Well, I finally decided to pull the trigger and get my E550 tuned. Figured last week was the right time considering I was leaving on a trip for the weekend and could really put it to the test.

I called up Jeremy @ OE Tuning last Tuesday and he was very knowledgeable and very accommodating. He even honored the sale price for his software a week early! Long story short, I stopped by Thursday afternoon and I was out of there within 45 minutes.

Cost:
-I paid $316 for the software. This is DIRT CHEAP in comparison to the other options and what even tunes for my 11 year old Audi cost.

Adapting:
-Jeremy explained to me that it would take some hard driving to get the ECU to adapt properly and by the time I got back home from Huntington Beach(OE Tuning is in HB) it seemed to be fully adapted. However, the improvement in throttle response was instantly noticeable.

Throttle Response:
-WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I can't believe how much this tune transformed my car.
-Throttle response is instantaneous, no more delay when you press on the gas, the car responds immediately. To make this as clear as possible here is the scenario where I notice the most difference:

Prior to the tune, if I left the transmission in Comfort mode and took off from a stop light, the car felt like it was working hard to propel the heavy car forward. Even if I gave it 3/4 throttle the car would just struggle to get up and go. NOW, that lag is GONE! I find myself in Comfort mode all the time, the car just goes and if I didn't know the car was starting from 2nd gear I would never be able to tell. If I give the car 3/4 throttle, it instantly builds torque and takes off. Also, prior to the tune, I would feel the torque converter slowly locking up at around 2200RPM and for that second or so the car would fall on its face. Now, the T/C locks up quickly as it sees that more power is being demanded and it is seemless. In both transmission modes, the car holds gears longer, it doesn't hunt for 7th gear right after you leave the light. Granted, this isn't a transmission tune, but I guess the demand from the throttle tricks the TCU into holding gears longer.

Torque:
According to the website Torque is up to about 418 ft lbs at the crank and I don't doubt it. There is SO MUCH MORE torque in the lower band, ~50 ft lbs more around 2500 rpm. Jeremy explained that the factory tuned the car to ramp up torque and power very leisurely to provide extra smoothness, so they tuned this portion out. Honestly, I think it's much smoother now than it ever was before. On the highway, in 7th gear there is much more torque so I find no need to downshift to pass a lot of the time. The throttle response helps here as well.

Power:
Even stock this engine has incredible top end, after 5k rpms it really takes off. Jeremy claims an additional 20WHP and has dyno sheets to prove it (roughly 414 at the crank). I definitely feel the difference, I used to think it was scary fast stock and now it runs like a raped ape. I felt that stock the car had a lackluster mid-range and given that it's making nearly 50 ft lbs of more torque and more power, this car now has ZERO flat spots.

Fuel Economy:
Jeremy also stated that typically an increase in 1-4 MPG has been seen. Lets face it, 1-4MPG doesn't sound all that exciting to your average Joe. However, for us, even 1 MPG is something considering we usually get 18-20 MPG average. I just got back last night from a ~550 mile round trip drive and I averaged 23.5MPG while cruising between 80-85MPH average. Last year I did the same trip during the same weekend in similar conditions and the roads had much less traffic in comparison to this weekend. I averaged 21.8 MPG last year, so I do see an improvement.

Overall:
The throttle response improvement alone is worth the $316, the rest are just bonuses if you ask me. The car feels SO MUCH MORE SPORTY than ever before. It went from being a cruiser to a bruiser. It was totally worth it and I suggest it to everyone who owns an E550.

Disclaimer: I have ZERO affiliation with OE Tuning or Jeremy and up until last week had no clue who he was. I'm just a happy customer passing around the good word.

 

Great review but was tHere a before and after dyno?

 

^^No, not worth dynoing a car like this really. Waste of money.

If you search up OE Tuned S550 you'll find dyno sheets showing all the details.

 

How does this affect the warranty? BTW $316 for that much performance almost seems too good to be true, I say that becuase you can spend $2k on an exhaust and probably not gain 5 whp. I sure would like better throttle response though!!

 

been thinking about doing this in San Francisco OE Tuning certified shop , and now i think this is #1 thing on my to do list
thank you for your help

 

Doesn't effect warranty at all (Edit: as long as Mercedes does not find out).

Also, I agree that it sounds too good to be true. However, I think the strategy is to attract more customers by offering the product for cheap. Every time I get into my car I keep trying to see if the difference is real or just mental and it's real all right.

 

Your are modifying the ECU, this type of mod will effect warranty.

 

It totally affects the warranty

 

Thanks Kirk for the positive evaluation! Glad to hear you are enjoying the power upgrade.

We have C3 and C4 with DAS and Xentry that we scan all tunes during development to ensure that there is nothing that can be detected during a regular dealership visit diagnostic test. If warranty is an issue you can always remove the tune with our flash loader prior to a dealership visit.

Nissi Motors in San Francisco can install the tune at the shop for you. Please ask for Benny.
Nissi Motors
135 Clara St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 597-9911

 

Curious why the E350 tune on OE Tuning web site lists for $695 and gains 12hp while the E550 lists for $295 and gains 32hp.

Why is the E350 more than 2x the cost for only 1/3 the gain?

 

The actual price for 550 tune is $395 and the website error has been fixed to represent this. The price for 550 used to be $795 when the ECU and models were newer and had to be bench flashed. The tune price has been adjusted as the model has aged. The tune installation process for MED17.7.x ECU found in new 300GDi & 350GDi takes 2-3 hours and due to the complexity and the fact that this is a newer vehicle the tune price reflects this.

 

It does NOT effect warranty(EDIT: As long as Mercedes doesn't find out). Mercedes would have to prove that the tune caused something to fail. It does not pop up a red flag onto the diagnostics screen stating the ECU has been modified.

 

I can not speak for MB USA. However, in Germany a Mercedes dealership can not replace an engine - for example - without having talked to Mercedes Germany in Berlin. They have to approve major warranty repairs. And they have the ability to determine, whether a car got an ECU tune or not - and it is pretty easy. Actually Mercedes is really busy as a beaver to find tuned cars - I know of an A45 AMG, that had an total engine failure due to a faulty turbocharger, which soaked all the oil out of the engine. Even though the engine was affected of a recall on exactly that issue, Mercedes tried to reject the warranty claim by checking whether the engine oil met the specifications and whether only the approved fuel was used. They also checked for an ECU-tune.

So yes, an ECU-tune would affect warranty over here in the unlikely event of a major failure.

 

You just contradicted yourself. The FACT is if one has an engine, tranny or drive-line issue and MB finds out there was an ECU tune in the car (and there are many ways to find out) they (MB) reserves the right to refuse warranty claims that the dealer submits. So anyone putting in a ECU tune is taking a risk. In fact, MB reserves the right to refuse warranty claims for many reasons - read the fine print, warranty is not guaranteed.

 

I see more and more dealerships refusing work on modified cars. Be carful.

 

I thought these cars logged/counted everything. Even if you remove the tune, maybe they can tell if something had been loaded or altered, even if not present at the time.

 

I am from Canada so how would this work if I want this? Most tuning shops should know how to install and tune my mercedes?

 

Yes, theoretically speaking I am taking a risk. However, for someone who is paranoid they can buy the flash loader and switch the tune to stock before sending it in for service. If my car was the new twin turbo engine making 500hp then it would be more obvious as the turbos would be pushing much more boost and a simple log would show that. This is more subtle in comparison.

 

And why does every tune thread turn into an arguement over whether or not warranty is effected? I clearly am not worried so if you are it's simple, don't get a tune!

 

There was no arguement or comments until you incorrectly stated in post #6:

"Doesn't effect warranty at all"

Which is not accurate so some of us stated as much. All one has to do is call MB customer support, ask for a supervisor and ask if your car is coverd under warranty with an ECU tune and you'll get your answer.

Do what you want with your car, its your car to enjoy. Just don't tell people their warranty will cover an engine problem with a car that has had an ECU tune.

 

You are correct and I retract my statement. I will go ahead and edit my post to correct my inaccuracies.

 

Anyone have any experiences with the OE tune on an E350? Not really looking for more power (that's what the 55 is for ) but that increased "get up and go"/throttle response like the OP described would be really nice. Sometimes the car feels so lazy when you give it some gas it's rediculous...

 

Congrats. I had Jeremy tune my 2008 CLS550 when I first got the car and my results were spot on with your post. It's surprising how much power MB left on the table and how much the tune transformed the car. The launch in 1st gear was wicked strong once he relaxed the torque limiters on the ecu.

That's a helluva deal too now. The cost of a tune back then was $1495

Enjoy outrunning your speedometer. I used to enjoy pegging the speedometer and still watch the rpm keep rising.

I put over 30k very very hard miles on the car and had zero engine problems. No issues, no cel lights, no malfunctions. The car went to two dealers for random unrelated warranty work and nobody cared about the tune. The only note was oil consumption but that was directly related to the constant redline abuse.

My best mpg was 27.1 on the freeway at an average of 70mph, about 1.5mpg higher than with the stock tune.

Enjoy

 

I have yet to launch out of 1st gear, I used to do that all the time, but now I don't see the need given that the pick up in 2nd gear is so good. Now I'm excited to try it.

 

Do it, you can't go wrong, the basics of each tune is similar regardless of engine type. So you should feel the same transformation.