Bought 2020 S 450
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 30
Likes: 1
From: Ellicott City, MD
2003 SL500 Sport Pkg, 2008 BMW X5 4.8L, 2011 Prius (my gas saver:-))
Bought 2020 S 450
I have not owned a Mercedes in many years as had bought an Audi R8 and and A7.
My son has been into Mercedes from childhood and I owed many E Classes and also an SL.
He has been working for a couple of years after graduating college so wanted a Mercedes and so we bought a very low mileage W222- 2020 S450 4Matic.
I have already started a list of mods, including front and rear end modernization and since the car is black, so do a chrome delete, etc.
I have a question regarding the rear diffuser. Is it a a part of the rear bumper or is it detachable and can be just replaced and upgraded to more S65 look with quad tips?
I am also looking at AMG steering wheels and ours has the heated wheel option so am also wondering if I were to replace it with a S65/AMG flat bottom one, would it require programming or is it a plug and play?
I have replaced a few including the one on my R8 with a carbon fiber one and it was plug and play so wanted to check with you all.
I am overall excited to have a Mercedes back into our fleet and can't wait to receive it. It is going to arrive this weekend.
Thanks much!!
Paul
My son has been into Mercedes from childhood and I owed many E Classes and also an SL.
He has been working for a couple of years after graduating college so wanted a Mercedes and so we bought a very low mileage W222- 2020 S450 4Matic.
I have already started a list of mods, including front and rear end modernization and since the car is black, so do a chrome delete, etc.
I have a question regarding the rear diffuser. Is it a a part of the rear bumper or is it detachable and can be just replaced and upgraded to more S65 look with quad tips?
I am also looking at AMG steering wheels and ours has the heated wheel option so am also wondering if I were to replace it with a S65/AMG flat bottom one, would it require programming or is it a plug and play?
I have replaced a few including the one on my R8 with a carbon fiber one and it was plug and play so wanted to check with you all.
I am overall excited to have a Mercedes back into our fleet and can't wait to receive it. It is going to arrive this weekend.
Thanks much!!
Paul
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 30
Likes: 1
From: Ellicott City, MD
2003 SL500 Sport Pkg, 2008 BMW X5 4.8L, 2011 Prius (my gas saver:-))
Thank you so much. I believe with only 21k miles on it all I am going to do is an oil change. It has had 10k mile service done in 2023 and has brand new tires already.
Super Member
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 784
Likes: 248
From: USA
The rear diffuser is a separate piece you can replace for the AMG look.
Swapping the heated steering wheel for an AMG style one is not plug-and-play. It will require coding to make everything work properly, especially to retain the heating function. You'll need a specialist to handle the programming.
Swapping the heated steering wheel for an AMG style one is not plug-and-play. It will require coding to make everything work properly, especially to retain the heating function. You'll need a specialist to handle the programming.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 30
Likes: 1
From: Ellicott City, MD
2003 SL500 Sport Pkg, 2008 BMW X5 4.8L, 2011 Prius (my gas saver:-))
I bought a Brabus type diffuser from Aliexpress and had my mechanic try to install it but he was unable to do it. He said that the diffuser did not line up with the car's bumper and so it did not work.
Has anyone been successful with installing this kit?
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...origin_prod%3A
I am now stuck with this kit and exhaust tips. The seller is no where to be found:-( Just sucks and Aliexpress does not want to help. I will never buy anything from Aliexpress.
Has anyone been successful with installing this kit?
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568...origin_prod%3A
I am now stuck with this kit and exhaust tips. The seller is no where to be found:-( Just sucks and Aliexpress does not want to help. I will never buy anything from Aliexpress.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 4,372
Likes: 945
W212 FL
Congrats on your purchase .
Sorry to hear about issues with the Aliexpress. I have bought many items off them without any issues at all. You can try our forum vendors if you like or try ebay but as a common word : buy the seller first then the item
Anyway, don't let it damp your ownership already , enjoy it and happy driving
Sorry to hear about issues with the Aliexpress. I have bought many items off them without any issues at all. You can try our forum vendors if you like or try ebay but as a common word : buy the seller first then the item
Anyway, don't let it damp your ownership already , enjoy it and happy driving
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,694
Likes: 521
2019 S560, 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid
I changed steering wheels in a C350 several years ago and only had to switch the circuit board into the new wheel to make the new one work correctly, no coding. Obviously you'd want to ensure the features like heating were supported in the new wheel.
Oh, and congrats on the new car, please post some pics for us to admire :-)
Oh, and congrats on the new car, please post some pics for us to admire :-)
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Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 477
Likes: 187
From: US
Mercedes SL R231
I assume (maybe wrongly) that you have copies of the WIS and EPC. That should give you the info you need about removing and installing body parts, as well as other maintenance items. You should also get the transmission serviced. Even though you have low mileage, trannies should be serviced every 5 years. The 9G can be a pain, but the WIS will walk you through how to do a drain and fill with a new filter using the drip method.
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