Hi

I have a lovely Black Vrs and I am thinking about upgrading the engine. I have read all the posts and FAQ's I can find but I have a couple more I would like answered, if anyone would like to.

I was thinking of either chipping it at Jabba, overwriting the ECU with Revo or putting a box on it from Tune-it?

Any thoughts experiences of these etc? Also what else do I have to worry about, smoke, soot, oil changes, fuel comsumtion. Any and all info welcomed.

Thanks Chaps

Heath :huep:

Not wanting to hijack your thread, but I would also be interested about how these mods have affected your insurance. Insurance companies are obsessed with modifications; add another ash tray, and they suck through their teeth, bump up the premium (and the Excess) by a considerable sum and then charge you a

One insurance company - LiverpoolVictoria - does not charge any extra for mods but is particular about driver age.

Ive got revo on my car.... its great

yes, you should tell your insurer, even tho its claimed to be undetectable... if mr insurance is looknig for it.. it CAN be found! how much a insurer will charge depends on the insurer... altho liverpool direct apparently will only charge extra if a mod actually changes the CC of the engine capacity! (but they arnt very friendly to the under 25's)

Ive found fuel economy is marginally better when driving normally.. but expect low 20's when giving it some

the car will also throw out more soot on full throttle, which unfortunately is going to happen with any chipped/remapped diesel. altho you would expect more smoke with a crude tuning box.

oilchanges and servicing remains as normal... but keep an eye on the tyres.. ive got 17" toyos on mine, and the car will break traction in 2nd gear very easily.

i would also reccomend sorting out the brakes, and possibly suspension, as things can get a bit hairy with close to 185bhp :eek:

DGW, I'm just wondering how old I need to be. I used to have a Ford Capri, so I guess I'm plenty old enough.

LV tend to prefer 30+ for modded cars

One insurance company - LiverpoolVictoria - does not charge any extra for mods but is particular about driver age.

Not entirely true. They charged me an extra

Neo_VR, good reply! I'm really trying not to hijack Speed Triples excellent thread here, but are these remaps TUV approved? I know that Audi do a remap for the S4, and that this is TUV approved therefore the warrany stays intact, which is a consideration when buying a new car.

Changing brakes and suspension is OK, because you can always refit the original ones, but consequential damage to the engine, even if the remap is not to blame, is really wallet busting, this is when the warranty saves your marriage...........

Charging

As long as any parts you fit comply with the relevant British Standard (look for the BSEN number), and the car passes am MOT Test (where applicable) then that's all the insurers need to know.

Whether they load your premium is another matter

I thought SVO only applies to kit cars, some imports & re-shelled vehicles etc?

As long as any parts you fit comply with the relevant British Standard (look for the BSEN number)' date=' and the car passes am MOT Test (where applicable) then that's all the insurers need to know.

Whether they load your premium is another matter

I thought SVO only applies to kit cars, some imports & re-shelled vehicles etc?[/quote']

I've known insurers to ask for a modified vehicle to be inspected by "a competant motor engineer" prior to cover being offered. Basically so the insurer could be sure that the vehicle had been nailed together properly.

I guess some insurers are just awkward and prefer people and cars to fit their mould. Take your cash somewhere else, one of the robbers is bound to crack under the pressure and accept it.

I've known insurers to ask for a modified vehicle to be inspected by "a competant motor engineer" prior to cover being offered. Basically so the insurer could be sure that the vehicle had been nailed together properly.

Fair point Dave, but surely that's a rare occurrence these days?

I don't recall anyone on Briskoda mentioning such an inspection for example

Fair point Dave' date=' but surely that's a rare occurrence these days?

I don't recall anyone on Briskoda mentioning such an inspection for example [/quote']

Yes Geoff you are correct my experiance was some years ago.

Hopefully soon I will be able to get back into modifying cars again, once cash flow allows