Remap - how much is TOO much?

[Noddy 99]

Hello, chaps,

My 2009 W211 E280 should be with me shortly and I've tentatively booked a remap. The garage is an independent Mercedes specialist and the maps have a lifetime warranty so I trust the garage.

Now, for £225, they are giving me a Stage 1 bhp hike from 190 to 270 which sounds INSANE. Is this TOO much? What about engine stress, braking, ignition coils, tyre wear etc? I'm too old now to drive like a hooligan; it's more about having effortless power so I won't be thrashing or abusing it.

I'd REALLY value your thoughts and experiences - I will cancel the booking if the mood in the room is negative.

As for insurance, I'm typically seeing quotations that push my premium up by £200, from c.£358 to £560. Greenlight turned me down because I haven't owned a rear-wheel drive vehicle in the last 12 months. Whaaaat??? As it happens, my current insurer can do it for £481 per year so a rise of about £130 is bearable. I'm still waiting for Adrian Flux to get back to me.

All thoughts and advice very welcome.

 

[mioba]

Wouldnt bother to be honest. I am sure the output of that car would suffice.

 

[NJS5]

190 to 270 bhp is a big hike.

I would want to see that proven by before & after dyno runs; and would want to upgrade brakes, suspension & tyres before installing the remap.

NJSS

 

[Wighty]

What area are you in buddy ? Maybe someone else can be recommended for comparison .
I take it that is a 280cdi ?

 

[Noddy 99]

I'm in Telford. I'm starting to have doubts...

About the car, not Telford. Telford's alright; it's not Budapest but it's convenient...

Yes, it's the CDI.

 

[Gazwould]

It's possible as the 280 CDI a detuned 3.0 300/320/350 CDI much like the E60 BMW 525d is a detuned 3.0 530d .

 

[mioba]

Thats a huge jump in bhp tbf.
There was a post not long ago and a member gave reasons not to remap and basically said get the right the car. It was a spot in post from my persepctice. But each to thier own.
Have you driven the proposed car, do you find it lacks oompf? A 280 is a good sized lump.

 

[MARK.W]

I considered getting my E280 remapped but thought better of it. The 280 is still quite quick as standard and won't disappoint.
Really I would drive it for a while before making a decision.


Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

 

[M80]

I'm surprised it's only 190 (Hp I assume).
The torque is of greater interest for effortless scooting about.

You might find later 320 / 350's have the same brakes and much more power / torque. You might consider 'claimed' increases up to those figures if the brakes are the same.

 

[Noddy 99]

Thanks for the replies, chaps. When I test-drove it, I thought it was very leisurely until you gave it the full beans. I'm new to automatics and didn't realise there is both a Sport and Comfort mode - I guess I had it in Comfort. I've since learned that you can reset the adaptive box so that it learns your driving style; I'll give that a try.

I suppose that 190bhp is sufficient; it's just that, in all aspects of life, if I hear there's more, I want more!

I think I'm going to heed Mark W's advice and get to know it before I make a decision.

 

[mersum1es]

You have seen tarctor pulling? It 'enough' when exhaust is pushing out black half-solid tube...

Basically smoking is limit for pure tuning, after changing some parts, more air can be inserted and more fuel injected... and circle starts again...

I have 280hp/700Nm in my CLS (not confirmed in dyno, but its 'baseline' of tuning I have)

 

[Gazwould]

No brainer really as it's already detuned , only makes it more drivable which is useful 90+% of the time .

 

[Wighty]

Thanks for the replies, chaps. When I test-drove it, I thought it was very leisurely until you gave it the full beans. I'm new to automatics and didn't realise there is both a Sport and Comfort mode - I guess I had it in Comfort. I've since learned that you can reset the adaptive box so that it learns your driving style; I'll give that a try.

I suppose that 190bhp is sufficient; it's just that, in all aspects of life, if I hear there's more, I want more!

I think I'm going to heed Mark W's advice and get to know it before I make a decision.

Just go to MSL in Birmingham, respected tuners that won’t damage your car

 

[alexanderfoti]

You'd be hard pressed to wear out ignition coils on an E280 CDI, but as others have said, the engine is detuned, in Standard form on the 320cdi its at 224bhp. I would take 270bhp with a pinch of salt without some dyno runs, but 250ish is easy obtainable, and not going to put any more stress on the rest of the drivetrain than the 320 engine would (gearbox, engine, diff etc are all the same). Go for it, That is cheap as well.

 

[Dean Fletcher]

190 to 270 bhp is a big hike.

I would want to see that proven by before & after dyno runs; and would want to upgrade brakes, suspension & tyres before installing the remap.

NJSS

Easier getting a new car

 

[rf065]

Just be aware also that the "maps having a lifetime warranty" is probably worth less than the paper it's printed on, and that's presuming they would even give you a printed copy in the first place.

 

[sonic]

Dont concentrate on price go on recommendation. My understanding is torque is the deciding factor, in what your auto box can handle.
I would go to MSL Birmingham as recommenced by Wighty.

 

[LostKiwi]

As I understand it the OM642 V6 CDI in 280 through to 350 guises are all based on the same 3.0 engine with different maps turbos etc.
The 350 produces 265bhp so I'm guessing this is what they are basing their claims on.

 

[alexanderfoti]

As I understand it the OM642 V6 CDI in 280 through to 350 guises are all based on the same 3.0 engine with different maps turbos etc.
The 350 produces 265bhp so I'm guessing this is what they are basing their claims on.

The 350 has a larger turbo than the 320 but otherwise the same.

 

[Noddy 99]

Nightmare: some saying go for it; others saying don't do it!

I fully accept the argument that as a "detuned" engine, the E280 should be able to cope. What makes me nervous, I think, is that I'm new to Mercedes and this complexity of car, especially at 12 years old. I'm going to be pretty dependent on reliability over 3-4 years and a remap just gives that potential for extra mechanical stress.

I'm leaning towards pulling out but I'll give it a week's drive before I decide. If I find it too stodgy to live with, I can always reconsider.