The process of ECU remapping is defined as downloading a vehicle’s ECU data, modifying the data and then uploading that data back onto the car. Whether you gain any bhp and torque is irrelevant. Technically speaking, a remap is the process of changing any data in the ECU. This can include removing speed limiters or removing a check engine code from the ECU’s data so that the code never triggers an engine management light in the future.
For example, if you asked us to ONLY remove a speed limiter and this can only be done by changing the data in the map areas of an ECU file, this would still be a remap. In an attempt to make things a bit easier to understand for our customers, we call mapping out speed limiters or things like adding pops/bangs as ‘remap extras‘.
What Remap Extras Can You Have And What do They Do?
Whilst this isn’t an absolute list of what is available full stop, this is a list of our most common extras:
- Pops & Bangs – This is available for petrol vehicles only. In essence, we allow the fuel injectors to stay open for a short amount of time after the throttle has been closed. We also retard ignition timing so that the excess fuel is ignited during the exhaust stroke of the combustion cycle, creating pops (or bangs) and in some case, flames. This is only safe on vehicles that have no catalytic converter.
- Hard Cut Limiter – This is available for diesel vehicles only. Most modern vehicles have soft cut limiters which hold rpm at redline under load. A hard cut limiter (also known as popcorn limiter) allows the engine to bounce off the limiter, similarly to a petrol vehicle.
- GPF/DPF/OPF/PPF Off – The aforementioned are emissions systems installed in modern cars. DPF’s are installed in all diesel vehicles from 2007 (and some before this). Whereas a GPF (AKA OPF or PPF) is installed in petrol vehicles (usually from 2018). If people decide to use their vehicles off-road and want to remove these systems, we offer a software off solution. To remove these systems, there are 2 parts to the work – physical removal of the system and software removal. If you do one without the other, you’ll have issues. Physically remove the system only and you’ll have all manner of engine management issues. Delete just the software and you’ll end up with a blocked DPF/GPF. We only offer the software solution, so any customers wishing to fully remove these systems for their off-road vehicle must carry out the physical removal prior to arrival.
- O2 Off – This is available for petrol vehicles only. If a vehicle has had a sports cat installed or an off-road vehicle has had the catalytic converters removed, it’ll often throw a check engine light because the O2 readings are different from what the ECU wants to see. This won’t cause any other symptoms but having the engine management light on the dash can be annoying. Therefore, whilst it isn’t a necessity, when installing a sports cat or removing the cats from an off-road vehicle, we are able to remap the ECU to remove the code from its data, meaning it won’t display a check engine light.
- EGR Off – Similarly to a GPF or DPF, an EGR is an emissions system. Sometimes, EGR’s can get clogged or stuck open/shut. For off-road vehicles, we supply a solution via remapping that removes the operation of the EGR and also deletes any codes pertaining to the EGR system. Again, it is a job that requires 2 parts, physical blanking and software removal. We do not provide EGR blanking so this must be done prior to arrival of a job with an EGR off requested.
- EA189 Rollback – You can read up more on a VAG rollback here, however: This particular remap extra is only relevant for VAG 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 TDI engines produced between 2007 and 2014. You may remember VolksWagen’s ‘Dieselgate scandal’. In short, VW tampered with their engine software so that under testing conditions, the vehicle would produce different emissions statistics compared to real-world driving. When found out, as a PR fix, VW recalled all affected cars to have new software put on the vehicle that matched their claimed emissions stats in real-world conditions. Unfortunately a lot of drivers reported that after having the fix software installed, their vehicles seemed slower, economy was poorer and some individuals experienced repeated EGR and DPF failure. We’ll cover this topic more extensively in another post some day but effectively, we are able to reverse the cars software back to how it left the factory (which VAG main dealers will refuse to do), rather than the updated fix software. This reduces the chance of DPF and EGR failure and also can improve performance and improve economy. When having a remap, the gains are also stronger on factory software than fix software. So if you see this optional remap extra when booking online, we’d advise you choose to add it to your booking for maximum results.
- Speed Limiter Removal – Speed limiters are often applied to fleet vehicles. In particular, we see a lot of Ford Transits that are ex-BT fleet or ex-British Gas fleet that have had speed limiters installed. The owners then have to put up with these speed limiters and sometimes, the only way to remove them is by ammending the maps data areas on an ECU. This is often the case for most factory speed limiters such as BMW’s 155mph limit. There are, however, cases where we are able to remove the speed limiter via diagnostic tools. If this is the case, you’ll save yourself a bit of money as we charge less for diagnostic tool work than we do for remapping work. To find out how we can remove your speed limiter, just call us or send us a contact form message.
- DTC Off – Similarly to O2 off, DTC off is just the removal of a particular code from the ECU’s memory. for example, if you have a code thrown because you’ve modified the engine in some way but you know it’s safe for the ECU to operate the engine without this information, we can remove the code from the memory, eliminating the EML and potential limp mode.
- Start/Stop Off – This is a common request by our customers. If your vehicle is equipped with start/stop and you want to disable this system, we can do so via the mapping process.
- Hot/Cold Start Fix – Some vehicles, such as VAG PD’s suffer with difficulty starting when the engine is warm. We provide a software fix that removes this issue.
- AdBlue Off – Another emissions system found on diesel vehicles. For off-road vehicles, we are able to delete the vehicle’s adblue system which means that you’ll never have to fill up AdBlue again, saving money. Furthermore, these systems can break and cause expensive repair bills, so it is also a preventative measure.
- Launch Control – For some vehicles, the data for launch control can be set in the ECU and for other vehicles, this data can be set in the TCU (transmission control unit). For ECUs where we have an available solution, we can add launch control during the remapping process.
- Cold Start Off – When an engine is started for the first time, from cold, the ECU causes a higher idle, usually circa 1500rpm. If you live in an area with lots of neighbours close by and your vehicle is loud due to an aftermarket exhaust system, you may be upsetting said neighbours when you go to work in the morning. A cold start off solution removes the higher idle on cold start.
Other Extras Bookable Online
As well as remapping extras, you have the ability to book other services during the booking process on our reg checker.
- Gearbox Remap – We’ve covered this in large detail in this post!
- Ghost Immobiliser – Arguably the best anti-theft device on the market. Learn more here.
- BMW, Mini & Rolls Royce Coding – Add more factory spec to your car or enable hidden features. Learn more here.
- Dyno Power Runs – 3 x power runs before and 3 x power runs after tuning.
- Custom Tuning Session – This is really only necessary for HEAVILY modified vehicles. I’ve written the word ‘heavily’ in capitals because some people seem to think having an upgraded intake is classed as a heavy modification… When we say ‘heavily modified’, we’re talking about vehicles that have had upgraded turbos, injectors, forged internals and more. Not your standard exhuast and intake breathing mods. If you do, in fact, have a heavily modified vehicle, you’ll need half a day or more on the dyno to get the most out of your modifications. We’re going to cover custom tuning sessions in our next blog post, so stay tuned for more!
How Much Does This All Cost?
We have different prices for each of our extras and they start from £20. It is worth remembering, however, doing any of these means we have to REMAP the vehicle. This doesn’t mean we HAVE to apply the power gains to the car, it just means we would have to go through the same process to acheive the result. Of course, if you wanted the power gains, we wouldn’t be charging any more for this as it’s included in the cost of a remap.
For example, if you want JUST an O2 off on your vehicle the cost would not be £20. It would be the cost of a remap PLUS the £20 for the extra. This is because we have to do the same work whether we are improving the performance or not. An O2 off solution is still a remap…
If you’d like to see more of our pricing details, you can see this here.
What Can I Have On MY Car?
The easiest way to see what’s available for YOUR car is to enter your reg on our reg checker. At the bottom of the results page, you’ll see the list of available extras for your vehicle.
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