CharlyE500

Well, CLS500 AMG pakg is a beautiful car, just change rims and put some winter tires you will be fine. I had E500 AMG pakg and i put E63 quad-exhaust and I loved the car. IMO, CLS is one of the nicest sedan around specially you got the AMG bodykit. V8 E500 has plenty of Power ! Enjoy your car !

Staff@RPM

Mercedes sells a lot of AMG packaged cars. I do not know if these are dealer installed items but they help the dealership sell a lot of product. Here is NY a lot of customers are looking for 4-matics and they want an AMG that is 4 wheel drive so the dealership (or Mercedes themselves) put an AMG package together and the car sells.

Most of the customers never ever complain or find out that they don't really have what we would consider an AMG. I have friends that lease these cars new and that is what they buy. I never tell them anything because they are happy with there purchase and that's all that really matters. They never come onto MBWorld (they don't even know that automotive forums exist). This is a huge business for Mercedes Benz.

We are all very well educated and know exactly what we want but there are a lot of people out there that do not even realize that there is a difference between and AMG and a car that says AMG.

Mantooth

I hope you're trolling.

dfz

The CLS500 did have nappa on some early models (I saw one while shopping which had the nappa option) but maybe MB removed the option after that year. But comparing the seats in my CLS to the 06 E55, other than the AMG logo they appeared to be identical in shape, contour and controls.. leather I didn't look at closely but probably that was the only difference.

To CharlyE500: what did you have to do to put the quad AMG exausts on your E? That's the one AMG feature they left off the sport pkg that I really wanted.. I have dual mono exhausts with an AMG logo on each but I'd be happy to swap them for duals if I can..

I never thought I was getting an AMG car (would have preferred one!), I just -incorrectly - assumed that the AMG package would be more than just snake oil.

bigben320e

Hmm...never saw the nappa on a 500, but that must have looked pretty cool. I have the quads on my CLS500 as well, which was a nice upgrade. I have the mufflers cut off and the CLS55 mufflers put in with the quad tips, then changed out the diffuser with a custom carbon fiber one.

The car does sound a little more throaty, looks good.

Hyperlite

Other than trying to save you money or the dealership, I can't imagine why he would recommend the 500 over the 55 and many dealers nowadays offer "amg" packages which are just bs amg wheels and badges. Anyways, if you can afford it I would recommend trading in for the 55 given the immense difference between the two cars. That's my opinion though considering I'm not sure what exactly you are looking for. If you worried about snow than just make sure you've got conti winter tires, I've heard great things about them...

So to sum it up, the AMG Package (of which almost all dealers offer now) usually consists of AMG Wheels, AMG Badges ie: "500 AMG" and sometimes paddle shifters and other bs little add-on's. There are more fake amg's in los angeles than there are real. A true AMG has an engine from AMG. I would say trade the car for the 55 and put conti dws' on it.


Hope that helps.

Stiggs

To me the two are the same. You had a great wealth of knowledge here on this board you could have used. "prior planning prevents poor performance"

CharlyE500

I bought it from local craiglist and its from E63 AMG. The guy was gonna upgrade to Brabus exhaust so sold me for $500 and the installation about $200. Its basically easy installation, just they have to cut a little rear bumper to fit the Quad. The sound and look was much better than original E500. There are few guys in the Classify section selling the exhaust, you just have to keep looking.

CharlyE500

Here are some part out with Quad exhaust:

https://mbworld.org/forums/parting-o...-part-out.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/parting-o...-part-out.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/parting-o...3-s55-amg.html

bigben320e

Uhh...the AMG packaged NA cars do not come with AMG badges on them.

On the CLS, the AMG package is:

• Bodyskirts and fogs
• Wheels
• Paddleshifters
• Grilles
• AMG Exhaust tips

That is about it, if I recall correctly that was about a ~$5K package that was an option to add from the factory.

Hyperlite

Every single non-amg merc in los angeles that has the amg package has amg badges, not the two digit number but the "AMG" badge, ie: s500 amg, etc.


I know this for a fact because I have spoken to floor guys at both merc of beverly hills and downtown l.a. and both offer the "AMG" package which includes the "AMG" rear badge...

So not only have I seen new cars from both dealerships on the street and been told by both dealerships, the bh dealership even has one in the showroom every once in awhile.


So, uhhh...yes...a lot of merc dealerships do amg badges on non amg cars.

EmE247

I live in LA, drive a sport version of the W212 and don't sport a AMG badge... Not sure which LA you are referring to but I seen more MBs w/out the AMG badge than posing...

Also bought a MB from both dealerships that you are referring to w/ the AMG sport packages with no AMG badge...

CharlyE500

Original from Mercedes don't come AMG badge ! Only small car dealer or AMG wanne be buy they from ebay same as those Brabus badge can buy in ebay for $20 Mercedes dealer don't put any AMG badge for AMG sport pakg. I have the E500 with AMG pakg that doesn't come with AMG badge.
It had AMG front/rear bumper but no side skirt and AMG 18" Rims and 2 AMG tip exhaust that's all !

220S

I'm assuming he doesn't know, or maybe isn't talking about, the OEM factory "AMG" sport package. In fact, in 2009 the only E350s available in the US were the factory AMG sport package versions.

And yeah, I agree. The fake badged ones are actually rare in LA (in respect to the actual number of Mercedes on the road, which are in the tens of thousands), and usually found on the non-AMG factory packaged cars.

To say "Every single non-amg merc in los angeles that has the amg package has amg badges" is just pure BS.

The Mercedes factory AMG sport package is just like the BMW factory M sport package. For the E350 it's a body kit plus wheels, exhaust (but dual not quad), paddle shifters, front bumper and fogs, but no rear spoiler. And NO badges.

Hyperlite

I was at downtown L.A. merc last week getting some old airmatic records from past work and saw a brand new c350 with the amg badge on the back and the downtown l.a. license plate paper thing and asked one of the sa's who said that they offer the AMG badge as on option with their amg package.


At merc of bh i saw an e550 with the amg badge on the showroom floor two months ago.

Also, I never said I see more mercedes with amg badges than i do normal mercedes. I said I see more non-amg mercs with amg badges than I do real amg's.

Finally, at trader joe's in weho 3 days ago I saw an new s550 with the bh paper plate and an amg badge on the back.

EmE247

My car is in Los Angeles and is a W212 w/ the AMG "Sport" package and it does not have the AMG badge.

Fact. I was never offered this option AMG badge when purchasing my W210 from Downtown Los Angeles MB.

Fact. I was never offered this option AMG badge when purchasing my W211 w/ AMG "Sport" package from Beverly Hills MB.

Fact. My family has never been offered this option AMG badge when purchasing our 10+ MB from about 7+ MB dealerships.

Fact. I have never seen an AMG badge on a non AMG vehicle being sold at either Downtown Los Angeles MB nor Beverly Hills MB.

Um OK. HeH.

Damn I am way too bored and have way too much time on my hands at work nowadays...

bigben320e

OK..let's get this straight. NA cars with AMG kits DO NOT come from the factory with AMG badges on them. What I said is 100% correct. Call MBUSA and ask if needed.

Some dealers as you said may slap AMG badges on the rear, but those are some dealers and that is false advertising, as they are not AMG's. That is not part of the AMG package offered by Mercedes.

220S

fwiw, I called the SM from BH MB this morning (I've dealt with them in the past) and mentioned if they ever put AMG badges on non-AMG cars or cars with the factory AMG package. They said unequivocally "NO." They said they'd be "stupid" to do that, and that they are an authorized AMG Performance Center (only a handful in the country.) They said that some service customers might have AMG badges on their cars and they won't do anything about that of course, and that some non-MB dealers might do this. They claimed that no cars coming from MB BH will be mis-badged. According to MB BH, any non-AMG car with an AMG badge did not originally come from MB BH.

I also know that my current dealer (I didn't buy from MB BH last time around because I had moved elsewhere) would never stick AMG badges on their new (or used) cars, and that's for certain (I know the owners.)

bigben320e

Thanks for your follow-up!

I don't know why we still seem to have people that want to debate about this AMG badging thing.

danlnyc

What did you think they were going to tell you?

"Yes, we like to slap AMG badges on customer cars so we can sell them for more!"

I know for a FACT that these dealerships slap AMG badges on non-AMG cars. I work in a wholesale/retail tire shop in ktown and we get many customers driving in here with their "AMG's". Now keep in mind these are people who have absolutely no interest in mods or badges. I will ask them if they put on the badges themselves and they all say no. Then, I ask them where they bought their cars and it's always at a dealership. ALWAYS.

I even had a guy waltz in here with his SL500 "AMG". After I schooled him on why it's not an AMG (pointed at my car and told him the major differences...pretty much no engine, no badge among other things) he got pissed and told me that he bought his car from a known dealership and they sold it to him as an AMG. He thought he was driving an AMG the entire time he owned the car.

Dealerships couldn't care less about the badges they slap on. Whatever gets them the sale right?

Hyperlite

Went to the post office in beverly hills this morning and upon leaving saw another s550 leaving the bh merc service department with the bh paper plate thing.

I swear to god, I see a minimum of 3 mercs of bh every couple days with an amg badge on the back. Now unless there is some amg badge dealer in bh or all these people (old women/men) are going out of their way to order the amg badge then im telling you the dealer is putting it on the car.

Honestly, the s class I saw today was driven by a tiny old woman.

Would she or her husband seriously go out of their way to get that amg badge?

And considering how many I see around bh that still have the bh plates it seems to me like an obvious conclusion.

220S

"Facts" on car forums are worthless.

And getting this sort of info from somebody who works at a tire shop in Koreatown, and not a Mercedes dealership, well....

But let's give you the benefit of the doubt. So okay, you know "for a fact." And what about "these dealerships?" Which dealerships? "Always from a dealership." What, you mean like those used car dealerships on S. La Cienega?

There is only MB BH, WI Simonson, Downtown LA Motors, MB of Encino, CalStar in Glendale, and Keyes in Van Nuys in the immediate vicinity. Both Keyes and MB BH are authorized AMG Performance Center dealerships. So which dealership, or are they're all doing this?

And you know somebody who was actually sold a non-AMG as an AMG and for a higher cost "from a known dealership"? Which dealership? That's fraud, pure and simple. Why not just say the name? btw, have you ever bought a new car from a franchised Mercedes dealer before?

And all this time you've been asking this multitude of AMG badged car owners why their cars are badged and who did it? Um, right. I'm glad that you're "schooling" everybody who comes in the shop where you work. They must feel good after they leave.

Whatever, it's all assumption and there's no basis for any facts here. It's your own perception (or just plain BS.) I've dealt with the SM at MB BH many times before and if he tells me they do not badge their inventory, then I'll believe him until I have the proof that says otherwise.

"I swear to god, I see a minimum of 3 mercs of bh every couple days with an amg badge on the back." Um, so what was the maximum? I mean come on, you honestly see a minimum of three MB BH Mercedes with an AMG badge on the back every day? And you just so happened to conveniently see a "tiny old woman" driving an S Class with an AMG badge today? What are you, a pizza delivery guy?

How do you even know for a "fact" that the car came from MB BH? The paper plate? The license plate frame? People come into MB BH everyday to get paper plates that say MB BH (just like they get MB BH plate frames once they get their plates; hell, they even sell them on eBay.) And if you service your car there with paper plates from another dealer, they'll swap them out with their own just like WI Simonson does...)

An obvious conclusion may seem obvious to someone, but otherwise means nothing until proven.

If you guys feel that all the Mercedes dealerships out there badge their non-AMG inventory with AMG badges, then so be it. That's your perception (or you're simply stretching the truth.) And it's interesting that all of a sudden you're seeing a plethora of MB BH AMG badged cars.

Anyway, if you two want to collect some actual facts and statistics then maybe I'll listen. But stop with the over exaggerations......

Hyperlite

This is getting ridiculous, why would I waste my time making a post saying I see mercs with amg badges if I didn't?

And your claim about people going in to get paper plates everyday??

I have yet to see anyone ever do that...

Finally, I'm not trying to get you to listen to anything because this isn't some debate...

I see a large amount of Non-AMG Mercedes driving around bh many with mb of bh paper plates or frames sporting the amg package ie:wheels etc. and an AMG badge on the rear.

I saw them so that's why I posted, I have no reason to lie. The mercs I see in bh all being from other dealerships and just having gone to get plates at mb of bh seems more unlikely than them actually being from the dealership of their area....

Anyways, I could care less whether you think they get their badges from the dealership or not I'm done with this retarded argument.

bigben320e

Actually, this discussion is not "retarded" at all. It's not an argument, but you guys are accusing Mercedes dealers of slapping AMG badges on NA Mercedes which is fraud (if they are charging more for them) and very misleading (false advertising) to buyers. It's a serious accusation.

Now I know that non-Mercedes dealers have done the slapping of badges, used car dealers, etc. yeah sure. That is a whole different type of dealer, they should not be doing that either, but whatever.

220S already pointed out why on the fraud, and danlnyc stated that when explained to a customer, he was upset, he thought he was driving an AMG. If a Mercedes dealership is doing that, it should be confirmed and reported. I am quite sure MBUSA would not like to hear about that.

As said earlier, NA Mercedes with the AMG package do not come with AMG badges. Period.

danlnyc

Why are you getting so butthurt? Relax. There is no need to start attacking people because we disagree with you.

I fail to see how dealing with your SM a couple times and calling a couple places = actual facts and statistics.