Remap, yes or no.

Rob.T

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I was considering getting my 2011 Cdi 200 estate remapped, when I talked with Mercare about it they told me not to get it done they don't recommend remapping any car.
So what's the problem, is it safe, are there any pitfalls, why would they not recommend?
 

LostKiwi

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Plenty of maps work well, some cause issues.
Much will depend on the state of the engine before mapping and how it's driven.
The only thing to bear in mind isxa remapped car (when driven hard) will be under more stress than a standard car so can reasonably be expected to have a shorter life.
 

bembo449

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I cant think if a single reason not to remap a car , especially a diesel car , I have all four of my current cars mapped inc my old range rover , yes occasionally ive read about mapping issues but ive certainly never had any in over 20 remapped cars that ive owned
 

Capra

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I cant think if a single reason not to remap a car , especially a diesel car , I have all four of my current cars mapped inc my old range rover , yes occasionally ive read about mapping issues but ive certainly never had any in over 20 remapped cars that ive owned
Have you ever had any reliability issues? I suppose if you stress an engine/gearbox over and above what it was designed to do overtime something could break?
 

V12TTGUY

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I have had cars where after remap there have been issues but I would say it was down the general wear and tear (ie injectors worn on a very high mileage diesel which is going to happen sooner or later. or had clutch on a e60 m5 wore out but very common issue on that car with the mileage it was on)
my mum has had 3 diesel vehicles remapped and all done lots of motorway miles at times then lots of town driving but again no issues.

id say if your a careful ish driver and don't abuse the car and the car itself is mechanically healthy then all should be fine with a tune/remap :)
 

houseboss2

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NO to the original question
 

Big Mo

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My saab 93 convertible has been mapped from 150hp to 220hp. Now it only likes super unleaded as it pinks on normal and also put strain on weak components. I won’t be napping my w212
 

Capra

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My saab 93 convertible has been mapped from 150hp to 220hp. Now it only likes super unleaded as it pinks on normal and also put strain on weak components. I won’t be napping my w212
I suppose with a 32% increase in power there will be some additional stress on components.
 

thebiglad

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I cant think if a single reason not to remap a car , especially a diesel car , I have all four of my current cars mapped inc my old range rover , yes occasionally ive read about mapping issues but ive certainly never had any in over 20 remapped cars that ive owned
Just an alternative view here, Land Rover TD5 Discoverys were a prime target for remapping and when used to their full potential (remapped) they would often end up with warped exhaust manifolds (due to higher EGT's - exhaust gas temps) requiring new exhaust studs, manifold planing and new gaskets.

Having said that, so long as the extra power provided by the remap is not abused, all should be OK.
 

Blobcat

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As I read the responses above I conclude that you get more power but don't use it or you'll damage or wear your car our faster. So to my mind why remap at all?
I must admit I wouldn't buy a remapped car (if I knew it was modified)

My Land Rover isn't remapped but the engine / fuel system has been modified and will easily sit at 80 (and coal roll all day long...). I've had to modify and change a lot of other bits on it as well to keep up but I wouldn't play with a road car the same as my Landy.
 

Capra

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I have my C350CDi mapped and it is just awesome, very fast in gear, no issues at all
It's probably difficult to use all this power on our roads anyway isn't it? Just thinking of how I drive, hard acceleration now and again, but I certainly cannot use this all the time.
Do you know if yours has ever ever gone passed the 90c mark before?
 

JBell

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It's probably difficult to use all this power on our roads anyway isn't it? Just thinking of how I drive, hard acceleration now and again, but I certainly cannot use this all the time.

It is but a "nice to have" thing

Do you know if yours has ever ever gone passed the 90c mark before?

No, temp wise it sits exactly where it should
 

Capra

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It is but a "nice to have" thing



No, temp wise it sits exactly where it should
I would still get it done as I do find at motorway speeds it feels like it struggles to push on. This is daft as I more than double the power from my company car 116d!!
 

Craiglxviii

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My saab 93 convertible has been mapped from 150hp to 220hp. Now it only likes super unleaded as it pinks on normal and also put strain on weak components. I won’t be napping my w212
That says considerably more about the lack of design performance margin in Saab products than their German equivalents...
 

Capra

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That says considerably more about the lack of design performance margin in Saab products than their German equivalents...
Ah ok. There is a mobile tuner in my area that are always updating facebook, some of there gains are mind blowing. I'll find a recent one. So basically MB are setup to use most of the potential?
 

Craiglxviii

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Just an alternative view here, Land Rover TD5 Discoverys were a prime target for remapping and when used to their full potential (remapped) they would often end up with warped exhaust manifolds (due to higher EGT's - exhaust gas temps) requiring new exhaust studs, manifold planing and new gaskets.

Having said that, so long as the extra power provided by the remap is not abused, all should be OK.
... and this says a lot more about the lack of foresight in JLR’s Powertrain division, which isn’t exactly surprising ;)
 

Capra

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Ah ok. There is a mobile tuner in my area that are always updating facebook, some of there gains are mind blowing. I'll find a recent one. So basically MB are setup to use most of the potential?
So Hybrid tuning have taken a VW Transporter from 102bhp/250nm to 175/360nm. Either that engine was down-tuned or it will eat through engines parts in a short while?
 

Craiglxviii

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Ah ok. There is a mobile tuner in my area that are always updating facebook, some of there gains are mind blowing. I'll find a recent one. So basically MB are setup to use most of the potential?
MB, like VAG build their cars to use as little complexity (technical term- here, complexity means variants of parts) as possible. There’s a trade off of performance vs cost vs stockholding. So, does one’s factory have 105, 130, 150, 170 and 190bhp powertrain variants? Or does one have one engine that can do 105 or 190bhp just dependent on the map flashed onto its ECU? A 190bhp engine will cost more than one that can only put out 105, but the total inventory charge- carrying channel in the logistics chain will be wayyy smaller. So, it’s cheaper overall to design the cars to be “upgradeable” in this way than not.

Same thing with BMW cable harnesses. They have almost complete inclusivity, so if you need a traffic sign camera and the car could fit one but didn’t have the option ticked, buy one and the connector will be there waiting. MB had like 4 main harness variants until recently too.

MB’s 350 V6 diesel in its 231 or 265 guise has ample potential for performance improvement, taking advantage of the design margins built into it.
 

Capra

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MB, like VAG build their cars to use as little complexity (technical term- here, complexity means variants of parts) as possible. There’s a trade off of performance vs cost vs stockholding. So, does one’s factory have 105, 130, 150, 170 and 190bhp powertrain variants? Or does one have one engine that can do 105 or 190bhp just dependent on the map flashed onto its ECU? A 190bhp engine will cost more than one that can only put out 105, but the total inventory charge- carrying channel in the logistics chain will be wayyy smaller. So, it’s cheaper overall to design the cars to be “upgradeable” in this way than not.

Same thing with BMW cable harnesses. They have almost complete inclusivity, so if you need a traffic sign camera and the car could fit one but didn’t have the option ticked, buy one and the connector will be there waiting. MB had like 4 main harness variants until recently too.

MB’s 350 V6 diesel in its 231 or 265 guise has ample potential for performance improvement, taking advantage of the design margins built into it.
Ok thanks that makes sense. So really increasing these lower power plants to much higher is not much of an issue. I suppose this is why many mappers will only increase mine to around 19%, because it is already hitting the safety limits for that engine?
 

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