GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Topic started by: p3eps on 12 April 2008, 17:26
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Now I know theres a sticky about remap reviews, but since I can't ask questions in it, I've started this thread!
I'm seriously considering a remap of some description. I've reached almost 7000 miles and feel that the car has loosened up as much as its going to.
I've been looking around at my local choices, and the only one that I've ever heard mentioned on here is REVO. I live in Aberdeen, and there are limited performance shops around here.
My car is a Manual Ed30, and to be perfectly honest I'm not going to upgrade anything else on it. I've read a few reviews of REVO which all say its brilliant if I want to upgrade as I can customise it - but for someone not wanting to upgrade its a pretty expensive option.
Bluefin seems straight forward enough. Fit it myself, and I have the option to remove it any time I want, within 25 mins or so. Currently £500 on their website seems like a bargain for an extra 60bhp or so!
I really like the sound of APR as its switchable - but I dont have a local supplier (unless anyone can point me to one?) and I also dont have cruise control. Can I still get it switchable without CC?
I've started travelling alot to Manchester to see United - so I'm kind of tempted to get CC retrofited anyway. How does the switching work with an APR remap?
As you're probably all aware, and ED30 in the snow is a bit of a handful anyway - whats it like with 300bhp?! I like the idea of being able to switch to the standard map if the weather is nasty!
Any advice would be appreciated!
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I just had CC retro fitted by a dealership for under £150, the part number for the kit was W 1K0 054 690 A and retailed at £42.55. I was charged an hour and a half, an hour to fit the stalk? and half an hour to recode the ECU. I believe its a piece of cake to install, and if you know anyone with Vag-Com.... :cool:
I was looking at Blufin as well but would have to pass it by the other half first, and would worry about my warranty :undecided:
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there all pretty good imo, i opted for the Bluefin, got it for £449 with club discount, goes very well and drives with standard character, but more oooomph, Superchips also warrant any parts VW wont if something goes wrong
you will get people say this map, that map etc, but i find them all pretty similar
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Get it done, I run APR software on mine and its brilliant, very smooth and controlable. It made 305bhp on the rollers last week and should be doing a bit more now as I had an updated map which they developed on my car flashed yesterday. The peak power isn't the full story, the midrange grunt is fantastic.
I had cruise retro-fitted and you switch between the different maps using the toggle switch on the end of the stalk, very easy to do once you remember the sequence.
I can't recommend Awesome enough and as part of them is going to be APR Europe soon they will have all the latest developments and products
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oh and as for in the snow, if you drive using the full 300bhp your going to crash, then again you wont will you, the car is like standard up until about 2k so if you drive like normal theres no difference
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oh and as for in the snow, if you drive using the full 300bhp your going to crash, then again you wont will you, the car is like standard up until about 2k so if you drive like normal theres no difference
Thats what I wanted to know... the car behaves normal until above 2k ish?
Gaz... APR sounds like a good bet, but I dont think there is anywhere local does them. Its all very well you getting re-flashed with an update - but if I had to travel a few 100 miles for it, then it would be a pain in the butt!
At least with the bluefin I can upgrade it myself.
Do you just press a series of buttons on your CC to activate and deactivate the remap? Is it adjustable?
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oh and as for in the snow, if you drive using the full 300bhp your going to crash, then again you wont will you, the car is like standard up until about 2k so if you drive like normal theres no difference
Thats what I wanted to know... the car behaves normal until above 2k ish?
Gaz... APR sounds like a good bet, but I dont think there is anywhere local does them. Its all very well you getting re-flashed with an update - but if I had to travel a few 100 miles for it, then it would be a pain in the butt!
At least with the bluefin I can upgrade it myself.
Do you just press a series of buttons on your CC to activate and deactivate the remap? Is it adjustable?
yeh, under 2k you would never know, it was soaking wet the other day and even when pushing it when pulling away it was coping very well, APR is activated by pressing and holding the set button for a period of time
actual APR process as told me by Hurdy
Turn on the ignition (don't need the engine running)
Step 1: Press and hold the "set" button on your cruise control. After approximately five seconds, the "check engine" light on your dash will begin to blink once per second. This will tell you that you are activating program one. This blinking sequence will continue for approximately five seconds.
After this five second interval, the "check engine" light will begin blinking twice per second. This will indicate that you have activated the second program. This process is continued to access any remaining programs you may have purchased. (three blinks = program three, four blinks = program four).
Step 2:Release the 'Set' button. Turn the ignition off for 10 seconds and then back on. You are now in your selected program.
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p3eps do you know dj-horace?
he has a mk2 leon cupra and he got revo from some place in Aberdeen and he rates it
myself i went to star in kirkcaldy and got Giac good for 300bhp so iam told.
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Does having the Bluefin make any difference to your insurance? I would phone RAC Direct (where I'm insured) and say I want to have my car "chipped" and they would make a change, possibly cost me a bit more, then I'm set?
Would insurers know what I'm talking about, as you wouldn't believe the trouble i had trying to get insurance for 2 laps of the Nurburgring in my S4!?!
Ok so I'd plump for the Blufin, as its the only option for me in the Channel Islands. No VAT makes it a little more attractive and less hassle from the wife though. Does it really make a noticeable difference to the car, lower the 0-60 time by a decent chunk?
I suppose I'd also have to check with the dealership to make sure they didnt overwrite it on a service?
Just trying to cover all bases as I dont want any nasty surprises once I get involved :undecided:
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it will most likely cost you more, some wont insure you if mapped, others will but at extra cost, mine costs me about £65 more a year, you must tell them if you get it done or your insurance is invalid
dealer wont overwite it , as you can remove it with the handset before you go for the service
as for speed you will be pleasantly surprised imo
Does having the Bluefin make any difference to your insurance? I would phone RAC Direct (where I'm insured) and say I want to have my car "chipped" and they would make a change, possibly cost me a bit more, then I'm set?
Would insurers know what I'm talking about, as you wouldn't believe the trouble i had trying to get insurance for 2 laps of the Nurburgring in my S4!?!
Ok so I'd plump for the Blufin, as its the only option for me in the Channel Islands. No VAT makes it a little more attractive and less hassle from the wife though. Does it really make a noticeable difference to the car, lower the 0-60 time by a decent chunk?
I suppose I'd also have to check with the dealership to make sure they didnt overwrite it on a service?
Just trying to cover all bases as I dont want any nasty surprises once I get involved :undecided:
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I thought about it for a while and decided the Bluefin would be the easiest for me.
I was going to wait till the end of the month before ordering...
I've recently moved house and never told my insurance, so I rang up to do that. Scoundrals charged me an extra £30 as the car is no longer in a garage! I then asked about the cost of a remap - which over £200 for the year, plus my excess would change from £425 to £825!!!! I think I'll just leave it for the moment.
Maybe when its renewal time I'll phone around some other companies for quotes... but after my claim earlier in the year I think my insurance is going to rocket anyway :sick:
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Well I thought about the Bluefin also and managed to persuade the wife its a good idea...
Phoned my insurers, they know about getting the car "rechipped". They flatly refuse to cover me if I have this done.
Over 10 years without a single claim (2 car policies) and 3 other type insurance policies with them. :sick:
Not happy.
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i have to say i normally pay about £80 to add a remap plus a few other mods ( 2k's worth of alloys, intercooler, 2k's worth of brakes), on the golf though they wanted £155 !! for remap alone , remapping a golf doesnt seem to be a cheap prospect
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try greenlight insurance, there is a link from an earlier post somewhere on the forum . they were £80 cheaper than morethan even with bluefin. :wink:
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I would reccommend Greenlight too, have both our GTI's with them now - mine was cheaper with them by £200
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this with mods ?
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Ok I'm going to give them a call. Fancy stating they wont insure me if I'm chipped? It was only £36 per year more for the ED30 over my GTI, I asked for both prices when deciding which car to get. Bluefin would only take me up to the ED30 standard powerwise.
Bah! :grin:
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Ok I'm going to give them a call. Fancy stating they wont insure me if I'm chipped? It was only £36 per year more for the ED30 over my GTI, I asked for both prices when deciding which car to get. Bluefin would only take me up to the ED30 standard powerwise.
Bah! :grin:
yeh, there very odd with some things !
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I should have just got the ED30. The thing that put me off was I wanted full leather seats. I still love the GTI, though. Just feel it needs a bit more oomph! :laugh:
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Privilige relieved me of £53 when I changed from GTI to ED30!!
I realise the risk involved, but surely with something like Bluefin the insurer would never know you had it. Can't think of a circumstance where they would find out. I deal with Insurer's on a daily basis and most of them don't know there ar*e from their elbow :laugh:
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Privilige relieved me of £53 when I changed from GTI to ED30!!
I realise the risk involved, but surely with something like Bluefin the insurer would never know you had it. Can't think of a circumstance where they would find out. I deal with Insurer's on a daily basis and most of them don't know there ar*e from their elbow :laugh:
its a big risk though, if they really wanted to know they could find out, and 20k + loss is alot for £155, but the thought did cross my mind LOL
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I personally wouldn't risk it. Its best to do things the right way, even if it costs a bit more.
Going to do about 2000 miles in France at the end of next month, will look more into Bluefin when I get back. The GTI should be a bit "looser" then lol! Now I wonder what it'll do top speed? My S4 was supposed to only do 155mph but went quite a bit past that on the Autobahn.... :tongue:
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I hear what you guy's are saying, but I dread to think the amount of money I have thrown at insurer's over the years and never made a claim.
If you don't give them reason to look then why would they?? :huh: There more likely to be interested in a ten year old Cav turbo than a brand new Golf??? Just my opinion, and if I can get away with it I will.......
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So putting a "Superchips" or "Bluefin" sticker on the boot isn't a good idea then... lmao! :laugh:
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i doubt it :laugh:
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So putting a "Superchips" or "Bluefin" sticker on the boot isn't a good idea then... lmao! :laugh:
Ha Ha Ha maybe not :grin:
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this with mods ?
yep, remap, milltek, wheels & suspension.
I have know people who have not told their insurance company, some on purpose some as they didnt even think about it.
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N U Direct had a fit when I asked them if I could take my S4 around the Nurburgring... So I did 2 laps anyway with under 1000 miles on the clock!
I think I'd have got a divorce if I'd smacked the car up as we were touring europe for 2 weeks and this was our 3rd day there...
Great fun though, and plenty of eye candy there if you know what I mean.... :smug:
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Before i commit to a Custom Code remap can anyone tell me if the APR remap is 'better' in performance way?
alot of peeps have gone for the custom code remap but i keep hearing APR remap is it really better?
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The APR remap is probably better known as it is used in the USA as well as over here in blighty. A few of us know in detail what and how they have been carrying out development on the 2.0TFSI engines and the versions of them. This is because the development happened at Awesome GTI whilst some of us were there and Gazbutmk5gti also had his car used as a test bed for the ED30 mapping developments. :nerd:
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The APR remap is probably better known as it is used in the USA as well as over here in blighty. A few of us know in detail what and how they have been carrying out development on the 2.0TFSI engines and the versions of them. This is because the development happened at Awesome GTI whilst some of us were there and Gazbutmk5gti also had his car used as a test bed for the ED30 mapping developments. :nerd:
so would it be correct to say it maybe better for the ed30 engine?
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Its hard to say which is 'better' but my personal thoughts were to go with the bigger named companies (with a little past experience in there too) I went with Revo, I would have no problems going for APR now I know more about there setup/work - these would be my two top choices - again these are my thoughts, you pay your money you take your chances.
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I agree - Stick with the 3 big ones for the TFSi.
APR
Superchips/Bluefin
REVO.
I've seen other maps but they just don't seem to cut it.
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i would only consider the 3 above too (plus possibly Custom code) , all good imo
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I agree - Stick with the 3 big ones for the TFSi.
APR
Superchips/Bluefin
REVO.
I've seen other maps but they just don't seem to cut it.
what about giac and mtm?
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Yes Giac is another reasonably well respected company. I don't know of anyone using the MTM stuff.
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there seems to be a lot of leaning on this forum toward
Revo
APR
Superchips
maybe rightly so because of some of the ongoing developement and investment that these companies are putting in
but i see things differently, these companies are not selling a product as such but different settings loaded onto your ECU and they are making adjustments and bettering their code every day
so are some of the less quoted companies like ChippedUK, Jabba and CC
Don't you think that they will all know what each other are doing to get there version of a remap
come on they are doing the same thing , changing fueling timing and boost to varying degrees and on the TFSi engine they are all still learning what is possible
so IMO it seems that there is a running order developing of what is acceptable, again nothing against these companies mentioned above but don't be taken in by the Coca Cola branding and take the Pepsi challenge :laugh:
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:huh: :rolleyes:, anyone else confused
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there seems to be a lot of leaning on this forum toward
Revo
APR
Superchips
maybe rightly so because of some of the ongoing developement and investment that these companies are putting in
but i see things differently, these companies are not selling a product as such but different settings loaded onto your ECU and they are making adjustments and bettering their code every day
so are some of the less quoted companies like ChippedUK, Jabba and CC
Don't you think that they will all know what each other are doing to get there version of a remap
come on they are doing the same thing , changing fueling timing and boost to varying degrees and on the TFSi engine they are all still learning what is possible
so IMO it seems that there is a running order developing of what is acceptable, again nothing against these companies mentioned above but don't be taken in by the Coca Cola branding and take the Pepsi challenge :laugh:
There was another recent thread along similar lines Brian.
I went in to detail explaining about my experiance with one of the so called lesser companies you mention and how it just didn't work out. Many of these independant companies actually buy files from 'chiptuning houses' such as Optican or Red Dot Racing etc and so actualy the R&D you mention isn't really happening. They buy a file, burn it to your car and take your money - Job done.
To coin your analagy there is little point in buying a can of Pepsi, finding you don't like it and wishing you'd bought CocaCola.
The bottom line is that the big well known names have invested a lot in the development of their code and they also take steps to ensure it isn't copied in any way. If you have a few hours to kill the google REVO vs APR.
As with all remapping - You pay your money and take your chance, however your decision can be made easier by listening to experience.
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Its down to personal choice, I know who I would consider in my short list ... you ask for advice then people will advise you from what they know and have experienced. At the end of the day its your money and you car... if you can get a remap for £100 and you want to put it on a £20k car then go for it.
Rola Cola anyone :grin:
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I agree - Stick with the 3 big ones for the TFSi.
APR
Superchips/Bluefin
REVO.
I've seen other maps but they just don't seem to cut it.
what about giac and mtm?
I have the Giac maps installed on my car and its been fine, done about 2k with it so far.
MTM is usually the audi guys as far as i can tell.But as neg said you buy a cheap map you takes your chances.
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yes i knew i would provoke those comments there
again nothing against the companies mentioned
and also didn't say you can get £100 remap as good as these
the point i was making is that there other companies namely Custom Code that are getting just as good results
we all know that most if not all these tuners consider themselves to be the best and will tell you what others do wrong, boost spikes etc
think of it this way a GTi should make 240-255bhp(some tuners modified their maps after discovering fuel cut) and a ED30 about 300bhp, so a cheaper map for instance CC with 30% off isn't as good as Revo, APR or Superchips?
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nobody said custom code was bad did they, there quite highly rated here IMO , i would have them do my car , well except for the fact they dont do a handset, hence i went elsewhere
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I agree CC are getting bigger and I wouldnt say any less good than the others. I have it on one of our Golfs but not the other as I wanted switching ability.