XSeries-forum

[quote="X5M50d"]
I'm interested however two questions
1. Does this affect the BMW 3 year warranty if something goes wrong with the engine?
2. Is this something you disclose to your insurer and if so how much does it add to the premium
Cheers Poolie!
[/quote]

I would be very surprised if the warranty isn't void and if you have an accident and haven't declared this modification your chances of being covered are reduced possibly to nil.

That said, the insurers are very unlikely to find out unless it's a very nasty accident - I have never heard of any insurer interrogating the car's software

Not sure how BMW would cope if they had to check every map on a car at a service interval, again if the turbo goes for example and BMW AG ask for more info you could well be stuck.

When you take it in for a service, BMW will upload their latest engine parameters which will probably overwrite your remap.....

[quote="IanP"]
When you take it in for a service, BMW will upload their latest engine parameters which will probably overwrite your remap.....
[/quote]

Not very likely to be done during routine service, only if there is a specific recall or update (e.g. something like the VW emission cheat).

[quote="mogsyman"]
[quote="X5M50d"]
I'm interested however two questions
1. Does this affect the BMW 3 year warranty if something goes wrong with the engine?
2. Is this something you disclose to your insurer and if so how much does it add to the premium
Cheers Poolie!
[/quote]

I would be very surprised if the warranty isn't void and if you have an accident and haven't declared this modification your chances of being covered are reduced possibly to nil.

That said, the insurers are very unlikely to find out unless it's a very nasty accident - I have never heard of any insurer interrogating the car's software

Not sure how BMW would cope if they had to check every map on a car at a service interval, again if the turbo goes for example and BMW AG ask for more info you could well be stuck.
[/quote]

I'm on a couple of motorbike forums, and the discussion of remapping comes up regularly. I have had my bike done, and declared it to the insurers, and it made no difference to the premium.

If anyone gets a remap, make sure you tell your insurers, as I read of a case where a bike rider killed someone, the insurance company took the ECU apart and found that it had been remapped and the owner hadn't declared it.

The guy ended up losing everything, as he had to pay the family of the deceased, the uninsured damage to the bike and car that he hit, plus the associated fines.

He was particularly unlucky, as the person he killed was a high earner, so the judge made him pay an even bigger sum to the family, due to loss of future earnings.

[quote="Rassi"]
[quote="IanP"]
When you take it in for a service, BMW will upload their latest engine parameters which will probably overwrite your remap.....
[/quote]

Not very likely to be done during routine service, only if there is a specific recall or update (e.g. something like the VW emission cheat).
[/quote]

Your car will be connected to BMW servers if it goes in, regardless as they update systems all the time.  They will find the remap as the checksum will change automatically every time a code is amended.  It takes a couple of seconds to spot things, and Owners on here have been caught out.  Unless your remapper can ensure that no checksums change then even a safety check (mine has one EVERY time it goes in) will pick it up.

If you are involved in any serious accident where a Police investigation is required, a check is run.  Data from the engine will be logged and checked.  The chance may be small, but the effect would be cancellation of insurance and you then get prosecuted for various serious driving offences and could lose your licence and liberty as well as the car.

Your insurance documentation will tell you what and when/if you need to inform them of.  Some won’t care, but some absolutely will.  Your statement about not needing to tell them is fundamentally wrong.  It depends upon what your policy documents state.

My insurers want to know in advance of any changes that take the car away from the ‘as built in the factory’ standard.  That includes software to do with the engine management.  I know because they asked me when I took out the policy two months ago.

I worked in the insurance industry for 20 years and here's my tuppence:

Insurers all have their own rules - and so they differ by company.

Most insurers are wary of cars that have been modified (either to increase the value or to increase the performance) and will ask you when you apply for cover. Their questions will all be a bit different but are highly likely to be slanted against you - by requiring you to confirm that the vehicle has not been modified / modified to improve performance / had non-standard parts fitted etc...

If you have been asked and don't tell them, then - should they find out - their legal remedy is to void your insurance "ab initio" , ie as if it had never been.

There are probably lots of circumstances where you are involved in a claim and they don't find out and your claim gets treated  normally.... but you are running the risk. In general, the more serious the accident (in terms of cost to your insurer) the more effort will be expended on investigating it. Obviously, if the car is stolen and not recovered you aren't likely to have an issue.

If you are hit whilst parked or involved in some other kind of claim where the modification is not relevant, then they might not find out. However, just because the mod isn't relevant to the loss doesn't mean they can't void the policy. 

If they do void your policy / turn down your claim you can go to the Ombudsman and they'll need to show that they asked you a clear question and that your lying in answer affected their decision to whether to accept you or accept you at the terms they did. Therefore, if they can show that the question has been asked, and (for example as per Allianz) it says on their website  that they don't accept vehicles with a "Bluefin chip fitted", or they can show from their documented internal policies and procedures that they would have applied a higher premium or excess had they known.... then the Ombudsman will likely not be helping you.

To answer a related question, if you had no knowledge of the mod then you can argue that you had answered truthfully to the best of your knowledge and belief... which would stop them from voiding the policy (though they can ask you to pay the increased premium they would have charged.

The reality is that it is when the stakes are highest that you run a much higher risk of being found out (if you modify and don't declare). Personally, that's when I particularly want my policy to perform.

slightly off topic, but what about modes such as OEM 21" alloys, CF front and rear diffusers, etc?

[quote="X5M50d"]
slightly off topic, but what about modes such as OEM 21" alloys, CF front and rear diffusers, etc?
[/quote]
I was going to mention this type of thing.
There will be a lot of people who are not into cars who wouldnt know if things were standard fit when a car was new like wheels, exhausts, lights etc. not to mention engine remaps.
Unless the car was bought new by the owner surely anybody could say that they didnt know that aftermarket parts were fitted.

If it helps, my insurer(s) have all been happy as long as the wheels are BMW OEM.  They’ll probably have the same attitude if the CF bits are OEM too, or if not, then al long as they know about them.

Only a few are pains in the posterior about this and either refuse or want more money.  In the end it is how the underwriters feel as they carry the cost of the claim.

The winter tyre saga of a few years back changed a lot of things and the industry realised that being less prescriptive was fine.  Winter tyres are no problem these days, but go back 8-10 years and things were very different.