Pro's and Con's of Remapping

Mr. Manager

Hi All,

About 4 weeks ago I purchased a '04 Audi A4 1.9 TDi (130bhp). before that I was driving a MK IV GTi (150bhp). I'm not hugely upset by the lack of power in the Audi as I save a tonne of money from the diesel and insurance.

Over the past few days I've been reading up on a few different sites about getting it remapped and I just wanted to get the opinions of some fellow boardsies as I imagine a few people on here have got it done in the past.

Could somebody please outline the pro's and con's to me?

I have other questions like, If I'm to have a crash (touch wood I don't) is it a certainty that the insurance company will know I've got it done?

If I do tell my insurance company, what kind of price hike would I be looking at or would they cater for me at all?

Any sort of feedback would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!

*Posted this in the main motors forum but got no response.

tossy

Do a search there are loads of threads on mapping here,but my two cents is go get it done and go to a reputable mapper like Joe at chippedIRE avoid cowboys and tuning boxes.

zubair

Go for it, you won't regret it!

Pros: You get the full potential from your engine and you don't even need to open the bonnet.

Cons: You'll wish you remapped your MK IV when you had it.

MetzgerMeister

It's my understanding that car manufacturers tune their cars in order to meet certain CO2 regulations so they can sell their product in certain marketplaces. Hence the full potential of the engine isn't available.

You'd be better off declaring it to your insurance company. The price hike may not be considerable. What you could do is get a quote for the same car with bhp of whatever you can increase yours to just to get a ballpark figure.

I have my own car remapped and I declared it upon getting a new quote from a new company and it made no difference at all to the price.

Armin_Tamzarian

From my knowledge of mapping it basically works by optimising the air/fuel mixture to generate more power from your engine.
The car manafacturer will obviously have safety limits on their cars lower than necessary.
Remapping raised these limits.

Like other's have said, just make sure it's done by someone reputable.
There are plenty of VAG forums out there like http://vagdrivers.net/.
Join up, you'll get plenty of good advice there.

I'd go for it, can't really think of many cons, just make sure you keep the car serviced regularly.

barochoc

There are almost no cons. Especially with the Diesels.

More grunt, never mind the bhp figures it's the torque you're after!

You might notice you're wearing your tyres a bit quicker than normal, depending on how you drive. The clutch is another area too. Make sure it's good & healthy as you'll have about 25-30% more torque in a lot of cases!

I've had several non turbo petrol cars remapped & noticed excellent improvement through out the rev range & improved fuel economy.

I have my 1st diesel now & I can't wait to get it remapped but I know my clutch is nearing it's end so i'll have that done 1st & then a remap!

coronaextra

It would be interesting to know what price hikes the insurance companies charge for getting a remap done. I would imagine they would'nt take too kindly to hearing this. Here is someone who's not alowed to add a new exaust to his car or axa wont insure him in his 1.4 astra :eek:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055961710

I would imagine that a lot of people wouldnt declare the remap to the insurance companies (Mabye im wrong though). Would it be easy for the insurance company mechanic to spot if the car had been remaped following an accident? what would be the tel tale signs? different ecu etc????

tossy

Insurance companys are now employing special re map spotters so i wouldn't get it done,i heard them talking on Joe Duffy about it apparently the weigh the car as a remapped car is heavier due to the extra data stored in the ECU.

tossy

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I assume your joking right! I have driven a number of remapped 1.9Tdi Audi`s and VW`s and it does make quite a difference. Just get it done by people who know what they are doing.

No im deadly serious :rolleyes::D

coronaextra

tossy wrote: »

Insurance companys are now employing special re map spotters so i wouldn't get it done,i heard them talking on Joe Duffy about it apparently the weigh the car as a remapped car is heavier due to the extra data stored in the ECU.

you mean they take out the ecu and weigh it? im a little lost here?

Armin_Tamzarian

coronaextra wrote: »

you mean they take out the ecu and weigh it? im a little lost here?

coronaextra

coronaextra wrote: »

you mean they take out the ecu and weigh it? im a little lost here?

I was actually hoping that that he would come on and verify this new ecu weighing technique as it sounds interesting! :P

So what your saying is that there is no way of knowing that a car has been remapped????

Armin_Tamzarian

If someone plugged into the ecu and remapped it then I guess nobody could tell unless they plugged into the ecu, downloaded the mapping profile and compared it to the OEM settings.
It's highly unlikely this would happen.

There are a lot of diesel remapping units for sale on eBay for less that 100.
You wire them into the existing ecu and they typically give you gains of 30BHP or there abouts.
If one of these were fitted then it would be pretty obvious to the untrained eye that the car had been remapped.
Unless it was wired well and hidden out of sight.

tossy

Armin_Tamzarian wrote: »

If someone plugged into the ecu and remapped it then I guess nobody could tell unless they plugged into the ecu, downloaded the mapping profile and compared it to the OEM settings.
It's highly unlikely this would happen.

Agree 100%

The cheap eBay ones don't even wire into the ECU direct if the did it would take a bit of messing around to see if there was one present.The cheap eBay ones plug into the fuel temp sender anyone who knows what they are looknig for just needs to pop the bonnet and point.

Thats the 1st reason for avoiding the eBay jobbies,the second is the are crap.

L-M

ECU's have also been know to fall out and disappear in the event of accidents as well...

Armin_Tamzarian

tossy wrote: »

Thats the 1st reason for avoiding the eBay jobbies,the second is the are crap.

Too right.
My mate put one onto a TD5 engine a while back to get it up to 150BHP.
I'm not sure what happened but the engine was completely dead less than 100 miles later.

coronaextra

Well what I'm really getting at is people saying there is no down side to getting your diesel remapped!

What I would like to clear up is that in the event of a bad accident and your car was inspected would they be able to tell if the car was remapped? If they could then this would be a pretty big minus as you would NOT be insured (unless you have declared)!

So if you declare these mods what's the loading on insurance premiums?

Now im not a complete do gooder but I would like to point out the risks involved (if any) to other people who are thinking of getting this done!

Midnight_EG

coronaextra wrote: »

Well what I'm really getting at is people saying there is no down side to getting your diesel remapped!

What I would like to clear up is that in the event of a bad accident and your car was inspected would they be able to tell if the car was remapped? If they could then this would be a pretty big minus as you would NOT be insured (unless you have declared)!

So if you declare these mods what's the loading on insurance premiums?

Now im not a complete do gooder but I would like to point out the risks involved (if any) to other people who are thinking of getting this done!

Nothing visually that tells you it's been remapped. Only a laptop and a Dyno will tell you it's been done.


Our own draffodx had his car on the dyno recently, it was meant to put out 220 or so...until the Dyno told us it was 260!


Only then did he find out it was done

coronaextra

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Nothing visually that tells you it's been remapped. Only a laptop and a Dyno will tell you it's been done.


Our own draffodx had his car on the dyno recently, it was meant to put out 220 or so...until the Dyno told us it was 260!


Only then did he find out it was done

So there is no way of knowing that a car has been remapped following an accident??

You would imagine that there would be the technology available to check these things now a days!
It would give Mr Quinn another reason not to pay out

White_Wolf

coronaextra wrote: »

So there is no way of knowing that a car has been remapped following an accident??

You would imagine that there would be the technology available to check these things now a days!
It would give Mr Quinn another reason not to pay out

They could check the data from your ecu on the crashed car, if the ecu itself is still in working order then check the data against the OEM data, but I doubt they would go through the trouble since remapping is not done on most cars so it would be a time and money loss to the insurance company checking every ecu on a crash.

coronaextra

White_Wolf wrote: »

They could check the data from your ecu on the crashed car, if the ecu itself is still in working order then check the data against the OEM data, but I doubt they would go through the trouble since remapping is not done on most cars so it would be a time and money loss to the insurance company checking every ecu on a crash.

Thank you for clearing that up, have you ever heard of anyone getting done for it? just interested to know.

zubair

coronaextra wrote: »

Thank you for clearing that up, have you ever heard of anyone getting done for it? just interested to know.

I've never heard of it and I can't imagine them checking it unless you have other modifications which haven't been declared and would lead them to believe you have a remap too (eg exhaust, suspension).

The car is second hand so if the remap is a problem in the future (touch wood), just play dumb and say "it must have been the previous owner who did it".

Mr. Manager

Thanks for all the helpful replies and comments.

I think after reading about all the pro's and con's that I will get it done and declare it to my insurance company. Well, get a quote first. I spent a lot of money on the car and if I was to be in a crash and not be looked after by my insurance company... well,tears may be shed!

Thanks again all!

Now, just to find a reputable place. . . .

White_Wolf

Track Day Preformance in Rathnew.

bmw3d

i had a focus tddi remapped for four years, i done 110,000 miles in car, had from new never once gave a bit of trouble. was a lot more economical, bit of extra power. i have a 320d remapped now, standard 150 bhp remapped 185bhp. better mpg and big difference in power. can stick to a standard 330d 185bhp 2003 from take off up to 90 mph then he edges ahead. definately worth the money

Richie_c

White_Wolf wrote: »

Track Day Preformance in Rathnew.

Dont know if Robbie does diesels but worth a call to check. I can highly recommend them. My cars now more economical and has a nice bit of extra power. All mods on mine are fully declared and the ECU doesnt seem to have made a difference.

Its unlikely that they would check if it was remapped (depending on the ECU) and as said only way to tell would be plug it in

cian1500ww

Been thinking of getting this done on a 100BHP Passat, would the performance difference be worth it in the lower BHP model ?

tossy

i had a 100bhp golf and i got it remapped it was like night and day really brought a bit of life to an otherwise dull engine.Get it done!

White_Wolf

cian1500ww wrote: »

Been thinking of getting this done on a 100BHP Passat, would the performance difference be worth it in the lower BHP model ?

Diesel or Petrol? I would say Say it would be worth it for the petrol model but not sure about the diesel, I am sure it would add torque.

cyborg

White_Wolf wrote: »

Diesel or Petrol? I would say Say it would be worth it for the petrol model but not sure about the diesel, I am sure it would add torque.

it's the opposite really, not worth it for the petrol but well worth it for the diesel-130bhp easily

tossy

cyborg wrote: »

it's the opposite really, not worth it for the petrol but well worth it for the diesel-130bhp easily

Gains got from remapping is not dependent on petrol/diesel but turbo or NA,you will get just as good gains from remapping a turbo petrol as a turbo diesel.

sentient_6

I've been pondering a remap for my humble 06 Hyundai Sonata 2.0L Diesel 140bhp. Based on the general good 'go for it!' vibe on this tread i'm going to make the leap tomorow in chippedire. can't wait.

Atomic Pineapple

sentient_6 wrote: »

I've been pondering a remap for my humble 06 Hyundai Sonata 2.0L Diesel 140bhp. Based on the general good 'go for it!' vibe on this tread i'm going to make the leap tomorow in chippedire. can't wait.

Let us know how you get on.

sentient_6

draffodx wrote: »

Let us know how you get on.

Just home now after geting it done. The bhp went from 143 to 177. Average of about 60 increase on the torque. Its great! Car feels alot lighter & responsive to drive. Fuel economy has gone from about 6.3 L/100km to 6.7 L/100km so hardly anything to cry about. Overall very happy & joe & the lads in urban performance where dead sound to.

sophie1234

dose it effect the clutch in anyway????

2 Espressi

Yes.

kingbrumak

2 Espressi wrote: »

Yes.

Elaborate?

Atomic Pineapple

kingbrumak wrote: »

Elaborate?

Slightly more wear and tear over time.

_Conrad_

well, yes, but if you have only a remap and not much else, and drive the car like you did before (assuming you didn't drive the ring out of it beofre of course), then there'll be feck all difference really. It's not like having an extra 20-30 odd bhp will cause the clutch to wear out in 24 hours or anything crazy

copeyhagen

had the chaser mapped lastw eek on a power fc and commander, made 300bhp.

thats with a cat in and a huge silencer in it.

going back in a few weeks with a decat, silencer removed and boost controller.

they reckon i will get 350-360 easily enough.

thats with standard injectors and internals and turbo

sophie1234

can any one recomend some where to get it done and any idea of prices? thanks

Graham_B18C

sophie1234 wrote: »

can any one recomend some where to get it done and any idea of prices? thanks

What type of car? If it's a VAG (Audi, VW etc) then Joe Power is meant to be very good. I've never had my car mapped but it costs around 300 quid.

I once spoke to a guy who had an R34 GTR and the owners club flew some guy over to map all their Skylines, he paid 1000 euro to get his done!!!

sophie1234

Graham_B18C wrote: »

What type of car? If it's a VAG (Audi, VW etc) then Joe Power is meant to be very good. I've never had my car mapped but it costs around 300 quid.

I once spoke to a guy who had an R34 GTR and the owners club flew some guy over to map all their Skylines, he paid 1000 euro to get his done!!!

yes its a VAG VW passat tdi!! thanks ill look into joe power? i also herd of chippedire? any one any exprence with these guys ive tried phoning a few times got no reply!!

Graham_B18C

sophie1234 wrote: »

yes its a VAG VW passat tdi!! thanks ill look into joe power? i also herd of chippedire? any one any exprence with these guys ive tried phoning a few times got no reply!!

That is Joe!!

He does most of his work out of Urban Performance. Here is the link

http://www.japshop.ie/

They moved from Tallaght to Coolock so the number aint in use anymore. I will be in the new place this weeks getting my brakes done, so I will get their new number and pass it on to ya

sophie1234

Graham_B18C wrote: »

That is Joe!!

He does most of his work out of Urban Performance. Here is the link

http://www.japshop.ie/

They moved from Tallaght to Coolock so the number aint in use anymore. I will be in the new place this weeks getting my brakes done, so I will get their new number and pass it on to ya

That be great thanks :-)

Bonito

Graham_B18C wrote: »

That is Joe!!

He does most of his work out of Urban Performance. Here is the link

http://www.japshop.ie/

They moved from Tallaght to Coolock so the number aint in use anymore. I will be in the new place this weeks getting my brakes done, so I will get their new number and pass it on to ya

The lads were saying Joe's gone on holidays for the next week or two. Can't remember when he's back.