Remap and insurance

[neil50]

Hi everyone, just thought I'd let you know about my experience with remapping and insurance.

I recently bought a 2011 E70 40d msport and although it has just over 300 bhp I like the smooth acceleration and extra drivability that I had from my old E61 that had been remapped by Celtic tuning.

I take in the E70 tomorrow for the remap, this will take it to 360 bhp and 510ft/lb torque which will help lug the 2ton plus weight up and down the hills in Cornwall and Devon (not bothered about top end).

I went to the company that insured my remapped E61 to get a quote for the X5 and they couldn't offer me anything as their insurers had stopped insuring modified X series totally. I spoke to Adrian Flux who will cover modified cars and they came in at over £1300 as did another provider, another one wouldn't cover any BMW modified card at all. I finally got cover for £885 with notification of the remap.

I realise that this is a big jump from what I currently pay but I was not prepared to have it remapped and not declare it, running the risk of issues in the case of any accident. The story so far is to definitely shop around, especially if you make ANY modifications to the car as different insurers treat modifications differently, even items that you would not think would be an issue. I thought hard about justifying the costs but then a big grin came across my face thinking about the extra power and torque and that made my mind up

I will let you know how the car feels after the remap, the last one also improved the fuel consumption slightly but it was hard to judge due to me going up the hills more exuberantly than before the modification

[neil50]

Have had the remap done and although I have only done about 40 miles I can feel the difference on hills and if I put my foot down.

On the Dyno the standard car had just over 303 HP and after it had 358 HP.

The torque has also jumped up a great deal and helps on the hills etc.

Fuel consumption will have to be determined and have been advised not to base it on the reading from the car but "tank to tank" distance etc.

[StuBeeDoo]

Fuel consumption will have to be determined and have been advised not to base it on the reading from the car but "tank to tank" distance etc.

I've kept an accurate check of mine over 16k+ miles on the fuelly website. I also note what the OBC claimed for each tank. It's usually within +/-0.5mpg of the brim-brim figure, but it's not a constant inaccuracy.
My E46 330d was claimed by the guy who sold it to me to have been remapped although he couldn't provide proof and I never got the chance to get a dyno run on it. The OBC mpg on that car was way off! I regularly saw in excess of 70mpg on the display when the truth was rarely much better than 45mpg. Someone told me that this is a known issue after a remap. I'm getting the F25 remapped next week, so we'll see.

[StuBeeDoo]

To get back to the original subject, I'm getting a remap on my F25 30d in a couple of days and my insurance premium will only increase by £75/year.

Insurance is the original "can of worms". In my experience, you can't compare insurance costs even if you and your nextdoor neighbour have identical cars and were born on the same day.

[neil50]

Which company are you using for your insurance? There was only a small jump in my premiums for my 525d when I had it remapped but not many people want to cover the X5 and all at ludicrous prices.

[StuBeeDoo]

Which company are you using for your insurance?

eSure.

[Leslie]

Sounds like a typical kneejerk reaction by insurance companies , legalised goverment endorsed highway robbery at its finest lol . Id hazard a guess that 99% of remaps never get declared due to the massive increase in premiums if they will even accept you and that's even if like yourself (op) you where already with the company !!!!!!!

[neil50]

just looking at LV insurance as they do modified and all you do is tick on the engine remap box, it doesn't ask for how much increase. At the moment it is coming in at nearly £200 cheaper than I paid. As I am within the 14 days cool-off period I think I will cancel my original policy for the remap and go with LV.

I also have business cover identified in the policy as well.

[StuBeeDoo]

I've been with LV in the past. Never had a problem with them.

In fact, I seem to alternate between them and eSure. I'll probably be getting a quote from them at renewal time. The only thing they have never done for me is give a discount for being an advanced driver.

[StuBeeDoo]

Fuel consumption will have to be determined and have been advised not to base it on the reading from the car but "tank to tank" distance etc.

Someone told me that this is a known issue after a remap.

I've now done over 1000 miles since the remap and filled-up 4 times. The OBC accuracy is no different to before, so whoever it was that told me remaps cause wild OBC errors was wrong.

[neil50]

Fuel consumption will have to be determined and have been advised not to base it on the reading from the car but "tank to tank" distance etc.

Someone told me that this is a known issue after a remap.

I've now done over 1000 miles since the remap and filled-up 4 times. The OBC accuracy is no different to before, so whoever it was that told me remaps cause wild OBC errors was wrong.

It was the company that did the remap that recommended that I work out mileage fill to fill and not totally rely on the OBC.