 

I've seen photos of 2025 AMG E53's with European front license plates, but not any with US front license plates. Sadly, some states require front license plates. Looking in other W214 threads it seems there are cool temporary options, but they specifically say they are not for AMG E53 model sadly: https://carbonio.com/pages/product-r...on-e53-e63-amg

Q. Anyone here have a photo or advice about how to get front plates mounted as attractively as possible?

 

After working with a dealer to spec my car, there’s no way I’d go to another dealer just to get it 24 days earlier. Life is too short for that, but that’s how I roll.

 

I'd stick with your regular dealer. There can be several benefits to having a car serviced where it was purchased.
My dealer offers free home pickup and delivery along with a MB loaner if your car was purchased from them.
Otherwise you may get a Hertz rental if one is available when you drop off your car.

 

Contra point: The service department is totally independent of the sales department. Each are a separate entity and profit center.

I service my car at my local dealership which is not where I bought the car. I always get a loaner - no questions asked. For service I have never been asked where I bought the car. I have had the same SA for the past six years. He takes care of me.

As an independent profit center, the service department welcomes everyone: they want your business.

Service is where the real money is made - not in the sales.

 

Before deciding on which dealer to give your business I would ask this initial question: How much of a discount off of MSRP are you willing to give me?

Once you find the best price, if it is not your original dealer, assuming the difference is not too great, if it is then your owe no obligation to the original dealer as he been "riping you off", then circle back to your original dealer and ask him to meet or beat your best price.

As far as service goes, see my post #81.

 

I do not own one of these, so this is not a recommendation. My car is on order and I live in Virginia, which requires a front license plate, so I have been doing some research. So far, I have come up with “ Sly Bracket” which seems to have a lot of good reviews. If you end up getting one, let me know what you think.

 

When you make a service appointment the dealer will have access to the vehicle details and service history connected to your VIN. Service and Sales department alike must abide by the corporate policies. At my dealer there are certain perks that are available to purchase customers that are not available to others. At my dealer that includes pickup & delivery, MB loaner cars, service discount coupons for vehicles purchased from the dealer, . .

 

After I have taken delivery of my car, the only time I have gone back to sales, is when I am ready to buy another car. After taking delivery I have only dealt with service, never sales.




Interesting how different your dealer is from most others:

• Discount service coupons are available on my dealers website and are available to all, regardless of where you purchased. see link below
• Loaners are available to all, regardless of where you bought
• Do not know about pick up and delivery as I always driven my car to the dealer, spoke to the SA, sometimes to the head of service about my problem, and was given a loaner. If all you are doing is an oil change, etc. then pickup and delivery might make sense. But if your have a problem you need to speak in person to either and/or both your SA or head of service and often take a drive to demonstrate the problem. So pick and delivery is of little to no value.
• For normal oil change, etc. my dealer has while you wait "Express Service" which is under an hour

If your dealer restricts loaners and discounts to only those who purchased from them, I think your dealer is an outlier or perhaps they do in fact give discount coupons and loaners to others and you are not aware of this.




see: https://www.rallyemotors.com/service-specials/

see: https://www.silverstarny.com/service...pecial-offers/

 

Small (10%) service discount coupons are available to all, not the $100 coupons mailed to sales customerrs.
Non-Mercedes loaners (from Hertz) are available for all. Mercedes loaners are available for sales customers.
My last loaner was a 2024 S580. Though I usually get an E class loaner. Sales also influences what loaner one gets.
I've never had an issue where I had to talk to the SA or service manager face-to-face. I can do an internet chat, if necessary.
It is 10 miles (30 minutes or more each way) plus time for the oil change. That is a waste of 2+ hours of my time.
Simply put, I don't go to the dealership unless absolutely necessary. I bought my last car without going to the dealer. They came to me.

IMO customer perks are the differences between a NYC mentailty and a small town (100k pop) mentality.

 

Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback.

Update: In the end my original dealer won my business and the build date is now earlier as well. Objectively the best option and coincidentally feels right.

 

Red Seat Belts
When you "Build" your vehicle at MBUSA.com you can end up with this interior which I found quite fun.


When ordering a custom build at my dealership the expert found that the order system would only allow Red Seat Belts with the black upholstery options. Further investigation online reveals this text on MBUSA in the E53 info page about the Red Seat Belts.




Defeated I abandoned the Red Seat Belts in favor of my higher priority Neva Grey upholstery preference. It is odd though, since the seat belts themselves are probably not tied to the upholstery in some functional way.

Q. What do you think the chances are MB could be lobbied (me doing this) to allow the Red belts in other upholstery configurations? Ever heard of someone managing to contact them?

I appreciate this is a very long shot, but my build date in a few months off and I've got time to engage this mission. Just wondering where to start? Dealerships say contact MB directly, but that seems like a black hole of "Thanks for your feedback.". Maybe a social media ask (polite, fun, with visuals)? Any thoughts appreciated.

 

I ordered the multicontour seating package in neva grey and it only comes with the red seat belts. When the dealer tried to choose the black seat belts, we had to remove the multicontour seating package. At first, I wasn’t sure the red seat belts would look right with the matte white paint and neva grey interior, but it’s grown on me and I think it’s going to look sharp.

 

Has it already been built or is the build date in the future (and not locked already)? Given the text on the MBUSA page for the E53 spec detail on Red Seat Belts I worry you won't get them. In the "Red Seat Belt" pop-up it says what you see in my post above. In the Replace red seat belts with black popup it says this:

Replace red seat belts with black
Black seat belts are included with most upholstery choices, to match the overall interior trim color. They're also available at no charge in lieu of the red seat belts that come standard with either of the Black upholstery offerings.

When my dealer selected the Red Seat Belts option in the ordering tool it said they are only available if you choose black upholstery. That is why I went digging on the MBUSA site to see if there was any mention of this restriction. Sadly, as you can see above, I found it.

 

My build date is January 30th. I won’t be upset if it comes with black seat belts, but as of now, they should be red.

 

RE: Red Seat Belts

I sent a message to Mercedes-Benz USA through their website contact form last week. This was their reply today:With this, it seems clear my E53 will probably not arrive with Red Seat Belts. Like Rick_H I am sure it will be fine. Lucky for me, I got to see my interior in another E53 last week, with black seat belts, and it looked great as is.

 

what discounts were you able to secure when placing orders?

 

My car has finally arrived at the dealer. They are currently undergoing the pre-delivery procedures, and I anticipate picking it up within the next week or so. I’ve already had a chance to see the car via FaceTime with my advisor, and it’s covered in protective cardboard and plastic shipping film. Even beneath that, it’s evidently a beautiful vehicle. I believe it’s high time to put aside my cautious approach and embrace the excitement that awaits me!

 

Congratulations @Avi8tor . I took delivery with every sticker, paper, wrapping, cardboard in place - not even washed. Moved it to storage and will start the unwrapping and detailing. Fortunate the car encountered no snow or rain during transport. The car is amazing and you will not be disappointed.

 

Those that took delivery of their new E53, what are you impressions.

 

I think the car is an absolute home run. The PHEV I6 drivetrain is the main reason that I bought the car, plus already knowing from reviews that the new W214 chassis was a success. I am biased as I'm loyal to the brand and the e-class. The ergonomics, driving position are excellent. The I6 is ultra smooth and the 9 speed is also smooth with great shift quality and quick shift times. The car is within break-in so I can't speak to full speed - but can tell it is very fast with great torque. The ride settings are very good and comfort is comfortable and sport definitely improves the handling. And the 4 wheel steering definitely should be had on any of the 214 chassis offerings - its improvement to handling and drivability is worth it. My spec took all the performance options, but also Pinnacle trim and Multi Contour seats - the goal to be as powerful as possible but also as comfortable. I think the E53 hits those two goals better than an E450 or E 63 will. I think the premium over the E450 is reasonable, and I'm certain I wouldn't have been able to afford the E63 if offered given that the G90 M5 price point is very high. Ultimately, the E53 slots in with the best of the comfort of the E450 and more than enough power. Once I get to the point of chasing tenths of seconds - it's a moot point. The technology of the car is truly amazing. From the 3D display to the heads up to the screens, the interface MBUX system - all absolutely excellent. I really can't come up with criticism. But I do have to drive it more to fully understand and appreciate all it offers, but also uncover dislikes. The car is already in storage for the winter, but I did manage to drive it 100 miles. Long line of E-Class cars with a C55 AMG thrown in. W210 (x2), W211 (x2), W212 (x1). All sold, plus parted with 2008 997 C2, W123 and others not as notable.

 

what is 24;days for a car you may own several years. The dealer could care less about you offering the service on your outside purchase. I would service your car but no loaner car. Get that from your selling dealer.

 

How are you charging the battery during the winter, using just a trickle charger for the 12 volt battery, or the charging cord for the lithium battery?

 

@petee1997 My original, local dealer did some trading internally and got me their earliest available build date (in January) which was a great outcome. So, in the end, I'm buying local which is where I service my current vehicle. Happy with the outcome.