Why I Am Terrified To Tune My A45 AMG! 

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The car is amazing and it’s not exactly slow is it, keep it stock. There’s a reason why it was given that much power, that much torque. All about balance.

I sold my A45 last month, but had it mapped by Renntech for about 2 years without any issues. I'm a member of a few owners clubs, and I have never, ever heard about anybody blowing an engine from a map? 430bhp will be fine, if you get gearbox troubles from that power, I'd probably say you'd be getting the trouble regardless of the tuning. do it, you wont regret it!

*thanks all, some really helpful responses in the comments! Follow me on Instagram @stef_abtv*

If you really want a quality tuning i can only recommend you GAD Motors. They are based in Germany and they tune only Mercedes afaik.

Hey Stef! I had the same concerns before tuning my A45 but after doing my homework I found a reputable tuner and went ahead and tuned it. I opted for a downpipe, intake and software and was pushing around 430bhp. I drive my car hard ALWAYS but I make the point of getting everything up to temperature before hammering it. It's been 10 000 miles now and it's been 100% reliable. two years post modifications and she's as reliable as she was from the factory.The stock A45 is amazing and quick but with a few modifications the car is completely transformed and you'll no doubt fall in love with it all over again

Mate lads are running 540bhp mate on standard internals and as far as I'm aware not changes to clutch either

Excellent topic. Brave man to talk about these issues!

My B5 RS4 was mapped at 76k now has 198k still on original turbos and clutch running 496ps 702nm torque ! I guess I’ve been lucky or drive like miss Daisy ? Lol.

I've had a CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake for a few months and a little voice keeps nagging me to remap her. She's already an animal but coming from a Panamera turbo, the curiosity of having in excess of 400+ hp is hard to ignore. Interesting times ahead 🤔

I drive a leased c43 extremely aggressive, on 1000 Kilometre my average fuel consumption is 22,4 Liter. I never watched on my car Temperature but have raised my awareness now thanks

just talk to Brabus, they do tunes aswell

MSL or nothing for Mercedes tuning! I have a MK7 Golf R and I’m currently stock but have Springs to go on and I’m unsure of a Stage 1, gearbox is good for much more but there’s reports of turbo failure from all model years after tuning which is enough to put me off for now.

Personally I would leave engine mods alone. Car looks great now, why mess with it and potentially create a money pit.

Had my 2017 a45 tuned at msl in Birmingham full remap. 425hp 395ft lbs😁 instead of the numb response below 5000rpm it now punches between corners with maximum torque and power much lower in the revs. Transformed it. A friend of mine has a 17 reg e63s estate 60-140 he pulled 1 car length😬

Just having the Remus exhaust and the air filter would have modified your cars performance. If needed, Merc would be completely in line to void warranty on an engine failure citing the exhaust and intake as causing abnormal combustion conditions. ...so you may as well get a remap, which the tuner can at least check things like the air/fuel ratio while they’re at it. Buy a second hand A45 ecu (make sure it’s the right serial number), and get the tuner to clone your stock one on to that. That way you can switch out your ecu anytime you want if you really want. I’ve got an A45 with exhaust, intake and remap and it runs great. Actually the best mod I say is to get a throttle controller to fix that throttle sensitivity because a remap won’t do much for that.

Hey Stef, love your vids mate. I have an A45 AMG yellow night edition and I havent touched a thing on it yet. I am of the mind that these engines are just so complex, using the most exotic material inside and so finely tune that some knuckle head around the corner isn’t going to be able to improve on the AMG technicians/engineers/designers. The A45 AMG is actually the second most powerful car in the world per litre/kW at 140kW/ltr behind the Mclaren Senna at 147kW/ltr. It even nudges out the Bugatti Chiron at 138kW/ltr. These figures are in the latest Top Gear Magazine for those to fact check. A friend of mine got his 7.5 Golf R tuned and yeh its got extra an 40kW of power and pulls hard, but it now abruptly/violently lurches off boost dumping it out the surge valve. I reckon he’ll have issues soon. Kinda put me off getting it tuned. It’s not supposed to run like that. Find the W176 engine video on youtube and have a read of the tech that is in and what it takes to make this incredible 2lt 4cyl and you will be impressed. People want more bla bla bla, “my RS3 does 500 horses at the rear wheels” “2JZ does this” “my supra does an 8 sec quarter mile...” It’s all a load of crap and not worth buying into. None of these people have any reliability on their vehicles and have all spent truck loads of cash for it to be over boosted. None have tweaked their tyre set up, suspension or brake set up, let alone their driving technique. Its all a big dick swinging content with smoke and mirrors. All bark and no bite. Simples.

Have had a remap on our facelift A45 from DMS remapping and still going strong for over 10 k miles with no probs and makes loads of different from the bottom and top end 👍🏻

MRC in Birmingham are good reputable Mercedes tuners, I'm sure they can give you some advice on what you want from your A45.

Midlands remaps in Wolverhampton know their stuff mate

Fact is Steff 3 months after a stage one you will be used to the power like you are now. If your worried about the drive train then getting it mapped will just introduce more anxiety every time you want to have fun. Enjoy it for what it is and stay away from launch control. What is worth doing now you have changed the intake/exhaust is getting the car set up properly so it runs right with the boost pressure you currently have. Some manufacturers standard maps are horrendous and you have changed the breathing.

Just mechanical changes mate! Downpipe, pipercross airfilter.

Only had mines 2 days but in all honesty it's insane as it is. I haven't even tried the full race launch yet, just the 'soft' launch and even that blew my mind. I cannot begin to imagine what the race launch will be like when I get around to trying it.

I have a Litchfield Tuning box on my 66’ A45. Had it on there for 18+ months and 20,000 miles and not a single issue. Litchfield tuned my GTR to 706 WHP and trust them 100% as not a single problem with anything they’ve done to all my cars

I ran 10k miles as stage 2 and started to see lots of annoying problems so took it back to stage 1... still had more issues so have been running stock for the last year and honestly.... don't really miss it.

I thought the first generation of 45s had weaker gearbox but the one after facelift should be ok. Don't be scared just get it tuned. It will be ok

Hi, i have an black A45 AMG, model 2016. She s tuned by Performaster, Germany. They only tune AMG models. It s a bit pricey but you warranty on all parts of the motor and gearbox. Costed around 3000 euro, to have 410 hp. You can find all details on their website and video s here on RU-vid. Grtz. The car looks nice in red too.

Don't listen to half of these nutters in your comments, 80 per cent of them have obviously never mapped their car or even own an A45!! I no of at least 20 of these cars running stage 1 and 2 maps around the 440 brake mark and none of them have had any problems, all your doing at this stage is removing restrictions really! The best thing for you to do for peace of mind is join an A45 or Mercedes car club on the net, go to a meet and talk to people with your car that have done this kind of tuning, almost everyone who buys this car will tune it at some point, and as I say at 440 this is very low level tuning (entry level) filter, exhaust and map, the engine and box are are well up to the job and can handle more but you you really don't need any more with this car! There's lots of experienced tuners out there, just talk to other Amg A45 owners first and make your decision from there ✌🏼️💯

get it mapped mate you honestly wont regret it, got a friend who was in the same sort of position as you and he ended up getting it done. Now he regrets not having it done sooner

i am a tuner, a and as one if you have done everything as it should be you will have no problems . go to a proffesional tuner he will do it for you (like gad or vf or there are many more ) and mate after you have tuned it you will not regret a single penny

Should check out racechip, can get the a45 to push 433BHP and it comes with a 2 year engine warranty🙌🏽

I have a cla 45 amg and bought a tuning box from rebellion plug and play. The car totaly transformed it cost me £850 all in with delivery and VAT it was a great buy, I have had it in 7k now and stretch its legs most days. Your car would be ideal for the tuning box as you have just the cat back so you dont need a re-map to turn managment light on. The box will autotune into your current mods and make the most of them. It made a huge differnce to mine

The thing Stef is that you are used to that car! You are driving it almost eeeevery day, so you want now a bit to change...to put a bit of spice....ad bit more on fire...Just DON´T!! Very simple - respect that car and it will be ok. If you want more fun...well, find someone with C63 or E63 or whatever with 500+ HP. Heating gearshift and engine...well that is the process to have some engine longlife. I used to smoke before and which ever car I am driving, first smoke one cigarette out of the car and wait a bit to oil and other liquids and parts get to its own position. I am now with AMG line A200d. From my home to work I have 11 miles. I got exact temperature in the engine and... I have to stop because I have reach my destination. Relax and enjoy in A45. Best regards.

Definitely worth a thought, it’s a car you enjoy very much so, and let’s face it, it’s not a cheap car if a box will cost £8k to replace, and it does have so much power from the off. But tuning however makes wicked content for your channel and why not get maximum enjoyment out of the car for what power it could potentially make? Another thing to consider is that you’re a sensible owner who clearly lets things warm up before putting your foot down etc. Other horror stories you may hear of, you don’t know how the car had been treated beforehand and then tuned. Keep up the great work, love the channel! 👍🏻🦂

Have you thought about the insurance aspect regarding tuning and modification? I literally resprayed my BMW kidney grills, which were chrome and black, all black, because the chrome has suffered a few stone chips and looked a bit manky. Admiral decided that it's a high risk cosmetic modification and therefore they need to charge me. When I complained they relented and just charged me a £20 admin fee to note the tiny repray on their system. When modifying a car, in any way, you should inform your insurer. Chancing it could result in voiding your policy leaving you up sh*t creek if you need to claim or cause you cause an accident. BTW there is no need to overdo any tuning. Just find a tuner that can map the ECU mainly for more torque and the car should be fine :)

Hi Stef. Great video as usual. I've got a Mercedes SLK350 which has had some performance mods and is running around 320bhp, but it only weighs around 1450kilos, so power to weight is near enough same as yours and I think that's more than enough power for UK roads. Unless you do track days or dragging at Santa Pod or the nurburgring, I'd keep her as she is. Cheers, Jon.

I’m running the Remus Powerizer from Motech with Pipercross intake with no issues, it’s not hugely different power wise but mid range is definitely noticeable with reduced turbo lag, you won’t be disappointed 👍

An amg a45 ,crazy power from a 2 litre and the sound is fantastic,it's a shame my type r fk2 doesn't sound anywhere near as gd

MSL Performance 100%, they mapped my A45 to 430bhp stage 1. Honestly couldn’t ask for a better map, no issues at all, definitely recommended!

Have recently done a phase 2 tune with my A45 by Willal Racing which is now 350kw and 630nm, will let you know if i start having problems down the track but so far it is absolutely awesome.

I understand people who want to tune a car but when AMG already worked there magic on it surely they have tuned it exactly as it should be. Yes not the max power but the best overall reliability and power. I trust AMG who i assume spent allot of money in research and development in the tune of there engine..... No one would know what's best better than AMG surely?

Had mine tuned at Licthfield via a piggy back box. I wasn’t mad on the power delivery. Later got it tuned by DMS and that was a amazing tune felt like stock but so much quicker, would highly recommend them. Also to speed up the gearbox warmup drive around in manual from cold. Traded it in for a E63s now...

hi please go ahead with the remap ! i have a prefacelift GLA 45 AMG with quantum stage 2 map , Weistec down pipe ,Weistec water methanol system , Weistec intake and forge blow off valve . Its a beast compared to the stock car . running very well without any issues .

The most powerful UK Mitsubishi Evo was the Evo X FQ440 SST,and there was also a FQ400 Evo X,so both a lot more recent than the Evo 8 FQ400. Sadly all are no longer produced. R.I.P Mitsubishi Evolution 😭 On that note,I would like to think that the merc engine could take a bit of tuning,I had my Evo X 330 SST mapped to 408bhp and that has run for years like that with not one single issue. I know if I had an A45 I wouldn’t be able to help myself and it would be remapped sooner or later. Whatever you do just make sure it is going to keep you happy,as there is no point in doing anything if all you are going to do is worry every 5 minutes.Cars like this are to be enjoyed,not worried over ? Lovely car by the way 👍

That FQ400 requires engine rebuild every 40k miles or so. Doesnt count in my book

I have a yellow black night edition A45 with a stage 1 and induction kit with performance exhaust putting out 420 BHP and its Perfect and have had no issues I had a pre facelift before with a stage 1 also and both cars were perfect and a massive difference in performance Stage 1 is better option stay away from turning boxes hope this helps.

Love your videos!! Keep it stock,such a great car and quick enough anyway 😍👌🏻👍🏼

Tuning is fine , I broke my gearbox , but that’s with aggressive driving , my car is an a45 with watermeth , big turbo , full exhaust front to back , fully moded stage 3 by rebellion automative

Stunning motor mate

So what happened in the end, did you tune? 😅 I’m beefing up my GTS to 800hp next mont 😍

The down sides to owning a nice new car, the worries are real, recently sold my M135i because tuning it is expensive, problems are expensive, anxiety is definitely part of ownership. I now have a 2002 clio 172 cup and I can do what the hell I want to it and not have a care in the world. My 2002 e46 320d gets me about day to day :)

If it will last or not also depends on how you use is (how hard you drive it and how often and oilchange.. ) , and as you say drive it warm before pushing it... if it was me i would leave it stock and enjoy flooring it without worries

I would say tune it, more power more fun. Good tuner is Celtic tuning, stage one gives it 415 bhp and 400 lb/ft torque. Also vmax removal can be done but don't really need a speed limit removal. One year mechanical breakdown which should give some peace of mind 👌🏻

Don't fix something that isn't broken. Enjoy a beautiful car as it is! Would boosting it from a mind whopping 380 HP to say 425 HP make a difference you could notice- or want to notice?

I'm having the same dilemma with my m135i at the moment,so far I've only suspension mods and some small cosmetic bits but I don't know who to trust,I'm thinking about going to litchfield as they're not quoting insane numbers and hopefully not pushing the car to far

I would say leave it as in, if it was an RS3 2.5L 5pot then you could definitely go for it

You’ve got a great channel and deserve way more subscribers!

This channel should be huge

Just a stage 1 map from a good tuner wont hurt it, stock boost is already quite high so i would throw in a mild stage 1 and a decat and that would be it

You have to think of it this way, The manufacture knows the engine and will tune it to get the MAX amount of power without it being potentially unreliable because its going to cost them a lot of money, yes people say they draw the power right down because of emissions. yes, but only to a tiny degree probably about 10 percent and thats not worth a tune. most of this is eliminated by new cat and exhaust technology ect, tuning shops will always tell you it will make more power and they know how to do it well but they cant say it will be reliable at all especially with new cars this is only the case with cars that have been around for years and they will have a good idea from experience how long it will last. If you tune it, it will be unreliable. you should get a tune for more drive ability and better delivery as opposed to more power.

Why are you saying 380bhp these are 355bhp. Have you had your car dyno’d

I know a few people who have had many issues with their A45’s. Puts me off considering one. But you should do it and let us know how it goes! Haha

Keep it stock bro upgrade the sound and the appearance and you'll still love it man ! Its a wicked car very jealous

I have a 2016 GLA 45 AMG. In Canada that engine is 375 hp not 381 like where you are. These are entry level AMG's in this era in my opinion. I love my car, it has been on a race track twice for about 14 hours total, and did quite well, but it isn't as sporty as other AMG's I have driven. The A45 is likely more track oriented than the GLA 45, but still, they aren't 3.7 second cars or less. It is sort of a teaser in a way. Of the AMG's I have been lucky enough to drive on the track, the GT R would be my choice, if I didn't have a dog and a sense of practicality.

Mate thought my car was gonna blow up... stage 3 here I come

I have a GLA45 Edition 1, at altitude (Johannesburg south africa) you can go up to around 440hp without having issues. My personal example Decat downpipe (ceramic coated and heat wrapped), midpipe (resonator delete), AMS intake, AMS front mount intercooler, AMS Auxiliary intercooler, Wortech DSG cooler and then regarding your map Id suggest getting your software from Tricolore Performance which as far as I know is based in the UK.

evo fq400 was the first factory record...and about gearbox if 380hp is stock then the box will not have issues on 50 plus hp...at 500hp you will have..and remember is grip and torque that fucks gearboxes..that 19in tires can fuck your gearbox faster than a raise in power

I’ve own my a45 facelift and it’s got a stage 2 tune. With down pipes and 200cell cat, gruppe m intakes, Turbosmart bov. You should get it tuned. I drive the car in race mode everyday. I drive it aggressively all the time. No problems at all. Get it tuned. And also a throttle controller is a must. It changes the whole car. Love my a45. It’s more fun to drive then my r35 GTR. A45 tune is worth it.

That's why you get a straight six beemer instead, much cheaper, easily takes 400+ no engine or transmission issues.

Never driven an A45 and dont know how fast the pedal response is but i think you should buy a pedal sharpener that just make your pedal response quicker maybe that will give you some kind of feeling that the A45 is feeling 'faster'...and if you tune it...tune it by renntech because you will be garanteed that it wont blow up

It all comes down to who tunes it. Fitting a tuning box is suicide unless it's from a tier 1 tuning company such as Litchfield.

The red is actually the one for this car💯

I personally think that with a good quality remap you should be fine seeing as Amg tune it restricted because of laws and what not.

Archie Hamilton had one and had a tuning box on and the guy who fitted it seems like he knows his stuff look at that maybe it’s removable just like the rest of the mods on your car but would sit in the mix like a nice big jigsaw 🧩

The car sounds and looks good...😎 if you have to tune but not sure then get a mild tune and see how it runs,that way you don't take such a risk....🤔

Hello love your videos ,yr car is stunning ,I myself am looking at getting

Fella, im in the same boat as you, got a 18' LCi M2, would love to tune it to raise the power from 365 to 400+... but im nervous about the damage that can be done. One chip box solution i've looked at is RaceChip due to the warranty they offer on the engines... i think the GTS box covers upto £8k... but make sure you read the warranty fine print, some exclusions make me further nervous!....

Brilliant topic, I’ve bought a C43 and feel I need more power, it’s been a year now! Though I think these AMG’s keep you power hungry. Speed is addictive! I live in Dubai, I just don’t know anyone reputable enough to tune cars, also I’d lose the 5 year warranty straight away 😬

I’m glad you shared your thoughts about running your A45 AMG, but I’ll say this you definitely want to know who’s tuning the A45, because with that DCT and that 2.0liter Turbo 4cylinder engine, if you were to blow one of those parts of the drivetrain it would very costly, considering it’s an AMG, to be honest I know everyone is going to disagree with me but I would keep the performance side of it stock just because with the AWD, the engine, transmission, and the agility of the car it’s already quick enough as is, however this is coming fork someone who drives a Honda Civic everyday 💀😭.

rock solid engine, gearbox and driveline not so rock solid.

A performance downpipe and a healthy map on the 45 and you good to go👍 you can even get a good map for the dsg (map=software)

Stef I don’t recall you stressing out about breaking your 595.

GAD tuning are the ones to speak to, they do more mercs than anyone dude!

I feel the red is growing on me... At first I didn't like it but now it's not that bad...

Either MSL, or see if wrench studios can do anything for you. But make sure it’s a safe map and not going to pressure any of the internals too much otherwise something will go.

Same fear with the gl63

Hi Stef! I have the same car like you and I'm in the same situation like you. I just changed the air filter from stock to K&N. Also thinking about tuning my A45 AMG with Race Chip, for me they seem the most reliable company, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea. Look after them and think about it. PS : Awesome car!

Fellow vlogger in Germany, @JP Performance GmbH... Should be a very interesting vlog as well. I know that Shmee visited once

The thing is making 170hp per litter. I'd push 50hp more, not more than that.

Personally save your money and chop the car in a few months if it’s on a PCP. Get something with a bigger motor... 👀

If you have the power bug, you will get bored in about 6 months. Full bolt-ons and tune. Do it.

Stef, listen to the angel on your right shoulder and "consider" the devil on your left if he's hooked up to a lie detector😇 👹

If you want a faster car, sell this one and get a faster one. This car is very fast for what it is

Stef , just save up to buy the new A45 2019, then you are sorted with more BHP.

why tuning it 😕

Leave well alone my friend keep it enjoy it then move on 😉👍🏻👌🏻

no pain no gain

TDI tuning do a module for most boxes that don't void the warranty. So could try them. A full ECU remap is dangerous on any car. Safest bet is something like a module

Map it with a race cat. And exhaust. Good for 500bhp. They are well built engines design to handle it. Stay away from a tuning box.

I Stef! I’m one of your subscribers from Japan. I recently installed a “Racechip Ultimate” into my A45 AMG which is pushing around 446ps/563Nm. I’ve had the tuning box for about two months. I live in Tokyo which has heavy traffic. A lot of up shifts and down shifts. I do thrush the car quit a bit especially at night but at the moment I never had any issues. By the way, I’ve never tried the launch control as I don’t want to punish the box. I’m always enjoying your contents! Keep up the good work!