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I am the delighted owner of a Fabia vrs as regular roomers will know. I am involved in the Skoda enthusiasts scene and on meets many of my friends espouse the re map cause. They spend very little money and can get supurb improvements is 180 bhp is easily attainable on my car. I have resisted on the grounds of reliability and long term durability.Also I believe a standard car will hold it's value better and be easier to sell. However I know a driving instruster who did 90k in a re mapped Vrs and I must say I'm tempted. I reckon an original vrs must be quite rare so should I leave alone?
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Keep it original Matt!!
In a strange sort of way, I feel that is the beauty of the vrS, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
If you ever come to sell, I think you are more likely to find a buyer for an untouched car than one which has been modified etc as buyers will be wary of what has been done to the car.
The 130bhp is fast enough, in your everyday driving do you push the car to its current limits? I know when I had a vrs I drove pretty much the same as I do now but the difference was knowing that you could floor it at any time and would occasionally do it on an empty motorway.
Really no need to boost its performance, keep it untouched!!
Can you tell I miss my vrS??? Especially when the car washing season is starting now, that Corrado red shone well!
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Will do Bobby although I was tempted after going out in a Jabba mapped 180 bhp car with 300 lb ft of torque. It was like having a big V8 under the bonnet: absolutely bonkers. But no you are right the basic car is more than enough and I am a bit lairy about reliability since the turbo went pop.
Sorry about previous typos, out using my ipod touch.
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The problem is with bhp & torque you can end up wanted more and more and still feel unsatisfied. I agree with Bobby, the vrS is a nice package in standard form.
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As the owner of a Golf with the same engine, I had the same dilemma, tempted by the huge increases these PD engines can deliver for not a great deal of money. I mean there aren't too many engines around that can be coaxed into delivering a 40% power hike for under £500.
However, I have decided to leave well alone. The reasons for my decision:
1) The engine is brilliant as standard. Never feels short of "guts", delivers great economy, and is known (if the right oil is used) to be capable of starship mileage without undue issues. If I wanted anything doing with it, it would be to make it quieter and smoother, and no remap is going to achieve that.
2) VW themselves did a 150 bhp version of this engine which is nowhere near as reliable as the 105/130 variants. The notion that the aftermarket can add 30 bhp to this total and somehow do it better than the engine's designers doesn't fill me with confidence.
3) I hear all the arguments from the remappers about the manufacturers having to cater for the poorest fuel standards across the world, and the good quality fuel in countries like the UK provides some leeway. However, I don't buy it. Car manufacturers offer bespoke trim levels, model designations and specifications for certain countries. It would be comparatively easy to do the same for fuel / boost mapping, and would be a good moneyspinner. If it means they could add a 40 odd bhp and a few grand onto the sticker price of what is otherwise the same car, why don't they do it?
4) When BMW launched the 335d and 535d, they found their manual transmission couldn't cope with the torque of this new twin turbo diesel engine, hence they offer it as an auto only. Yet a remapper will happily tweak your 330d / 530d manual to produce the same torque as a factory fresh 335d / 535d. BMW will not sell and warranty this combination, so what do they know that BMW don't?
The Fabia vRS is brilliant as standard. Remember that TG episode against the MINI Cooper round the track? It won almost all that advantage on the straights.
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BMW will not sell and warranty this combination so what do they know that BMW don't?
That they don't have to provide any kind of warranty?!
Presumably if you have problems, such as a gearbox failure, the remapping company isn't going to stump up a penny.
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That they don't have to provide any kind of warranty?!
Sorry, that was my point, and not very well put in my usual style! :-)
I thought it spoke volumes about the attitude of the industry as a whole - they are prepared to take a risk with their customers money that a manufacturer won't take with their own. It makes me distrust any claim they have on any car that their modifications are "safe" and are somehow within any form of tolerance or specification of the car's components. In this case, they are blatantly outside those tolerances and specifications, unless the BMW R&D chap in the article I was reading (on the development of the 3.0 twin turbo diesel engine, and completely unrelated to chip tuning, by the way) didn't know what he was talking about.
I suspect there are a handful of tuners who are professional and take a more engineering led view, but a lot of these places seem to me like quick buck, promise the earth type outfits cashing in on a boom. It was much the same when people were chipping Cosworths and the like in the 80's. Some of those engines were reduced to scrap in 20,000 miles. The professional outfits (Collins, BBR, MA Developments) charged three times as much for the work, but you got something that drove better and lasted longer. Strangely enough, those names are still around today after all the fly by nighters hit the wall.
Edited by DP on 11/05/2009 at 10:17
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It is tempting, on my old Passat PD130 I fitted a tuning box for a while (around 8,000 miles / 6 months driving).
I enjoyed the extra grunt for a short while (about 7 - 8% quicker in the gears) and it had no measurable effect on economy, but in truth I quickly got used to the extra performance. I removed it and sold it on.
A standard vRS gives in-gear performance that you would only get from a rally rep or junior supercar ... I'm not joking, doing the legal 30-50 / 40-60 / 50-70 increments in 4th gear in under 5 seconds is quicker than an Escort Cosworth ... I'd leave it standard.
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A standard vRS gives in-gear performance that you would only get from a rally rep or junior supercar ... I'm not joking doing the legal 30-50 / 40-60 / 50-70 increments in 4th gear in under 5 seconds is quicker than an Escort Cosworth ... I'd leave it standard.
Yes, although if the Cossie is in 2nd or 3rd, you're a bit stuffed ;-)
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>>> Yes, although if the Cossie is in 2nd or 3rd, you're a bit stuffed ;-) <<<
Possibly :) Although if the Fabby is in 3rd gear, possibly not .... 30-50 & 40-60 in under 4 seconds in 3rd!
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I had my 2.5 V6TDI remapped (which is not PD) and it was the best £250 I spent on the car. It doesn't turn it into some sort of uncontrollable howling beast. It feels as it did before in every way except as though you always had the handbrake stuck on or towing a heavy load before.
The engine is more effortless and lower revving like an American V8 and it doesn't downshift or need to be kicked down as often, it just quietly rides acrest a wave of endless torque.
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I fitted a Tunit box to my 2008 2.0TDI Audi A3 9 months ago. Car is more drivable with fewer gearchanges, more mid range power over a wider rev range and with no measurable change in fuel usage.
Insurance premium increased by £25. What's not to like?
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... What's not to like?...
The rejected warranty claim?
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Theoretically speaking one could remove the box.....
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I don't see how the warranty would be rejected, as a good remap is not detectable, especially by the dealership. You could always have your old map reloaded if you have a problem, as I guess that would be the first step in troubleshooting. The re-mappers do keep a copy of this (or at least claim to for copyright compliance) and some even give you a gadget so that you can upload your original, the new one or several others.
If you don't feel comfortable then don't, as negative thoughts attract negative events.
Edited by Hamsafar on 11/05/2009 at 12:12
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...as negative thoughts attract negative events...
OK, let's be positive, by chipping your car you are giving the garage/manufacturer a positively good excuse to reject a warranty claim.
A warranty claim is no more than a bill to them, and if they can avoid paying it, they will - all helps their positive cash flow.
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Theoretically speaking one could remove the box.....
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Not if you're in hostpital after the accident and your insurance co has the car!!
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In that instance I doubt that a warranty claim would be high on the list of priorities, assuming of course that a warrantable failure caused the accident.
In my opinion that's not a very likely cause of an accident.
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Not really cricket though is it?
I'd like to fit a tuning box to my turbo diesel but as its 2 years old, I'll wait another year for the warranty to expire then it will be fair - if the car fails - on my head be it.
I'm told that I can get 205 bhp and 330lbf from my 1.9 litre engine.
Still, I might not even fit a tuning box. Why add a device thats been knocked up with a soldering iron in someones bedroom to a machine (your car) thats had some clever minds and billions thrown at it to develop it. I bet they havent done any HALT testing to the diesel fuel pumps, crank,bearings or dual mass flywheel...
If someone from a tuning shop can sit me down and show me the reliability figures I might start to be interested.
You wouldnt fit substandard shoes to a racehorse?
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If you're happy with the performance of your car and value maximum reliabilty and long life above all else, then I agree don't modify it.
If you hanker for a considerable performance boost at fairly low cost and ,I believe, low risk then go for it.
If you are an "abusive " driver then I'm sure you'll break something, but I consider myself to have reasonable mechanical sympathy. I don't try full throttle starts in 1st , I seldom floor it in 2nd, but it's great to leave it in 6th for an overtake , or use the extra grunt to overtake quickly in 3/4/5 . The std engine is OK but I much prefer the modded one.
To each their own.
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Listened to all the arguments and I am leaving well alone. I would have to spend a fortune on another car to get the same blend of abilities: a fortune i have not got at the moment so it's got to last me.
Cheers for the feedback, it does seem this engine has its fans on here!
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Just makes it more 'Drivable' My Master van has benefited from it enormously. Pulls like a train from 35-40 in fifth and is especially noticeable when towing a two ton trailer well loaded. I don't thrash it at all AND I do have the oil and filter changed every 5-7k.
Highly recommend Simon Coe of Upsolute.com if you do go for it.
VB regards.............MD
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