Car remapped

passremarkable

Hi
Considering getting my 2015 vw Passat 1.6tdi re-mapped. It’s very hard on fuel and was advised this could be a good way to help fuel economy. A crowd in celbridge do it.
Has anyone any experience of getting this done or is it worth it. Got quoted approx €300 to get it done.
Thanks
PM

jimgoose

That thing should be averaging nearly 60MPG. What mileage is it in fact doing?

Alanstrainor

jimgoose wrote: »

That thing should be averaging nearly 60MPG. What mileage is it in fact doing?

Yes 100% this. You need to figure out exactly what your consumption is. What does the car tell you it is, and then you can figure out the most accurate figure yourself by fill you car with diesel, drive for a week and fill again. Record the mileage you've covered between fill ups and the amount of litres of diesel it takes to fill and you can then calculate you consumption.

If the car is drinking diesel then there could be something wrong, and a remap will never fix that.

JoeA3

"hard on fuel" is a very subjective term. That car should do 50+ mpg all day long on the motorway but if you're hopping around town in it, stop-starting and doing low miles, then it could very easily drop under 40mpg. And a remap won't sort that.

maddness

jimgoose wrote: »

That thing should be averaging nearly 60MPG. What mileage is it in fact doing?

You would have to drive very sensibly to get that type of mpg day to day.
Small diesel in a large enough car, I’d say high 40’s might be more realistic.

Tuco88

Will remapping not damage the car long term? Surly it cant be all pros.

California Dreamer

Tuco88 wrote: »

Will remapping not damage the car long term? Surly it cant be all pros.

Annnnnnnnnd out comes the cynic!

w211

2015 car, can you get the new software from the dealer? The standard settings are ok and cost nothing for you. If you feel that car is not for you (not enough power, bad mileage, etc), do not try to compensate that "error" by remapping. Just buy another car what is more suitable for you. Or if your car have a mechanical issues, just fix it. You driven 4 years by that car (if you are the first owner), you should know exactly how it works and what is the normal or what is out of the specs.

mickdw

The engine was never right for that car.
If you like to drive on abit you will be dogging that engine alot of the time and will therefore never get good economy.

Tuco88

California Dreamer wrote: »

Tuco88 wrote: »

Will remapping not damage the car long term? Surly it cant be all pros.

Annnnnnnnnd out comes the cynic!

Huh... I've been called many things in life but a cynic is new.. Bravo Sir, Bravo...

I was only asking, I have a 2L tdi myself.
Well maybe you will enlighten me? On the subject of remapping.

Wildly Boaring

OSI wrote: »

Never seen remaps succeeding in getting any significant fuel saving. As above what mileage are you getting, and more importantly what kind of driving are you doing?

I've remapped a couple cars and am going to do latest in next month or 6 weeks.

Never had better economy.

I suppose technically you could have a bit better by using the increased power under acceleration. ie same acceleration for slightly less revs

In reality will you?

Also don't forget physics. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. ie A remap is not magic

Micky 32

Tuco88 wrote: »

Will remapping not damage the car long term? Surly it cant be all pros.

I have remapped and gone further with all my cars since 2003. I kept them circa 5 years and I put huge mileage on them and never anything failed due to the remapp.

bazz26

I never had any problems with cars I've had remapped. There is plenty of middle ground tolerance between how the manufacturer tunes it and how a good mapper tunes it. If you decide to trash the car hard then I'd imagine your clutch and/or gearbox will have a shorter lifespan because of that rather than the gains made by the remap.

V8 Interceptor

w211 wrote: »

If you feel that car is not for you (not enough power, bad mileage, etc), do not try to compensate that "error" by remapping. Just buy another car.

What's the point of remapping anything so?

w211

V8 Interceptor wrote: »

What's the point of remapping anything so?

To extend the d.i.*.k.

demanufactured

Get her remapoed lad.
While your at it get her decat and straight piped.
She'll get more BOOO like that lad.

Savage lad.

OldMrBrennan83

Remapped one car in my time and when the engine was being replaced I was told that the 120,000 miler looked like it had done around 300,000-400,000. Never saved any fuel either.

9935452

passremarkable wrote: »

Hi
Considering getting my 2015 vw Passat 1.6tdi re-mapped. It’s very hard on fuel and was advised this could be a good way to help fuel economy. A crowd in celbridge do it.
Has anyone any experience of getting this done or is it worth it. Got quoted approx €300 to get it done.
Thanks
PM

The best man to remap a car is joe power www.tdr.ie.

He knows his vag remaps inside out , has a great reputation and wont push a car too far.

OSI wrote: »

Never seen remaps succeeding in getting any significant fuel saving. As above what mileage are you getting, and more importantly what kind of driving are you doing?

Ive a chip on my car and it gets 6mpg more chipped from 120 to 150 and thats a generic chip not a custom remap

Tuco88 wrote: »

Huh... I've been called many things in life but a cynic is new.. Bravo Sir, Bravo...

I was only asking, I have a 2L tdi myself.
Well maybe you will enlighten me? On the subject of remapping.

Think about emissions. To reduce NOX , the car is set up to burn more diesel to reduce emissions. Reverse this and you get more economy.



Then with more power it accelerates easier , holds its revs and doesnt bog down as much.


A lot of cars were derated ie 140bhp to 120bhp for CO2 figures as well to get their VRT and tax figures down.By remapping you just bring those back to what they were meant to be



On the other side you have the lads who push the car too far and will cause damage /wear the engine out prematurely

corkgsxr

I'v found you can have better power and acceleration and get same mpg

I'v never had them improve mpg just driveability

magentis

Wouldn't your insurance company need to be informed too?

jimgoose

corkgsxr wrote: »

I'v found you can have better power and acceleration and get same mpg...

Of course - power and efficiency are two cheeks of the same arse.

Midnight_EG

w211 wrote: »

To extend the d.i.*.k.

Presume you've never availed of proper mapping then

w211

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Presume you've never availed of proper mapping then

Sure, because I bought the cars what is for my needs. Buy the right car and you do not need the d.i.*.k extension.

Micky 32

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Remapped one car in my time and when the engine was being replaced I was told that the 120,000 miler looked like it had done around 300,000-400,000. Never saved any fuel either.

You must have had a crap engine to begin with. I tuned a car from it’s standard 130bhp up to 220bhp from new. The engine was still perfect after 300k miles.

Micky 32

w211 wrote: »

Sure, because I bought the cars what is for my needs. Buy the right car and you do not need the d.i.*.k extension.

I bought the right car for me, the remapp is a bonus and lets me get the best out of it. So you’re talking sh*te

Henry Ford III

magentis wrote: »

Wouldn't your insurance company need to be informed too?

Yes.

Lots of people prefer to make excuses than do what their contract of insurance obliges them to do however.

statto25

Micky 32 wrote: »

You must have had a crap engine to begin with. I tuned a car from it’s standard 130bhp up to 220bhp from new. The engine was still perfect after 300k miles.

For 90bhp you had to have upgraded the clutch at least?

fancy pigeon

demanufactured wrote: »

Get her remapoed lad.
While your at it get her decat and straight piped.
She'll get more BOOO like that lad.

Savage lad.

Makita lowered, popcorn limiter, twin boo pipes with letterbox tips, 5M CB aerial, RS5 twists, Van Aaken sticker... Oh yes :cool::cool::cool:

Midnight_EG

w211 wrote: »

Sure, because I bought the cars what is for my needs. Buy the right car and you do not need the d.i.*.k extension.

How do you feel about performance engines being mapped then :rolleyes:

Turbohymac

Remapping is a waste of good money and simply causes more issues than worth
Your main problem op is that you have a very heavy body being powered by a 100 odd bhp engine..lots of those sized cars should have had the 2litre engine as standard.. it won't ever be a sports car but once it's well serviced and driven normally it should hit mid 40s mpg. At work we had a 1.6tdi estate 2011 it was quite good overall.. put your money into a good service and diagnostic check to ensure there isn't any faults..and forget chipping.
As for actual mpg of any car..forget the onboard computer. Simply fill it Absolutely to the max with diesel till you visually see it at top of filler cap then reset your tripmeter.. drive as you normally do till you're under a quarter of a tank..then refill to max again and see what's on the tripmeter. Definitely most accurate way..

jimgoose

fancy pigeon wrote: »

Makita lowered, popcorn limiter, twin boo pipes with letterbox tips, 5M CB aerial, RS5 twists, Van Aaken sticker... Oh yes :cool::cool::cool:

Hoorsprung ditch Feltspek. :cool:

jimgoose

Turbohymac wrote: »

...Your main problem op is that you have a very heavy body being powered by a 100 odd bhp engine...

Those newish Passats aren't much heavier than my 1.6 TDCi 110 Focus, and that yoke is nippy enough and runs on farts.

Lord Nikon

My old 2011 Skoda Superb has the 1.6tdi engine,. While it wouldn't full the skin of a rice pudding, I was getting mid 50s MPG.

Micky 32

Turbohymac wrote: »

Remapping is a waste of good money and simply causes more issues than worth
Your main problem op is that you have a very heavy body being powered by a 100 odd bhp engine..lots of those sized cars should have had the 2litre engine as standard.. it won't ever be a sports car but once it's well serviced and driven normally it should hit mid 40s mpg. At work we had a 1.6tdi estate 2011 it was quite good overall.. put your money into a good service and diagnostic check to ensure there isn't any faults..and forget chipping.
As for actual mpg of any car..forget the onboard computer. Simply fill it Absolutely to the max with diesel till you visually see it at top of filler cap then reset your tripmeter.. drive as you normally do till you're under a quarter of a tank..then refill to max again and see what's on the tripmeter. Definitely most accurate way..

In my own experience in the last 16 years i disagree remapping a waste of money. I do agree about the 1.6 being too small for the Passat. Vw now only sell the Passat with the 2L 150bhp engine in this country.

selectamatic

The 1.6tdi will remap to circa 150bhp

V8 Interceptor

Micky 32 wrote: »

You must have had a crap engine to begin with. I tuned a car from it’s standard 130bhp up to 220bhp from new. The engine was still perfect after 300k miles.

That's a serious increase. Can I ask what motor it was?

V8 Interceptor

9935452 wrote: »

Think about emissions. To reduce NOX , the car is set up to burn more diesel to reduce emissions. Reverse this and you get more economy.

Could your remap get flagged at the NCT due to high emissions?

demanufactured

V8 Interceptor wrote: »

Could your remap get flagged at the NCT due to high emissions?

No, they don't currently use any obd tools in vehicle testing in Ireland.

And given that were speaking about turbo diesels, in the vehicle test, it's a smoke opacity test, not an emissions test, so they don't measure NOX etc, they should really, given the recent VW mess.

jimgoose

V8 Interceptor wrote: »

Could your remap get flagged at the NCT due to high emissions?

Not possible - there is no CO2 testing done in Ireland on petrols or diesels, and no gas analysis at all done on diesels, beyond a smoke opacity test.

jimgoose

demanufactured wrote: »

No, they don't currently use any obd tools in vehicle testing in Ireland.

And given that were speaking about turbo diesels, in the vehicle test, it's a smoke opacity test, not an emissions test, so they don't measure NOX etc, they should really, given the recent VW mess.

I was told recently that the reason gas analysis isn't done on diesels is that it isn't economically viable - the nature of diesel exhaust means it's too hard on test equipment.

eusap

I had a 2008 Audi A6 2.0 TDI Auto, and got it remapped best thing ever! The Auto box before you could hear/feel each gear change. After the Remap the gear change was so smooth you could not hear or feel it. Because of the more power it made for a fun Drive the MPG dropped by about 10mpg. Yes it got worse but then my right foot got heavier.

I would re-map but not for the fuel economy

Dravokivich

V8 Interceptor wrote: »

That's a serious increase. Can I ask what motor it was?

I've read of Saab 93's with the 1.8t petrol engine getting similar returns, with the potential to go higher with additional modifications.

R.O.R

Micky 32 wrote: »

In my own experience in the last 16 years i disagree remapping a waste of money. I do agree about the 1.6 being too small for the Passat. Vw now only sell the Passat with the 2L 150bhp engine in this country.

The 1.6Tdi Passat is now available to order again, but currently only with the DSG box. Manual can't currently pass the WLTP emissions tests and that's why it was pulled to begin with. Probably be back for sale later in the year.

I've a lot of experience with the 1.6Tdi in the Passat, and while it isn't quick, the later 6 speed models are a lot better than the earlier 5 speed models, and the one thing it definitely isn't is hard on fuel.

I regularly got them down to 3.9L/100km (72mpg) - that's various different cars with different mileage on them (from a few thousand to just over 200k), on my old commute of around 80% motorway.

Flyer1

w211 wrote: »

To extend the d.i.*.k.

Still a crap diesel :rolleyes:

9935452

Turbohymac wrote: »

Remapping is a waste of good money and simply causes more issues than worth

What issues does it cause ?

Turbohymac

Everyone entitled to their opinions..I'm a mechanic and I'm well familiar with l vw engines..I wouldn't ever re map.. as per the earlier post get the real mpg of the car first.. and if it ain't close to 50mpg..it either needs repairs/good service or your driving is fairly extreme..and any vehicle can get thirsty if driven very hard..also lots of short journeys on cold engine wouldn't help.. let us know mpg op

Ashleigh1986

If getting car remapped make sure you get it done by someone who knows what they are at .
Got a car remapped , it drove brilliantly for about 2 weeks .
Than disaster , it wouldn't start .
Turns out it was remapped incorrectly .
All the wiring loom was fried .
Couldn't get it restarted . Car was sold to be broken up .
AGAIN ..... Only give your car to be remapped by someone who has a good reputation for doing the job !!!!

ExoPolitic

As it goes for remapping, I have car remapped from 150hp to 192hp and its been great, I do around about an extra 30 miles per tank of fuel, it drives much better and hasn't affected reliability at all so far, and the car is on 160000 miles and is 15 years old. However this is a 2 litre turbo engine. I wouldn't do the same on a 1.6, not sure I'd trust putting extra stress on a modern smaller engine.

In regards to the MPG issues you have, I'd ask yourself where you're driving do you expect the economy? motorway yes, city no. If it is motorway driving then I'd investigate if the MPG was below low 40's personally.

twin_beacon

Lord Nikon wrote: »

My old 2011 Skoda Superb has the 1.6tdi engine,. While it wouldn't full the skin of a rice pudding, I was getting mid 50s MPG.

I've the same mark 2 superb for two and a half years, great MPG out of the 1.6. However, as you say, the car is very under powered at 105bhp. I looked at changing it a few weeks ago, but I've decided to keep it for another 12-18 months. I'm considering getting it remapped, as the lack of power in 5th gear on the motorway is annoying, but I probably will lose some fuel economy as a result.

w211 wrote: »

Sure, because I bought the cars what is for my needs. Buy the right car and you do not need the d.i.*.k extension.

w211 wrote: »

To extend the d.i.*.k.

The scene in Borat where he asks for the dealer to fit a p*ssy magnet to the car comes to mind!

I'm sure over the last week, in any Opel garage, two brand new Insignias left the forecourt, with the same 1.6L engine, however one car was 110bhp, and the other was 136bhp. The only difference in the two cars is the engine map. I don't think anyone that opts for the 136bhp model is looking for a d.i.*.k extension!

If you for some reason need extra horse power, but can't afford to buy a new car, a remap may be a good option.

demanufactured wrote: »

Get her remapoed lad.
While your at it get her decat and straight piped.
She'll get more BOOO like that lad.

Savage lad.

No Shmoke, No Poke!
Then again, some people do just want the d.i.*.k extension!

magentis wrote: »

Wouldn't your insurance company need to be informed too?

Yes.

?Cee?view

How do Insurance companies generally react to remaps?

Do they increase the premium significantly?

twin_beacon

w211 wrote: »

The insurance company does not need to know anything because they does not ask the car real power. They ask only the engine size. Yes they ask about modifications but that is that area where you can say what ever you want, except the maping

They do. Using a 191 Insignia as an example again, as the same displacement engines have different BHP, you select the one that matches your car.
this is from 123.ie

w211 wrote: »

This is something what are very hard to trace, if you are not the first car owner.

True, if you are not the cars original owner.
If the cars ECU is in tact, then they can check it.
If the payout is large, like six figures, the insurance companies will look for any reason to reduce their payout. I was a witness in a case brought to the high court a few years ago where two insurance companies were fighting over liability (massive medical bills resulting from a crash). If for example, in that case, they could prove that the driver at fault had an undeclared engine modification on their car, that voids their insurance, and they don't pay out saving them hundreds of thousands.