LeyenT

Hi there everyone!

I've recently purchased my first Mercedes (2013 E550 BiTurbo)
and have been scouring these forums for a while, reading up and learning all about my car - shout out to a great forum and community BTW!

I have been loving my car but (as always) have the itch for a little... what if... if you get what I mean, hahah.

I've come across ECU tunes, specifically the OE tune.

Now, I do realize that this question has somewhat been asked before and sorry to beat a dying horse but I'm hoping to get a detailed response to a particular scenario:

If I went with the OE tune (which I totally understand would be a red flag to a servicing garage) and never told anyone about it, and "flashed" my ECU using that magical device... could I go in for service and have a good chance of never getting a warranty flag?

Furthermore if I went with this tune where to I add the flashing device needed to do this myself?

As you can probably tell, I am rather green to this subject and pray for everyone's patience if I'm asking some stupid things here, hahah.

Thanks for reading, and nice to meet you all!

aquinob

It's a E550 BiTurbo and you want more power? I take it the car is still under some sort of warranty?

I clicked on the link. Minimal info as to what you are buying, no reviews of any kind that I can see. I gotta think, if MB thought they could get more power out of the motor without sacrificing things like normal driving fuel economy, longevity and other minor stuff, youda think they would have done it? And everything is described as "max" meaning there is also a "min" they aren't referring to. It's your money, burn it like you see fit.

blegthbloo

You're probably looking at the wrong tune as well... this one is for the E550, and the gains are different (although you would think since it's the same engine they'd be the same gains)... but at least if you're spending your money, make sure it's on the right thing lol

And based on those numbers, I think I'm leaning more towards the Renntech tune, myself. Go big or go home, right?

belarus27

it looks like the right tune for 2013 e550 , and damn , almost a 100 horses up , the only reason i wish i had a turbo engine (

LeyenT

Thanks for the replies guys.
The car still has about 20,000KM(Canadian) or til July 2017 for warranty.
Of course I'm thinking about more power! Don't we always want more power? Hahah...

Very true about the min/max speculation and at this point I am just trying to see if I can convince myself to do the upgrade, not in any way fully decided.

I also did check out the Renntech tune, but from reading through some threads here I am under the impression that the OE tune can use the flashing device to reset the ECU to stock manually.
If the Renntech has the same kind of utility, then I definitely would consider them.

I appreciate all the responses guys, but does anyone have any input to real question I was asking about the scenario of flashing back and forth between a tuned ECU and a stock?

Thanks again!

belarus27

as far as that scenario , i think you should be fine , after reading some bimmer forums and even benz ones , thats what some people did to make sure dealer wouldnt void their warranties , dang i wish i had them saved.
but even here on w212 there was one i believe...
as long as you got that stock ECU file to program back when needed.

cocobeex

As i know, your ECU has to be bench flashed.
ECU has to be opened by tools.
I m not sure if you can do that by yourself.

LeyenT

Ah that's great news!
if you happen across that thread again I'd really love to see it!
Do you know anything about the process of going back to that stock ECU when needed or the device required?

LeyenT

I saw it mentioned in a thread around here that with the OE tune you can get a device with it to enable the switching the ECU... was hoping someone might know more about that as it's the main variable in this scenario hahah.

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cocobeex

M278 ECU can only do bench flash. Same to OE tuning.

Looks like you are in Canada...same as me.
You will have to send ECU out somewhere, unless there is a local tuner around you.

If you want to flash it back to stock, you will have to send ECU out again.

And, just so you know, Bench flash means ECU will be opened by tuner.
MB Dealers in Canada is not as easy as in US. They will void your warranty for sure if they find out.

LeyenT

Oh. So bench flashing means at a station rather than something portable...
Well, damn.
I am indeed in Canada and as such have little to no expectation of finding a garage anywhere local to me that would do it... and fully expect a super-non-competitive price due to lack of such tuners...
Thank you, though, for the answer.
Have you gone with any such tune yourself?

cocobeex

Mine is tuned and i did tons of mod on it too.
but they didn't say anything about my ECU.

Only when ECU needs update file or engine/tranny issues...etc, they will check your ECU then.

Most the time, i service my car outside with MB service certified shop.
so far so good.

LeyenT

Nice!
Are those ECU updates a common thing?
Could you tell me more about your tune?
What company's tune did you go with and how were the results?
What garage did you go to and how was the price?

Sorry for the badgering but it's great to talk to someone with first-hand experience.

cocobeex

I dont think there will be any ECU updates for our cars. New E is already out there now.

I did the tuning with ETG. They can flash ecu locally for me.
Around 1900 CAD, as I remember.

I am able to kill older M and 63 cars, and keep up with current M and 63.
So much FUN after tuned!!!!

@dman

I tuned my 2012 E550 just after my car's warranty expired, and used OE tuning during a holiday sale a year ago. The warranty covered some TSBs before and during my ownership, and I haven't seen a need for any ECU flash work in the 35k miles since my tune was applied. I haven't done a before/after dyno but noticed the acceleration bonus and improved throttle response. (Anyone wanna buy a new SprintBooster?)

OE Tuning offered a good experience - I spoke w/Jeremy one evening and decided to order. The ECU removal was well documented and easy, and I overnighted it to OE in CA. It returned 2 days later and it's been a high mileage year of driving pleasure.

My dealer's service advisor didn't seemed concerned with my tune during service. I was up front about having a tune, when it was done, and I asked them to look at a previously un-diagnosable drivetrain vibration issue left over from an earlier visit. It was still fixed under warranty.

-Adam

LeyenT

This is pretty much what I'm after honestly.
I'm just pretty squeamish to the possibility of screwing up my warranty.
I guess it pretty much comes with the territory but it's so tempting to go for it hahah...
So with just the tune on its' own, would you say the difference was very noticeable all around?

LeyenT

May I ask how much it costed you? USD I presume?

That's incredible!
I never imagined that dealers would be so flexible on the subject.
I suppose the dealer I am using is rather cool too - they claimed my leather seat cover under warranty when I brought the car in for the safety, when all it had wrong with it was some frayed stitching.
I'm thinking maybe I should do like you did and go talk to him about possibly doing this kind of upgrade and see how he responds...
On the other hand, if I do that then I could be potentially telling him more than he wants to know to the point that he is obligated to flag my warranty?
Really not sure what to think honestly...

cocobeex

It is noticeable after tuned for sure.

jonUF02

I looked around, there does not seem to be any way that you can perform changes to the ECU tuning sort of "on the fly" it has to be sent in to someone who has the proper equipment. I can only wish we had the option like BMW to get the $600 Cobb tuner that just plugs in and flashes different tunes at will. $2500 on average is a little beyond what I'm willing to pay, considering it's permanent. My biggest concern would be letting the wife drive it with that aggressive power.

@dman

I don't think inquiring about a tune at your dealer is grounds for any record modification, but you could ask them how they handle warranty work on a tuned vehicle.

There's been substantial tuning vs. warranty claims discussion on the forums and it seems that not tuning your covered vehicle is the best route to ensure coverage, and anything in the 'tuning' category is along the lines of 'your mileage may vary'. A tuned E550 isn't a full E63 AMG, but with a tune and a few out of coverage warranty events may still be cheaper than an E63 and nearly as fast.

cocobeex

Call in and ask them.
Do not tell them who you are.

Just in case, If they get suspicious of your question.

Try to void any risk as possible.
Canada Dealership is a lot more strict than US about warranty vs modded parts.

LeyenT

Thanks for the advice!
You make an interesting point about the tune with some voids vs the E63... interesting enough to keep me tempted, hahah!

LeyenT

Good to know I'm not paranoid hahah.
I've always remarked that dealers never seem too "fun" here in Canada as opposed to what I see online from the states.
Only problem is I know everyone at this dealership... only one in my small town hahah - maybe I can have someone call for me to be safe.