kuti13

I own a 2011 c63 p31 pre-facelift
Looking to mod my car but want to spend the money in ONLY the smartest ways for times durability and handling.
So far I know I need the basics like intake system/filters headers better exhaust flow etc. One of the biggest things to me is upgrading the slushbox because this transmission is laggy and a shift is disappointing considering the m3 or isf shift. It would be nice to keep my warranty but really in the end I take very good care of my car and highly doubt I'll be the cause of any problems

INS1GNIA

A tune will help some. https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...held-sale.html
Also if you get used to when the car needs to shift (rpm), you won't run into the problem really at all.

Diabolis

There's enough contradictory nonsense in here that I won't even begin to tear it down.

I want a car that does 360 km/h, has a walk-in shower and a media room with a 110' screen, and is able to fly over the Atlantic in 2.5 hours. Oh, I also want it to last for 15 years, I don't want to pay more than $420 and I don't want to have to do any repairs.

Gerry_M

I would just do the ROW and EurochargedV5 if warranty is a concern. The LTH is easily detected and not emissions friendly.
If warranty is not an issue add in the LTH.
The trans.well..nothing simple comes to mind except for having the driver adjust his style.

Diabolis

If warranty is a concern I certainly wouldn't do the Eurocharged - or for that matter anyone elese's - tune. You can change the airboxes without leaving a trace (although there's no reason why you would as the OEM airboxes are far from being a bottleneck on the C63 if it's otherwise unmodified), which is not the case with a tune.

As for the transmission - I would just do another car that's not a pre-FL C63. Buying a Ferrari is (a lot) chaper than starting with a Toyota and modifying it bit by bit until you end up with a Ferrari.

papashango

EC is reversible with the handheld to stock settings so everyone recommends doing that if people are concerned about the warranty.

Diabolis

Not exactly. Reversible from the standpoint of you going back to using the OEM tune should you ever want to - sure. Reversible from the standpoint of the shop not being able to detect you've had an aftermarket tune in the past - NOPE! And seeeing as we're taling about warranty, if your engine expires under warranty and Merceders is looking at a $25K repair bill, you can bet your a$$ the ECU code will be sent to Germany for analysis, where they can most certianly tell if youe EVER mucked with it.

Any tuner that is telling you that it CAN'T be found - if MB wants to look for it - is lying to you.

Gerry_M

So if you have say, a third party extended warranty, is there anyway for them to know? I assume MB wont be sending anything to Germany and the locals cant see the prior changes.

CarHopper

You assume incorrectly. They will send the ECU data to Germany from the states. And depending on how good the dealer is they can sometimes dig and find stuff themselves.

papashango

Well then I guess I did get lied to by EC and others on the forums, which is why I went with that tune. Well let's hope nothing goes wrong now I guess.

Gerry_M

Usually my car goes to an independent and the third warranty company pays them. I assumed again...my indi cant send stuff to MB.

So this is why my car is still BONE stock.....possibly incorrect assumptions.

Diabolis

That all depends. If you - or in this case, the third-party insurer - want to pay to have your ECU data dump analyzed by the techs at Affalterbach, I am sure it can be arranged. As a matter of fact, on all catastrophic engine failures within the warranty period the ECU code and sometimes parts of the engine itself are sent to Germany for failure analysis so that "potentially sticky" issues can be identified and addressed (head bolts or valve lifter buckets anyone?).

Whether a third party insurer would do it or not - especially on a car and engine that is no longer being made - is a diferent question altogether, and I suspect would at least partially depend on what the policy says about modding the car and the amount of money they're on the hook for. If their maximum liability is, say, $5K per repair, it's likely not worth it for them to pay MB $1K to dig around looking for something that may or may not be there - but then again, $5K isn't nearly enough to cover a new motor if you need one either.

I can't put it any better than in the immortal words of my P-car mechanic who said "unless you are prepared to write it off, don't f**k with it". Truer words were never spoken.

kb24forlife24

Tune, headers, ROW air boxes, exhaust, drag radials and a Weistec TCU tune should be about it.

CarHopper

You should be fine then, as long as the car doesn't make it's way to an MB dealer.

c32_amg_79

Diabolis is right.

If you''re making a claim that has to do with the engine, MB will check the PCM to see if it's been flashed before. Even if you put it back to stock they'll know it's been flashed and then flashed again. The only people that should be flashing the PCM is a dealership and there's a record of it every time someone flashes it. If they see it's been flashed but with no record of a dealership doing it, that'll raises some huge flags. So, it really depends how much you want the tune because it COULD void your warranty.

A lot of people with the Hyundai Genesis turbo get their cars tuned because they make some pretty good power afterwards but they go as far as selling the whole replacement PCM computer. So basically you take the stock one out and keep it and if you need to go to the dealer for warranty then you'll put it back in.

Gerry_M

But the new replacement PCM will have not had recorded events leading or causing any failures that you see in the engine......hmmm might be suspicious.

c32_amg_79

That's why you keep the stock pcm and use the one where you tuned it with. When you go back for warranty work, you'll install the stock one and leave the other one at home

Gerry_M

So if I was MB, and you bring the car in with a blown engine and the PCM shows no events of the engine blowing, would MB not be suspicious.

mr747

if your really that worried buy a ecu send it to weistec and get it cloned

plug your clone ECU in and get that tuned and if you ever need to return it to stock plug up your old ecu

PaulE550

Great info here on the realities of getting a tune and what the vendors apparently will not tell you. Much appreciated.

jptaylor

This is like a conspiracy theorists convention.....

GQsmooth

LOL, a tune is fine, and easily flashed back to stock. I highly doubt anyone will have any engine trouble within 4 yrs of ownership, especially if the car is barely driven. *Knocks on wood*

You people worry too much..

INS1GNIA

Of all the threads I have read and searched, I have yet to find or see one that has been related to warranty issues caused by a tune. Just tune the car and enjoy it.

jptaylor

I SOOOO agree!!! Anyone who is scared of warranty what ifs should either be satisfied with box stock performance OR find deeper pockets and purchase a vehicle which is more box stock capable.....GT-R comes to mind.....only other option left is to rub some stank on what you got, mod the **** out of it and hope that nothing goes wrong and if it does that the mfg stands behind you....but at the end of the day I DO still like that quote about "be willing to write it off" .....that is indeed the nature of the quest for pinnacle performance

zibby43

One important thing to remember: If a manufacturer tries to deny a warranty claim on a component of the car that has been modified (and subsequently damaged), it must show that the aftermarket modification is the direct cause of the component's failure.

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (U.S. federal statute; 15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.).

Aftermarket modifications that improve performance do not automatically void a vehicle manufacturer's original warranty, unless the warranty clearly states the addition of aftermarket equipment automatically voids the vehicle's warranty. Short of that, the manufacturer must prove that the aftermarket modification/equipment is the direct cause of the component failure.