C63 Estate - Monthly running report - Month 2

[ghibbett]

Apart from the rattles, what would you see as the weak points of the car? How do you find the brakes, as some reviews suggest these could be better?

Thanks for your question. It seems this thread has veered wildly of course as to who can be more correct as to the various iterations of SL55...

Weak points of the car? Range and fuel consumption are the obvious ones. I would also say that visibility isn't very good, especially to the n/s of the car. As for the brakes, I'm an ex-BMW owner so feel that the brakes are actually very good. That being said, I am very light on brakes and tend to use anticipation and coasting rather than braking. Using the gears, and with the huge amount of rotational friction you get from a big capacity engine, there's plenty of engine braking on offer. However I'm planning on a trip to the 'Ring next year, so that'll highlight any deficiencies with the braking system.

Otherwise I'm yet to think of many. I don't think the Sat Nav is that great. Also I don't really like the throttle pedal weighting, but then again I've yet to find a fly-by-wire throttle that I actually like. Bring back good old throttle cables I say!

As for the rattles, the OP is wasting his time trying to get it fixed, its what these cars do.

Always an optimist? I bet you a tenner I'll get the aforementioned rattles fixed. If MB can't do it, then I will. Of that I have no doubt.

 

[MrVix]

I love my c63 and have very little criticism however the traction on my gravel drive on a very slight incline is appalling even for a rear wheel drive car. Favourite bit is the noise worth every bit of the 17mpg i have averaged since picking it up.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I love my c63 and have very little criticism however the traction on my gravel drive on a very slight incline is appalling even for a rear wheel drive car. Favourite bit is the noise worth every bit of the 17mpg i have averaged since picking it up.

Wait until the snow arrives...

 

[MrVix]

Wait until the snow arrives...

It gets a bit naughty even in the wet, i won't dare use it in the snow, it will stay on the drive!

 

[st4]

It gets a bit naughty even in the wet, i won't dare use it in the snow, it will stay on the drive!

Just drive it gently, you'll be fine.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I know this could take us off topic but you needn't be wary of using it if you have winter tyres fitted. My C (albeit with less power) is completely drive able in all conditions.

 

[st4]

. If MB can't do it, then I will. Of that I have no doubt.

If you can fix them, great. It might be good if you do a how to type thread to help others as we do get posts about facelifted C classes with minor rattles. You seem a helpful chap, I look forward to further updates and progress on your car.

 

[HammyHamster]

Excellent read ghibbett as always. I've had my C63 for the same amount of time as you and have now covered 2300 miles (averaging 17.5mpg). It's not my daily driver but I just can't help going out for a blast at every opportunity!

Thankfully my car seems rattle free at the moment, but my biggest "annoyance" is the MCT gearbox can be jerky at times, especially when downshifting to 1st gear in S/S+ modes. Also it sometimes has a perception of "clutch slippage" on kickdown in S+, and there is a bit of a delay before you get the full bore acceleration. Maybe it's because I'm not used to this gearbox (always had manuals in the past), maybe it's traction control kicking in, or maybe my gearbox is faulty! How do you find the MCT box?

 

[Dieselman]

Also it sometimes has a perception of "clutch slippage" on kickdown in S+, and there is a bit of a delay before you get the full bore acceleration.

That is probably the engine ECU reducing power until the gearbox fully engages the next gear.
The automatic gearboxes operate the same feature, which is really annoying when asking for full power and kicking down a couple of gears.

 

[HammyHamster]

That is probably the engine ECU reducing power until the gearbox fully engages the next gear.
The automatic gearboxes operate the same feature, which is really annoying when asking for full power and kicking down a couple of gears.

Interesting - I wonder if that is for traction control or to stop load on the gearbox. Seeing as gear changes are only meant to take 100ms in S+ mode, it seems to limit the power for longer than that (1-2 seconds?).

Of course, it could just all be in my head!

 

[pjs]

Love the vid, the most exciting thing I've seen on this forum for a long time! Enjoy

 

[Dieselman]

Interesting - I wonder if that is for traction control or to stop load on the gearbox. Seeing as gear changes are only meant to take 100ms in S+ mode, it seems to limit the power for longer than that (1-2 seconds?).

It is to make the change smoother while reducing slip wear.

 

[Dieselman]

Love the vid, the most exciting thing I've seen on this forum for a long time! Enjoy

Which seems incredible considering how many powerful AMG models there are on here.

We need doughnuts and sprint starts.

 

[BigSilverEstate]

Love the vid, the most exciting thing I've seen on this forum for a long time! Enjoy

You must have missed the US election thread.

 

[st4]

You must have missed the US election thread.

Now THAT was funny....

 

[ghibbett]

Which seems incredible considering how many powerful AMG models there are on here.

We need doughnuts and sprint starts.

Will aim to get a Race Start video done soon.

On an unrelated note, I may have a solution to one of my rattles. The rattle that I thought was coming from the demist vents is actually coming from the instrument binnacle. I have a plan involving a cunningly placed end piece of tie-wrap (or zip tie or whatever they're called) that I reckon may well solve one rattle. Will keep the forum updated.

 

[Dieselman]

(or zip tie or whatever they're called)

Mercedes anti rattle shim...

 

[ghibbett]

Mercedes anti rattle shim...

Do you have a part number for that? I'll order a dozen

 

[aquanaut]

Thanks for the write up ghibbett, much appreciated. Not many things i don't like with the car. One of them is the air con dials, feel loose and plastic. Preferred the digital display on my C55. Dont know who supplies the map data now but its nowhere near as good as my 2010 dvd on my previous comand aps. Has me offroad in retail parks that have been there for years, for instance. Like apple to google maps! Preferred the more comfortsble seats on my c55 and dont like the way it always starts in c mode. Off course these are all minor and no big deal. Other than that its ace! Who was the games company?? C'mon, spill the beans! Lol! EA? Sony? COdemasters? Lol! Thankfully car has been rattle / Vibration free so no need for stratigically placed tie wraps like my C55

 

[ghibbett]

Quick update: Just been out for a 55 mile cross-country blast in these appalling conditions we're having. Sorry to have seen some pretty severe flooding in places, but everyone has been driving sensibly and slowly...except for me Of course sensible and slow could be considered dawdling (35mph in clear sighted NSL roads is a wee bit on the slow side) but it just gives me more to overtake.

So how did the C63 cope? Very well indeed is the answer. It's certainly very greasy on the roads, and I was easily getting wheelspin in a straight line in 2nd (and that's with an LSD), but the car was composed and comfortable, the lights were great and the car as a whole felt very reassuring.

It would be extremely interesting to have driven the same journey in a non-LSD equipped C63 to see how much difference it makes, however there's no way I would have been able to do all the doughnuts I did without one. T'was fun!!

Anyway, and as is commonplace with C63 ownership, even my short journey necessitated a trip to the petrol station. The fuel gauge was pretty much on empty and its accuracy was backed up by me easily putting 63.79 litres in the tank without any extra 'little click' top-ups. Ooops! Saw a nice C55 estate is the station too, but despite my looking over in a friendly manner, I think he felt top-trumped and decided to ignore me. Shame. It sounded great pulling off the forecourt too, although a lot more 'muscle car' V8 than the ripping/snarling of the C63 sound.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I'm still buzzing from the drive. The power and ability to overtake is just, well, a bit over the top really, but that's not a bad thing. Only other thing to report is that I may have fixed both of my rattles with one small fix. As it was raining out, and with all the added background noise associated with it, I cannot yet say 100% whether the fix has worked, but it's looking positivie. If it proves to have worked, I'll write a little guide with some pics to help out other facelift C-Class owners who have a similar problem.

Cheers all

P.S. Had been planning on making a 'Race Start' video this weekend, as I know there's been a little interest on the forum regarding seeing one, but the weather is far too pants to be doing that so it'll have to wait a while. Sorry