What does car re-mapping mean?

[Homer]

Hi all am a newbie and was wondering what car re-mapping means? From what I gather it increases the top speed of the car? Does it also increase the BHP? I am worried that this will skyrocket my insurance and negatively affect the re-sale value of the car, any advice? Thanks.

[Gtiain]

Basically getting a map increases bhp typically by 30-40bhp. It also increases torque which is acceleration basically. You'd be suprised by insurance, some companies don't charge much more, some do. It differs unfortunatly. 

[Janner_Sy]

it wont necessarily increase the top speed. thats governed by things like gear ratios.  what it will do is make you accelerate towards the top speed ALOT faster.

what car have you got.  a normal remap on a GTI will raise the Bhp by around 40hp and the torque by about 70lbft.  

Reference insurance id say on average from what people on here have said and what i had myself your looking at around £50 rise in your annual premium provided your with a modification friendly broker such as greenflag, adrian flux, chris knott etc.

Selling a car on isnt to bad, you can reset the car to stock via the tuner, or if you go for a shark performance or bluefin remap you have handset that will revert the car back to the stock setup, and then you can sell on the handset as well to claw back some of the money

[Homer]

Hi thanks for the input, will the remap affect the fuel consumption? I live in Glasgow and have a 2008 (57) plate MK5 GTI FSI, does anyone know of an insurance approved re-mapper in this area or nearby? Lastly how much on avearge does a re-map cost and is it worth getting, ie will I notice a big improvement in torque and BHP? Thanks

[Gtiain]

Yes you will notice for denfinate! It transforms the car and it's something I will be doing very soon. Probably the most popular Map on here is revo. Stage one is £500 or thereabouts. You can get them cheaper but you get what you pay for. 

[Janner_Sy]

you will notice a hugeincrease in performance.  A stage 1 remap is the best bang for buck modification you can do.
i will advise you though, dont buy a remap because its cheap.  do you research on here and other VAG forums about the tuner.

Ive already mentioned a few mod friendly insurers.  Theres also an insurance subsection on here.

As for how much there is a good deal on a shark performance remap here http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,25401.0.html

he has an excellent reputation, and having the handset means you will be able to have the car mapped from your own home, and remove it as and when ever you want

[Madlil]

Also one to consider is Superchips Bluefin. I have this and I really like the map. You get a handheld device so you can switch the map off at anytime ( eg. Service time or bad weather). The difference is remarkable when you change back to stock. MPG is slightly better on mine with the map, but it totally depends on how you drive. HTH

[titchy]

i got r tch on mine car transformed ins. rose £70

[kierongti]

hi,
i wouldnt necessarily go for a revo or other "brand name".... they are absolutely fine but you will pay the big price....

for example.. i have had my GTI re-mapped and i picked a very popular and well respected VW TUNER thats been around for years. (STEALTH RACING). they re-mapped my car and built the map to suit my car.. it was a personal map for my actual engine, therfore not putting a standard brand name map that goes on every GTI that comes in..
after the map went on they made some more tweeks and gained a little extra performance figures.. the cost was £400 and can be put back to standard just like the others..

its just very important that you do your reasearch and get some recommendations beforehand.... revo etc are all good but i prefered the personal map and also prefered not to pay the extra £100-£200 just for the name...
good luck

[Homer]

Hi all, thanks for all the replies, I have just spoken to my insurance, not sure if I am allowed to name them, but they said if I remap they wont insure me anymore! They said they allow engine trips but not a remap! What is an engine trip? Also if I have a remap done and then take it to VW for my service will they re-set it? Or can they refuse to service it? Thanks for any help

[PDT]

Do you mean 'engine chip'?

Most insurers are the opposite, many wont insure anything that requires a module or extra chip fitted due to the intrusive nature of them but will gladly entertain a remap as its far safer and non- intrusive.

[PDT]

And yes, a dealer can re-flash your ECU to standard if they are carrying out a software update as part of a service. Most tuners will re-flash the tuned software (the remap) free of charge or for a small cost. We re-flash for free in most cases or £25 for certain makes and models.

[Homer]

PDT will I need to tell VW that I have had a remap before I take it in for the service?