R0CK632

Anyone know of any good performance chips for the bluetec? Did it really make much of a difference or is it a waste of money? Anyone know of a good place on Long Island NY that installs them? thanks

roadrutz

Search both this and the other ML forum. There have been dozens of posts on this topic. Kleeman and Brabus seem the most popular. Yes, they work. Yes, they invalidate your warranty. No, they don't have to be professionally installed.

cal1

Many tuners have programs were they send you instructions on how to safely and easily remove your ECU (chip). You send it to them and they flash it with the updated mapping. they ship it back to you to pop back in.

Renntech is another well known and high quality MB tuner. Some RT if not all RT stuff can be installed without warranty issues. Some MB dealers sell and install Renntech products.

You might check out powerchip groups website. If nothing else, you may find it informative regarding ECU upgrades in general. I'm not sure if a normally aspirated engine such as yours will benefit greatly from an ECU tune. The turbo'd and supercharged engines generally see greater power increases.

Good luck

R0CK632

The bluetec is a 3.0 turbocharged diesel which is why I thought I would benefit...am I wrong??

Vernl

As stated by others , Kleeman and Brabus are simple plug and play boxes, sending your ECU to be reprogrammed is a bit more hardcore and expensive.You are correct, any modern electronically controlled diesel, be it Mb or a pickup truck benefits greatly from external boxes. Not the case on todays gas engines where benefits are minimal at best.I think Cal1 missed the fact you were asking about a diesel

cal1

Sure did, sorry. I would still recommend a call to the guys at Renntech in FL. Not sure if they have an ECU upgrade on your turbo diesel, but if they do, it will kick a$$ and will be pricey. I run a number of Renntech products on my SL55. It is all quality stuff, but you pay the price.

Renntech is a MBW sponser now so you can send them a PM if you wish.

You might want to send Cory at Kleemann an email. Tell him you are a MBW guy. Cory has done a lot of work for some of the guys on the E55 and SL55 forum. cory@kleemannusa.com

roadrutz

I can't speak to specific systems, but not all aftermarket performance "chips" need to have the ECU removed. Many of them now plug into the bus and intercept signals to/from the ECU, modifying them to 'fool' the ECU into doing things like allowing higher boost.

The only way you will keep your warranty is if Kleeman/Brabus/Renntech/whoever picks up the warranty, as there is no way Mercedes will honor their warranty if you have modified their engine management software. And even though these devices can be removed before you take your vehicle to the dealer, I believe Mercedes can tell that one was installed. (I know for a fact that BMW can, and I assume Mercedes has the same ability.)

Yes, they do work on turbocharged engines and you can expect noticeable power increase. But caveat emptor.

christopherw

I had Kleemann flash my ecu couple weeks ago on my ml350, and I was told that the Bosch 9.7 ecu, which my car has needs to be removed in order to flash it.

roadrutz

There are two types of aftermarket "chips" (and we really ought to come up with a better name, which is a hangover from when the actual chip was replaced). One type reflashes the 'maps' used by the ECU to determine how much boost to allow, fuel to inject, etc. for each given set of circumstances. Sometimes this type requires that the entire ECU unit be removed and sent away for flashing, as you say was the case with your Kleeman, sometimes the flashing can be done on-site with a so-called programming box. The other type of device leaves the ECU and its maps alone but installs inline on the bus and intercepts signals, sending altered signals that fool the ECU into acting as if the circumstances were different. But when all is said and done, 99% of any improvement the devices offer is a result of allowing increased turbo boost and relying on the original engine management software to prevent engine meltdown.

All these devices are very clever and are produced by smart people who understand both software and engine management. They have also proven to be quite reliable on turbocharged diesel engines. But you are still taking a chance when you say, in effect, "these guys are smarter than the original Bosch and Mercedes engineers". If the Mercedes diesel engine can safely and reliably produce 20% to 40% more horsepower and torque with nothing but a software change, why don't Mercedes do that in the first place?

cal1

Anyone considering performance mods on their car needs to understand that certain risks do apply. Many modern engines have been mildly detuned at the factory. The MFG knows that the engines are capable of making more power, but a conservative approach is taken toward engine management. They do this for a number of reasons. One is to account for the varying quality of fuels throughout the world. A second reason is the level of maintenance, or lack thereof on the part of the vehicle owner.

Certain enthusiasts are aware that their engine is capable of making more power and are willing to take on the risk of running a more aggressive ECU tune (generally what we call it on the E55 and SL55 forums). As pointed out by roadrutz, the ECU tunes include remapping Air Fuel Ratios (AFRs), timing advance and boost. These enthusiasts tend to be meticulous about maintenance and run only the best fuels available.

realralfy

Neither the Kleemaan not the Brabus work on the 2009-2001 Bluetec's......only works on the 2008 and older CDI's....