This is in the links section but is very useful, basic info. that we have nearly all asked at one time and as such I am posting it here. I will also set it as a sticky topic for a wee while.

http://www.vagsport.com/articles.php?artid=14

btw, please do check out the links section. it's a great resource already.

very interesting reading m8 sort of thing i've been searching for .

btw top site you've got m8

regds ect

As a lot of you know, mine is chipped and is probably one of the highest mileage ones around.

I have done 67,000 miles in 14 months and IIRC had mine chipped at about 15-18,000. Included in that mileage figure is approx 6,500 track miles, which using the common formula of 1 track mile = 13 road miles, brings my true mileage figure to 145,000 miles, 130,000 of it with a chip :mrgreen:

So what has gone wrong that could have been chip related? Nothing! I replaced the clutch with 50,000 on the clock, purely as a precaution. I've had 3 coil packs go, I changed the cambelt at 60,000 rather than wait 'til the Skoda recommended 120,000. I've got through 3 sets of front discs, 8 sets of front pads, 8 complete sets of tyres, 1 set of rear pads and discs and I'm averaging 32mpg overall.

It may just be me, but I think my car is down on power at the moment and is making a funny noise from the turbo, but then with my mileage thats only to be expected, turbos do only have a finite life of probably 75-100k miles due to the bearings. When it does go I feel the urge to replace it with an IHI variable vane jobbie, a new manifold, new injectors and a re-map :mrgreen:

Would I recommend a chip? Yes, provided it is a sensible one. Do you want big figures or an engine that will last? The choice is yours.

I am not saying that other chips/remaps etc are any more dangerous than mine , (well apart from one and my opinion of that is well known) but just be aware that some remappers do run things close to the edge in terms of fuelling and boost levels eg our little turbos are rated to 15PSI, how long do you thing it would last if allowed to peak at 26PSI?