RS77

No dice on third row retrofit. Issue is not exhaust but different suspension in the 63 with a higher speed but lower weight rating. I could not get the dealer to go anywhere near the concept of even selling me the parts. PM me if you'd like more details. I am interested in doing it too. It it was suggested that a third row install might create insurance and warranty issues

RS77

Also, the quote on the parts only for third row retrofit was about 6k

otakki

Do you know the difference in weight rating between that and regular E suspension? I assume it should not be much.

isamubenz

Wow interesting, yeah I'll PM you for details. I still haven't my quote back.

On the suspension, the part that I'm scratching my head over is that the E63 wagon restained the rear air suspension, and it's supposed to be load adjusting.

Traffic53

untrue, at all levels. my shop did it for me and it's perfect. AMG car does not have a lower weight capacity in the cargo area. not sure why they would tell you that. per the owners manual, the weight capacity in the AMG wagon and the E350 wagon are equal. only issue is storage of the AMG spare wheel/tire. it's a bit wider than that of the E350, so i'm running without the spare until we engineer a solution. the panel won't stow away completely (misses by about 1") with the spare.

that's the issue. otherwise, the OEM parts bolt in perfectly.

xxGenericSNxx

Awesome, so you retrofitted the third row on onto the E AMG Wagon? Pics please!

RS77

Thanks Mike. Which dealer did the work for you and what was the total parts and installation cost?

Traffic53

the shop i use for maintenance, race prep and projects is Chicago Performance and Tuning. Al also installed the rear seats in my GT3. excellent shop. i bring him everything with the exception of my wife's hybrid toyota whatever-the-hell-it-is. that one gets no maintenance with the hope of a quicker death oh, and the price was roughly 6k...in line with what was earlier quoted.

RS77

Ok, so a dealer wasn't involved. All I said is a dealer wouldn't install it. You didn't answer either question. Ow much did the parts cost and how much did it cost to install?

Traffic53

what the? you asked 2 questions. 1)who did the install; 2)how much. if you can't find the answers to both of those in my response, then i'm not sure how to help you going forward.

the rest of the pitfalls you're concerned about (suspension, parts availability, insurance, warranty, etc) would need to be worked out in your head. i'm only reporting that the project is complete and was successful. if you feel offended or dissatisfied with my post, i will make note and can only promise better efforts in the future.

otherwise, cheers.

RS77

If you wanted to be helpful you could provide info on how you were able to get a list of the parts required, what dealer you bought them from, what vehicle vin you used (e63 vin won't work as there is no back seat), what the parts cost and what the install cost. Thank you

TheOtherEric

+1 to RS77. It would be really helpful to see some details about the project, like how you identified the parts (and even a list of part #s if possible), what was involved in the install, could this be a DIY, and install hours. As you & I know, CPT's shop rate isn't exactly peanuts. I'm looking at wagons, and would love the rear seats but not if I'm looking at a $12k total bill.

Traffic53

oh brother

i find CPT's rate to be in line with the service provided...especially if your dealer is unwilling to perform the install. is it a DIY? maybe. i wasn't interested, but you might be. there was no advanced-level fabricating necessary, as all of the pieces are OEM brackets and bolts that screw into existing bolt holes. Al did have to do a few cut-outs in existing panels to accommodate seat belt trim and so forth.

it's a nice mod, and really the only reason i buy the wagons. i have young kids. i bought this car fully expecting to perform the modification, regardless of whether it was plug-and-play or not. if the OEM parts didn't fit, i would have had CPT fabricate something else. turns out the only reason for not making it an option is the spare tire. if we can't engineer a solution to that one, i'll just carry a can of fix-a-flat, as i did with the E55. no problem.

thanks fellas. sorry i'm of little help other than to report it's perfectly doable.