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Tuning Frequently Asked Questions

These are the most common questions we get asked, if you have any others don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We offer a wide range of car servicing options

What does it cost?

Tuning starts from $1,000 incl GST and depends on the make and model of the vehicle, please get in touch for a price for your particular model

Does tuning/remapping your vehicle require certification?

Yes, you may require LVV certification depending on the vehicle you are tuning, please get in touch for clarification or refer to the VIRM https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms

What gains in power and performance can I expect?

Generally, anything turbocharged will achieve around another 20% power and torque. Often this can be considerably more. Click here to find out your vehicle gains

Will I have to do anything different after the vehicle has been tuned?

No, generally not. However, in some cases if your vehicle is petrol and turbocharged you may be required to run 98 octane fuel

Is it safe for the vehicle?

The tuning process enhances and optimises the power of the engine within safe limits, not beyond them. Manufacturers have to build in a tolerance for the parts in the engine, to manage the effect of wear and tear, production variations, and to ensure their warranty claims during their warranty period normally 3 years, are kept to a minimum.

Most race and rally engines are pushed for every last bhp, because of this they are more likely to fail, whilst normal vehicle engines are limited back, well away from probability of multiple failures. Each individual engine is different as in how much it can be pushed in a remap, but a good tune from a quality tuner will never get close the limits of component failure.

Why don’t the manufacturers do it?

Manufacturers generally sell one vehicle that covers various markets, with different tax and emissions regulations; different climates with extremes of heat, cold, humidity; different fuel quantities; different operating altitudes, etc. A manufacturer has to take all of these factors into consideration and make substantial compromises in the vehicle’s operation.

Sales and marketing also have a big affect on the way an engine is mapped. If you look the in manufacturer brochure at the engine specs, the torque graph will rise, then flatten out on a straight line, and then drop off. This obviously isn’t how an engine breathes, and it’s the request of sales and marketing to produce this flat lining of the torque. Why? Well it’s about having better torque figures than the competition and about local market taxation laws.

Do you offer a trial period?

We are very confident that your tune will both improve your driving experience. We offer a full 30-day money back guarantee. If you are not delighted with the results, we remove the tune and give you a full refund.

What about insurance?

We advise that it is your responsibility to inform your insurance Company of any modification to your vehicle.

Do you keep a copy of the original tuning file?

Yes, in secure storage, should you ever require your vehicle to put back to original.

Does it affect the manufacturers warranty?

Some manufactures diagnostic equipment may detect a remap. Generally most manufacturers take on it is that if a modification causes a problem with the vehicle, then the part of the vehicle affected will not be covered under warranty, this does not mean a complete cancelling of the whole warranty.

How does the remap improve the vehicle?

A full remap alters the fuel, boost and torque characteristics of the engine. By controlling the fuel pressure, injected fuel quantity, maximum permissible visible smoke limit, boost pressure from the turbocharger and the torque characteristic.

Our tunes offers a fully controllable change to the engine characteristics, whilst still operating with full engine feedback control and within all the preset engine sensor limits.

What do diesel add-on tuning boxes do and why don’t you offer them?

We do not fit add-on tuning boxes, which normally just interfere with engine management signals to trick the injectors into adding more fuel. Our service is a custom re-map of your ECU, specifically for your vehicle.

These differ from how a remap works. A tuning box relies on the principal of more diesel fuel = more diesel power. That theory is correct, and boxes do increase power, but they can’t control the amount of black smoke (maximum permissible visible smoke limit) coming out the exhaust.

In a modern engine there are complex engine control systems that cooperate with each other to make everything work perfectly. A diesel box manipulates some signals in order to either increase the injection time or fuel pressure. Unfortunately, this manipulation is done entirely without the engine control system’s knowledge. This means that a diesel box tricks the engine control system of the vehicle and the consequence is that a large amount of values and control data will be incorrect, resulting in the following issues: The on board trip computer shows improved fuel consumption, but the real amount left in the tank is less, as fuel is being injected without any of the sensors detecting the additional amount entering the cylinder. The traction control program (ESP) is disturbed because of incorrect torque values, automatic gearboxes control unit gets incorrect torque values resulting in poor shifting, torque reduction when shifting gear (for comfort and durability of the transmission) is not retained, the regeneration cycle (emptying) of diesel particle filter will not be correct, the calculation of exhaust temperature is disturbed, the calculation of service interval is disturbed, on board diagnostic system monitoring is disturbed

What Warranty do you offer?

All our work comes with a lifetime file warranty. We take a full back up of your original file should the client ever want to go back to stock. All work comes with a 30-day money back guarantee if the client is not 100 % satisfied with the results. Our warranty covers you for any faults caused directly by our software upgrade whilst it’s in your ownership for the serviceable life of the vehicle. We do not replace the manufactures warranty or cover failures caused by general wear and tear.

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