Got this done at the dealer today and it makes a huge difference...IMHO, my 55 is running really smooth and throttle response was quicker. That was the only thing done. You guys should check it out!!

We all run on higher octane fuel, so carbon deposits will form over time.

BTW...it was $200



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sjZ1wib34w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VCuk...eature=related

http://www.terraclean.net/home.html

 

I think I saw this same thing in auburn for 75 dollars? It looks like expensive auto-seafoam to me...where did you get it done?

*edit* I'm always skeptical about anything thats supposed to clean and make your car run faster because there's a slew of products that claim to do this.

Here's a post from a ph.d in physics on an m5 post about it...

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39...tml#post843794

 

I was skeptical at first, and thinking that it was driving fine and the dealer indicated that it was idling rough when cold. When I picked up the car, it drove a lot smoother and throttle response was better. It was done at MB Boundary Road in Vancouver.

 

I applaud you for taking the jump in doing it first. I was planning on doing a sea-foam now that my car has 46k miles (i bought it with 26k).

Has anyone ran seafoam in their c55? I know it helps on some regular cars but I'm afraid of running it in our high performance v8's.

 

Not familiar with seaform, but if MB dealer is using it, it should be safe. I still have warranty with them for another 3.5 yrs.

 

all top tier 1 gas already has detergents in the gas that break down carbon deposits. My 104k c32 barely had any carbon deposits in it when i took off the head. All i used was Chevron premium gas.

I don't think its worth it for $200.

 

My dealership only recommends Techron concentrate as a fuel cleaning additive. TemjinX2 meantioned Chevron. They developed Techron, and use it in their petrol... I have ran two bottles of concentrate on my C32 without a noticeable difference. A bottle of Techron costs less than $10 dollars.

 

Agree with TemjinX2. Malfunctioning injectors are a rare occurrence these days.

An occasional bottle of ChevronTexaco’s Techron concentrate or Red Line’s SI-1 has proven effective at keeping them flowing efficiently...if they’re suspect. Regular ‘Italian tune up’ operation helps to ensure minimal combustion chamber and piston deposits – as witnessed during spark plug replacements via the borescope.

Haven’t yet found it necessary to remove its heads, though.

 

You think the italian tune works with our cars? I give mine an italian tune almost every time i drive it so no worries there

 

Italian tune = Aggressive driving?

 

From what I remember an italian tune is when you floor it to bring the rpms up near redline and then let off the gas and let it slow down via engine braking.

Old italian cars would build up a lot of carbon and after warming the car up they would do this to heat up the combustion chamber (high rpms) and when they let of the gas it would blow the carbon out.

I only do this because I LOVE how my car sounds at high rpms when I let off the gas...

 

lol...well you know the back reason why i had too take off the head.

 

Thanks for explaining!

 

+1 on the Chevron Techron. I read in a factory Porsche shop manual the way to clean Bosch fuel injectors wasn't removal and cleaning, but one tank of gas through the car with a bottle of Techron, it's that good. One thing I do is run a bottle through the last tank of gas before an oil change, that way there is no chance of dilution of the oil.

 

How often do you guys add the techron concentrate?

 

For me it's almost vehicle specific. Our van my wife drives is prone to injector clogging and so it gets a bottle every 3000 miles just before an oil change. My company car has never had a bottle and has 179k miles on it and still has no drivability or MPG issues. I had a 944 Porsche years ago that was so prone to carbon on the intake valves that Porsche had a rig that shot walnut hulls at the valves to clean the carbon off. I took the intake off myself and rotated the engine till the valve was shut, chipped the carbon off, and sucked out the bits with a shop vac. Made a huge difference on that car, the intakes had 3/8" buildup.

 

Hahaha, that's the funniest thing I've ever read. That kid tore the sales rep a new one. The fact that the sales rep was also showing comparison pics of two different spark plugs and bore scope images 14 days apart is enough to make me think this "science" is a bunch of B.S.

For the guys here who've done this and are seeing better results, are you measuring the results in any way? Sometimes I feel my car runs better on a fresh tank of fuel, and runs much smoother when I have 4 passengers in it. What exactly does "better" and "smoother" mean here? Everything from the outside temperature to the road surface can affect this.

 

What regiment do you use on your C55? I use chevron gas myself my car seems to idle a little rough, but my engine mounts are bad as well so it could be those.

 

there's a sucker born every day

 

I just follow the good book! The manual that is.

I don't use any gas/engine additives because the engineers that designed my car haven't told me to use them. Who knows, maybe they know a thing or two better than I do... I personally don't look for any "extra" performance from my car than what it has. I also don't try to fix anything that isn't broken. Plus, I highly doubt that something that costs $10 could make the engine of cars that retail over $100,000 any "better".

 

It is true that deposits do form over time, but it may depend on a lot variables. Accumulated deposits increase compression in the engine, as such, higher octane will be required to compensate for it. Therefore, it doesn't hurt to add a bottle of Techron or do a Terraclean to blow out deposits.

 

This is how I clean out my carbon buildup

I do know of people that use seafoam their cars and they swear by it (all older vehicles). Then if youve got a mosquito problem you can kill two birds with one stone depending on how much buildup youve got.

 

Yea, but I don't have the manual and don't know how often to do it. If its frequently I wanted to purchase a few so I don't have to reorder it again. Mercedes does make a fuel additive so I am sure it will be ok to use this type product. If techron is patented like I know it is they can't sell it without licensing it so I am willing to give it a shot.

 

I think there was a manual floating around the internet somewhere, I'll see if I can find it for you. If not, I can scan you the service schedule.

There's probably no harm in using the correct fuel additives, but then again, there isn't any gain. Just don't use the wrong ones . I believe the fuel injectors of most modern cars are self cleaning, and the gasoline that you buy at the pump had additives in it already that do that. Techron is Chevron's additive, but by now most brands have their own equally good additives. So its definitely not hurting you, but its unnecessary.

Edit:

Here's something relevant I found. Note that the recommendation for using additives is for when using gas that does not have such additives. I read somewhere that all gasoline in the US has these additives. They vary by brand of course, but they do none the less.

http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/o...stedDocId=9511
Gasoline Additives
Of major concern among various engine
manufacturers is the carbon build-up
caused by gasoline. MERCEDES-BENZ
recommends using only quality gasoline
containing additives that prevent the buildup
of carbon deposits.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives, carbon deposits
can build up, especially on the intake
valves and in the combustion area, leading
to engine performance problems such as:
• warm up hesitation,
• unstable idle,
• knocking /pinging,
• misfire, and
• power loss.
In areas where carbon deposits may be
encountered because gasoline with
additives are not available, Mercedes-Benz
recommends the use of additives
approved by us for use on Mercedes-Benz
vehicles ( page 15).

DO NOT blend other fuel additives with the
fuel. These additional additives only result
in unnecessary cost and may be harmful to
engine operation.
Damage or malfunction resulting from poor
fuel quality or from blending additional fuel
additives other than those tested and
approved by us for use on Mercedes-Benz
vehicles (  page 15) are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty or by
any pre-owned or Extended Limited
warranties.
Premium Unleaded
Use only premium unleaded gasoline
meeting ASTM standard D439. The octane
number posted at the pump must be at least
91 min. In the U.S., this octane number is an
average of the Research octane number (R)
and the Motor octane number (M): (R + M) /
2. The octane number is also known as the
Anti-Knock Index.

 

Obviously you've never had a vehicle get clogged injectors...........I have and it wasn't twenty years ago, just a few. In my case injector cleaner worked. Techron was the only additive approved by Porsche and Bosch. I suspect they know a thing or two about injectors.