Chipping a C 270 CDI

[smallins]

My 2003 C 270 is great to drive, but dreadfully slow to pull in the mornings, and even when it's warmed up has noticeable turbo lag. (I used to have a BMW 5 series 3litre diesel until it went into the river Cam - another story - but it had a fantastic engine) I've seen lots of impressive claims for diesel chips - has anyone actually tried them and are they recommended? What are the risks? What sort of improvement could I expect in terms of acceleration? (Sorry if this is a common question)
Steve

 

[Dieselman]

Hi and welcome.

Firstly let me congratulate you on dumping the Beemer in the river...well done...

About the chipping.
I'm not a big fan as it can lead to excess cylinder temperatures which can damage the turbo and might warp the exhaust manifold. We have heard of the studs being pulled out of the head..
In addition it can cause the cat to block with soot.

Having said that many people have the upgrades and never have any problems, so it might be very Dependant on the upgrade used and the amount of fuel injected to create the additional power.

Before fitting the upgrade I would consider changing the MAF as it could just be causing the engine to under fuel so wont achieve boost readily.

If going for an upgrade I'd be tempted to use the Brabus one as iirc the MB warranty still stands, but only for 60k miles instead of unlimited mileage.

 

[JC180]

He's got a 2003 C, DM no warranty in any event. What DM says about the MAS is very important though you won't necessarily only get this when cold...

Might I suggest you try a Sprintbooster, I bought one a few weeks ago but have not had the opportunity to fully assess it's impact due to my car needing a new ECU and being in the dealers for nearly 2 weeks. (BTW DM, S Class went back today, had it nearly 2 weeks ECU 'cost' me £50!)

I picked it up from the dealers today and it felt underpowered compared to the S320 CDI (obviously) until I refitted the Sprintbooster.

I have taken it for a re-acquaintance drive tonight and fallen in love with it all over again, remember I have been driving a S320 CDI for 2 weeks... but the car felt sharp and alive and throttle response is crisp and instant. In midrange the car is keener to kick down subtly and not too harshly and use whatever available torque there is further up the rev range.

They are not cheap at £150 but if you live near a member who has one he may lend you it for a few days as they are only a 10 min fit on the C.

 

[Dieselman]

He's got a 2003 C, DM no warranty in any event.

Good point..

(BTW DM, S Class went back today, had it nearly 2 weeks ECU 'cost' me £50!)
.

Good price.

I picked it up from the dealers today and it felt underpowered compared to the S320 CDI (obviously) .

Thought you said the S was lacking in torque..

 

[JC180]

Good price.

Remember that is just for the initial diagnostics, supposedly if I did not contribute something I would have no comeback as it would be a 'gift'!?

Thought you said the S was lacking in torque..

Not lacking in torque, heaven forbid, just a little bit of lag when one would like to press on that is all. A combination of the usual lazy throttle syndrome and minor turbo lag. When pootling though, it is an awesome machine.

Got back in to my C and the gap between comfort/ride to the S class is far less significant than I thought. The S has far too much wind rustle at motorway speeds for my liking (complete absence of road and engine noise on a good surface highlights this), not good at all.

Btw sorry for hijacking your thread smallins

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

If going for an upgrade I'd be tempted to use the Brabus one as iirc the MB warranty still stands, but only for 60k miles instead of unlimited mileage.

He's got a 2003 C, DM no warranty in any event.

The warranty only applies to the MB-approved chips being sold by all MB dealers - which means the new 3.0 V6 only.

However I think Dieselman still raises a good point though - even if the car is out of warranty - if MB will honour the manufacturers warranty with a Brabus chip fitted, then it means that they are satisfied with the way in which the extra power is produced, and that it doesn't place an unreasonable stress on the engine or other components.

 

[smallins]

Thanks for all the comments. Can't find a suitable Brabus chip for a 270 CDI though, so this warranty point is a bit academic. Interested to read about Sprintbooster though.

Is fuel significant in boosting performance? I can't say I've noticed much difference myself.
Steve

 

[ckember]

I used to have one of the plugin units on my c270, it certainly gave the car better acceleration and the MPG was better too.

However the down side was the list of things that went wrong whilst it was fitted


1) Fuel pump - fitted under warranty
2) Pressure rail leak - new rail- again fitted under warranty
3) injector problems - again sorted under warranty

As the car is now out of warranty I have removed the device and the acceleration is down and the MPG worse but I have not had any more issues.

I know some of these devices come with a warranty but be careful.

I have been looking at the Brabus offering, which can be dealer fitted. I miss the improvements.

 

[Zedd]

What is the turbo's maximum boost pressure before and after chipping?

 

[Dieselman]

No change as it just alters the fuel pressure, hence more strain on the pump.

 

[merc07]

Not a mercedes but I had my VW Bora TDI 130 chipped by Super Chip when it had 500 miles on the clock. It made a big difference in bhp and torque. Pulls very strong even through 6th gear. Always get over 50mpg as well. Now has 119000 on the clock. I think their remaps adjust the turbo boost as well as the fuel mixtures. It also feels as if their map did something with the throttle peddal response - like on the sprintbooster - hardly any movement on the foot pedal is needed.

Everytime I drive it, it makes my C220cdi feel like an old escort deisel I once had except at 34mpg it's probably worse !

They have a new unit out called the bluefin. It plugs into the diagnostics port enabling you to re-map or reset back to standard when ever you need to. Unfortunately Mercs arn't listed at the moment - maybe soon ?

Adam

 

[KLP 92]

I've had my C270 chipped by superchips.

I'm very impressed with the results, the torque is alot more accesible and the power is amazing for a 5 cylinder. Feels more like a 320 than a 270 now.

I've had a few probs though, which some people would say were related to the chip but i disagree and feel the chip will highlight and weakness already there. I had to have the g/box rebuilt (the car has done 110k and this was covered by a independant warranty) and a new injector within 1 week of the chip.

Would i do it again? The answer is yes, the car feels like a different car, i hardly rev past 2600 revs as the torque is so low down.

The only one thing that i have noticed that on a motorway, if you kickdown from 5th to 3rd the car doesn't progress as quickly as if you kickdown from 5th to 4th. The chip increases the torque significantly at the lower revs but not higher up so you do end up with a slight lag. You get use to it quickly though, saves you thrashing your car!