Blue fin or not blue fin that is the question

[tnipper1]

Hello guys
We are very excited to have placed an order for a vw Cali beach which I am informed is arriving early August just in time for a trip to Cornwall on the 16th. I was speaking to a work colleague last weak about our new purchase as he has always bought everything VW. His first response was make sure you buy a bluefin coder so you can get the best out of the engine, by this he explained better mpg more performance etc. He explained that it is very straight forward to chip the engine and it could be set back to original settings using the bluefin device and won't effect insurance or warranty. Does anyone have any experience regarding this or should it be given a wide berth.
Dean

 

[choplee]

sounds like a post that our Stu will like to answer

 

[Stu]

I'm afraid you've been hugely misadvised by your colleague, with the common misconception that you don't need to tell your insurer's and it will not affect your warranty.

You must tell your insurance otherwise if you have an accident and it emerges you've been economical with the truth you'll likely find your cover being revoked and you'll be more out of pocket than you could ever imagine.

It will affect your warranty if it is proven that any part has failed (usually drive train) due to the performance software being installed then that will not be covered. Another misconception is that your entire warranty is void, this is not the case, any damage or failure must be directly attributable to the performance software or modification.

At present SuperChips do not have a 'solution' for Bluefin on all engine/ECU combinations but they are being released as and when they are completed. Your new Beach will almost certainly have an ECU that is locked using Tuning Protection which is 1024bit RSA encryption. What this means to you is that unlike many older ECU's you cannot directly flash the ECU via the OBD port until it has been 'backdoor' unlocked.

To do the unlocking the ECU must be removed from the vehicle, opened up and bench flashed to unlock it before being fitted back together and fitted to the vehicle. Once this has been done then you will be free to flash the ECU via OBD with your Bluefin Handset.

So to summarise, a very good addition to your vehicle but you must go into this with your eyes open. If you want to Play you have to Pay!! I hope I've not offended.

I've been around the tuning and remapping scene for years so I'm happy to try and answer any other questions you have.

 

[choplee]

Thanks stu .. You put it better than I ever could ..!!

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

The wifes ED35 is being mappd tomorrow......

 

[2into1]

can someone explain why a bloke with a laptop in his bedroom can beat the performance of a huge team of highly paid experts in VW Germany?

I sort of understand this when a 12 year old T4 is brought up-to-date with a new ECU map, but the idea that 'pajama-man' can beat VW boffin on a van that's was only built yesterday is more difficult for me to accept.

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

Put simply ;

Engines are designed to cope with varying grades and qualities of fuel around the world and different climates. So they are sold in a very conservative state of tune. Therefore it is very easy for a tuner to get a bit more out of the engine, but still keeping it within tolerances.

I've tuned most, if not all my cars (bar the 911 and RS4), with great results - better drive ability and better economy in normal driving.

 

[Stu]

The wifes ED35 is being mappd tomorrow......

Go Play??

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

Yes sir

 

[Carrg]

I've used Revo for yrs and now APR.

"Unlocking" or "Cracking" the ecu is as bad as it sounds.

Think I just realsised who you are Oli? Used to have ED30?

Stasis??

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

Yep thats me, I had two ED30's.

Stasis??

 

[Stu]

"Unlocking" or "Cracking" the ecu is as bad as it sounds.

Have you ever seen any of the videos of ECU's being opened :laugh2

Stasis??

They 'bought' REVO.

 

[Carrg]

"Unlocking" or "Cracking" the ecu is as bad as it sounds.

Have you ever seen any of the videos of ECU's being opened :laugh2

Yep and in the flesh.

Stasis??

They 'bought' REVO.

I Know

 

[Stu]

I guessed you knew who they are, I was answering Oli :laugh2

 

[Carrg]

Lol.

I've seen some shocking pics of ecu cracking gone wrong - bashed ecu, re-using oem seal, not watertight. Think it was new 1.4tfsi fabia Janner_Sy can't quiet remember but Gwent VW (APR) have done loads so has my mate at Got Boost.

 

[Stu]

Yes I think it was Sy's ECU following some quite botched work by a supposedly reputable company that sparked a lot of concern about the practice.

I think when carried out correctly it shouldn't pose any problems. One of those things that if it's your ECU it's probably best not to watch though :laugh2

 

[tnipper1]

Thanks Stu
Sleeping dogs and all that. Leave alone I guess. Many thanks for info
Dean

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Just be careful. We can tell if a vehicle has been mapped, and this can be logged with VW. Also if a software update is carried out it will wipe off your aftermarket map.

cheers

 

[Stu]

Thanks Stu
Sleeping dogs and all that. Leave alone I guess. Many thanks for info
Dean

I hope I didn't scare you off Dean, I just wanted you to be aware of the Pro's & Con's before going balls deep into something.

Remapping can be great as long as you know what you're letting yourself in for. As Alex says above, in some cases, VW can tell if the vehicle has been remapped. Although in the case of Bluefin, so long as you flashed to stock before going to the dealers I don't think they would. Some VW dealers are also dealers for the various tuning houses such as REVO, APR and Superchips.

If you take Richtersport they are owned by Wayside Audi in Milton Keynes. They were formed to carry out the work that customers wanted but VW/Audi etc weren't keen on being housed under the same roof as the main dealerships. Take a closer look at their performance upgrades and then compare the documentation and torque/hp graphs to those of Superchips and you'll see a remarkable likeness

If you do remap you have to be prepared to cover the cost of any parts that may fail and VW attribute to the modification - and that goes for any modification. For example, there is discussion at the moment of replacing the flexi lamp in the roof. If you did and it subsequently caused damage to the other wiring or even the fuse panel then you would be liable. Quite simply you can't expect VW to be responsible for changes and modifications you make yourself.

 

[Carrg]

I believe Audi now have a "Black list " database where names and reg numbers are logged for owners cars which have been modified. This database is available to all dealers to avoid warranty issues and claims.

When I had my Revo stage 2+ Leon K1 my dealer loved it and never had an issue :headwall
Always used to request and leave a postit note on the steering wheel saying do not reflash ecu.

If dealer does update/reflash the software company will usually re issue for free provided you have proof of purchase.

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

There is similar for VWCV as well. It comes up on my computer as well as the workshop ones. All my cars are modified, just got to be sensible and honest when booking things in or when problems arise.

Thanks

 

[Stu]

just got to be sensible and honest when booking things in or when problems arise.

Amen

 

[Carrg]

just got to be sensible and honest when booking things in or when problems arise.

Amen

What that man said ^^

Cheers Alex

 

[Carrg]

The wifes ED35 is being mappd tomorrow......

Hows the remap fella? :grin:

 

[Markm]

This is something i was contemplating this when we get our new berghaus and was looking at superchips.

We did the wifes RRS with DMS, the performance difference was fab especially the torque in the V8 diesel, but the best part was it eliminated the silly error odes we kept getting i.e. airbag fault, gearbox fault. Had it serviced with the stealers a couple of times now and never had any problems, just tell them we dont want any diagnostics work and they were fine.