Getting the old girl remapped... I should have learned my lesson by now...

[Taz]

The car is home. Sigh of relief.

[Maniac]

Hello

That is great news .. just out of interest did they save the original ECU ? and was it a main dealer where you took your car ?

regards

Yes BMW main dealer had the kit to resurrect the original ECU.

[SO8]

Hello

That is great news .. just out of interest did they save the original ECU ? and was it a main dealer where you took your car ?

regards

Yes BMW main dealer had the kit to resurrect the original ECU.

[srhutch]

Great news that it's sorted

[Grumpyowl]

Great news for you, get those new shocks for the summer and enjoy

[philip27]

Good news glad it got fixed and that the guy helped resolve the issue.

[PerryGunn]

Good news - glad it all worked out in the end

[MACK]

Remapping does worry me - the standard map is good for all scenarios but the tuned map?

I use my cars at sea level and in the mountains in Europe , would a remap cope in both situations ?

Remaps, like standard maps have all sorts of correction values programmed in for differences in air pressure, air temp and water temp to name but a few. These are usually fairly standard settings across all different types of vehicles etc. Usually remapping involves playing with the settings for ignition timing, fueling and boost etc and leaving most of the corrections as per the standard setting.

I'm by no means an expert on this stuff but have fitted a good few throttle body kits and aftermarket ECU's to run them. These ECU's give you unrestricted access to the settings in the same way a decent re-mapper would have access to in the OEM stuff. Played around with these settings/maps etc enough over the years to get a decent understanding of how maps work etc.

I wouldn't let using the car in different climatic conditions put me off having a remap, as the correction values would work in exactly way. So you would only see the same relative loss of power you would with the standard map in higher elevations. Fuel quality is a much more critical element.

[R.E92]

techathy is completely correct about the JB4.

It works well as a meth controller and and has some nice little gimmicks like shift lights and gauge hijacking but as a boost controller it's just not needed. It's an absolute train wreck on a car with a DCT transmission. The developer seems like a really nice guy who is doing his best to keep his product relevant but piggybacks are only ever a fudge for when you have no ECU access.

stuartinzg is also correct about MHD.
MHD is by far the best option for anyone wanting to tune their car and with a custom tune from Wedge Performance you get to specify exactly what you want from the map.
I know some people like to believe that these remap garages are run by tuning professionals but the sad truth is that these garage based tuners are to car ECU tuning what staff in PC World are to IT experts.

I know his comment may have come across as an "I told you so" but I can see his point. There's an entire forum devoted to ECU tuning on E90Post which is extremely active and 99% of people there either have COBB, MHD or a JB4. There's a good reason nobody bothers visiting a garage to get a remap anymore.

But it's good to see you have the car on the road again without the financial pain of getting a replacement ECU

[Tricky Dicky]

Sorry to hear about your issues maniac, I get the distinct impression from the J.E . Episode and your story, that this engine customizing /car tuning/ remapping business is a total minefield ,I know nothing about modern car electrics, but the risk to your pride and joy being ruined is such that I wouldn't bother . These companies seem to just lie ,suck you in ,say they can do the job ,nonchalantly screw it up hand you your keys back with a shrug of the shoulders . Are any of you guys still contemplating this course of action , if yes then I think you are bonkers ,bit of a strong statement I know. As a layman I know these cars electrics are ridiculously complicated ,And yet look at some of these back street outfits who claim huge results ,and I think , your a cowboy mate ,hi ho silver away with his money.

[TitanTim]

If you must tune the car then I would always go the AC Schnitzer or Birds route with some kind of warranty. Nothing wrong with tuning so long as you accept potential pitfalls however why not just get a more powerful motor if that's what you crave.

Tim.

[Tricky Dicky]

I agree with Titan Tim , if you want more power upgrade your car , unless I was 100% certain the outfit was good and had a guaranteed track record with members testimonials all over the place I would not do it.these cars are bonkers complex How much power do you need maniac ? And will it affect the resale potential / insurance ?

[Yorkie Z]

Glad you got it all sorted, you must have breathed a huge sigh of relief.!!

[Garvin]

Really good result - back to square one but at least at no cost and an experience gained and a warning shared with others.

Regarding more power in a 35is I really can't see how it can be exploited on the road, or even a track. The chassis/handling on these is, IMHO, only just coping with the existing power and without mechanical changes any power increase will be wasted - except for the straight line traffic light Grand Prix and/or bragging rights down the pub!

If the addition of a LSD and better tyres etc. isn't attractive how about spending money on high performance driving courses. I'm not talking about track experiences in supercars I'm talking about proper instruction in how to drive bloody quick but in safety. It's a route I have followed and it's been worth every penny.

[MACK]

The arrogance of some people never fails to amaze me!
On one hand they tell you they know nothing about the subject. Yet then quite bizarrely, act like they are the world foremost authority on the subject and feel qualified to make broad brush statements about the folks that do know what they they are talking about and go down these routes being fools and the companies that provide these services all being cowboys and charlatans!
Honestly I am gob smacked they really think any one cares about their ignorant, overly simplistic opinions