First post. I searched the forum to no avail - so if this has been beaten to death I apologize. That said, I have been thinking of having my c43 tuned by OE Tuning (stage 1). I wanted to get some feedback from those with tuned c43, specifically those who have ran it daily
driven for a few years. Thanks so much all!

 

Firstly I NEED to say that this is a ridiculous question. Of course long term reliability is compromised.

Secondly, To answer your question. How much this will affect long term reliability really depends on how aggressive you drive. But in the short term, daily driveability is not compromised. It still feels like a stock car.

Thirdly, I believe it is very difficult to answer this question because:

- The car has only been out since 2016 in this M276 DELA 30 variation
- Even if the car is tune, most drivers only drive at partial throttle 95% of the time. Even if your car is tuned to 500bhp, it does not mean you are using 500bhp all the time. A more conservative driver would have a car with less engine wear compared to a driver who was going WOT every time in a stock car.
- Not everybody keeps up with regularly scheduled maintenance.
- Different level of mods between different users.

 

You seem to reference a question not asked. Of course, everything you said is obvious - no need to
make it seem profound. This is not my firm rodeo. My question was merely aimed at those with tunes on their c43 for a decent amount of time. I have done research but have yet to find anything showing that a tune from a reputable tuner has caused a piston to fail, etc.

In sum, no question has been asked. I am merely looking for feedback from those with a tune for a few
years/tens of thousands of miles.

BTW - thanks for the typical internet reflexive antagonism.

 

Yikes, no problem I guess. Have fun asking more stupid questions ok?

 

Will do. Thanks so much!!

 

+1 for actually stating the correct spec engine. M276 Dela 30. All over the place all I see is m276, which is a different engine...3.5L vs the DELA 30 which is 3L.

You two disagreeing I have no stake in, but it was nice to see our engine referenced properly for once!!

 

Contemplating same issue. Also going for an ecu tune w/o hardware mods. Looking at OE or Eurocharged, will probably go from ~360 hp stock to around ~450 after tune. I enjoy WOT and if I have a chance to pull off from a red light I'll take it. May track the car once in a while. Definitely not afraid to use the car but im not abusive either. Havent seen any issues around forums regarding unreliability, but as you've said the platform really isnt that old...earliest variant was the c450 in 2016. Will be checking here for updates.

To response saying OFC it affects long term reliability, I believe OP is asking if tuning will make the car PARTICULARLY unreliable, or if there are any horror stories floating around. Ofc increased power comes with increased wear, but he is asking about excessive wear. I, like he, dont want my engine to be showing signs of excessive wear at 40, 50, or 60k miles. Currently have 18k on the clock and would like to make it to 50k before I consider resale. Anyone have a car with 20k+ tuned miles? And what kind of numbers are you pushing if so?

 

I note you did not ask a question and I thought the response to you was inappropriate.

 

To be honest, the answer does not exist. They really only started making C43's like 2-3 years ago. Thus, there does not exist a c43 tuned for more than 3 years. Anything else is speculation. Now if you consider other 3L Biturbos tuned to be in the mid 400 HP from the factory, which there are plenty, it does not seem to be out of the ordinary. I think AMG simply did not tune it to be in the mid or even low 400 hp bc then it will legit be faster than a C63 in a straight line, both on 0-6 and probably quarter mile

 

OP: To help answer your question, i have had my Eurocharge tune (4 different versions) since approx 5,xxx miles (had the car new). Car currently just hit 30,xxx miles and i am happy to say not 1 issues has shown itself (knock on wood). If you have any questions shoot me a pm.

 

lol welcome to the forum pal; internet is the same wherever you go, isn't it? You are always in danger of triggering some insecure fanboy about something, could be a Starwars movie or an $80k car!

 

Bought my car in Dec 2016 (2017 model), got a Eurocharged v1 tune at 5K, v2 at 12K, v3 at 18K. Updated to v4 at 40K a year ago before the OBDII version came out. The car currently has 49K miles, no other performance mods. Dyno'd at Eurocharged Houston last April, makes 410 whp, 485 wtq. Car has never been to the drag strip or racetrack. I drive most of the time in Comfort mode and not in Sport/Sport+ until it has reached the manufacturer recommended transmission operating temp (122F). Been to the dealer 2 weeks ago for Service A, they recommended changing spark plugs and differential fluid change. I have never encountered any problems with the car.

 

I have a 2016 C450 with MST intakes, Weistec DP’s, and DME Stage 2 tune. My car has 41k miles on it, 2k of those being tuned miles. So far, I haven’t noticed any issues. I will be sure to keep everyone updated. The car runs nicely and shines in the top end.

 

Wow, I almost forgot about this thread. Since it just got bumped up, I will report that my car has been tuned since November of 2019, with approximately 13,000 hard miles on it since. Approximately 10,000 of it with BMS intakes and a stage 1 tune, the last 3,000 miles with downpipes, FI Exhaust and a stage 2 tune. All is currently well from a performance and reliability standpoint (knock on wood).

 

I bought my 2017 C43 last February 2020. Had 13k miles on it and had Eurocharged send the MyGenius hand held to install a Stage 1 tune. Had it on for about a month or 2 and got into a pissing match with AMR fanboys. Asked Jerry at Eurocharged for a more agressive tune and was sent a race tune. He advised to add a few gal if E85 and out in about 4gal and too off with 91 octane gas. (91 is all we get out here in So Cal) Up until last month everything else is stock. Installed BMS intake system and have noticed the turbos spooling up quicker. The Eurocharged tune adjusts to the intake change and I have been driving the **** out if it and am about to turn 50k miles. I purchased extended warranty and service plan from dealer and car has been in for all scheduled services. I have had zero problems and the car feels strong as ever. I previously owned a 97' 993 tt modified to GT 2 spec up until my divorce 10 years ago and was looking fir something to fill my itch. I wanted style, class and something fairly quick that got good gas mileage as I daily drive mine through the freeway hell of Los Angeles. I'm fortunate that I usually can pick the time if day I drive through Los Angeles and most if the time I'm beating traffic out of Los Angeles. I made some mods for my enjoyment, Pan-American grill, front splitter, carbon fiber rear spoiler, sound system upgrade and sound deadened doors and from rear seat back to the rear end for comfort. Sound deadening is probably the best thing I did. It made a huge difference in drive comfort. I don't have the sport seats and can't complain. I drive my car very spiritidly and have no problems putting on almost 40k miles. These pussies who say, "oh this car is not meant to be driven like a race car" need to pull their ***** out of their wives purse and put them back on and drive their car like a man! I know this thread is old but thought I would give you my experience with this car. Hope this


helped.

 

Keep in mind that the majority of people who have had problems probably got rid of the car and therefore these forums are irrelevant to them. The people still on here are those who are proud and have had good experiences with theirs so the responses you get will be somewhat biased. As you increase performance on anything, you will have to deal with a higher chance of things going wrong. Even a factory C300 is more reliable than a factory C63S, in terms of drivetrain and mechanical issues. Quality control is also different for every car as well, you may be lucky and get one that is completely bullet proof, so you can tune and have no issues. It's only when you really push these cars and also put a lot of miles on them and own them for years do these flaws show more apparently. A tuned car may start having issues at 90k miles while an un-tuned car may not have issues until 120k miles for example. Since there is no way to know for sure, since even stock cars will also have issues if you just happen to be the unlucky individual that purchased a lemon.

In general, if you want to tune it, make sure you have the money to deal with it if things break and make sure you're okay with Mercedes voiding your warranty. Yeah, some flash tunes claim that they can be flashed back to stock and some piggybacks claim that you can just remove everything and no one would ever know. I personally think that if someone really wants to dig, they're going to find traces of something. Even if it doesn't show up in the logs, there are other ways to find out if a car has been tuned. A mechanic can look at certain parts to see if it's prematurely wearing out compared to other similar models that have about the same miles on them. They can test your fuel system to see if there has been high levels of ethanol in there. Heck, I would think that they can pull acceleration logs and if your C43 is doing 0-60mi in 3.7 seconds or something, that can tell them that it's been tuned at some point. If you're ready to play, you should be ready to pay.

 

I agree with everything you said. Way to put things in perspective. Get to know your service manager and have a candid conversation about what you want to do. I've heard some service managers are ok with it or like mine, "what I dont know won't hurt you!" To me, it has been well worth it. The right tune will transform your car from being a fairly quick car to being a really fast car. The pulls from 60mph+ are addicting and fun. At 140mph there is still a lot left. Have somebody give you a ride in theirs. I guarantee it'll make your decision for you. I'm out in So Cal if your local to me.

 

Thanks for your input on this topic. I have been considering doing mods to my C450 which has 35k miles and this info really helps that decision.

 

Bumping this to see if anyone has an update on how their car is doing with a tune? Any major / minor issues?

Since my ELW is about a year away from expiring, I'm starting to consider a EC stage 1 or 2. Would really like to experience someone else's car before doing it to see how it performs. I don't want to be disappointed!

But... One of my concerns is making the daily drivability worse than it is now. I don't enjoy the hard engine breaking at slow speeds and do not want to make that any worse than it is now... (I get it... It's an AMG, it's supposed to be sporty...).

 

Will roll over 79,000mi this next week. 65k of that is running E30 blend on custom JB4 map. Just changed out spark plugs and they looked great for the mileage and abuse I drop on it. Next major service that needs addressed is motor mounts. Waiting for the aftermarket set to be released by Creative Steel later this spring/summer. Will also be adding LEM intake and probably stealth cats. I’m certain control arms will need some attention in the next 20k as well, as to be expected.

 

Wow, blast from the past. Shortly after I started this thread in 2019 I got a stage 1 tune. Approximately 6 months later I got downpipes and a stage 2 tune. I have put over 30,000 miles on the car since it has been tuned, and I generally drive the car hard everyday without issue (at least no issues related to the tune).

 

Hey everyone, how are you cars feeling after even more miles passed?

Background info:
Asking because I am considering Stage 1 on my 2018 S450 Coupe 4matic (m276.824 and the 500Nm 725.048 gearbox). Just installed the pre-facelift S63 coupe exhaust on it (bolt on except the flaps, which I kept open because on the s63 are vacuum activated and mine are electric); will be installing blow-off valves, the wagner tuning intercooler, and considering deleting the secondary cats and keeping the H pipe (images below) which as it seems were not present on the pre-facelift of the car - same engine and tune, but called S400. Not sure if any of the usual intakes will fit my car, will have to take some measurements. The car has almost 50k miles on the clock and will be changing now spark plugs, trans oil, diffs oil, and finally adding cera tec with the oil change.


Pre-facelift


Mine now (facelift):

 

My C400 has been tuned (JB4 maps 1,2,3, and 6; and then EC stage 1, plus JB4 map 6) since March of 2022.

Zero mechanical issues. Currently at 67,000 miles.

 

My 2018 c43 bought new, is just about to hit 104,000 miles with 50,000 miles with a stage 1 tune run on it, I have a heavy right foot and it’s never put a foot wrong, the only thing apart from consumables that’s needed repairing is the air conditioning unit, (hit by a stone). Weekly high speed runs at up to 185mph, regular full throttle pulls, as I drive everywhere in sport+ manual.

 

I have now been tuned for approximately 5 years, 4 of which stage two with downpipes, intakes and exhaust on e30. I brake-boost launch and rip the car daily, no issues. The car is soon to be sold, with a 911 Turbo S on the way.