MSL - Acid - DPF/Remap(CLK 320CDI) - Review/Feedback

[ajuj12]

Hey All,

I had a hard time trying to take the plunge to remove my DPF and have a remap. So I thought I would leave some feedback to help those who are in my position. I have CLK 320CDI (w209)

I was having issues with my DPF sensor and Mercedes dealers wanted to charge me an arm and leg to replace it. I have been researching remapping for a while now but I was not sure about the negatives of it etc etc. However after having a word with some of the members on the forums they reassured me about the benefits of getting the car remapped and DPF removed. (Thanks to all of you for your advice). So the next step I took was to get in touch with ACID at MSL.

I would like to say a Big thanks to ACID at MSL, fantastic guy I called him on Wednesday to see if he could accommodate me and he says sure come on down tomorrow!!. Perfect I had the day off and drove 2 and half hours to MSL (in limp mode - not fun at all). I have to admire the investment these guys have put into the garage it’s HUGE. They are very busy and had to wait around for a bit to see the busiest guy on the planet (acid). The garage has a nice waiting area with pool tables and TV so the wait wasn’t bad at all.

Once we started it was excellent, firstly they had the DPF removed but couldn’t do an initial dyno because I has in limp mode from the DPF sensor issue. Acid took all the readings from my car and sent it off to the mapping fellow. By the time the DPF was removed the map had come back and was put onto the car.

Initial figures from stock

BHP: 224
Torque : 376lbs

After Remap

BHP : 290 (240 at the wheels)
Torque : 445 (from crank)

It was amazing results for DPF removal and a REMAP!! (he also did the EGR delete for me)

On my way back home on the motorway I felt like I was driving a super car (smiling from ear to ear every time I overtake), the results were phenomenal! I had so much more torque on demand for overtaking, foot down and the car just kept going on an on even after 120+. I had to be careful as I was easily getting over legal speed limits.

Only thing I could notice there was more smoke from the exhaust but this was only on kick down but hardly noticeable. This is to be expected as I had a DPF removed as well.

From my calculations MPG is up by about 6 MPG on the long runs and about 4 MPG in town runs.

Overall I had a wonderful experience and for anyone thinking about DPF removal and Remap, you should 200% get it done; it will make a worlds difference to your car and to you!

Big thanks to ACID and his team at MSL

(Apologies for any typos I did this on my phone)

 

[V6Matty]

Well done AJ, great to read you had a good experience and don't worry abou the waiting round part at MSL thats totally normal (I waited about 6 hours until he finally got round to mapping mine), re the smoke yes unfortunatly thats quite normal as well, you should only notice it during hard accelleration but apart from that run a few doses of millers or forte through and it will reduce a fair bit.

well done again and keep us updated after a while of use

 

[Neil H]

Sounds quite a result?!
What is the impact on emissions and soot particles with DPF removed?

 

[jhosk1981]

Isn't it an immediate mot fail now?

 

[whitenemesis]

From the AA

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/diesel-particulate-filters.html

Interesting additional point regarding insurance.....

 

[V6Matty]

how can they check it isn't there if it still passes the emissions test?

 

[whitenemesis]

I think MoT testers will take the pragmatic approach, it passes emissions, they'll pass it.

But that doesn't negate the fact the car isn't road legal any more and if you inform your insurer of the modification, as one always should, they must refuse to cover you as the car is illegal for road use..

It's not an area I would want to explore, it will only get more rigorously enforced as diesel slip more and more out of favour...

 

[Developer]

Isn't it an immediate mot fail now?

That depends on who does the MOT.

 

[V6Matty]

I think MoT testers will take the pragmatic approach, it passes emissions, they'll pass it.

But that doesn't negate the fact the car isn't road legal any more and if you inform your insurer of the modification, as one always should, they must refuse to cover you as the car is illegal for road use..

It's not an area I would want to explore, it will only get more rigorously enforced as diesel slip more and more out of favour...

sounds about right i'd say. i'd wonder if you could get away with saying it must have been done prior to me buying it .... honest guv! don't think i'll try it though

 

[jhosk1981]

No... I'm all for a remap... But not the dpf removal

 

[Scoob]

Does anyone this we'll ever see an after market "Sports DPF", as we do for Catalytic Converters? I.e. a device that provides sufficient "filtering" to meet emissions standards, is still a physically fitted DPF to comply with the law, yet still allows additional exhaust flow to be less restrictive. This would provide performance improvements to both mpg and power/torque depending on how the car is driven yet remain legal and relatively insurance friendly.

I've actually pondered whether this might be the best approach going forward since I first looked into buy a DPF equipped car. It would also be my preferred route vs. full DPF removal, though the latter is not currently an option for my particular ECU due to side effects.

Scoob.

 

[Lit.91]

Does anyone this we'll ever see an after market "Sports DPF", as we do for Catalytic Converters? I.e. a device that provides sufficient "filtering" to meet emissions standards, is still a physically fitted DPF to comply with the law, yet still allows additional exhaust flow to be less restrictive. This would provide performance improvements to both mpg and power/torque depending on how the car is driven yet remain legal and relatively insurance friendly.

I've actually pondered whether this might be the best approach going forward since I first looked into buy a DPF equipped car. It would also be my preferred route vs. full DPF removal, though the latter is not currently an option for my particular ECU due to side effects.

Scoob.

I'd be interested in that too... Pretty sure I've got no DPF in the first place though

 

[Lit.91]

Initial figures from stock

BHP: 224
Torque : 376lbs

After Remap

BHP : 290 (240 at the wheels)
Torque : 445 (from crank)

Sounds great, thanks for doing a write up!

I've been waiting for this write up for a long time now!

So I'm guessing you didn't have a dyno run before - would of been interesting to find out what the power was at the wheels stock...

 

[Scoob]

@ajuj12

I meant to ask, did you get a dyno printout of the post-map results? Reason I ask is because the peak figures are of course only a very small part of the story. I'd be great to see evidence of the mid-range gains etc. Saying all that, the bum dyno results are the ultimate proof of course lol.

Scoob.

 

[ajuj12]

Dyno Map pic attached

@ajuj12

I meant to ask, did you get a dyno printout of the post-map results? Reason I ask is because the peak figures are of course only a very small part of the story. I'd be great to see evidence of the mid-range gains etc. Saying all that, the bum dyno results are the ultimate proof of course lol.

Scoob.

 

[Parkgate]

Purely out of curiosity have you the before dyno graph of your car? And I'm lost how its got crank torque and rear wheel hp on the same graph? Shouldn't they both be either (as measured) at the wheels or extrapolated crank figures to make any sense?

 

[V6Matty]

What is on the map is wheel torque and bhp only, they currently dont have anything at site to measure at the crank currently but I know there is a way to calculate it, but the beer this evening has already rendered my brain quite out of use I'm afraid

 

[Parkgate]

440 lb/ft at the rear wheels from a 3.0 cdi? What gear was is it in because that sounds way to much torque and seeing as the hp is calculated from the torque figures something doesn't seem right...the only way that can be right is if someone has substituted Nm for Lb/ft. The best AMG C63's 'only' manage about 430lb/ft at the wheels lol...and then theres the slippage on the rolls with that kind of torque at the wheels and the autobox.......ie way over 500lb/ft at the crank. The chart posted isn't worth tuppence.

 

[ajuj12]

440 lb/ft at the rear wheels from a 3.0 cdi? What gear was is it in because that sounds way to much torque and seeing as the hp is calculated from the torque figures something doesn't seem right...the only way that can be right is if someone has substituted Nm for Lb/ft. The best AMG C63's 'only' manage about 430lb/ft at the wheels lol...and then theres the slippage on the rolls with that kind of torque at the wheels and the autobox.......ie way over 500lb/ft at the crank. The chart posted isn't worth tuppence.

You do realise that stock from factory they come with 376lb ft? So not that much of a gain if you think about it

 

[ajuj12]

What is on the map is wheel torque and bhp only, they currently dont have anything at site to measure at the crank currently but I know there is a way to calculate it, but the beer this evening has already rendered my brain quite out of use I'm afraid

The force the car outputs on the roller is torque. To get horsepower, the dyno uses that recorded number, RPM as a measure of time, and a number of other variables in a complex calculation (read: estimation) that spits out the horsepower number.