Remapping a Mk 3 Superb 1.6 Tdi 120

[TheSledge]

Evening all, 

Two year’s after foolishly selling my Mk2 Superb and going all Mondeomanish, I’m looking at buying a used Mk 3. 

I have sourced a good deal on a three-year-old 1.6 tdi SE Business - it’s a lovely car, if not the nippiest. 

My local (reputable) tuning company can do a remap taking the BHP to 145 for £249, which still makes the car cheaper than a comparable Tdi SE Business 150. They also reckon the economy will improve by around 7 per cent. 

My question is: should I take the plunge, buy the 1.6 and have it remapped, or compromise by buying an older /higher mileage 2.0 Tdi 150? 

Does abyine have any experience of driving a remapped 1.6 Tdi 120? Any advice appreciated.

Thanks in advance, 

John 

Edited 16 November, 2018 by TheSledge

[RichardatWakefield]

Hello The Sledge,

No I don't have any direct experience of either the 1.6 or 2.0tdi CR engines, but plenty on here do, a guy over in Cheshire took a 1.6Tdi CR Yeti up to an amazing power output, but then dismantled and sold all his other expensive mods, not sure if the engine went back to standard map.

 

Anyway, I've had two PD Tdi's remapped, the first a 3-cyl 1.4Tdi in a Mk1 Fabia, done by RS Tuning in Leeds, and now the current car, the 4-cylinder 1.9Tdi PD Roomster which I've owned for just over 5yrs, the remap was done by Darkside Developments at Barnsley.  

 

Both remaps were intended to further improve fuel economy rather than outright power, both have done that and not, to my knowledge, caused any undue wear or damage.

 

You need to discuss your proposed mods with your insurers, many "mainstream" insurers won't cover "modified" vehicles, especially performance-enhancing mods.

I may be wrong, but I suspect you're restricted to either using Footman James, Chris Knott, or Adrian Flux.  

 

You'll need to negotiate with your insurers what % increase over manufacturers stated output they'll accept, and insist the remappers stick to that.  And that's assuming they'll consider covering the car if remapped.

 

Bear in mind that VW rate their power outputs conservatively, to allow for poor fuel, bad roads, high altitude operation, poor oil etc, so your 1.6tdi may already be churning out a fair bit more than the brochure figure. A good re-mapper should do a general engine health check before agreeing to re-map, inc a preliminary dyno run to establish the "base" output, so they know where they'd be starting from. They'll want to know the servicing history, quality of oil used, service frequency, cambelt/mileage elapsed.

 

So there's likely to be extra premium, and quite possibly a need to change /shop around to get cover for what insurers will view as a modified vehicle.

 

And factor in your time doing the chasing, taking the car in for a prelim-run, and probably set aside another day when they can fit you in to do the re-map.  Before- and after- output printouts are a must, think of when you come to sell the car on later. Worth asking whether, come the time you wish to sell the car, the remapper would return the engine to standard tune for little or no fee, many used car buyers are wary of modified vehicles.

 

In my opinion it's only worth remapping if you intend to keep the car for several years, so as to spread the extra costs.

 

Have you read on here of the injectors leaking fuel inside the engine, diluting the oil, and causing expensive rebuilds in some cases? (1.6tdi CR).

And will the engine have had "The VW emissions scandal Fix"??  The remappers will want to know this.

 

Might work out no more expensive to get a 2.0tdi CR and keep it standard,  but hopefully other Superb owners will come on and offer you their thoughts.

Good luck, be interested to hear what you choose to do and how it pans out.

 

Edited 17 November, 2018 by RichardatWakefield
Add more detail.

[TheSledge]

Thanks Richard, that's all really useful.

I have spoken to Yorkshire Remaps on Elland Road, Leeds, and they say they have done a lot of VAG 1.6 Tdi remaps and never had any problems - their feedback (assuming it's all genuine) is very positive online.

I hadn't considered the insurance implications, so will need to check with Aviva - as I'm only planning to take the BHP from 118 to 145, I'm hoping it won't be an issue. 

I'm not too far away from Parkside Developments (I live near Pontecarlo) and will check them out. 

Thanks again.

Edited 18 November, 2018 by TheSledge

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi,

Please feel free to give us a try for re-map insurance if you like. If you wanted to PM me some contact details I'd be happy to arrange for one of my quotes team to give you a call back. 

Regards,

Dan.