Straight answers to the questions most drivers ask before a remap: warranty, insurance, the MOT, fuel economy, engine wear and putting the vehicle back to standard.
A remap changes the software that tells the engine how much fuel to inject, how much boost to run and when. It is one of the cheapest ways to change how a vehicle drives, which is exactly why it is worth knowing what it does and does not affect before you book. The answers below are general. For anything specific to your vehicle, send the registration, make, model and engine and ask.
Remap Man offers mobile ECU remapping from Swadlincote, covering customers within around 20 miles, including Burton upon Trent, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Coalville, Tamworth, Derby and Lichfield. Send your registration, make, model and postcode to confirm availability and pricing for your vehicle.
The engine control unit runs on a calibration: tables that set fuelling, boost pressure, timing and torque limits. Manufacturers set these conservatively so one calibration suits every market, fuel quality and driver. A remap rewrites those tables for the specific vehicle, usually for more torque and a sharper throttle response.
It can. A manufacturer can refuse a warranty claim on parts it believes a modification has affected, and dealers can often see that the ECU has been reprogrammed. If the vehicle is still under a manufacturer or extended warranty, read the terms before going ahead.
Yes. A remap is a performance modification, and insurers expect modifications to be declared. If it is not declared, the insurer may reduce or refuse a claim, or cancel the policy. Some insurers cover remapped vehicles at little or no extra cost and some will not cover them at all, so check before the work is done.
The MOT does not check the ECU software, so a remap on its own is not an MOT item. The vehicle still has to pass the emissions test for its age and fuel type, emissions equipment it was built with, such as the catalytic converter or DPF, must still be fitted, and an engine warning light on the dash is a fail.
It can, particularly on turbo diesels, where extra low-down torque means less throttle and fewer gear changes for the same journey. It is not guaranteed: if the extra performance gets used, consumption goes up. Where economy is the priority, an economy and driveability calibration aims for efficiency rather than peak power.
A remap written for the specific vehicle, and kept within what its engine, turbo, clutch and gearbox can handle, should not harm a healthy engine. Problems tend to come from tuning a vehicle that already has a fault, or from asking more of the drivetrain than it was built for. That is why Remap Man reviews the vehicle, engine and ECU before tuning.
Usually, yes. The original factory calibration can normally be written back to the ECU, provided a copy of it was saved before the remap. Ask about this when you enquire if you think you may want the vehicle returned to standard later, for example before selling it.
Turbocharged petrol engines usually respond well, because boost pressure is one of the things a remap can adjust. Naturally aspirated petrol engines, with no turbo, usually see much smaller gains from software alone.
Stage 1 is a remap for a standard vehicle and works within the factory hardware. Stage 2 is for a vehicle that already has supporting modifications fitted, such as an upgraded intake, exhaust or intercooler, and is calibrated around those parts.