ECU Remapping or is it Madness!!!

[BRABUS R230]

With this sort of power im sure you will agree it comes down to how the power is introduced , as to not spin the rear end as much . You need a Custom remap to achive this . The Brabus software is all generic when i had a chat with brabus the biggest reccomendation was GCL Tuning as they are custom and offer warranty + They now have another very happy customer (me) .


Clive

Hi Clive may thanks for this info, I have just sent GCL Tuning an email requesting some info, BTW what difference have you noticed since you have had your car done and what BHP power and Torque gains do you have. did you ECU remap done on a rolling road?

 

[clive-cls]

Oh great .


Hope you got on ok ,

my cls was not remapped on the dyno but had the dyno a week later ... and im still a happy bunny The difference is stupid it simply feel like a different vehicle even the way it responds on light throttle is just fantastic


How did you get on with GCL ?


Clive

 

[roadhog]

BRABUS SL55 K8 (03)
Obsidian Black
Very Rare SL55 BRABUS Modification
550 BHP, 780Nm
Limiter Removed
Over 200 MPH!
0-60 4.0 Seconds

Some people just can't get enough.... :lol:

DMS have a very good reputation, I did consider using them for my other car but their pricing is prohibitive (for me).

If your beast was mine, I'd count my lucky stars and wouldn't even dream of re-mapping it. If, however, you mid-life crisis demands it, your first port of call should be Brabus themselves IMO.

There is a cheaper option though. How about we swap cars for a while? I'm thinking a couple of weeks in my oil burner would make you appreciate your car again? I offered this selfless service to 100% before but she didn't take me up on it, can't think why.

 

[BRABUS R230]

ECU Remapping

Some people just can't get enough.... :lol:

DMS have a very good reputation, I did consider using them for my other car but their pricing is prohibitive (for me).

If your beast was mine, I'd count my lucky stars and wouldn't even dream of re-mapping it. If, however, you mid-life crisis demands it, your first port of call should be Brabus themselves IMO.

There is a cheaper option though. How about we swap cars for a while? I'm thinking a couple of weeks in my oil burner would make you appreciate your car again? I offered this selfless service to 100% before but she didn't take me up on it, can't think why.

Hi roadhog, I have done some further investigation into ecu remapping and I have since found out that it's not always the case that you remap in order to get more power, you would remap in order to make your car run more efficiently which would result in more power and gain better MPG, take a read from this other car forum http://www.torquecars.com/tuning/remapping-ecu.php it is a very interesting read!
I am going to contact BRABUS directly and explain what I was thinking about doing, I had contacted DMS originally and the had quoted a price of £1380.00, at that point I thought mmmm... not to bad... let me find out more about this remapping service from others and did a lot of research, it seems that DMS aren't really doing more than many of the others that I have contacted but are charging much, much more, I contacted DMS again to ask them what I was getting more from them for the extra £980.00 (against ECU-RS's £400.00) and they have not conviniced me, in actual fact GCL have quoted me £545 inc vat (special offer they say until the 15th of June!), which is still £835.00 less and for that I get a Bespoke Remap, Throttle alinement, Supercharger config (due to smaller pulley they say) Warranty, Tuv Approval, and two rolling roads before and two after and they will extract the current BRABUS ecu setting and store it on a USB stick for me, they also store the BRABUS ecu setting on their Server in the event I want to return it back to the original state, the guy I spoke to says they have had experience of the BRABUS K8 engine mod, he was very helpful and knowledgeable, after all tis I am still not quite sure but I wait to hear from BRABUS first.

 

[BRABUS R230]

Oh great .


Hope you got on ok ,

my cls was not remapped on the dyno but had the dyno a week later ... and im still a happy bunny The difference is stupid it simply feel like a different vehicle even the way it responds on light throttle is just fantastic


How did you get on with GCL ?


Clive

Hi Clive, thanks for your reply, I got on very well with GCL, see my reply post to roadhog!

 

[roadhog]

So I guess you're not up for the swap then? :-?

 

[roadhog]

......and for that I get a Bespoke Remap, Throttle alinement, Supercharger config (due to smaller pulley they say) Warranty, Tuv Approval, ......

Sorry for the double post, only just noticed the warranty bit. Do make sure you read the small print on what the warranty actually covers. It's unusual for aftermarket tuners to offer warranties that cover more than the actual chip or the program they install. Car forums across all makes are littered with people who suffered premature engine failures due to having re-maps resulting in open wallet surgery.

I also don't see how any custom or bespoke map can have TÜV approval. Generic off the shelf maps perhaps but anything individual would have to be produced to them for a one off approval.

 

[BRABUS R230]

Considering the Offer!

So I guess you're not up for the swap then? :-?

I am still considering it!

 

[BRABUS R230]

Sorry for the double post, only just noticed the warranty bit. Do make sure you read the small print on what the warranty actually covers. It's unusual for aftermarket tuners to offer warranties that cover more than the actual chip or the program they install. Car forums across all makes are littered with people who suffered premature engine failures due to having re-maps resulting in open wallet surgery.

I also don't see how any custom or bespoke map can have TÜV approval. Generic off the shelf maps perhaps but anything individual would have to be produced to them for a one off approval.

roadhog, with regards to the Tuv approval that seems to make sense what you are saying, the more I look into this remapping thing the more my eyes open wider, I must say though from the searches that I have done I have not as yet come across anybody who has been less than happy with their remap, in fact everybody has been saying things like "wow, fantastic, drives better, drives like a different car, better MPG" I suppose it depends on who is remapping your car and how experienced they are!!

 

[clive-cls]

Sorry for the double post, only just noticed the warranty bit. Do make sure you read the small print on what the warranty actually covers. It's unusual for aftermarket tuners to offer warranties that cover more than the actual chip or the program they install. Car forums across all makes are littered with people who suffered premature engine failures due to having re-maps resulting in open wallet surgery.

I also don't see how any custom or bespoke map can have TÜV approval. Generic off the shelf maps perhaps but anything individual would have to be produced to them for a one off approval.

GCL Cover the Software and the vehicle i belive that they are 1 if only 3 in the uk that can offer this . This is why they work with 98% of the main dealers within my local area , My software was developed by GCL Tuning and sent away for the warranty & TUV Therfore making them in my opinoin one of the best for mercedes .


Clive

 

[clive-cls]

Hi Clive, thanks for your reply, I got on very well with GCL, see my reply post to roadhog!

Spot on .... I was in the same boat as you , £1300 is very very very over the top


Clive

 

[roadhog]

roadhog, with regards to the Tuv approval that seems to make sense what you are saying, the more I look into this remapping thing the more my eyes open wider, I must say though from the searches that I have done I have not as yet come across anybody who has been less than happy with their remap, in fact everybody has been saying things like "wow, fantastic, drives better, drives like a different car, better MPG" I suppose it depends on who is remapping your car and how experienced they are!!

The 'better MPG' is a bit of a double edged sword. You get nothing for nothing, not even with a re-map. All other things being equal, if you up your power and use it you'll need more fuel. The main reason some people see (or think they see) improved MPG is due to their driving style changing after the map.

If you've got some spare time, read this little tale of woe. It illustrates what can go wrong. I'm not for one moment comparing GCL or any other tuner to the outfit at the centre of the story, it's just the first example I remember of someone being less than happy with their map. There's more but equally, there are lots of stories with people defending their chosen map to the hilt simply because nobody likes to admit that they've wasted their money. It's all very subjective. Do your homework, go in with your eyes wide open and most of all, don't expect miracles.

I've never driven anything as powerful as your car - Ferrari 460 at Thruxton nearly gave me a nosebleed - but I can't imagine that you'd notice the extra power in day to day use?

 

[L-pretlove]

all i want to say is your car is a weapon and you must keep us posted on what you end up doing

 

[clive-cls]

Could Not agree more regarding the fuel i have gained MPG but im so addicted to power i just cant let someone fly past me without giving it a go .

On a sensible run 260 mile round trip ive gained 6 MPG but the trip computer is out as it reads 8



Clive

 

[turbopete]

Clive, is your cls a 320 cdi?

 

[clive-cls]

Yes sir ...


Clive

 

[BRABUS R230]

Waiting for Reply from BRABUS Germany!!!

Hi all, I am still awaiting a reply from BRABUS in Germany, I have emailed them with my questions, as soon as I get a reply I will post it on this site, I will keep you all posted.

 

[BRABUS R230]

Sorry for the double post, only just noticed the warranty bit. Do make sure you read the small print on what the warranty actually covers. It's unusual for aftermarket tuners to offer warranties that cover more than the actual chip or the program they install. Car forums across all makes are littered with people who suffered premature engine failures due to having re-maps resulting in open wallet surgery.

I also don't see how any custom or bespoke map can have TÜV approval. Generic off the shelf maps perhaps but anything individual would have to be produced to them for a one off approval.

GCL Say

All remaps come with TUV Approval, Three Years Warranty and are Fully Custom to your vehicle.

You are able to have the choice between Economy and high Performance custom remaps, however you may also be interested in having the best of both worlds by choosing the ST3 - a switchable mapping unit allowing you to switch between three remaps.

All @ GCL Tuning Look forward to hearing from you soon...

What do you all think?

 

[roadhog]

What do you all think?

I think you're throwing your money away but don't let that stop you.

I don't see how the TÜV approval would apply to a custom map but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Edit, I've just had a look around their site and some of their statements seem a bit tenuous to me. Like the claim that a re-map "shouldn't" affect your existing warranty. I wouldn't like to put that to the test.

I can't find any T&C for their 3 year warranty, personally I'd want to study that in detail before handing over any of my hard earned.

 

[jibcl500]

Brabus

I had the same issue with a 911, got used to the power and wanted more, in the end after much ££ spent and several remaps ended up with a chip from a motor racing firm and it was perfect.

Problem I found was that some chips made the car horrid to drive !!! so becareful.

jib