Would you buy a remapped/chipped car?

Stevie Dakota

A lot of people advocate re-mapping or chipping certain cars, yet on a recent thread people expressed the opinion that such cars were likely to have been thrashed so would be wary of them.

So what would you do?

Dowdy20

Mapping a car is perfectly safe thing to do provided it has been done by someone who knows what their at.

First find out who carried out the map and what has been changed.

i would buy a car that has been mapped as long as the seller can tell you who done the work and has the proper documents to show.

I wouldn't be put off just do your homework first and it should be 100% to drive and be a nicer car to drive than standard. especially on diesel engines. they take well to remapping once its done by certified person.

hairyman

A good service history is also desirable on a remapped/chipped car.

And as dowdy20 has stated,,its important that the work has/is carried out by somebody in the know.

Zubeneschamali

Dowdy20 wrote: »

Mapping a car is perfectly safe thing to do provided it has been done by someone who knows what their at.

So why don't the car manufacturers map all their cars to these "perfectly safe" levels right out of the box?

Perhaps because they have to guarantee them?

bazz26

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

So why don't the car manufacturers map all their cars to these "perfectly safe" levels right out of the box?

Perhaps because they have to guarantee them?

In fairness emmission regulations by the Eurocrats could have something to do with it too.

Dowdy20

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

So why don't the car manufacturers map all their cars to these "perfectly safe" levels right out of the box?

Perhaps because they have to guarantee them?

playing it safe with mass produced cars to make them sell more.

most people wouldn't buy a high powered car so are set up to sell more.

diesel engines are mapped to say 110hp but components of engine are capable of higher power but harder to sell a high powered car to average people.

manufacturers are after sales not over all power from there cars

also regulated like all high powered merc's and bmw are limited to 155mph but are capable of a lot more than that.

Gary ITR

I would buy one but I'd bring it somewhere it could be dyno'd and the map looked at.

As for resale, I couldn't give a fiddlers but I would supply dyno sheets which would hopefully put the mind of a potential buyer at ease. My car has been mapped and it cost a fair bit and I don't think I'd see it back in resale

Zubeneschamali

Dowdy20 wrote: »

playing it safe with mass produced cars to make them sell more. most people wouldn't buy a high powered car so are set up to sell more.

But it's just an engine map, it literally would cost the manufacturer nothing at all. Maybe Joe Soap won't pay extra for more power, but he's not going to complain if he gets it for nothing.

hairyman

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

So why don't the car manufacturers map all their cars to these "perfectly safe" levels right out of the box?

Perhaps because they have to guarantee them?

Pretty much!

Some manufacturers will design the engine to run at 100%,,they will then decrease the power/performance output by as much 30-40% in the hunt for reliability and whatnot.

VW's 1.9TDI PD is a perfect example of this,,rose from 90-150hp during different stages of production with only small internal changes.

Zubeneschamali

hairyman wrote: »

Some manufacturers will design the engine to run at 100%,,they will then decrease the power/performance output by as much 30-40% in the hunt for reliability and whatnot.

Precisely why I wouldn't be buying a remapped car.

Dowdy20

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

But it's just an engine map, it literally would cost the manufacturer nothing at all. Maybe Joe Soap won't pay extra for more power, but he's not going to complain if he gets it for nothing.

Well thats what i think

i'd buy one no hassle if you won't then don't

one more for the rest of us.

hairyman

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Precisely why I wouldn't be buying a remapped car.

Yes!
However car manufacturers also know that drivers will also let servicing/minor engine repair schedules slide(we have all done it,,:)),therefore an under tuned engine won't be as susceptible to failure under neglect.

Another way to look at is that a remap does no always mean more power in respect to outright speed.
It also goes a long way to increasing fuel economy and cruising ability.

Zubeneschamali

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

So why don't the car manufacturers map all their cars to these "perfectly safe" levels right out of the box?

Perhaps because they have to guarantee them?

Or perhaps they charge more for higher powered versions of their own cars And of course there is the emissions etc etc

Eoin

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

So why don't the car manufacturers map all their cars to these "perfectly safe" levels right out of the box?

Perhaps because they have to guarantee them?

Are the characteristics of a remapped engine very different - e.g. are they more prone to wheel spins etc? Maybe that's not what the average diesel driver wants (I'm guessing here - don't know too much about it).

I've not done any research on it, but could there any other effects to the clutch / increased tire wear etc?

Not too sure what to vote - I might consider buying one if the owner had looked after the car, and the remap had been done by a decent place. The only thing is that my insurance company are a little conservative, so it might be too much of a hassle.

hairyman

eoin wrote: »

Are the characteristics of a remapped engine very different - e.g. are they more prone to wheel spins etc? Maybe that's not what the average diesel driver wants (I'm guessing here - don't know too much about it).

I've not done any research on it, but could there any other effects to the clutch / increased tire wear etc?

Not too sure what to vote - I might consider buying one if the owner had looked after the car, and the remap had been done by a decent place. The only thing is that my insurance company are a little conservative, so it might be too much of a hassle.

I would be more inclined to think that it is the person who is behind the wheel that governs wheel spin and clutch wear,and not just in the case of being too heavy footed.
A simple example would be somebody chipping or remapping a 5 year old golf TDI.Yep they have no problem spending a few hundred on the remap but people being people will always go for the cheapest E marked tyres they can get.
Not good when upping power and torque.