Performance maps and insurance

[R.E92]

I wonder how many people have bought cars that were previously remapped and they dont know about it.
How can you tell your insurance company your car has been remapped if you dont know.

I’ve thought about this before and since it’s seems to be the common consensus that a map can be easily discovered by hooking up to a computer if this was to happen I’m confident that the original remap would’ve left a discoverable time and date stamp showing it was before my ownership. I’d argue the previous owner hadn’t told me and I don’t have the knowledge or hardware to know how to access this information

There's usually no way of telling when it was done but every ECU is different and there's lots of different ways of applying maps that all have different methods.

I can only talk to the N54 with any certainty regarding if the map is discoverable and what mark it leaves in the DME.
There's no timestamp for when the DME has been mapped since remapping tools don't update the UIF field. The only way of telling if the ECU has been mapped is for someone to read out the EEPROM from the ECU and look at the hex data and compare it with the original. Some tuners leave a text signature in the code so it's possible that a crash investigator can find that in the binary but usually those signatures are just revision numbers of the tune.

Most of these forensic analysts would just rely on the manufacturer built-in remap detection which is quite often patched out. To retrieve and interrogate the binary like I mentioned above, they would need a very high degree of familiarity with that exact DME which is not likely given the sheer volume of different ECU programs out there.

 

[mcbutler]

In a fatal or very serious RTA where there is probability of criminal culpability I can believe they examine the ECU - at least occasionally, if they have the man power that week and if they can be bothered, and especially if the case has been in the media.

As for whether you should tell your insurance company about a remap? I can't see any reason not to. It cost me a small admin fee and one long painful conversation trying to explain that a remap is not a chip.

Solid addition to the thread - agreed

This is interesting with my renewal coming up..I always declare my mods but on all the comparison sites it always say in the engine modifications section something along the lines of "chipped engine" or chipped ecu cant quite remember which you never actually see the words engine remap on any of these sites so thats the box I always check..this year its something like £65 difference when i check that box which seems harsh for a small bhp bump on a n/a car ..I'm debating not declaring it at purchase and then calling the next day to have a conversation and seeing how the diffence stacks up in terms of possibly just a small admin fee being put on

Literally trying to renew my policy right now. My current insurer Direct Line are now declining my car despite insuring it before, so are LV! Which company are you with and which model Z do you have?

 

[mr.tourette]

Solid addition to the thread - agreed

This is interesting with my renewal coming up..I always declare my mods but on all the comparison sites it always say in the engine modifications section something along the lines of "chipped engine" or chipped ecu cant quite remember which you never actually see the words engine remap on any of these sites so thats the box I always check..this year its something like £65 difference when i check that box which seems harsh for a small bhp bump on a n/a car ..I'm debating not declaring it at purchase and then calling the next day to have a conversation and seeing how the diffence stacks up in terms of possibly just a small admin fee being put on

Literally trying to renew my policy right now. My current insurer Direct Line are now declining my car despite insuring it before, so are LV! Which company are you with and which model Z do you have?

Embarrasingly I dont actually know who I'm with I generally just run through the compare sites every year and take whichever is best..i have a 23i
edit..just done a quick email search :lol: I'm with esure

 

[tiglon]

In a fatal or very serious RTA where there is probability of criminal culpability I can believe they examine the ECU - at least occasionally, if they have the man power that week and if they can be bothered, and especially if the case has been in the media.

As for whether you should tell your insurance company about a remap? I can't see any reason not to. It cost me a small admin fee and one long painful conversation trying to explain that a remap is not a chip.

Solid addition to the thread - agreed

This is interesting with my renewal coming up..I always declare my mods but on all the comparison sites it always say in the engine modifications section something along the lines of "chipped engine" or chipped ecu cant quite remember which you never actually see the words engine remap on any of these sites so thats the box I always check..this year its something like £65 difference when i check that box which seems harsh for a small bhp bump on a n/a car ..I'm debating not declaring it at purchase and then calling the next day to have a conversation and seeing how the diffence stacks up in terms of possibly just a small admin fee being put on

They seem to be massively out of date and really poorly informed. I tried to explain my suspension modification but in the end, as simple as it is, the phone lady's understanding came down to "are you lowering your car or not?". The wheels were also a massive point of confusion because they're BMW, but not an original option on this car. I was worried her head was going to explode so eventually I just agreed that they were aftermarket....

 

[True-Blue]

Solid addition to the thread - agreed

This is interesting with my renewal coming up..I always declare my mods but on all the comparison sites it always say in the engine modifications section something along the lines of "chipped engine" or chipped ecu cant quite remember which you never actually see the words engine remap on any of these sites so thats the box I always check..this year its something like £65 difference when i check that box which seems harsh for a small bhp bump on a n/a car ..I'm debating not declaring it at purchase and then calling the next day to have a conversation and seeing how the diffence stacks up in terms of possibly just a small admin fee being put on

Literally trying to renew my policy right now. My current insurer Direct Line are now declining my car despite insuring it before, so are LV! Which company are you with and which model Z do you have?

This seems very strange, has something about your circumstances changed? Speeding fine, had to make a claim even if ‘not at fault’, house move etc?

LV have been very ‘modification friendly’ in the past for me :?

 

[mcbutler]

Well I am now a Sheila’s Wheels insurance customer lol. £400 for the year with all legals, NCD protection included and the remap