W212 E63 AMG S Purchase

[VolkanKose]

Dear MB Enthusiasts,
First of all I would like to introduce myself and thanks everybody for the very useful information on the Forum. My name is Volkan and living in Solihull (B'Ham) and planning to buy a 2014 E63 (W212) AMG S saloon.
My personal preference is an Estate but my misses and daughter want me to go for the saloon.

I have found a few on Autotrader but would like to now if it's a good deal to pay a few thousand more to have a Manufacturer Approved. My daily driver is a Range Rover 4.4TDV8 and know the importance to have a Manufacturer Approved on a second hand Land Rover.

I assume that there is no need to go in a deep check of the car when it's a Manufacturer Approved or am I wrong? And what are the most important things to check on the E63 AMG S?

Thank in advance
Volkan

 

[Psilonaught]

I got a two year warranty on my s212 e63 and it is peace of mind. I'll be extending when it runs out as I can't see myself selling it for at least another two years. Waiting for the s213 to come down to £40k!

Superb cars

 

[JimmyR]

I would still give the car a very good going over. To qualify as an Approved Used MB Head Office stipulate the car has to be in “as new” condition. Dealers try to get away with what they can so the onus is on the prospective buyer to identify any “non warranty” faults with the car prior to committing to the purchase. So check out brake pads and tyre wear, wheels for gutter rash, minor bodywork faults, ensure software and maps are up to date etc and require that it is all sorted as a condition of sale.

 

[VolkanKose]

I would still give the car a very good going over. To qualify as an Approved Used MB Head Office stipulate the car has to be in “as new” condition. Dealers try to get away with what they can so the onus is on the prospective buyer to identify any “non warranty” faults with the car prior to committing to the purchase. So check out brake pads and tyre wear, wheels for gutter rash, minor bodywork faults, ensure software and maps are up to date etc and require that it is all sorted as a condition of sale.

Hi Jimmy,

You were wright, I have viewed one today at a Mercedes dealer and as you have mentioned the brake pads had just 5mm left, the discs were grooved and the center of the disc was really bad rusted.
There were also a lot of little bodywork faults, the lower silver spoiler on the front bumper was missing, there was a crack on the front bumper and the driver side tail light had a bigger gap (6mm bigger) with the bodyside then the passenger side tail light. I even asked the sale consultant if he was sure that the car didn't had an accident as the not wright fitting tail light seemed a bit strange. One of the key's was repaired with black tape.
The sales consultant promised me that they will fix everything, for the brakes he will let me know on Monday if they will change it.
Thank you for the advice.

 

[JimmyR]

It sounds like it has been round the block and up and down speed humps plenty of times suggesting a non pampered example. If it were me in your position if they won't sort the brakes out (rotors and pads by the sounds of it) I would walk away.

 

[st13phil]

If it were me in your position if they won't sort the brakes out (rotors and pads by the sounds of it) I would walk away.

Unless it's a unicorn car spec-wise, then I think I'd be inclined to look elsewhere regardless.

You've found the obvious defects (some of which on their own would be enough to put me off, and in aggregate suggest a car that's had a relatively hard life) in a relatively short viewing and it would be unusual if there aren't other faults that will make their presence felt over time. That the dealer hasn't addressed the obvious damage to the front bumper nor the misalignment of the rear one before putting on the forecourt doesn't give me a great deal of confidence that you would get good after-sales support from them either.

In answer to your earlier Approved Used question, I think you've seen enough already to realise that some MB Main Dealers pay lip service to the matters of preparation and appearance. Others do take it seriously though, so it's worth viewing cars at more than one dealership. Remember that Approved Used AMG's come with a 2-year warranty which would cost you on the region of £3k to buy, and often have servicing offers thrown in too. Just factor that in when you're comparing cars at franchised vs. non-franchised dealers.

 

[VolkanKose]

It sounds like it has been round the block and up and down speed humps plenty of times suggesting a non pampered example. If it were me in your position if they won't sort the brakes out (rotors and pads by the sounds of it) I would walk away.

Sorry for my bad English, I still translate many words from Dutch in my mind.
Yes the good English word is Rotary and not Discs

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Sorry for my bad English, I still translate many words from Dutch in my mind.
Yes the good English word is Rotary and not Discs

You were correct first time; the correct English term is “brake discs and pads”.

“Rotors” is an American term.

 

[st13phil]

Just a thought...

The W/S212 E63 in "S" guise is pretty rare, and in my experience ones with attractive extras on them (Distronic Plus, Dynamic Seats, etc.) are very hard to find. Are you looking for a car with particular extras? If so then the chances of finding a non-S car in the spec you want will be considerably higher.

 

[VolkanKose]

Unless it's a unicorn car spec-wise, then I think I'd be inclined to look elsewhere regardless.

You've found the obvious defects (some of which on their own would be enough to put me off, and in aggregate suggest a car that's had a relatively hard life) in a relatively short viewing and it would be unusual if there aren't other faults that will make their presence felt over time. That the dealer hasn't addressed the obvious damage to the front bumper nor the misalignment of the rear one before putting on the forecourt doesn't give me a great deal of confidence that you would get good after-sales support from them either.

In answer to your earlier Approved Used question, I think you've seen enough already to realise that some MB Main Dealers pay lip service to the matters of preparation and appearance. Others do take it seriously though, so it's worth viewing cars at more than one dealership. Remember that Approved Used AMG's come with a 2-year warranty which would cost you on the region of £3k to buy, and often have servicing offers thrown in too. Just factor that in when you're comparing cars at franchised vs. non-franchised dealers.

To be honest the car has only the black wheel option ticked off, nothing else apart from the standard AMG S equipement.
First registration was at 12/2014 (64 plate), I will be the second owner.
Black alloys
No split folding rear seats
No back camera
No driver assistance's (just the normal cruise control)
No adjustable side supports on front seats

As the car had low miles, my favorite color and Mercedes Approved i was willing to pay more than the average price (£37.000). But of course for that price I expected more than a perfect car to be honest.
The sales consultant even wanted me to finance the car for at least £11.000 by them and then they could give me an additional 2 year dealer warranty as an addition after the 2 year manufacturer warranty.

There is a forum member who wants to sell his car E63 AMG S Estate (2014/63), I really love his car (also being Estate) but has 52.000 miles and I will be the third owner. I'm sure that the car is better maintained than the dealer ones. As I drive around 20.000 miles a year i thought that above 50K miles was already to much (Am I right?).

I have send the sales consultant a snag list with all the faults I saw (see below pdf). Could you guys please let me know if I exaggerate?

 

[VolkanKose]

Just a thought...

The W/S212 E63 in "S" guise is pretty rare, and in my experience ones with attractive extras on them (Distronic Plus, Dynamic Seats, etc.) are very hard to find. Are you looking for a car with particular extras? If so then the chances of finding a non-S car in the spec you want will be considerably higher.

Hi Phil,

Reason why I was looking for an E63 AMG S was the 4-Matic. But last week I saw here on the Forum that the RHD spec couldn't had the front differential and therefore no 4-Matic.
So to be honest I will also consider to look for a non S. But the red calipers are very nice and would look great next to the 911 4S (also red calipers).

 

[st13phil]

If you're driving 20k miles a year, pretty much anything you buy will end up "high mileage" after a couple of years ownership, so it comes down to how much extra it's going to cost you to maintain a car running from (say) 50k to 90k miles, vs. another from (say) 30k to 70k miles. What will that delta be? I honestly have no idea, but my guess is that it probably wouldn't be very different to the price premium of the 30k car over the 50k one, and the higher mileage car will almost certainly have had new discs and pads all round in its recent past, whereas the 30k miles car will need them in the next 15k miles.

Regarding the example you viewed:

1. The mark on the front bumper looks like it's been repainted and that's lacquer lifting. Why was it repainted? Possibly just to tidy up chipping or minor scuffs, or maybe a minor shunt which would tie in with the missing part of the front splitter in pdf #3
2. The corrosion on the exhaust tips is par for the course on these cars unless the owner is fastidious about cleaning them
3. The chips on the trailing edges of the doors are typical of damage caused by someone not too careful about what they open the doors onto
4. There's nothing wrong with the driver's door seal. My car (which is unmolested) is exactly the same
5. The stone chips, small scuff on the door and scratch on the boot spoiler are, frankly, to be expected on a 4 year old car. Were the car mine, I would have touched up the stone chips. The scuff and scratch may polish out
6. The rear lamps are more interesting, not for the relative gaps but because of the lack of surface scratching on the left one which suggests it's been recently replaced. Add that to the misalignment on the right-hand one and it would suggest that the rear of the car has had work done on it in the recent past. This may be rectification of a simple carpark knock, or an indication of a bigger shunt. You would need to look closely at the paintwork on the wings to get more of an indication
7. The LED headlamps are susceptible to condensate in them in some circumstances, so not normally an issue but coupled with the suspicions about the front bumper, could suggest that it's been apart and not been refitted properly
8. The centre of the brake discs will corrode over time, so that wouldn't concern me, however the discs do look like they're nearer the end of their life than the start! What's the mileage on the car? Less than 35k and I'd say it's on its original discs and pads.

Overall, for a top price car it's not in top price condition. Personally, unless I really, really, really wanted to buy it and the dealer was willing to replace the discs and pads, fix the front splitter, I could satisfy myself that the front and rear had been repaired properly and they dropped the price I'd be looking elsewhere.

 

[VolkanKose]

If you're driving 20k miles a year, pretty much anything you buy will end up "high mileage" after a couple of years ownership, so it comes down to how much extra it's going to cost you to maintain a car running from (say) 50k to 90k miles, vs. another from (say) 30k to 70k miles. What will that delta be? I honestly have no idea, but my guess is that it probably wouldn't be very different to the price premium of the 30k car over the 50k one, and the higher mileage car will almost certainly have had new discs and pads all round in its recent past, whereas the 30k miles car will need them in the next 15k miles.

Regarding the example you viewed:

1. The mark on the front bumper looks like it's been repainted and that's lacquer lifting. Why was it repainted? Possibly just to tidy up chipping or minor scuffs, or maybe a minor shunt which would tie in with the missing part of the front splitter in pdf #3
2. The corrosion on the exhaust tips is par for the course on these cars unless the owner is fastidious about cleaning them
3. The chips on the trailing edges of the doors are typical of damage caused by someone not too careful about what they open the doors onto
4. There's nothing wrong with the driver's door seal. My car (which is unmolested) is exactly the same
5. The stone chips, small scuff on the door and scratch on the boot spoiler are, frankly, to be expected on a 4 year old car. Were the car mine, I would have touched up the stone chips. The scuff and scratch may polish out
6. The rear lamps are more interesting, not for the relative gaps but because of the lack of surface scratching on the left one which suggests it's been recently replaced. Add that to the misalignment on the right-hand one and it would suggest that the rear of the car has had work done on it in the recent past. This may be rectification of a simple carpark knock, or an indication of a bigger shunt. You would need to look closely at the paintwork on the wings to get more of an indication
7. The LED headlamps are susceptible to condensate in them in some circumstances, so not normally an issue but coupled with the suspicions about the front bumper, could suggest that it's been apart and not been refitted properly
8. The centre of the brake discs will corrode over time, so that wouldn't concern me, however the discs do look like they're nearer the end of their life than the start! What's the mileage on the car? Less than 35k and I'd say it's on its original discs and pads.

Overall, for a top price car it's not in top price condition. Personally, unless I really, really, really wanted to buy it and the dealer was willing to replace the discs and pads, fix the front splitter, I could satisfy myself that the front and rear had been repaired properly and they dropped the price I'd be looking elsewhere.

Thank you very much for the feedback, it is a very great help.
Reason for a low milage is the fact that I sell my cars most of the time after 3 years. If I buy one with more than 40.000 miles it will have more than 100.000 miles.
It is the psychological barrier from over 100.000 miles, that's the only reason.
Mercedes was willing to repair all remarks and for the brakes they will inform me on Monday.
The rear lamp alignments are my biggest worry, as you have written this can be a sign of an accident. According to the sales consultant the car was never involved in an accident as there is no claim on any insurance.
But the car drives so nice and the sound is killing me, what a car.

Again thank you very much for the help.

 

[M5 London]

I am reading this thread with interest.

You first posted on Tuesday. I started looking on Thursday.

Found a car and went to see it on Friday. MB Approved Used Car.

Negotiated the deal on Saturday and hopefully picking it up today.

E63 - 65 plate - Designo Magno Alanite Grey - Crystal Grey Nappa Leather - 17K Miles - Fairly decent Spec too.

I am coming from an M6 Gran Coupe that I had from new. I wanted a new F90 M5 but dealers are not negotiating to where I want to be so I thought....buy an E63 AMG to scratch the itch and fill the void for a year or so, and the rest is history.

I am a die hard ///M car guy and still have an E30 M3, E34 M5 and E39 M5 (supercharged). But have the utmost respect for MB AMG offerings, hence my purchase.

OP : Best of luck with your search. In my opinion and your feedback on the car you viewed, I would walk away due to certain elements of doubt that have made themselves quite evident on your inspection.

 

[VolkanKose]

Is the ambient lighting also an option on the E63 AMG's? I had several E W212 as rental car and they all had the ambient lighting.
As I forgot to check the ambient lighting on Saturday, I asked this to the sales man and he just wrote me to tell that the car doesn't have it.

Thanks

 

[st13phil]

Salesman’s an idiot. All W212’s have ambient lighting.


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[VolkanKose]

Salesman didn't call back and didn't reply on my E-mail, let's see tomorrow.
A bit of strange that they don't keep up their promises during the sale already, I'm worried now for the after sale service.

But tomorrow is a new day.

 

[CarlPea]

Salesman didn't call back and didn't reply on my E-mail, let's see tomorrow.
A bit of strange that they don't keep up their promises during the sale already, I'm worried now for the after sale service.

But tomorrow is a new day.

They couldn't care less unless they have a guaranteed sale.

Out of interest did you send those PDFs to the sales person? They want the least fuss possible when selling a car so those documents would put them off any further communication. Harsh but true.

Ah I see that you did send them!

 

[VolkanKose]

Yes they have received those PDF's and we had already an agreement that those snags would be fixed.
But as you say maybe they want to get rid of me. They even took £500 from my card to reserve the car.

 

[VolkanKose]

Last phone call from Salesman was on 1 November. Promising me to do all the snags and he would inform me once is finished.
Long story short, he didn't call me back and they have put the car back on the market for £1000 less then their best price to me.

So as I had the virus already I bought an S212 E63 AMGs 2014, will collect it on Saturday.