So whats the downside of a remap?

[Smub]

Hi, I have been tentatively looking at a bluefin or similar remap for my '06 Cooper. The benefits are often quoted as improved power, acceleration etc and also better fuel economy. So why are the engines tuned as they are stock if they are capable of more? what's the downside? Is it wear and tear?.

[KPKalle]

Insurance/tlc/warranty etc. If you choose to got outside the official guidlines, then the onus is on you. The S is also a "stock" engine - same block as in the One and Cooper. But more modifications in the headunit, drivetrain etc.

[Ferroequine]

I suspect you'll be killing a few more trees on your way to work each day.

[Rakey]

The engine is tuned as stock to achieve optimum mix of a few things, such as the MPG, engine life, engine emissions etc... As well as also to build a range of products

The down side to a remap is the loss of warranty, dealer support should something drastic go wrong, and an increase in insurance premium, and sometimes a devaluation come resale on tuned cars, as they are perceived as been trashed/tracked.

Obviously these points don't put everyone off, and many tune and lead happy lives, but not everyone is so lucky. I chipped my last car, and from those experiences I did it the more expensive way this time with the JCW conversion.

Each to their own, many will say a remap is the cheaper route to more fun, but thats just looking at the price of the remap, not any of the other potential costs you could incurr.

[Smub]

Quote: Originally Posted by KPKalle (original)

Insurance/tlc/warranty etc. If you choose to got outside the official guidlines, then the onus is on you. The S is also a "stock" engine - same block as in the One and Cooper. But more modifications in the headunit, drivetrain etc.

Yep, but if the bluefin or similar remaps offer more power and better economy (as I'm lead to believe) why don't BMW make this kind of map stock?.

The S engine has physical changes - the supercharger for one. The ECU map wouldn't incur an additional cost etc, just change the 1s and 0s.

I'm confused,

So the BF map doesn't offer better economy is that it? Or is the Cooper map just limited to make the stock S seem even more superior? "z"

[Jon Chalk]

Comments in bold

Quote: Originally Posted by Smub (original)

Yep, but if the bluefin or similar remaps offer more power and better economy (as I'm lead to believe) why don't BMW make this kind of map stock?.

..The standard map needs to be able to cope with a wide range of conditions/fuel RON's/etc. One of the things most remaps (& the Bluefin, I think) require is that you limit your choice of fuel so that the remap can make best use of it. Plus as Rakey says, the remap can push the boundaries a bit further than BMW might want to with regard to adverse fuel economy, engine life, etc.

The S engine has physical changes - the supercharger for one. The ECU map wouldn't incur an additional cost etc, just change the 1s and 0s.

I'm confused,

So the BF map doesn't offer better economy is that it? Or is the Cooper map just limited to make the stock S seem even more superior?

..The S will have a completely different map - forced induction (via the supercharger) will necessitate a different set of parameters.
A remap could, potentially, deliver better fuel economy, if you have the self-restraint not to use the additional power on offer!

[Robert Stancliff]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rakey (original)

The down side to a remap is the loss of warranty, dealer support should something drastic go wrong, and an increase in insurance premium, and sometimes a devaluation come resale on tuned cars, as they are perceived as been trashed/tracked.
.

Just curious, how would insurance or a buyer for your car know you had a remap done?

Is there an unbiased site I can go to in order to see the increase, (hopefully), in 0-60 time, gas mileage, etc. accomplished by a remap?

Thanks

[envy]

AFAIK Bluefun can be remapped back to standard ECU in 5 minutes right?

Therefore the dealer wont need to know about the change will they? If something did go wrong you could just map it back??

[envy]

eBay.co.uk: Bluefin by Superchips for BMW Mini One,Cooper,Cooper S (item 120031753756 end time 24-Sep-06 13:42:05 BST)

More info on the bluefin there too.

[Haggi]

Quote: Originally Posted by Robert Stancliff (original)

Just curious, how would insurance or a buyer for your car know you had a remap done?

Is there an unbiased site I can go to in order to see the increase, (hopefully), in 0-60 time, gas mileage, etc. accomplished by a remap?

Thanks

cos your ecu works a bit like a black box on a plane and records different data clicks and fault codes no re-map is undecatable to think so is plain foolish as insurance cos realy dont like to pay out when youve lied to them

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by <vonstig> (original)

cos your ecu works a bit like a black box on a plane and records different data clicks and fault codes no re-map is undecatable to think so is plain foolish as insurance cos realy dont like to pay out when youve lied to them

Nail - Hit - Head

All I would say is if I was unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident with someone that has a chipped car then I wouldn't be happy to find that his insurance was invalid

I'd hope that they would throw the book at him!

[Hyper Active]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rakey (original)

Nail - Hit - Head

All I would say is if I was unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident with someone that has a chipped car then I wouldn't be happy to find that his insurance was invalid

I'd hope that they would throw the book at him!

I have a Bluefin remap on my Cooper S , and told my insurance company . It only cost an extra £13 . It's made the engine so much smoother , only added 8 bhp but you can feel them all, and the fuel economy is better as well . In short, there has been no down side. When my car went into the dealers to have a faulty throttle body replaced under warranty, the Bluefin was removed and the original map uploaded. After the throttle body was replaced, there did still see a fault code showing. SO they replaced the ECU, but they couldn't tell it had been remapped.

[British SD]

Compared to other manufacturers, one could argue MINI already pushes the power envelope. 2006 VWGolf with a 2.0L engine pushed out the same 115HP as a 1.6L MINI Cooper. Or a Toyota Yaris with a 1.6L pushing 106HP. The new MINI pushes out 120HP

Another point is that I heard that Bluefin demands high quality fuel. Many countries have different quality levels and standards for fuel so I would expect it is factory tuned to an international standard to accomdate the different fuel standards.

[Smub]

Ok this is starting to make some sense now when you consider the dependance on premium fuel...

[Robert Stancliff]

You guys must have insurance companies that are a lot more precise than the ones here in the USA. I can't imagine my insurance company checking my engine ECU after an accident and understanding that I had aftermaket software installed that might have given my MINI a couple of extra horsepower. Never happen here.