downside of having your car mapped

[njdudsbury]

I have a standard MK5 GTi 200 hp and thinking of having a stage 1 map.
What I'm after are the downsides of doing this, what could catch you out, what needs to replaced and any people experiences
Thanks

[Boothy]

Potenial weak spots from the map would be the DVor Diverter Valve. The standard one was pretty poor and plenty of people have had to replace them with the newer revision -cost about £45 pound plus fitting. Other potential issues could be the coil packs but there,was e recent recall on these,so check with the dealer. Clutch is normally only an issue on the ED 30 but depending on milage its a possibility.

That's all I fan think of apart from the insurance hike!

I was exactly the same when I bought mine but eventually just took the plunge and have never looked back.

[Tamiyoman]

Clutches are more prone to wear, no long life servicing recommended, best to go T&D. Obviosuly your tyres wont last as long and your brakes will take more abuse, fuel economy on some cars decreases and on others some report increases?.

Cost of re-map and then the need for more power meaning further mods once yu got used to stg 1 map.

Apart form that thats all I would say, may have missed some obvious ones but im typing fast as im busy at work  

[KC_Gti]

I'm considering going down the same route, though I'm thinking off getting an exhaust and induction kit fitted all in one go, so I presume that it would be a custom stage 1 remap? Is it worth upgrading the brakes at the same time?

[Kregiel]

I got gti stage 1 recently and as power and torque increased some GTI deficiencies bacame apparent.... especially in braking and suspension department... some more mord coming down the line for me....

[gazbutS3]

I'm considering going down the same route, though I'm thinking off getting an exhaust and induction kit fitted all in one go, so I presume that it would be a custom stage 1 remap? Is it worth upgrading the brakes at the same time?

you can go stage 2 with those mods

and a brake upgrade is always a good idea but not 100% necessary

[Jungle_Faced_Jake]

It's definitely worth getting a stage 1 map put on, it'll make a very noticable difference. VW were quite conservative with the way they tuned the standard GTI and stage 1 is how it should have left the factory IMHO. Expect to realistically get between 235 and 240BHP - despite the claims of some tuners. Stage 1 is safely within the headroom of the engine but as mentioned you'll need to switch to T&D servicing. Some parts may wear out quicker but a lot depends on how you drive the car Only parts you'll need to upgrade are the diverter valve to the revision D version as already mentioned, and also put in a high flow panel filter such as Pipercross or K&N to get the most out of map. If you go to stage 2 then it's a different matter as you'll need to upgrade quite a few other parts in the process. Additional insurance costs will vary depending on your age, NCB, where you live etc. My insurer charged me an additional £80 odd but I've heard some folks premiums only go up by about £50 on stage 1.

[Tamiyoman]

My insurance company (adrian flux) bases increases on a %age.

So if power std was 197bhp (GTI) and goes upto 235bhp (Average) your current premium would increase by 19% along with getting a 19% power hike, so if you currently pay £500 a year expect a £100 increase on stage 1.

I already spoke to my ins co about mods and the figures they gave me were

Stg 1 is a 32% increase in premium, although she told me i can have an air filter and uprated exhaust and it wont affect premium as long as its stage 1 re-map, so what she was saying is if i have the wrong map on for mods i have they wont increase further  

Stg 2 is a 49% increase in premium

So for me my ED30 stg 1 premium would be £616, and stage 2 would be £695! (another £80 for 40bhp   )

If i went stg 1 then stage my premium would actually end up being £720 (They charge on current policy price, crafty buggers!)

[mk125]

Its well worth doing its how the gti should have been from factory bhp per pound its also the most cost effective mod you will ever make

[jamma]

I had a revo stage 1 fitted .  I happily chugged around in it standard but when I went to have it re mapped it was only actually running at about 170 bhp . If I hadnt had it done I would still be chugging about now with a split DV valve, original spark plugs from 2005 and a split down pipe. I think leaving it standard I would never have noticed these things but glad I had it done as its now like night and day and it highlighted all that was wrong with the car.  

I even treated my car to a revo sticker last week placed under GTI at rear  

Bar insurance the pros far exceed the cons !

[antonis42]

what does T&D service mean?
thanks

[big al]

what does T&D service mean?
thanks

time and distance

[vRS_Pagey]

What's the recommended T & D intervals for stage 1/2 etc.

[56OctyVRS]

Im stage 1.5 and just change it every 10,000 miles or 6 months.  However I am going stage 3 so I will change it every 3 months now as I am only doing local driving, as I moved closer to work. It only costs me £23 for all the parts from TPS so its a no brainer really

[Jungle_Faced_Jake]

What's the recommended T & D intervals for stage 1/2 etc.

10,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first.