Brabus D6 III compatibility with E350 CDI 231bhp

[TeddyRuxpin]

Contacted the seller and he said he’d ask the mechanic who removed it on Tuesday…

Found a pic here of one online with the connector. (Attached)

Also asked another forum member who I saw had fitted one to an E350 231bhp to check out the thread, hopefully they’re still active, and willing!

 

[andyR43]

How's your German?

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[TeddyRuxpin]

Thanks that looks really helpful.

Given up for today, just did an oil service etc instead.

Looks like if I want to go ahead I’ll have to put a ring and extra cabling on the stupidly chopped off red cable.

I really don’t want to drill anything, though. This was just supposed to be an ‘easy’ stopgap before ponying up for a proper remap…

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Hi all,

Fitted the Brabus box today. Started the car and all seems OK, but haven't been able to test it on a proper drive as I was in close contact with someone who tested positive for covid (had a test this morning), so I don't feel like it's responsible to go for a blast to test my tuning box and then break down and subject friends/breakdown repair person to my potential virus!

I attached a circular crimp connector for the missing battery connection, and glued the broken plastic bit.

Some thoughts as I was fitting it:

1) It's relatively involved. Don't bother with this unless you are pretty savvy with a spanner i.e. you have no problem servicing the car, taking the air intake and air filters out, you know your way around the OM642 engine.

2) It all looks very 'aftermarket' and not at all OEM. There is no way to make the wires look neat and some of the connectors and wires are a bit squashed; in fact the whole thing screams 'afterthought' rather than it looking all OEM - e.g. some of the connectors really 'stick out'. I'm curious to see how it looks in the CLS Grand Edition as it came stock in those cars. If you take the engine cover off, it's pretty obvious that there's a tuning box fitted (but then, I've spent a lot of time staring at an OM642 engine). A remap would be much more 'neat' looking as you can't see it! See attached pictures of what it looks like before putting the engine cover on.

3) I put the box on the driver's side, in the engine bay, near the brake booster, using double sided velcro. So, see point #2.

4) After more research, I'm not convinced that this box is really any different to other tuning boxes (for other cars). Sure, not the £30 ones, but this doesn't have connectors for each injector (just 1 and 4 - maybe that's somehow enough to control the others?) and at the end of the day it must be fooling the ECU with false readings to over boost and over fuel etc. I previously thought that the Brabus box was 'a remap in a box' and that other tuning boxes were the 'bad ones', but I'm not really sure that's true at all. It's likely just another tuning box that fools the ECU into providing more power - but happy to be proven wrong if anybody knows otherwise.

5) Do not expect/believe people who say you'll get it done in 20 mins/it's 'plug and play'. Sure if I had to do it again now on someone else's car I could be much quicker, but the instructions are SO TERRIBLE that there's a lot of figuring things out yourself. Take your time and use the time to check out the state of the engine.

6) Label the connectors with tape/numbers before trying to fit anything (see blue tape in attached pics!)

7) If you have an older car (which you do because the OM642 V6 isn't used anymore), the plastics and clips are becoming brittle after 6-12 years in a hot engine bay. Be really careful that you don't snap the connectors on your car OR on the Brabus unit. You don't have to worry about this with a remap!

8) I've read of quite a few people complaining of fuel pressure issues and CEL coming on and eventually removing the box, especially in older/higher milage cars (my car is high milage @ 160K). However, this could be simply because people come to the internet to talk about the problems they're having, not to talk about how trouble free their Brabus boxes are. I assume there are tens of thousands of people with the box and no issues, even at high milage... (?)

So overall, before I've driven it I'd say - if you can afford it and your car is in good order, just get a remap, as the price is pretty much the same for this box. Your time and potential stress (when messing with fuel injector connectors etc) is worth that extra £150+ for a remap. In my situation, I actually 'only' paid £150+pp for this box so thought it was worth a blast for 41bhp and 50nm (and potentially some more fuel economy). Most of the time it's £250-350 for this box, and finding an E350 231bhp one is rare (although mine is for a C207 chassis and I have a W212, which I don't think makes any difference).

Anyway, I don't want to appear too negative about it, now I've fitted it I'm really excited to try it - I'll update with driving impressions ASAP (I have a Tesco click and collect tomorrow!). Fingers crossed that there will be no issues, no CEL and a noticeable upgrade.

I also really hope it works OK as I don't want to go through all of that again any time soon!

Cheers,

Ed

 

[andyR43]

Well done on getting it sorted Ed, some very interesting observations there. I'm looking forward to seeing if the increases are noticeable and worth the aggro! Keep us updated.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

For some reason I felt the need to start the engine again and got a CEL immediately.

Code as attached. It’s the sensor at the front of the engine. Not sure what to do now, exactly.

 

[phobos]

Interesting, the code is an historic code rather than a current one. What happens if you clear the codes and start the car again?

 

[350cls]

Your car looks stunning in the photos, really like the colour.

Hope the hard work you put into it with fitting the new box pays off for you .

The colour of your car really indentifies the curves of the pre facelift W212.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

All sorted now chaps, it was part user error (I connected the wrong plug completely!!!) and I also noticed a bit of oil (?) in one of the connectors. I cleaned it up and no error codes now.

@350cls thank you so much!

I went for a spin around the block and I really didn't notice any difference so far. It's hard to know it's doing much without some kind of measurable before and after (another plus for remap with a rolling road?). I'm familiar with the 265bhp / 620nm E350 and even with that, unless you kick down or really push on, it's hard to tell the difference. The (alleged) 272bhp is more than the 265 but it's still down 30nm on the newer engine, and maybe the extra 30nm is the shove that you feel.

Or maybe it's not doing anything

More tomorrow

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Drove it today, can't honestly say I notice that much difference. I do notice that the gearbox wants to shift up a couple of gears when you floor it rather than ride the torque, so I've done a gearbox reset and driven it very gently and hopefully it will be be to how it was (gearbox wise). I've also read someone quoting Mark @ Brabus, saying the car needs 60 miles to 'adapt', we'll see.. I do think it might have more pull up in the rev range, but that doesn't really suit the engine - I wanted to feel more torque and thought +50nm should be noticeable .

I travel London/Cardiff pretty often so the next time I do that I'll keep an eye on the MPG and see if there's any difference to the usual that I get.

At least there's no limp mode or errors!

Some thoughts/questions:

1) I wonder if the box being installed on a car that has already had the MB diesel emissions/ECU update has any impact on the performance of the unit.
2) The box has a green light on it which flashes all the time, even when the car is off. I thought it was supposed to only flash when the ignition is on...
3) The box is technically for a C207 E350 231bhp and not a W212 E350 231bhp. I wonder if this could confuse the box, or if it's irrelevant. There is definitely a box that specifically says W212/S212 E350 on it rather than C207, so it makes me wonder why bother making two different versions if the engine layout is exactly the same in both...
4) Has anyone fitted this box and noticed that it took some time for it to adapt?

I will email [email protected] about the above!

Cheers,

Ed

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Drove it today and still can't feel much difference, got a bit frustrated and started emailing random people at Brabus. Finally got a reply from Markus. He confirmed the following things:

Q) Does installing the box on a car that has already had the MB diesel emissions/ECU update alter/affect the performance of the unit​

A) No, it won’t have an influence as the kit is working externally and will do the same like it did before. Updates do not affect our kits.​

​

Q) The box has a green light on it which flashes all the time, even when the car is off. Is this correct - I thought it was supposed to only flash when the ignition is on?​

A) It flashes all the time which is correct and shows the kit is working.​

​

Q) The box is technically for a C207 and not a W212. Is this an issue?​

A) The kit works for the coupé same as for the sedan and estate cars.​

​

Q) Is there a way to be sure that the box is functioning as it should, other than the green flashing light?​

A) In case that the LED is flashing and there are no faults stored you can be sure it works fine.​

​

Q) I’m not noticing a huge improvement in the performance of the car. Does the box take some time to adapt to a noticeable degree?​

A) It takes some time until you feel it but of course there is some time it takes until all adaptations have been done. The gear box same as other components do require some adaptation until everything runs fine.​

​

Please be advised that this performance-kit generation is no longer supported, means that there is nothing more we can do, sorry.​

So I'll live with the box a bit longer. If I get a MPG increase on a long cruise, then that's something at least. But there's no offer to send the box back and get them to check/reprogram it as you might have seen in previous posts about the Brabus D6, so please bear that in mind if you're thinking of buying one of these. Support is over.

If I don't see a noticeable performance increase within a couple of hundred miles, I'll just sell it and get a remap. I don't mind having been the guinea pig on documenting this

Cheers,

Ed

 

[HB]

Hi Teddy.
No noticeable improvements in mid range acceleration either ? Normally, people are looking for faster 0-60 but the overall driveability and spread of power increase are not detected from an already very refined powerplant.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

No, not as far as I can tell. Maybe the gains are there, but it's not something that is obvious to me. When I drive my dad's newer E350 with 265bhp / 620nm, it feels obviously faster in the mid range (when you 'push it, that is). I was hoping to get a bit closer to that, but I'm still -30nm down on the stock, newer engine.

I never launch my car, it is indeed the midrange pull that I'm after, especially 50mph and motorway speeds, where it doesn't have the same shove as it does at lower speeds.

I do wish I'd done some kind of repeatable test before/after though, just incase the gain is there and I'm not noticing it. Maybe it's because it's 'only' a 50nm gain and that's the shove that you'd notice, rather than BHP?

I still haven't quite done the 'magical' 60 miles, though...

 

[Crispian22]

When I put a brabus box on my previous E350 blutec, the effects where immediate and very noticeable .

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Thanks for the confirmation. I do think that Brabus are just distancing themselves from it and so can't be bothered with giving time/support to such an old (second hand) product, as they say themselves. I get that, something to bare in mind for anyone wanting to take a punt on one of these vs a remap.

I'm not 100% convinced that mine is doing much and I've read others say the same thing. However, I haven't put enough miles on it yet to really be sure.

Can I ask what car you had, and what it said on the box? Was yours a D6s if it was a bluetec (or do you mean bluefficiency), or was it a 231bhp model?

 

[MrGreedy]

If you get a remap, the company might do a power run with the box still connected first. To see what, or anything, it's doing.

 

[Crispian22]

Thanks for the confirmation. I do think that Brabus are just distancing themselves from it and so can't be bothered with giving time/support to such an old (second hand) product, as they say themselves. I get that, something to bare in mind for anyone wanting to take a punt on one of these vs a remap.

I'm not 100% convinced that mine is doing much and I've read others say the same thing. However, I haven't put enough miles on it yet to really be sure.

Can I ask what car you had, and what it said on the box? Was yours a D6s if it was a bluetec (or do you mean bluefficiency), or was it a 231bhp model?

Yes it was a E350 bluetec,248hp I believe standard.
And yes it was a D6s box,I found it very binary in its power delivery though,very on and off.
I took it off eventually and went with a Msl remap,290hp and 710nm,which drove beautifully.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

If you get a remap, the company might do a power run with the box still connected first. To see what, or anything, it's doing.

Yeah, I would be curious to do that, although taking it off a hot engine is a bit difficult and could add to their time. I'd bring it up with GAD/MSL etc to see if they can be ****d with it - they are tuning E63s and lamborghinis all day and probably don't care too much about the efficacy of a 10+ year old tuning box

I'm treating the whole thing like a big experiment, hehe.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Yes it was a E350 bluetec,248hp I believe standard.
And yes it was a D6s box,I found it very binary in its power delivery though,very on and off.
I took it off eventually and went with a Msl remap,290hp and 710nm,which drove beautifully.

Ah yes, that engine and Brabus box is already a bit more modern - they may well still support that for all I know.

How come you took it off and went for a remap - wanted more power, errors, or was the box a stop gap until your car come out of warranty?

 

[Crispian22]

Ah yes, that engine and Brabus box is already a bit more modern - they may well still support that for all I know.

How come you took it off and went for a remap - wanted more power, errors, or was the box a stop gap until your car come out of warranty?

It just felt like too much torque was going through the gearbox,as I said,it felt very binary in the way it drove,it came in one big lump,the remap was a progressive feel in the way the power was delivered.
It never gave any errors and the car was just out of warranty anyhow,I'd just heard good result from Msl.