Hi all! I am thinking of having my Octi re-mapped. It is a 56 plate and it has done over 192k miles and has never had a turbo in it's life! It has been well looked after by a local Skoda dealer, all services in time and done properly, nothing wrong with the car at all. I have talked to a few Re-mapping agents and they reckon that I would get better fuel consumption and get up to 170bhp without harming the vehicle at all! This is (as I have been told) a rare 56 plate without a DPF, therefore the re-map would be good for the vehicle as I want more MPG and the bhp is a bonus!

Has anyone out there had any experiences of this? Good or bad?

Thanks in advance,

Craig!

Talk to Ben at Shark...he will answer all your questions

I would avoid it on the 140bhp pd engines as the turbos are known to go bang if I remember correctly. I would also avoid it on a car with that many miles on too. Agree with Mike if it isn't broke don't fix it.

I did this to my previous Octy 2.0 PD at around 155k. It was still on the oringinal turbo and clutch. It was fine. The MPG was not quite as good, though I attribute that to mostly driving it and enjoying the extra torque. It was a hoot

I also got through front tyres in less than 6 months.

Sold that one on at 166k and it was still running perfectly. I removed the map before selling. It was used previous to me for just motorway mileage, so probs had an easy life up until the remap.

The turbo might be fine, or it might not. That's as certain as we can be.

But at that mileage, the risk is most definitely higher. That turbo has been used to running upto a certain level of boost for nearly 200k miles. And the PD140 turbo is indeed know to be less than bullet-proof.

Like many things, it's a gamble. If you remap it, the turbo might be fine for many more thousand miles. Or it might let go. And depending on how it fails, it may take quite a lot of components with it at the same time, adding greatly to the total cost of upgrading the car's performance.

I speak from experience. If you want to remap at that mileage, factor in a fresh turbo at the same time.

I had my 2.0 TDI remapped (Shark) at 75k on the clock.

Now at 95k and turbo and clutch are fine. MPG is the same as or slightly better than before, depending on mood

Very happy with the improved pick-up, pull through the rev range and top end. However, even when driving in a more relaxed manner, the extra power does make things effortless.

Like you, I was looking to chop in and upgrade (maybe to a VRS) but looking at a bigger turbo now

Some food for thought there! Replacing the turbo if needs be won't be a costly problem for me, as I run a car spares shop and I was a mechanic before that, so all is good there, even get the VAT back too, stuff you VAT MAN!!!!

Granted, I am a bit concerned about further problems down the line! I'll keep digging me thinks before I make any decisions!

The engine has been looked after and was all motorway mileage by an older gentleman, so it's not been ragged round the streets of birmingham or the like, and if it needed any work doing it was always genuine parts fitted by the same dealer he bought it from! So some peace of mind there I suppose!

This seems to be a debate that will run forever more........

Thanks for all the replies!

Craig!

Talk to Ben at Shark...he will answer all your questions

I'll have a natter with him! Cheers!

552,000kms on the clock and remapped from new. It is however on its 3rd turbo, but the current one (turbo technics) has lasted twice as long as either of the Skoda turbos (300,000kms)

Mine has the BKD engine also.

Early starts and long days !!!

I an very familiar with the M1, M2, M3, M4, M7, M6, M8, M9 and M10 in Ireland. I was hoping to change the car a few weeks ago.........but "computer said no" so I think I will see 600,000kms in the Autumn.

Record ????

If you do remap at that mileage expect to be buying a new clutch, dmf and turbo in the not too near future.

Mine was remapped at 115K and has just hit 165K, so 50K in 2 1/2 years with the remap. Mine had just had a new clutch, dmf and turbo before the remap.

I have just had to do the Mr Muscle treatment on the turbo as limp mode had started when using WOT in 3rd and 4th up hills. This seems to have cured it temporarily, but I expect it to return some time in the not too distant future. A lot of my mileage is motorway, but I also do a fair bit of A road thrashing over the tops of the pennines, so my turbo should get a good workout.

As Wardy and others have said, the turbo on the PD140 is a serious weak point, and a remap highlights this. When my goes I will be going for a hybrid or just head up to Darkside and get one of their budget conversions done and a Stage 2.

BTW, the only PD140 with a DPF was the Scout, so nothing rare about a 56 plate PD140 without a DPF.

170bhp is a bit on the low side for a Stage 1 on a PD140, should be nearer to 180-185bhp and 290-295lbft torque

I'd say if you have the ability and access to a recon turbo at a decent price then why not change them first and then map the car, at least you will be working with a good turbo. You could even look at fitting a hybrid and then have it mapped to suit.

Paul