AnthonyGS said:I thought Dallas C&C was going the way of the dinosaur due to the number of Mustangs smacking the tollway retaining wall.....
The C&C Dallas event just outgrew Classic BMW Plano.
How the new hosts will deal with it will be a sight to see.
NoahWeb said:
The rear of the R63
The super-van was rear-ended today in a three-car accident. We were the front vehicle, with a Chevy 2500 behind us, who was struck by a Kia that was running a red light. The Kia swerved to miss the truck, hit it on the left rear and pushed it into the R63. The impact speed to the R63 was ~5 mph and my 4 year old is OK stating "we just got in an accident."
The R63's liftgate does not have a single mark and works just fine! The damage, from am initial look, is contained to the rear bumper, crash bar, and the rear chrome decoration. Built like a tank I guess! Dealing with the insurance now...6 days before heading back to the mid-east. I trust that USAA will live up to their reputation.
that sucks dude. I hope your USAA dealings are better than my friend with a 330i ZHP who had USAA fully drop the ball when his car flooded and screwed him enough that he left them shortly thereafter.
Quick update of progress. The R63 was towed/flat-bedded to a body shop in Austin and we received their initial estimate. $1,600 before deductible, with OEM bumper being sourced from Germany. Estimated completion is mid-month, pending arrival of the bumper.
After inspection there are no damages to rear crash bar, crumble zones, support members, lift-gate, exhaust system or spare tire area. Only damage is to the rear bumper and the plastic crash material behind it! We got lucky, not just with no injuries, but to the damage as well! Only ancillary work needed will be ensuring the exhaust ports are centered and the ceramic coating re-applied to the new bumper.
USAA paid out for new car seats within 24 hours and have been fantastic thus far. I’ve asked that they inquire with the liable insurance party to cover the deductible; if so I’ll have the front bumper re-painted as well.
Now back to the Mid-East...with the utmost thanks to my wife for attending to the details post-departure.
Pretty low damage
Glad to hear that there is a stockpile of bumpers. Good job Mercedes.
Yesterday the body shop e-mailed & called to let us know repairs were complete and the R63 was ready for pick-up. Total cost the liability’s insurance was just under $2k for repair, plus our deductible cost. My wife is working on setting aside some time to pick the R63 up; like a few days. It will be good to have her back in the garage!!
Moving forward I’m slowly ordering items to service the R63 when I get back from the mid-east. Plans thus far, in no particular order -
- Replace Drivers window switch assembly; some of the buttons are loose
- Service front and rear differentials (Motul 75W90)
- Transfer Case service (need to ask Mazdeuce if this was done with transmission service)
- Oil Service (Motul 8100 5W30 w/ OEM Filter)
- Headlights re-aimed and updated (HID Factory in Houston)
- ROW Airbox and high-flow filters
- Cabin Filters
- TPMS sensors installed
- Bluetooth module install
- Front turn indicators replaced (OEM routinely crack)
Differentials and transfer case are due for a change, I didn't do them in the time I had it. It will be interesting to see how long the new front turn indicators last. I've yet to see an R in the real world that doesn't have at least one broken. I think it's cool that you're getting to all of the small things that will make this perfect.
Glad to hear the bumper replacement went well, it still looks pretty.
This has an extremely attractive arse end I must say.....the lines....everything just flows
Another R63 was on BAT. Only 62K miles, but it's had a new engine AND new head bolts. Bonus!
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2007-mercedes-benz-r63-18/
That might be the first black over tan one I've seen. Interesting van.
llysgennad said:Another R63 was on BAT. Only 62K miles, but it's had a new engine AND new head bolts. Bonus!
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2007-mercedes-benz-r63-18/
The seller had bidding to $36k, but it failed to meet the reserve. I’m a little surprised given the overall BaT average is $35k and with an average mileage of ~98-99k. This auctions low mileage, new engine and head bolts...plus unique color combo does command a premium. Hope sccrdad bidder gets the opportunity to secure an R63 in the future!
mazdeuce, from what I’m found there was a whopping total of 2 R63s produced in the black/tan combo. The unicorn of the unicorns?!
happened upon this forum/thread by chance and its absolutely addicting. i had to make an account
I thought the responsible party’s insurance covered deductibles??
ed7c9 said:happened upon this forum/thread by chance and its absolutely addicting. i had to make an account
Glad you got sucked in. It's a pretty special accepting group of automotive enthusiasts here.
Greetings from Brazil, i only have a small jeep renegade, and while i like to work on it, i am not sure i would have the guts to tackle its engine.
Regarding the black R63, the only one imported to Brazil is black, i guess that is the super unicorn(it was imported for rubens barrichelo)
http://www.portalmercedes.com/t22835-w251-r63-amg-2007-r-175-00000
*it has been bullet proofed though
Also just created an account to thank you for this thread(i read it all after a few days)
In reply to opssemnik :
I'm glad you enjoyed reading. Very cool that there is an R63 in Brazil and that it's such a high profile import. I have several Brazilian friends who rallycross here in Texas and I always enjoy talking to them about car culture back home.
Returned to the United States a few nights ago. I have to say that the smell of pine and forest in Fort Bragg was amazing; a great way to be welcomed back home! Plus the sudden and heavy rains of Texas were impressive. Of course rain means garage time with son number 1!
Took this opportunity to install the Rest-of-World AIrbox and high flow filters in Heidi. The main difference is the removal of the charcoal filters and redesigned trumpet in each Airbox. The charcoal filters were installed to prevent the unburned, evaporated fuel from entering the atmosphere. This is somewhat of a restriction and the ROW airboxes correct this. Not that it matters, but the reported gains are 7-10 HP.
Left is US OEM, right is ROW.
Had some great assistance with son number 1!
Finished version.
Will be getting to the F/R differential fluids, transfer case and engine oil later this week.
So great to be home! I hope that you too get the chance to enjoy America’s greatness today!!
In reply to NoahWeb :
Welcome back!
That's awesome that you're back. People are STILL talking to me about the R63. Now I can direct them to you! 
Happily been busy with the kiddos and tending to Heidi. Ordered and received the bluetooth adapter; working as expected. Window tint was adjusted as I don’t have quite the hook-up to pass the Texas State Inspection. In the course of having the TPMS wheel sensors installed a problem presented itself -
I had a “loaner” tire installed and opted to order/replace all four tires with 265/45/20 Pirelli Scorpion Zero A/S Plus. Unexpected but with kiddos in the car safety first.
The front/rear differentials, transfer case and engine oils have all been changed out. I saved a bit of rear differential fluid to send to Black Stone labs for analysis. It didn’t look as bad as I expected but very ready for a change out! Lifetime fluids!? Ha! I will need to check if the transfer case has a vent line; if so I think it’s blocked/clogged as there was some pressure built up when I removed the fill plug.
There was a bit of oil at the rear of the engine. I suspect that it’s from when the upper pan was re-sealed. A few drips and dosen’t appear to be anything serious. Otherwise the undercarriage is clean and looks amazing!
Lastly got the interior leather, carpets and trim cleaned and protected. Didn’t really get photos other than this one. Sadly damaged the passenger side air vent; $36 opps with replacement part due to arrive in a few weeks.
Lastly, and largely due to mazdeuces efforts, Heidi rolled past the 100k mark. I apologize that I couldn’t get a 100mph @ 100k photo. Traffic didn’t allow.
Working on another project that I think will be awesomely fun! More to follow as I’m still working the details with AMG/Mercedes, some YouTuber’s and FCPEuro.
NoahWeb said:Happily been busy with the kiddos and tending to Heidi. Ordered and received the bluetooth adapter; working as expected. Window tint was adjusted as I don’t have quite the hook-up to pass the Texas State Inspection. In the course of having the TPMS wheel sensors installed a problem presented itself -
Glad you caught that one when you did! Also glad you went with the good tires. That had been my plan when I bought it, but that whole alignment eating the tires on the way north nonsense when it was fairly new made a mess of it. Do watch that oil leak. We can always hope they dealer will stand by that repair if that's what it it. When talking to the tech they said they have about a 50% success rate sealing them at the shop. They need to re-do a lot of them. Stupid giant two piece oil pan.
This popped up on one of my usual channels :) Start about 2 mins.
In reply to java230 :
Oh VinWiki... dude got a good bit of luck on that buy.
Wanted to take a moment and give our community an update on the Unicorn. Gas mileage has been steadily improving to a whopping 14 MPG at pump average! The kids have been deeply enjoying the R63 and often ask to “go faster daddy.” While on an open length of road way, sans anyone else in the R63, she strayed slightly over the speed limit. The stability and eagerness to continue beyond something like 120 MPH was impressive; deep reserves of power from the 6.2L!
Now the bad news. While driving home a few days ago the transmission went into Limp Home mode. After safely arriving home and scanning the ECUs, there is a sensor failing on the Conductor Plate above the valve body. Mercedes, as this threads history will attest to, strangely labels the part as a “theft relevant item” which requires unique coding and software to mate the replacement part to the vehicle. In short, while not an overly difficult part to replace, without the Mercedes specific software it quickly becomes needlessly complicated.
What I don’t understand is how Mercedes labels a part deep within the transmission as “theft relevant.” Clearly any thief will have time sight unseen on a parked vehicle to successfully drain the transmission fluid, drop the pan, remove the valve body & conductor plate assembly and make a clean get away.....’bout that.
I’m leaning towards inquiring about Valve Body solenoids as well ordering the FCPEuro 722.9 larger transmission pan and improved “smart” filter. Looking at the cost options...while my wife is a bit aggravated with Heidi/R63.
Now for the worse news....despite being home from the Middle East for about 70 days, and happily rejoining my family for the first time in 12 months, I’ve gotten word that I’m heading to Germany for a 9 month rotation shortly. Heidi will get parked and started by my wife 2x monthly. Didn’t see this coming but such is the chosen profession. Wonder if I’ll have time to secure some OEM German parts while there........
Hope y’all’s projects and vehicles are running/performing well! Keep turning zee wrenches!
Thank you for your service! Thats a hell of a sacrifice, being away from your young family. 
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