Frequently Asked Questions

Can you re-map my car?

We can re-map most cars from about 1999, but if we can’t re-map it, it may still be possible to chip it

Do I need to come to you?

No, we will come to you if required. If you are a long distance from us we will try and group a few people together from that area to make the trip worthwhile.

How will it affect my warranty?

Your car dealer cannot determine a software modification with his diagnostic equipment. Since we modify the original program from each car, all engine characteristics and VIN numbers stay the same leaving the modifications undetectable.

I have other modifications....

Is re-mapping different from chipping?

No, it’s just an easier way of doing it.

The program that holds your cars Engine mapping is contained in an EPROM (Chip). When you "chip" a car you have to open the cars ECU, unplug or de-solder the EPROM, Read the program, modify it, program a new chip with this data then either place it in its socket or solder it back onto the circuit board. When you Re-map an ECU, you Read the data from the EPROM (chip) by connecting through the cars diagnostic socket. Once it has been Read you can modify the file then overwrite the EPROM with the modified file. This then allows you to apply different maps where applicable and also restore the original data should you require it. The benefit obviously of this is that it means you have not changed any standard part of the car and therefore warranty is unaffected etc and insurance company’s cant see that the ECU has been physically altered.

What if I want to sell my car?

We will re-load your cars original file for free within 1 month of it being modified, after this there will be a £25 fee. Although it may help the sale of your car…

What about insurance?

This is where we cannot tell you what to do. Basically the change in the engine map is extremely hard to diagnose, even with the right equipment to compare it with. Secondly to say something has been modified you have to compare it to the original and with only one map on the car what can you compare it against to prove it has been modified.

Will this reduce the life of my engine?

No!
The power reserves of the engine are so large, that you don't have to expect more engine wear. We optimise the settings of the engine without exceeding the limits of the reliability. If the car is driven normally there are no decreases of the lifetime! If the car is driven very hard (racing situation), the approx.-reduced lifetime is about 3-5 %. That would mean 300000 miles instead of 312000 miles.

What BHP and Torque increase can I expect on my car?

Check your car on the car lists page for approximate gains. If it’s not listed e-mail us with your details.

How long does it take?

Most cars take less than 1 hr. Some Alfa’s and Saab’s can take up to 5 hours.

What if I am not happy with what you have done?

You will get the chance to have a test run before you pay us. If your not happy we can change the characteristics of the mapping to suit your individual needs. If your still not happy we will return your car to its original state without charge.

What warranty do you give on your work?

Since we are not changing any hardware on your car therefore we have nothing to give a warranty on. However, we will do our utmost to help anyone who has a problem, including returning the car to standard for testing etc.

What's the likely effect on fuel consumption?

Due to the increased torque at low rpm you are able to shift earlier. The result is that you are driving with an average lower rpm and therefore getting more mpg, but if you drive the car hard you wont get the extra power for nothing…

E-mail us with your Question