I have a BS and a friend is doing a hard target search for one. He has located one (I believe in NJ)...a Mars Red one at a dealership that is untitled, but has been used 'by the owner's son' for about 400 miles. It has a Renntech 'chip' and headers...supposedly adding about 40 or 50 horsepower. My concern - being that the 'son' apparently did not think that 500 stock horsepower was not enough - that the car has very likely experienced a very hard 400 miles with little if any regard to a proper break in (sorry, I believe in those things and have never suffered a failure in any of my supercars). The car has not been 'put into service' so the warranty will be full, but my friend does not want to chase problems down the road either. I feel that the AMG engines are likely over-built and near bullet-proof, but share his concern about possible abuse - that unlike my 997TT for example - can not be determined with a computer scan. Lastly, I can't imagine that another 40 or 50 horsepower gained through a chip and headers would stress this engine...but looking for thoughts from people more knowledgeable than myself about the inner workings of the 6.3 AMG engine. Thanks for thoughts and opinions!

 

So I guess the chip and headers would not void any warranty? If I had any uneasy feelings towards a car, I'd pass. There's plenty of them out there for sale. Wait for the right one imo... Although I like the idea of having the extra 40-50hp, but I'd still wait for a different car...

 

Would not be an issue to me.

 

I have a clk Black that I went to town on so to speak and had Renntech upgrades done as one of the things...no issues...Renntech is recognized by Mercedes Benz and does not affect warranty etc...Lot's of MB dealers are distributors... Have the car inspected through out...no big deal...

 

I wouldn't worry. They are overbuilt... they're tough.

I have a friend who took his 996TT to the track the day he picked it up. The dealership has told him it's probably the most trouble free car they service.

 

Renntech doesn't use a chip for the 6.3's....they flash the ECU

 

The car and engine are really well built.

If he's concerned that the kid beat the engine that badly, have the engine oil analyzed. You only need about a 3 ounce sample, oyu can send it out for overnight processing ans should have the results within a couple of days. Worst case cost including Fedex should be well under $100.

 

I wouldn't worry at all. Mercedes will warranty a car with Renntech upgrades. It is accepted. I understand your concern for the improper break-in, but I believe all AMG's can handle it. I definitely broke the break-in guidelines to an extent on all my cars, including my super-cars. I have never had any problems with any car.

 

Mercedes can void the warranty for Renntech (or any other tuner's remap) ECU changes if they can determine the remap caused or exacerbated an issue. What will ultimately determine how this sort of thing gets handled should there be an issue with the car is going to be the dealer service manager and the MBZ regional folks themselves. If they want to be d!cks about it, fact is they can!

Having said that, I have Renntech headers and sound pipe on my CLK63 BS and didn't opt for the ECU tune b/c I figured it's going to be a lot harder for MBZ to void the warranty since there is very little that affects operation of the car downstream from the headers..... Just my .02

[edit] as to how hard the 400 miles were driven, I'm with Mike - have the oil tested. As does the OP, I follow the break in instuctions on new cars. Like someone else said, if your friend has concerns - find another.

 

Wow Chuck! That's uncharacteristically harsh coming from you!

What if his wife has concerns?

 

Oh no, I didn't mean it to be harsh at all. I have found that if I have a bad feeling or concerns about something related to a car purchase to trust my instinct and move on. My apologies if it sounded harsh.

 

Sorry, I was playing grammar police and didn't explain it well!

"If your friend has concerns, find another."

Would you advise him to find another wife if she had concerns?

You know what they say about jokes that you have to explain!

 

^^^^ I get it now..... The answer to your rhetorical question is yes.

 

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. Please help me understand what the oil analysis does, i.e. on a 400 mile car with factory Mobil 1 fill, what abuse will it identify? Thanks!

 

In theory if the car was beat before it was warm you might expect to see more metal in the oil.
Here is what 1 company tests for:
http://www.oaitesting.com/test_packages/Automotive.pdf