What have you done to your MK 7 today ?

[Yusee]

Interesting posts, thanks Kpow99 and Exonian.

I don’t think any of the issues would put me off- and can’t say I haven’t thought about doing it- once the car is out of warranty.

Not sure I feel the need for more power- but i would like more at the top. Not sure it would do that?

[Kpow99]

Interesting posts, thanks Kpow99 and Exonian.

I don’t think any of the issues would put me off- and can’t say I haven’t thought about doing it- once the car is out of warranty.

Not sure I feel the need for more power- but i would like more at the top. Not sure it would do that?

Welcome. Exonian has far more experience than I. This is first time doing and so far in two days of driving I’m enjoying the extra oomphf. Already used it to get out the way of something in accelerating past and found the power boost helpful. But just normal driving I’m getting to speed limit quicker but without it feeling like a G force face puller if you know what I mean lol I’ve come away from lights modestly without any fuss and looked behind to see cars way back as I hit the speed limit but I haven’t felt that “wooooo” feeling if going for a foot flat start. Those are even more spectacular lol.

[DCmk3]

Insurance shouldn't be a major issue as long as you are upfront about it with your insurance company. It's only really if you try to hide it from them that you could invalidate your policy.

Personally I wouldn't do it to my car while it's still under warranty, and it would put me off buying used if the car had been mapped previously.

Some companies won’t touch it but as you see from my quote I’m very surprised and very happy.

I figured I have a year of warranty left and a year until next service. I can get map taken off and put back on by Revo dealer, they say it’s not a problem. They specialise in Audi/VW/Bentley so I have every confidence. If I was worried I couldn’t afford an issue if not covered by warranty then I wouldn’t do it. I also don’t intend to sell for a long time yet, ad as Exonian says, not physical sign that it’s done and if de-tune if an issue. That engine was built for that power and it’s been tuned right back for emissions and to be lower than the R flagship, it’s a capable unit.

Ah yes, you did say about your insurance company not accepting it. I was thinking more from a perspective of shopping around at renewal time.

I don't recall exactly where I read it, but I do seem to recall that remaps do leave a mark on the ecu for newer cars that can still raise a flag with the dealer, even after the map has been removed.

There are flash counters on the ecu which will show how many times files have been written to the ecu. There are ways to bypass/reset the counter with the correct tools however.

[DCmk3]

Interesting posts, thanks Kpow99 and Exonian.

I don’t think any of the issues would put me off- and can’t say I haven’t thought about doing it- once the car is out of warranty.

Not sure I feel the need for more power- but i would like more at the top. Not sure it would do that?

A retune is definitely worth it once out of warranty to liven the car up. The factory is20 isn't bad at all and some more power through the entire range wakes it up a fair bit.

You won't find a tuner just adding power up top, it's not necessary to leave the linear powerband low down and only bring in power later on with such a small turbo. You won't hurt anything with a simple stage 1 tune on the car.

[Ryan90GTI]

That sounds perfect!Unicorn are only 40 mins from me and I was thinking king about them good that you have confirmed.Are they good to deal with?Do they customise the map to your requirements?Any downside you have found?

No downsides at all and its just as economical too. Stage 1 in any car is a no-brainer in my opinion.

For stage 1 Unicorn recommend you upgrade the air filter and turbo inlet pipe. I would also recommend changing to RS3 coils and RS7 spark plugs too.

Just seen the debate about insurance and with everything declared; brakes, spoiler, remap etc it came in at £290 - that's the cheapest I've paid for any car insurance let alone on something modified.

As for warranty, they will still do the work. I had to get a key fob replaced and also get the bushes replaced  which they still did knowing the car had been remapped. It just voids the engine and transmission part of the warranty.

As for resale value, I've always remapped my cars and never had a problem selling them. I suppose if a car enthusiast is buying your car the chances are they'd remap it themselves and if it's already done then they'd be saving a hefty lump of cash.

[DCmk3]

That sounds perfect!Unicorn are only 40 mins from me and I was thinking king about them good that you have confirmed.Are they good to deal with?Do they customise the map to your requirements?Any downside you have found?

No downsides at and its just as economical too. Stage 1 in any car is a no-brainer in my opinion.

For stage 1 Unicorn recommend you upgrade the air filter and turbo inlet pipe. I would also recommend changing to RS3 coils and RS7 spark plugs too.

The turbo inlet elbow itself is worth upgrading as the factory fitted elbow is extremely restrictive.
See below factory inlet elbow compared to the VWR inlet elbow



The RS3 coils are not necessary to be honest, you can make stage 3 levels of power on factory coilpacks. I am still running the factory mk7 gti coils at 400hp.
What is worth doing is NGK Racing-8 spark plugs - I can't recall the exact code for them however.

[Yusee]

Interesting posts, thanks Kpow99 and Exonian.

I don’t think any of the issues would put me off- and can’t say I haven’t thought about doing it- once the car is out of warranty.

Not sure I feel the need for more power- but i would like more at the top. Not sure it would do that?

A retune is definitely worth it once out of warranty to liven the car up. The factory is20 isn't bad at all and some more power through the entire range wakes it up a fair bit.

You won't find a tuner just adding power up top, it's not necessary to leave the linear powerband low down and only bring in power later on with such a small turbo. You won't hurt anything with a simple stage 1 tune on the car.

Yes, fair enough. I guess I’m really just considering whether a tune would make the car more satisfying to rev out on the odd occasion I get to do so, rather than because I feel the need for more power. From what I can see on the revo graphs, peak power is higher* than the stock.

Insurance is not really an issue- other than less choice, so can’t use the usual price comparison sites.

I’ll have to remember this part of the thread when my warranty runs out in December. It’s definitely food for thought.

(* I mean at higher revs)

[Exonian]

Not sure I feel the need for more power- but i would like more at the top. Not sure it would do that?

Lots of good info coming in from all angles here.
Start a fresh thread on the subject when you’re thinking about doing the deed and you’ll find there are plenty of people willing to help get you rolling down the slippery slope! 

The GTI turbo doesn’t flow like the R turbo at higher revs (although the latter can be retrofitted  ) but is quicker spooling lower down and will make the car feel much more lively when mapped. Where the standard GTI power delivery is very linear as previously posted the remapped car has much more of a swell to the delivery and will hold power a bit longer than the standard car, and at much higher peak figures, but the turbo still has a rev ceiling thats lower than an R’s. It’s a ‘more everywhere’ approach.
A remapped R has a bit more of a gradual build but is more revvy if that makes sense?

As a comparison, imagine dropping the 405 16v engine into your Pug, Thats what a remapped R drives like where a remapped Golf GTI would be more akin to blueprinting your 8v 1.9 block, with a flowed head and slightly edgier cam.

With these modern turbo engines a good mapper can tailor a delivery pretty much how you prefer it but the turbo will limit how soon it boosts and how many revs it can hold before the boost tails off.

[DCmk3]

Interesting posts, thanks Kpow99 and Exonian.

I don’t think any of the issues would put me off- and can’t say I haven’t thought about doing it- once the car is out of warranty.

Not sure I feel the need for more power- but i would like more at the top. Not sure it would do that?

A retune is definitely worth it once out of warranty to liven the car up. The factory is20 isn't bad at all and some more power through the entire range wakes it up a fair bit.

You won't find a tuner just adding power up top, it's not necessary to leave the linear powerband low down and only bring in power later on with such a small turbo. You won't hurt anything with a simple stage 1 tune on the car.

Yes, fair enough. I guess I’m really just considering whether a tune would make the car more satisfying to rev out on the odd occasion I get to do so, rather than because I feel the need for more power. From what I can see on the revo graphs, peak power is higher than the stock.

Insurance is not really an issue- other than less choice, so can’t use the usual price comparison sites.

I’ll have to remember this part of the thread when my warranty runs out in December. It’s definitely food for thought.

I would say go for a remap, it will feel like stock when you're cruising and have that extra bit of power when you feel like giving it a bit. And of course it is a nice increase in power for overtaking when the time comes. 

[Yusee]

Not sure I feel the need for more power- but i would like more at the top. Not sure it would do that?

rolling down the slippery slope! 

Ha, it certainly feels like a slippery slope- it's not something I need- but I think it's something I now want!
Thanks for the explanation. It's a good flexible engine for everyday use, but perhaps a remap would make it a bit more exciting for those golden moments when the road opens up.

@Kpow99, why did you go for Revo?