Double post.

 

THIS x a billion!! They won't show it because then their 'gains' would be shown for purely leaning the hell out of the stock tune... And for those that don't know what that means, the ECU (Engine Control/Computer Unit) THINKS that it is getting X amount of air and sends Y amount of fuel. However, you're actually getting MORE than the stock amount of air, and therefore the Air/Fuel ratio is leaned out, which increases power. What they don't tell you is that it shouldn't be leaned out like that without tuning, so that the ECU KNOWS that the car is getting more air, and so that things like the degrees of timing and boost can be adjusted along the RPM range to optimize for the increase in airflow.

I'm sorry jamesyot, but you calling the OP a fool to me is ironic. Sure, he may not know about the possible adverse affects when doing some of those DIY mods, but you paid a LOT of money to cause the same damage...

EXPLANATION:

ANY TIME YOU PUT A NEW PART ON A CAR THAT INCREASES AIR FLOW IT MUST BE TUNED FOR.

And I am NOT talking about these piggybacks. These companies are selling you downpipes and air intakes while neglecting to tell you the truth in the fact that you are LEANING THE F*** out of your Air Fuel Ratio. Sure it makes more power like that, but it is NOT the right way to do it. You are 100% decreasing the longevity and health of the motor with the mods you have done WITHOUT having a proper flashed tune made SPECIFICALLY for your car, SPECIFICALLY for the mods you have.

So sure, OP talks about widening the intake, which is a bad idea FYI, but you paid $1500 to cause the same issue of running too lean and lowering intake velocity... So honestly, who is really the fool? And I am by no means being derogatory nor insulting, but merely attempting to help you see the foolishness of the whole argument you have essentially created here.

I am absolutely amazed the number of companies promoting their catless downpipes and intakes and people who are foolish enough, or in all honesty just ignorant in the sense that they don't know any better, to buy these parts and install them on the car without a proper tune.

BLOWS my mind how uneducated most of the MB community as a whole SEEMS to be when it comes to modifications and tuning and doing it right.

 

I asked to see a/f ratio as a good policy and assurance, not that I thought the removal of the restrictor would harm the system.

The restrictor is placed before the MAF sensor, not at it. It is to reduce noise if I understand it correctly. Therefore the MAF will continue to measure correct air flow.

The restrictor is like placing an air filter with 20,000 miles use on it, which reduces the air flow by say 15%, but the manufacture does not require the replacement of the filter until it has 50,000 miles on it. Clearly a more restricted air flow does not harm the system, at least until it reaches a critical level.

Conversely opening it up a little will not harm the system, as long as the MAF is not messed with.

 

Finally, someone who recognises the tuning market for the CLA45 AMG is too new to be trusted. FINALLY.

 

The fact is, is that companies selling these aftermarket 'upgrades' are simply fooling those who are buying the parts, because 95% of the time MB drivers have NO clue about properly modifying a car or know the first thing about how an engine or ECU even works.


Simple matter is, NONE of these Turboback exhausts, intakes, etc. should be installed on these cars until the ECU has been fully cracked, and the cars can be put flash tuned SPECIFICALLY for each modification.


COBB is a GREAT example of a company that offers 'staged' tuning products for a wide range of subarus, bmws, GTRs, etc. Stage 1 consists of a tune only, with no other modifications. Stage 2 consists of a full turboback exhaust, with other changes to the Stage 2 map available for the different intakes. And so on and so on.


Until PROPER ECU flashes become available, people shouldn't even be considering these exhaust and intake systems.

 

I had a professional install all my parts and he was amazed at how well the car ran wo any type of ecu mapping. You guys are all making assumptions when you haven't done one mod to your car. I had someone tell me the same thing.....and he took back his words after going for a drive in my car. But thanks again for the advice. I will keep enjoying my mods.

 

Stage 1 tunes are certainly a good start, if they come soon enough and are reasonably priced.

A lot of people who are into mods don't have patience to wait a year or two, they would be on a different car by that time.

Or if the price is too high, they will fall back on less expensive mods first, such as intake and cat back.

 

A poorly tuned electronic control unit can result in decreased performance, drivability, and may even cause engine damage. Doesn't take a real professional to bolt on a turboback-exhaust, my friends do that in their garage all the time lol. It's like taking steroids... You get buff real fast but if your diet and hormones are not "tuned" with other shots of hormones, your body can keep up for a while but it will fall out indefinitely. Run too much steroid boost, equals heart valve problems (aka turbo and engine blown). Lol I hope that analogy was pretty funny

 

So your an expert on CLA45 performance mods, yet you have no performance mods done to your car.

And now your a hormone replacement expert and you probably have no experience in that field either.

Keep going.

 

Today's cars have so many electronic nannies watching after them, bolt ons usually are safe, as long as they do not fundamentally alter the monitoring system.

 

I had a friend tell me the same ironically he owns a WRX too, I guess your cars are very sensitive to simple bolt on mods. So I did my research and spoke to some of the best MB tuners, weistec, renntech ect. They assured me I would be ok. So far so good.

 

I've actually had numerous cars that I tuned before this

:r olf:

 

Why would you ask a company directly when they sell products for the car
They're obviously going to tell you what you want to hear loll They might even tell you to go buy a Eclipse and mod the **** out of that

 

What does having a professional installing the parts have to do with anything?? I've built dedicated Rally cars, tuned them as well. Along with my own past WRX and several other cars. You can install those parts easily yourself with simple handtools and a garage.. And what do you mean, "after going for a drive"? Really? That is 100% completely irrelevant and means nothing. What do you expect, that if an item is doing something 'bad' that the car wont start or that it will explode or run like ****? Not at all. Are you sacrificing the longevity and durability of your engine? 100%.


And it has nothing to do with sensitivity. This is simple mechanics and physics. You asking the tuners who sold you the items, what do you think they are going to tell you....? Like I said, if you understood more about how an ECU really works, and if you had tuned any cars yourself (which I have) you would know that what I am saying is true. You are increasing airflow, the ECU is not calibrated for that increase in air.. You run lean, you run a much higher risk of knock occurring, AKA Detonation.. You know what would happen if a car knocks any amount when its running 26 pounds of boost? Yeah. Better hope you don't get a bad batch of gas lol. Good luck getting that covered under warranty.

 

Dude Im not even going to respond to you anymore. All you do is make assumptions. Did you even know what I spoke with these tuners about?? Obviously not. Not all ecus are the same either. I was one of the first ones to buy almost every performance part for the CLA45 and give good reviews....a simple thank you would be nice

 

If I was worried about my warranty I would have kept the car stock..

Hope this helps

 

As far as the warranty coverage concern, I rarely hear people denied warranty repairs due to tuning.

Most performance brands understand to compete they must accommodate the core target buyers who are more likely to mod their cars.

It's a balancing act. I have not seen a manufacture having a habit of denying warranty repairs.

 

Fortunately I have some very close friends that work at MB. I have nothing to worry about. I might be looking at the c63 when it drops too. Can't wait to throw some parts at that v8 tt!

 

Yeahhh... You find one dealership who will take the hit on a $30K motor replacement (which is a ballpark amount for the engine cost; rumours were the 3.0L six in the BMW's run mid 20's so not hard to believe) when they can Easily say "you're running more power/boost than Stock, which is outside of the manufacturing specifications, and therefore no longer covered.

You can quote the Magnusson Moss act all you want and the dealer will simple say "Go pound sand."

Very rarely do cars with tuning ever get covered when serious damages occurs... Sure, if it is something minor and relatively inexpensive, and if you have a good relationship with your dealer, they may look the other way. You blow the motor or cause the transmission to fail, which is the weak link in these cars, you are going to be **** out of luck 9 out of 10 times.

 

It does help; I guess if money really isn't an object and you just don't care about the repercussions, then sure you're modifications can easily be justified.

I just personally couldn't justify it knowing that it's not the proper way to be done, regardless of my financial circumstances I like things to be done right. I guess that comes from being an engineer lol

To each his own though. I am also eager to see what can become of the new 4.0TT after a simple tune, should be a beast of a starting block if you want to go big power.

 

Someone with an S65 looking to save money on DIY? Bravo Sierra

And if someone has friends at the dealership, or doesn't care about warranty good for him. The engine is probably close to a brake job on the 65 so what does it matter.

Agreed J, a correct flash is the way to go. It also starts adding to the counter on the ECM. The performance companies I've talked to who are working on completion of their tuners claim that no MB tech can access that data on the ECM and only an AMG technician can see that with their diagnostic devices. One even said "they didn't fly someone out from Affalterbach to check on a popped V12 so what makes you think they'll come out for an I4 warranty claim?" Purely sales tactics.

Any peace of mind one might have from believing the MM act might protect you should be non-existent once you re-write your computer.

Bottom line, if you've got the money to play then have at it. What else is it there for? And if you've got the money to buy a car that's worth more than most people's houses then WTH are you knocking someone else for when they're spending a few shekels on an aesthetically pleasing intake???

 

The MB commercials on the CLA and GLA claim they test drove the cars for over a million miles on the engines. Whether true or not, engine itself is not the weak link.

Other parts such turbo and tranny not so sure. The reality is, most likely if things will go wrong, they do after warranty anyway

 

Gotta love Murphy

 

I am pretty sure the CLA45 motor is 40K to replace This came from someone whos motor blew and MB replaced it.

 

AFAIK the dealership makes money on warranty work. They're not the one paying for the components. They're the ones getting compensated for the labor. This is where having a friend really helps. Mother company eats that. There's always going to be an anomaly for whatever reason, but if the same VIN keeps doing the same thing then mom's certainly gonna want to take a look why.

I also have heard 40k. Some might say how on a 48k car? Answer is that's what they're charging you because they say so.