Am I the only one who is concerned about remapped cars?

I hear a lot about remapping, but two things concern me.

Firstly, should there be some sort of register of remapped vehicles as at the moment there is nothing to stop you from inadvertently buying a remapped vehicle, especially with an older vehicle that has had several owners?

Secondly, I assume that when my car was designed the things that keep it on the road (tyres, steering, suspension, brakes etc) are designed around a certain power output/performance. Clearly, if I get the engine uprated there is currently nothing to say it's safe, unlike the original specification?

Should it be subject to safety tests like Germany or banned/restricted altogether?

Asked on 27 September 2021 by john Boxall

Answered by Russell Campbell

There's certainly a case for this – not least because your car may not be correctly insured if it has been tuned, and your insurance company hasn't been informed. You'd have to prove you were unaware of the remap.

It stands to reason that a car that has a tuned engine – but not upgraded brakes, say – may not perform how its makers intended, something a German-style inspection would pick up.

Tags: warranties insurance remapping

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