mileage

[aardvark]

I am putting this here because it does affect my fishing indirectly in the long run as i have 3 fishing trips to Europe this year, the other day i had my van M.O.T'd! one of the established mechanics at the centre suggested that he could increase the mileage per gallon, he says he has an electronic program that he can use to re-program the E.C.U.! upping the mileage to about 60 m.p.g, at the same time increasing power and b.h.p? he also says that he has successfully re-programed several Fiat Scudo's to date!.... mine is a 2ltr JTD, at a cost of £100 a go. he has checked the e.c.u. number and it is compatable.

I am dubious about it to say the least! you could say im the original doubting Thomas.... The question is: would you believe him? can it be done? hopefully someone on here ( ie; mechanic) that may have some input to put forward, Tony.

[feldyourno1]

He is talking sense, most mechanics will be able to do this, you can buy chips for diesel motors that do the same. I have my bmw re mapped and it runs sweet as a nut, improves bhp and mpg, its a winnwin situation. Have a check on fiat forums, im pretty sure there will be loads of debate on this. Allthe ecu doesis tell the engine how to run, all the mechanic will do is tell it how to run more efficiently. I will say 1 thing make sure he is not a cowboy and that he will quarantee his work.

[lambrettasx200]

Tony, a lot of people have their management systems altered in this way & one of the major benefits is better fuel consumption. it seems he is offering you a remap where a computer program alters the settings. the other way is they can bolt on an electrical box of tricks which does the same thing. I think the disadvantages of a remap is if you get a flat battery you could lose the program. the other thing is you must declare it to your insurance company as if you had an accident & the van was examined & the remap found it could invalidate your cover.

cheers John

[aardvark]

Hi Feldyourno1 and John, the mechanic says he does'nt add on any bits, its done by a computer prog, in the event of an accident etc how would an Insurance co find out if it was remapped this way? i note what you say about the battery. What may be of some concern is this: does it affect the emmissions? when it comes to the M.O.T. would either of you know.

I have 2 weeks holiday in ireland and 2 holidays in holland, 8 days and 10days in the next 3 months. the saving on the mpg is of importance to me as these trips will certainly bang the mileage up! let alone what i do here. Im halfway in getting it done £100 seems to be a very reasonable price to pay? as the other prices are £250 and over I just need my mind putting to rest about it. I have accessed a few forums too.

Thank you both for your sensible comments. Tony.

[lambrettasx200]

Tony £100 for a remap is cheap, the last remap I had done was on (dont laugh) a Smart car & that was in 2004 & it cost £250 & you certainly saw a big difference on performance & economy. Of course the mechanic buys the program & the more he sells the program pays for itself so now he can spend 10 minutes mapping your car & its £100 profit if you see what I mean. tell him you will have it done IF he will reinstate it FOC if you have a problem as normally they will. cheers John

[Frisky Fish]

I had a Vauxhal Vivaro remapped last year. It did nothing for fuel consumption but did give it alot more power until a month later when it stopped running altogether. I now run a Transit and I wont be tinkering at all with it. It was a very hard lesson I learnt last year.

[carpysteve]

Tony

What MPG are you getting a present ? and how much would you benefit from having a remapp ?.

Your vans BHP would increase,hence more power. If you were involved in a serious accident, God forbid and this was checked, you would not be insurance if you failed to inform your insurance company.

Sometimes re mapps can go wrong. If you go onto any car forum, there will be chat about remapps. I have an insignia and go onto the site, where guy's chat about remapps. Some of them have had is done and also changed their air elements which have caused problems. They have gone back to the original air elements. Another issue is, if your van/car is under warranty and you have a remapp you can forget any further warranty claim.

This is only my opinion.

Regards Steve

[silver fish]

If its under warranty DO NOT have any programming undertaken, a world of pain waits. If your out of warranty, a specialist or trained technician can do the work. I would never let a Mechanic anywhere a car today they wouldn't know where to start. Beware his guarantee may be worthless too

[tonyf8166]

up to you but i wouldnt mate
i work in a garage that sells supercars , its a fact remapping your ecu for power and better mpg will rejuice the life span of your engine
your engine will run hotter and steve is right about telling your insurance , also it will kill any warranty you have on your van
your ecu is factory set for the best for your engine
think about it this way wouldnt the factory remap the ecu for better MPG after all wouldnt that be a great selling point
but there going to have to give that engine a 3 year warranty , if you do mate also join the AA as you might need there help if your engine goes kerput

[BIG COL]

My brother in law had his 6 month old BMW re-mapped just before Xmas MPG did improve slightly it was a lot more responsive
but ran a lot Hotter .
In March it started to Overheat 2 weeks later the Head Gasket went warping the head & resulted in a cracked block.
He took it to his main dealer to be told After they examined it that the Warranty was Void & the repairs would cost him almost £2500
or a New Short engine @ £3750
Think long & hard before you have it done

[lambrettasx200]

Tony, from what I have read above I would suggest you leave your van as it is. John

[aardvark]

Hello everyone, thank you for all your comments! very literate and comprehensive they are too!... i have concluded that; i have too much to lose if things go wrong, especially abroad!..so i will leave things as they are, i have been happy with my van the way that it is, so better safe than sorry, Tony.

[luke carpstalker]

I read somewhere that some of these 'remaps' just kid the ECU into thinking fuel pressure is lower than it actually is. The ECU then compensates by overworking the fuel pump, or something like that.

I would avoid myself. Unless you can get some form of manufacturer approved/ warrantied proper remap.

[tonyf8166]

if you want fast tony then call into my works , we have a handfull of cosworth range rovers for sale
we also are a main dealer for Ferrari , jaguar and maserati, so we can have you at the waters edge in no time lol

[lambrettasx200]

if you want fast tony then call into my works , we have a handfull of cosworth range rovers for sale
we also are a main dealer for Ferrari , jaguar and maserati, so we can have you at the waters edge in no time lol

He's a 73 year old pensioner lol