Hi folks we seem to have a rash of later A6s and other models that have had remaps and a couple of years down the line get running problems, the later technology software for Euro 6 is far more sophisticated than Euro 4-5 ever was, the sensors it controls are very sensitive and run between very narrow thresholds to maintain minimum emission levels to satisfy European standards, if you add to the mix that they were developing the software up to ten years before Euro 6 it then begs the question how can a bloke with a van or a download off the internet best about two million Euros worth off research and god knows how many more millions in refining these systems, yeah it is easier on the old models as the software has been cracked and is available for public consumption, allied to the fact the manufacturers dont care about older software as its past technology and can be re written to suit the writers purpose, then we have the fallout from newer maps such as increased temperatures throughout the engine which causes premature Turbo wear as well as injector wear as the ECU struggles to maintain its as built peramiters, then add the coding issues to make sure the average DIY mechanic and garages are constantly buying new and more sophisticated diagnostic machines to be able to affect repairs, the coding of major engine emissions components is to maintain a seamless repair protocol, therefore most of these cheaper maps will upset that balance.
A few years ago a neighbour bought his son a brand new Vauxhall Corsa so he could commute to university and back, six months in it just made it home, I read the car and could not find any running faults so we called it a day, four days later it went back to the dealer who after four hours called the dad and told him the cars ECU was knackered as it had been interfered with, finally JNR admits one of his uni friends had done a remap on the car three months before, two days later and a new ECU at £1700 plus fitting and coding, the car was back to as built and running like a dream, all that for an alleged extra twenty BHP, if you want fast, buy fast, one of the wires friends works as a software tech for an MOD manufacturer for guided missile navigation systems, I asked her if she could write a remap for modern cars and she said yes as long as she had access to the current software profile, [not available] and at least three years to get it trialed and a certificate of compliance.
Steve.