Goochie

Just been thinking about the whole "remapped insurance" thing.... if the insurance companies check the ECU for mods after an accident they're going to see that something has changed. However, what if the ECU were to be "damaged" in the crash?

By this, I mean, what if the ECU had 12 volts shoved somewhere it really shouldnt go and died as a result? (say if 12 volts went up the earth)

It would be a terrible shame that they would never find out the state of the ECU prior to the crash.

If someone were to be really crafty they could fit a discreet switch to "flash" the ECU in such an event..........

Thoughts on this below please.............

Markus

To be honest, I seriously doubt the insurance company would check the ECU. If we're talking ECUTEK here then it's still using the OEM ECU, just it's remapped, so from 'looking' at the hardware side of it, it would look the same, they'd have to actually start looking at the map to find out there were changes, and to be honest, I really cannot see them firing up DeltaDash and saying you've got a modified map.

This might just be my lack of knowledge. but I thought that an ECUTEK remap was 'invisble' so to speak, as in, if you still have warranty, and get the car remaped, unless your dealer actually checks the map they'd not be any the wiser.

If it's a replacement ECU (Gems, Link, Pectel, Motec, etc...) then if they know what the standard ECU looks like, then yeah, a visual check could give the game away.

SiDHEaD

Are they really gonna check the maps??? I wouldn't have thought so!

Goochie

I'm thinking about a Jabba remap on an Octavia VRS. ALl done through the ODB port with no visible changes.

Markus

Ask Jabba about it, see what they say. If there are no visible changes, then, as said, I seriously doubt there would be any problem at all. I know insurance companies can be sneaky, but I don't think they are at the level when they would start checking ECU maps.

For example, in the case of phase 1 Impreza's, the ECU cannot, as far as I'm aware be ECUTEK'd, the only way to remap it is by using a daughter board (known on here as scoobyecu). To detect this you'd have to open up the ECU and know that you were looking for a card plugged into the ECU, there's no way from the outside to tell if it's been changed.

Mitchy260

I've just had the jabba remap with boost controller fitted to my LCR a couple of days ago. Highly reccomended, they really are excellent. Results were 272@fly with 240@ wheels. Torque is 290lbft which is a huge amount going through the fronts! Plenty of torque steer and not that easy to control below 60. However after 60 it really does shift. It would have ripped my scooby a new arsehole after 60mph. 60-100 in less than 8 secs and it flies after 100mph also! Have already had it off the 160 clock.

As to insurance inspectors, a couple of years ago i had an MG chipped and crashed the car. He took around 30 secs to declare it a right off and went in the office filling out the paperwork. He never even looked under the bonnet and i received an £11000 cheque for my car a few days later. I very much doubt an insurance inspector will hook up to your diagnostics port to check, even if he does the jabba remap has the standard map flashed in and hence would take an expert eye with vag tuning knowledge to spot.

MMaynard

The problem is, for most, it's not only the ECU that has been mapped. There are normally associated items such as cone filters, BOV's exhaust systems which can't easliy be 'removed' post accident especially if the car has been recovered and you are flat on your back in hospital somewhere.

2p

Martyn

Goochie

I rang the insurance co and asked them about it - have I dug myself a hole into which I could fall in the event of a crash? (have I opened their eyes to the potential of a remap so they'll look for it)?

Jiggerypokery

Ask yourself how long it would take to check the contents of the ECU, and how many megabucks the insurance company could save by not paying out.

Also, with diesels above 110 bhp the first undeclared modification they would think about would be a remap.

Goochie

maybe...... but the petrol VRS Octavia has 190 bhp to begin with and would otherwise be totally standard