Upgrading horsepower

Earnshaw

Went to a small scale mechanic with an EGR issue causing the vehicle to misfire. Said he will 'blank' the EGR off. So it's bypassed.

He also told me he can upgrade the horsepower on it from 70 to 105, with a slight software mapping change. Should I tell him work away?

zilog_jones

Will you be informing your insurer of the performance modifications?

walshtipp

zilog_jones wrote: »

Will you be informing your insurer of the performance modifications?

Not really what OP asked.
Earnshaw I would say go ahead, as long as the mechanic knows what he is doing, you will feel the benefits of the extra BHP. Also you may get improved MPG depending on driving style.

Tropheus

If you read your insurance policy, you are obliged to inform them if there is any change to the car that may impact cover. Increasing power would certainly be one of those. Is it someting that could be detected if the car were to be inspected after an accident?

Admittedly, 70 to 105 bhp isn't very significant.

Tropheus

walshtipp wrote: »

Not really what OP asked.
Earnshaw I would say go ahead, as long as the mechanic knows what he is doing, you will feel the benefits of the extra BHP. Also you may get improved MPG depending on driving style.

Not what they asked, but definitely something to consider.

jack of all

I remember inquiring about the insurance issue of remapping at a garage in the past (just out of curiosity, no interest in remapping), mechanic told me that insurance assessors don't turn up with laptops to interrogate the cars ECU at an accident scene so there's no way of them knowing.
Maybe so but that doesn't negate the fact the you've made a change to the performance of the car and this is a material fact which you're obliged to disclose. I wouldn't want to be giving them any opportunity of declining liability in the even of a claim.

biko

You're not going to notice it very much.

After remapping, a car usually sees an increase in power, which can come at the expense of higher fuel consumption.

unhappys10

biko wrote: »

You're not going to notice it very much.

After remapping, a car usually sees an increase in power, which can come at the expense of higher fuel consumption.

You are most definitely going to notice a 50% increase in power.
Usually leads to a more fuel efficient car depending on how its driven.

bazz26

What type of car is it?

Miscreant

bazz26 wrote: »

What type of car is it?

With those HP figures I am guessing either a small VAG diesel (Polo, Fabia) or a Hyundai I20 diesel.

colm_mcm

Tropheus wrote: »

If you read your insurance policy, you are obliged to inform them if there is any change to the car that may impact cover. Increasing power would certainly be one of those. Is it someting that could be detected if the car were to be inspected after an accident?

Admittedly, 70 to 105 bhp isn't very significant.

It’s a 50% increase. How is that not significant?

biko

Go ahead OP, you now have two posters promising it'll be a big difference.

Btw, what car, year and model is it?

unhappys10

biko wrote: »

Go ahead OP, you now have two posters promising it'll be a big difference.

Btw, what car, year and model is it?

I had a 1.4tdi Audi A2 remapped a couple of years ago, 75bhp standard, don't know what it was after but it was like night and day.
If you give any car a 50% increase in power you're going to know about it.

kirving

Tropheus wrote: »

Is it someting that could be detected if the car were to be inspected after an accident?

Yes, not matter how many Facebook advertisements say it's undetectable, it absolutely is.

Realistically however, an insurance company or the Gards are not going to check it, unless it's an extremely serious crash.

at9qu5vp0wcix7

Really depends on a lot of things, you would have to consdier what factor of safety is built in to the entire drivetrain. Is the exact same drivetrain used in a model with higher power? Are you willing to fork out for a clutch after this?

Dravokivich

Tropheus wrote: »

If you read your insurance policy, you are obliged to inform them if there is any change to the car that may impact cover. Increasing power would certainly be one of those. Is it someting that could be detected if the car were to be inspected after an accident?

Admittedly, 70 to 105 bhp isn't very significant.

Not significant? It's a 50% increase.

Oh... and is there a dynamic setup to actually see what's been changed? Or is it just a flash that's been downloaded from who knows where?

Leonard Hofstadter

35 bhp when you're starting with just 70 to begin with is a night and day difference in terms of how much oomph a car is going to have.

Earnshaw

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

35 bhp when you're starting with just 70 to begin with is a night and day difference in terms of how much oomph a car is going to have.

A peujot partner van.

Went ahead and got it remapped. It went from 75bhp up to 115bhp.

Night and day.

antodeco

Interesting re the insurance piece. If you bought a second hand that was remapped and you didn't know, in theory would mean your insurance is void? I reckon the policy is based on known declarations.

MrCostington

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Realistically however, an insurance company or the Gards are not going to check it, unless it's an extremely serious crash.

Which is exactly the time you will really need a watertight insurance policy