2014 ECU Time Review
01-04-2018, 06:31 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
2014 ECU Tune Review
I figured that I would post about my experience tuning the 2014 S550 in case anyone is considering it. I’m reluctant to outright post the shop that did it as I’m not intending to stir up anything or upset anyone but will certainly answer questions if anyone has them.
A couple of months ago I purchased a tune for my W222. The only performance modification that I had was higher flowing air filters and I was hoping that a tune would “wake up” the car. I came from a 2014 CTS V that had performance mods and a tune and wanted this car to feel a little more like that. I realize that this car is very different than the Cadillac (better in almost every way) but was hoping that the performance gains claimed would make up for the lost power and heavier weight in the S Class. In my opinion the tune fell short.
I purchased a tune from one of our reputable tuners on here and sent in my ECU for flashing. I paid extra for overnight, guaranteed delivery by 10:30 am as the website claimed that ECUs received before noon would be overnighted/shipped back that day. The ECU did not go out until the following day which was a little frustrating since I could have saved a little for next day delivery instead of a guaranteed delivery time but not a big deal.
When I installed the newly flashed computer I took it for a drive. The first time I started the car I had several warning messages pop up, all of which went away when I turned the car off and restarted it. On my drive I told myself, “yeah, this feels faster” but it was not noticeably or significantly faster. I do not believe that it had a gain of 130 ft-lbs of torque... maybe 20? I drove it for about four weeks and finally convinced myself that perhaps my expectations were too high for a simple tune, I had honestly hoped that the tune would make up for the 1,000 extra pounds in the Mercedes, the 1.6 liter smaller engine and the difference between a supercharger (constant power) versus twin turbos (and their lag). Ultimately I decided that the tune was not worth the risk to my extended warranty since I didn’t feel a SIGNIFICANT difference in the car and I elected to send the computer back and have it flashed back to stock.
I had a similar issue/delay in returning the ECU. This time I paid FedEx ground for next day delivery which was signed for at 11:54 am the next day. The ECU did not get picked up for return until two business days later and finally delivered back to me. I had sent several communications (PMs, called the shop and left voicemails) asking for a status update for planning but never heard back. I didn’t mean to be over concerned but I just wanted to make sure they were working during the Christmas holidays so that I could plan for myself. Again, this was a small issue and I received my ECU back.
Yesterday I plugged in my newly re-flashed to stock ECU and went for a drive. I had the same experience with warning messages and lights and after restarting the car it all went back to normal. Once I got behind the wheel and switched the car to manual/sport mode I confirmed my suspicions... the car felt exactly the same as it did with the flash/tune. I’ve been driving a couple of days on it and I believe that either my ECU was never flashed/tuned (a placebo effect caused me to think that I felt somethingl) or the power gains were not significant enough to really make me feel a difference. Either way, I am happy that my car is back to stock and that I am not jeopardizing my warranty.
Personally if a tune really did make a significant difference (ie if my Mercedes felt as fast as my V) then I would be happy to keep the tune and quote the Magnuson-Moss warranty act should my dealer deny a warranty claim unrelated to the change but that just wasn’t my experience.
A couple of months ago I purchased a tune for my W222. The only performance modification that I had was higher flowing air filters and I was hoping that a tune would “wake up” the car. I came from a 2014 CTS V that had performance mods and a tune and wanted this car to feel a little more like that. I realize that this car is very different than the Cadillac (better in almost every way) but was hoping that the performance gains claimed would make up for the lost power and heavier weight in the S Class. In my opinion the tune fell short.
I purchased a tune from one of our reputable tuners on here and sent in my ECU for flashing. I paid extra for overnight, guaranteed delivery by 10:30 am as the website claimed that ECUs received before noon would be overnighted/shipped back that day. The ECU did not go out until the following day which was a little frustrating since I could have saved a little for next day delivery instead of a guaranteed delivery time but not a big deal.
When I installed the newly flashed computer I took it for a drive. The first time I started the car I had several warning messages pop up, all of which went away when I turned the car off and restarted it. On my drive I told myself, “yeah, this feels faster” but it was not noticeably or significantly faster. I do not believe that it had a gain of 130 ft-lbs of torque... maybe 20? I drove it for about four weeks and finally convinced myself that perhaps my expectations were too high for a simple tune, I had honestly hoped that the tune would make up for the 1,000 extra pounds in the Mercedes, the 1.6 liter smaller engine and the difference between a supercharger (constant power) versus twin turbos (and their lag). Ultimately I decided that the tune was not worth the risk to my extended warranty since I didn’t feel a SIGNIFICANT difference in the car and I elected to send the computer back and have it flashed back to stock.
I had a similar issue/delay in returning the ECU. This time I paid FedEx ground for next day delivery which was signed for at 11:54 am the next day. The ECU did not get picked up for return until two business days later and finally delivered back to me. I had sent several communications (PMs, called the shop and left voicemails) asking for a status update for planning but never heard back. I didn’t mean to be over concerned but I just wanted to make sure they were working during the Christmas holidays so that I could plan for myself. Again, this was a small issue and I received my ECU back.
Yesterday I plugged in my newly re-flashed to stock ECU and went for a drive. I had the same experience with warning messages and lights and after restarting the car it all went back to normal. Once I got behind the wheel and switched the car to manual/sport mode I confirmed my suspicions... the car felt exactly the same as it did with the flash/tune. I’ve been driving a couple of days on it and I believe that either my ECU was never flashed/tuned (a placebo effect caused me to think that I felt somethingl) or the power gains were not significant enough to really make me feel a difference. Either way, I am happy that my car is back to stock and that I am not jeopardizing my warranty.
Personally if a tune really did make a significant difference (ie if my Mercedes felt as fast as my V) then I would be happy to keep the tune and quote the Magnuson-Moss warranty act should my dealer deny a warranty claim unrelated to the change but that just wasn’t my experience.
Last edited by Matthayes3741; 01-04-2018 at 09:57 PM.
01-05-2018, 07:08 AM
#4
Member
With over 45 years experience taking cars apart, redesigning, and doing modifications, one thing I can tell you. You will most certainly feel an increase of 130lb feet of torque, that is unless the power band was also altered. I have seen tunes that may do as advertised but the power band is so altered that the car (in auto mode) is shifting to higher gear before the gains can even be felt. Some tuners fail to mention that, and that the only way you are going to feel the gains is to use the paddles and shift up yourself. In the 550 that is not as easy as in the AMG cars but it can be done. I have thought about tuning the 550, but I have a lot of fast cars (all with some modifications) so I just put in a sprint booster V3 and when I turn it on everyone thinks I tuned this one too.
01-05-2018, 09:33 AM
#6
Member
Thread Starter
With over 45 years experience taking cars apart, redesigning, and doing modifications, one thing I can tell you. You will most certainly feel an increase of 130lb feet of torque, that is unless the power band was also altered. I have seen tunes that may do as advertised but the power band is so altered that the car (in auto mode) is shifting to higher gear before the gains can even be felt. Some tuners fail to mention that, and that the only way you are going to feel the gains is to use the paddles and shift up yourself. In the 550 that is not as easy as in the AMG cars but it can be done. I have thought about tuning the 550, but I have a lot of fast cars (all with some modifications) so I just put in a sprint booster V3 and when I turn it on everyone thinks I tuned this one too.
01-05-2018, 01:06 PM
#7
they give 2 free flashes, i would give them another shot and let them flash the tune again. You should immediately feel the throttle lag gone, wheels spinning/breaking loose if you get on it a bit from dead stop and throw you back into the seat feeling if you mash it.
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01-05-2018, 01:47 PM
#8
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OE Tuning C63 AMG
I figured that I would post about my experience tuning the 2014 S550 in case anyone is considering it. I’m reluctant to outright post the shop that did it as I’m not intending to stir up anything or upset anyone but will certainly answer questions if anyone has them.
A couple of months ago I purchased a tune for my W222. The only performance modification that I had was higher flowing air filters and I was hoping that a tune would “wake up” the car. I came from a 2014 CTS V that had performance mods and a tune and wanted this car to feel a little more like that. I realize that this car is very different than the Cadillac (better in almost every way) but was hoping that the performance gains claimed would make up for the lost power and heavier weight in the S Class. In my opinion the tune fell short.
I purchased a tune from one of our reputable tuners on here and sent in my ECU for flashing. I paid extra for overnight, guaranteed delivery by 10:30 am as the website claimed that ECUs received before noon would be overnighted/shipped back that day. The ECU did not go out until the following day which was a little frustrating since I could have saved a little for next day delivery instead of a guaranteed delivery time but not a big deal.
When I installed the newly flashed computer I took it for a drive. The first time I started the car I had several warning messages pop up, all of which went away when I turned the car off and restarted it. On my drive I told myself, “yeah, this feels faster” but it was not noticeably or significantly faster. I do not believe that it had a gain of 130 ft-lbs of torque... maybe 20? I drove it for about four weeks and finally convinced myself that perhaps my expectations were too high for a simple tune, I had honestly hoped that the tune would make up for the 1,000 extra pounds in the Mercedes, the 1.6 liter smaller engine and the difference between a supercharger (constant power) versus twin turbos (and their lag). Ultimately I decided that the tune was not worth the risk to my extended warranty since I didn’t feel a SIGNIFICANT difference in the car and I elected to send the computer back and have it flashed back to stock.
I had a similar issue/delay in returning the ECU. This time I paid FedEx ground for next day delivery which was signed for at 11:54 am the next day. The ECU did not get picked up for return until two business days later and finally delivered back to me. I had sent several communications (PMs, called the shop and left voicemails) asking for a status update for planning but never heard back. I didn’t mean to be over concerned but I just wanted to make sure they were working during the Christmas holidays so that I could plan for myself. Again, this was a small issue and I received my ECU back.
Yesterday I plugged in my newly re-flashed to stock ECU and went for a drive. I had the same experience with warning messages and lights and after restarting the car it all went back to normal. Once I got behind the wheel and switched the car to manual/sport mode I confirmed my suspicions... the car felt exactly the same as it did with the flash/tune. I’ve been driving a couple of days on it and I believe that either my ECU was never flashed/tuned (a placebo effect caused me to think that I felt somethingl) or the power gains were not significant enough to really make me feel a difference. Either way, I am happy that my car is back to stock and that I am not jeopardizing my warranty.
Personally if a tune really did make a significant difference (ie if my Mercedes felt as fast as my V) then I would be happy to keep the tune and quote the Magnuson-Moss warranty act should my dealer deny a warranty claim unrelated to the change but that just wasn’t my experience.
A couple of months ago I purchased a tune for my W222. The only performance modification that I had was higher flowing air filters and I was hoping that a tune would “wake up” the car. I came from a 2014 CTS V that had performance mods and a tune and wanted this car to feel a little more like that. I realize that this car is very different than the Cadillac (better in almost every way) but was hoping that the performance gains claimed would make up for the lost power and heavier weight in the S Class. In my opinion the tune fell short.
I purchased a tune from one of our reputable tuners on here and sent in my ECU for flashing. I paid extra for overnight, guaranteed delivery by 10:30 am as the website claimed that ECUs received before noon would be overnighted/shipped back that day. The ECU did not go out until the following day which was a little frustrating since I could have saved a little for next day delivery instead of a guaranteed delivery time but not a big deal.
When I installed the newly flashed computer I took it for a drive. The first time I started the car I had several warning messages pop up, all of which went away when I turned the car off and restarted it. On my drive I told myself, “yeah, this feels faster” but it was not noticeably or significantly faster. I do not believe that it had a gain of 130 ft-lbs of torque... maybe 20? I drove it for about four weeks and finally convinced myself that perhaps my expectations were too high for a simple tune, I had honestly hoped that the tune would make up for the 1,000 extra pounds in the Mercedes, the 1.6 liter smaller engine and the difference between a supercharger (constant power) versus twin turbos (and their lag). Ultimately I decided that the tune was not worth the risk to my extended warranty since I didn’t feel a SIGNIFICANT difference in the car and I elected to send the computer back and have it flashed back to stock.
I had a similar issue/delay in returning the ECU. This time I paid FedEx ground for next day delivery which was signed for at 11:54 am the next day. The ECU did not get picked up for return until two business days later and finally delivered back to me. I had sent several communications (PMs, called the shop and left voicemails) asking for a status update for planning but never heard back. I didn’t mean to be over concerned but I just wanted to make sure they were working during the Christmas holidays so that I could plan for myself. Again, this was a small issue and I received my ECU back.
Yesterday I plugged in my newly re-flashed to stock ECU and went for a drive. I had the same experience with warning messages and lights and after restarting the car it all went back to normal. Once I got behind the wheel and switched the car to manual/sport mode I confirmed my suspicions... the car felt exactly the same as it did with the flash/tune. I’ve been driving a couple of days on it and I believe that either my ECU was never flashed/tuned (a placebo effect caused me to think that I felt somethingl) or the power gains were not significant enough to really make me feel a difference. Either way, I am happy that my car is back to stock and that I am not jeopardizing my warranty.
Personally if a tune really did make a significant difference (ie if my Mercedes felt as fast as my V) then I would be happy to keep the tune and quote the Magnuson-Moss warranty act should my dealer deny a warranty claim unrelated to the change but that just wasn’t my experience.
01-05-2018, 02:01 PM
#9
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Thread Starter
After I have the dealership look at the transmission I will gladly send the ECU back for a second try and if it is a noticeable difference, as I would expect, then I will update my review accordingly.
Last edited by Matthayes3741; 01-05-2018 at 02:23 PM. Reason: editorial corrections
01-05-2018, 02:08 PM
#10
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OE Tuning C63 AMG
I was just about to reply to TH Carrera that perhaps the first flash didn’t save or take over. I am going to take the car next week to have them look at updating the transmission software updated, per your suggestion, since I’ve been experiencing fluttering or inconsistent shifts at 1500 RPMs after having the car tuned. Now that it’s been flashed back to stock I haven’t experienced the same thing but I also haven’t been sitting in traffic as much since the holidays ended (plus I’ve only had the car back since Tuesday). I definitely did not feel the car “break loose”or “throwing me back in my seat” as referenced below. I’m telling myself that I felt something but nothing significant and considering that perhaps it’s because the power band was altered as mentioned by
Carnut. After I have the dealership look at the transmission I will gladly send the ECU back for a second try and if it is a noticeable difference, as I would expect, then I will update my review accordingly.
01-05-2018, 02:10 PM
#11
Member
Thread Starter
Will do... one thing I should add to my review is that prior to the holidays communication was awesome.... and it still is apparently. Very quick to respond to PMs, emails and questions. I will make that update to my review. The price is significantly better than other tuners as well.
