OC_Mike

Hello,

I just purchased a 2009 C63 with a P30 pacakage from a dealer so don't have access to the previous owner.

I opened up my airboxes tonight to remove the charcoal filters and was pleasantly surprised to learn they were already removed and I have ROW airboxes.

I was planning on doing a tune, but have no idea if I already have one. Since the previous owner already did the airboxes, it's possible he put a tune on the car. Is there any way of finding out if my car is stock or tuned?

Thanks!

Mathieu_AMG

Find an open piece of road and check if your car goes +280 km/h. If it does, your car is tuned :-)

BrabusNYC

Try and find someone with a stock C63 and race them.

abcut973

Unless you connect to your ECU and check what's inside or race a stock C63 (off road of course ) you won't be able to know!
How far are you from a tuner? You could just ask them to check. If no tune then let them do it.

AMG893

Has to be someone you trust tho. They could just say it doesnt have one, so they can sell you one.

It would be good if there was a definitive way of finding out tho.

-Marlin-

I don't like mysteries. If I got it from a dealer, I'd take it to the service advisor and ask that they flash the ecu back to stock just to be sure, since it has aftermarket air boxes.

If you want a tune, I would get a tune and know what I had in my car. You have no way of knowing who screwed with the car, thinking they know better than AMG.

I don't like tunes to begin with and I think they are a waste of money. You can destroy a car courtesy of some yahoo that thinks they can do better than Stuttgart out of their mom's basement.

abcut973

You are probably right.

lol! I agree with that only if you are talking about overnight wannabe tuners! We have a few reputable names that have proven their knowledge on this engine and that you can trust I think. I wouldn't put all tuners in the same basket but that's my own opinion. And I'm not affiliated with any.

-Marlin-

I understand your point of view. But I've seen countless posts of check engine lights, no substantiated performance gains, and emission inspection failures from reputable tuners.

I think generic tuning is a waste of money. The only tuning I think is worth while is the custom tuning you get with a baseline before and after showing proven gains. The tuner will take into account your current mods to maximize performance and not at the sake of reliability. That way you have a local shop to go back to should you have any problems. This $700-$1500 Internet crap with file sharing is ridiculous in my opinion. I'd never pay that kind of money for something that wasn't done with a dyno and in person accountability. Especially on +$50,000 cars. These aren't Honda Civics...

PkB2014

Doesn't the car have a rev limiter for park and neutral set to 4k RPM? If you sit in your car in park and rev to 6k I'd guess you have a tune. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. You can of course go to dyno and see if it goes past 155MPH. But I suppose in both cases you would only 100% know that the limiter was removed. But odds are good that it would be tuned.

snowmuch

Kind of tunning related. Ecu tunning is a thing now.

http://youtu.be/2KfMY96v_Gc

JPetros2008

Can't you just get it dyno'd?

CarHopper

Then you'd have people giving it the whole "all dynos read different so you never know"

This would be what I'd do... Dyno it that is.

m a x i m u s

maybe get the handheld and tune from eurocharged or similar company. when you send them the "stock" file, they will probably be able to tell. if it turns out you have a tune, then maybe they will refund you or something for the handheld/tune you purchased. just a suggestion.

or, if you are local to one of those tuner shops, go in and have them check your existing file for you.

or, better yet, if you don't have any warranty concerns, go to the dealership and ask them to check. seems like they can tell usually.

Mort

The P30 probably already has the limiter raised to 174mph, so that might not be a good way to tell if the car is tuned or not. Going to a dyno may be a good way to tell if it is tuned or not and if not you will have a good baseline if you do choose to tune the car.

Diabolis

100% correct on both. Pre-cannned tunes that are not specific to the particular car and mods are IMHO a complete waste of money. Sure, I'd risk blowing the motor on a 20-year-old track rat M3 or 944 Turbo, but then again I already do so by tracking the car. On a new AMG car under warranty, the only reliable tune is the OEM one. When we (MB AMG owners) get a company like Dinan that will pick up the warranty for the remainder of the factory warranty period for the entire car if you get their mods, then we could have a reasonable discussion on the subject. Until then, any alleged gains you would get from a pre-canned tune are either insignificant, or you're running the car much too close to the "premature and irreversible damage" line.

Razzy

I was skeptical about a tune as well, that is until I went to Eurocharged, put the car on the dyno and got a baseline. Put their V5 tune on and saw the results with 2 pulls.

Than I drove the car. Let's just say the difference is without a doubt proven. Whether it be throttle response, sound, shifting and downshifts.

The M156 engine has been detuned for the C63 AMG. I have so far got the car tuned, replaced sotck filters with AFE Dry and taken out charcoal filters. No CEL and no adverse affects. (knock on wood)

Diabolis

On the non-P31 cars, yes.

On the MCT-equipped 2012+ P31 cars, the OEM tune is about as good as it gets withouth sacrificing reliability. I have yet to see or hear of anyone claiming any substantial gains on a 2012+ P31 or 507 with a tune alone, let alone something without sacrificing reliability, runining it lean or close to pinging/detonation if you put anythign under 91 octane gas. The first tuner to give me the same car warranty that Dinan does on the cars they tune will get my bunsiness and my repect. Until that happens, they are all either selling you hot air and/or gambling with your engine and dollars. Seeing as you did dyno pulls, what year is your car and how much did you gain? You ever end up putting in 89 octane gas in "by mistake" or form a crappy pump and see what happens?

As for the throttle resposnse... well, let's just say that some of us like to be able to drive the car in a semi-civilzed manner in C mode now and then... that would be those of us that are neurorogically disadvantaged and unable to fully depress the throttle pedal in under a second of course. The rest of us can just press the throttle harder and faster. Since when is "improved throttle response" in C mode a benefit - seeing as we have S+ that's about as jumpy as anything I've ever driven (touring race cars included)? For any kind of performance driving, you need to be able to finely moulate the throttle position. ON/OFF applications are not only unnecessary but rather unpleasant and sometimes outright dangerous.

Then again, people do need to somehow justify parting with $1-2K of their hard earned dollars. IMHO you drop that on a proper driving school (or for that matter better tyres or an LSD if you didn't get one in the first place ) and you'll come out way ahead, but a tune gets you bragging rights whereas better tires or being a better driver does not.

solekeeper

So marlin and diabolis come in here saying essentially, all tuners are full of ****.

While countless members on here have tuned their car's with several (reputable) vendors.


Maybe you two should get a room together.

Razzy

I have a 2012 C63 P31. I did a baseline and after the tune my gains were lower than expected. We figured out I had very dirty stock filters. The guys at Eurocharged popped in another pair of used stock filters that were a bit less dirty and we gave it another run.

Went up about 30 WHP just by putting in another pair of stock "less dirty" filters. The next run, went up another 8whp. Also went up 20wtq.

Not to mention this was a dynodynamics, but it doesn't matter. The delta was clear enough.

Than I drove it. The throttle is not a on and off switch. I ride sportbikes aggresively so I know what throttle control really is and how neccessary it is to not be an on and off switch.

I spent $750 Canadian after taxes for tune and 3 pulls. I am so far satisfied.

As for tires and LSD. I have new Conti DWS on (came with the car), and I have every possible option on this C63, including an LSD.

The car runs normal and smooth in C mode. If I put it in Manual or S+ than it really comes alive. Way I see it, I get to have an even more visceral experience than before. As mentioned before, I can tell the exhaust note is slightly louder, feel the increased throttle responsiveness, the louder cold start, faster shift points, and much more louder and aggresive downshifts.

PS: I'm in the gasoline business. I have NEVER put anything less than 91 in any of my german cars/cars that require 91 minimum. I much rather sell the car than ever put anything less than 91. So octane and pinging or anything of the sort is a non-issue for me. I see a lot of people with BMW's and Benz's that put 87 or 89 and I feel sick knowing that it's not ideal for the car. If people cannot afford to put 91 or the required octane in their car than they have no business owning such a vehicle. There are enough civics that take 87 grade that they can putz around in.

bhamg

OP - Getting back to your question, I would call some dyno facilities close to you (OC as in SoCal?). EAS in Anaheim does dyno days...they may well have some very recent results for the C63. If not them then lots of others in this area. Any popular shop will have a double-digit dyno number of sheets for stock and tuned C63's. Call, ask, if you're satisfied with the answer go there and dyno. It'll be easy to figure out if you have a tune and regardless, you'll find out something about your car.

AMG Boost

Meh to each their own.

Its not a waste of money. Why does the e63 M156 make 518hp and the C63 make 451? Same engine... Same specs. Its all marketing. All they do is restrict the throttle bodys.

Same thing with the c350 and c300.... Same engine, same bore, stroke, displacement, compression ratio. Yet the c350 is making 50hp more lol.


So yes, it is not a custom dyno tune which I kind of wish it was, but you cant just say its a waste of money when there is not even 1 single thread of someone with one of these base tunes on their c63 reporting a blown engine or any major problems...

m a x i m u s

just a question here, isn't the e63 a biturbo?

AMG Boost

Yes it is now.


Im referring to the 2007-2011 E63. This is the same motor as the C63. M156. its 518hp in all the AMG cars back then (e63, sl63, r63, clk63, cls63, s63)

AMG Boost

Just a quick question sir.

Did they do a custom tune? Or is it a base map and then 3 runs?

Razzy

Not custom. Eurocharged V5 Tune. Their most current and one size fits all tune for the C63.