As I understand it, if you have a Tek 3 remap done, the actual map itself is only availble to the person who mapped your car.

ie if you subsequently go elsewhere you have to effectively start again with a new base map, whereas the original mapper can just tweak the existing one, which obviously takes less time (and money)

However I believe the map itself is simply stored as some kind of file which can be stored on a computer and even emailed to someone else if needed.

If this is the case then surely it is not unreasonable to ask the person who maps your car to have a soft copy of the map on disk or by email so that it can be transferred to another mapper if needed ?

Has anybody asked this or is it a complete no no..

Thanks

 

They are unlikely to do this as the Programme is v v expensive and would not be financially viable. I thought that once mapped the license was in the programme so going elsewhere is not a problem.

No doubt someone has the full answer

 

true

 

I asked this question to the person who mapped my car, the map is uploadable to the ECU but is not downloadable back to another mappers laptop, therefore a mapper can not know how the car is mapped so will need to start again from scratch. I also asked if my map which is currently stored on the mappers laptop could be mailed to me so I can give it to another mapper here in germany rather than have to travel back to the UK to get a tweak done. I was told that mappers are ferociously protective of their work and are unlikely to hand out your map ***** nilly as other mappers could learn from it and use it them selves, however in my situation my mapper agreed to send my map to a respected mapper here as he trusted him. So yes these maps are only data files that can be emailed around. However it is highly unlikely that the mapper will do this unless he really trusts the person that is going to make the tweak. If this modification could be made so that maps could be uploaded and downloaded then life would be so much easier and cheaper.

 

just out of interest how can you not turn round and legally demand a copy of the map? surely you have paid for the service of mapping the car you must be allowed a copy of it so can be put back on car if needs be?
i understand y people don't, fair enough its there work, but you have after all paid to have it done.

 

Bartop,

I think that most mappers would email the file across to other mappers upon request?

The Forrester is going to be one hell of a machine mate when it's done.

Top Man.

Steve

 

Interesting point. No idea but I guess it is the same as a software developer.

take me for example I work for HP in software R&D.

HP pays me and gives me a computer, I then develop some software that does something, even though I developed it and it is my interlectual property, it belongs to HP. I do not have to give it to HP but I can also not sell it or give it away.

So a mapper is basically developing a map for your car, even though you pay him to do it, he does not have to give you the map as it is his work.

at least I presume that is the case.

Bearing in mind he bought the software in order to remap your car, I would say that any work he does is his and you are only paying for a service he provides.

 

yeah can understand that bit, doesn't bother me in the sence i wanna take mine else where, to be honest now i know and trust the mapper who did my car i wouldn't anyone else to do it anyway, more of a case of wanting to have it so i can keep it safe, been told they get stored on cd and backedup anyway so not wrried about that anymore.
but lets say worst case, the mapper looses the software and my car develops a problem with the map, there would be no copies.
can i turn round and demand it be done again back to same spec as when first mapped before? you could argue you paid for it to be done that once, but you could also argue you paid for that map and should be able to re apply it as and when, you don't buy a map to last 6 months, once its mapped its mapped.

 

In effect you have the map, its on your ecu, i take your point, but its a bit like buying a preloaded hardrive from say PC world, the HDD gets corrupted & its out of its warranty , you can hardly expect PC world to give you a new one can you?

 

When I had my car TEKd the mapper made a file on his laptop with my reg number. Then if I needed more work he would have the map on his laptop.

 

Bad example though as most new PC's will give you a restore disk in order to reload the original software..

Interesting debate though chaps and I can see both sides of the coin..any mappers out there want to chip in..?

Thanks for the replys..

 

it was just an example..

It would be pointless giving you the map though as you would more than likely need the EcuTek software to load it.

As pointed out each mapper locks there map out to any other mappers, so again it would be pointless trying to take it elsewhere, you would still have to start from fresh although the licence fee has been paid.

 

As I understand it though Andy it's not locked out as such by the mappers. The ecutek software itself doesn't allow you to donwload an existing map.

As in the posts above though it is clear that the mappers can keep a copy of the map they have put on your car on their laptops , and that map can be passed like any other data to another mapper to upload and tweak rather than starting again with a generic base map.

The issue seems to be that the Mappers are reluctant to do this as they treat it more like intellectual property and are not on the whole prepared to share it with other mappers unless well known to them.

It's clear that the core of the debate is whether you are paying for services provided or if you have any rights to the actual map data file that they put on your car..

 

Bartop I would say you hit the nail on the head there

 

It is a minefield i agree, Have you actually ever asked a mapper to give you a copy of your map?

 

When I had my AVCR fitted the new mapper asked the original mapper for the boost profiles....... the request was politely declined.

In a way I can understand the situation as the original mapper had spent a good few hours mapping on the road......... class result too

Midlife.....

 

But he was paid for a good few hours work which is part of crux of bartops argument I believe, does he have the right to be able to deny another mapper access to something you or I have paid for...interesting

 

i can understand there position (mappers that is), y should i give someone else my work to make money off, i completely agree with that, but on another note surely if you have a slight mod done aka you go from a partial decat to full decat and need the map tweeking you shouldn't need to either full remap or take it back to whoever did the map, wouldn;t this verge into the teritory of monoplies, not quite in same league but similar situation, where yu have your work done is being governed by the mapper and you don't have choice but to go back or pay mega bucks to get it mapped.

on another note, my car was mapped using ecutek or what ever its called, meaning part of the cost was a license to map the car, does that say with the car, aka once its bought any company can map my car without buying it again, or does that stay with the mapper so only they have the license to map my car?

 

The licence is on your ECU and yes it can be mapped by any company provided that the last person to map it leaves the licence open.

 

ahh that answers that part then lol ta

 

Any mappers out there ?

 

Andy

I have no real problem with mappers keeping the maps to themselves as long as it's transparent and everybody knows. I paid for the Mappers skill and not for the code stored in my ECU

That would be the Mappers IPR and would not "belong" to me IMHO

Shaun

 

Just to add......... Before mapping I must have bombarded Bob Rawle with a whole shed load of e-mails with questions about what I should fit and more importantly what would work together

All mails were helpfully answered (however stupid the question) which was worth it's weight in gold The same can be said of AndyF, Harvey, Alyn, lateral performance, RCSMS, etc ...........

Midlife.....