Got My Focus Remapped Today

[Kye]

It spools up from 1500 rpm rather than 1800 now. I suppose you can never get rid of the lag completely because of the nature how the turbo works.

It is certainly an improvement though!

[Lenny]

..

[Dave_TDCI]

Thanks Lenny, MFK Autocare is actually who remapped the car for me. I told them I would be up to their location in Westmeath in the New Year to get my DPF removed at some point. Do you know do they have a rolling road at their own garage?

I actually blanked my EGR valve about 2 weeks ago using your guide (very good write up by the way!) but I didn't notice any difference with the car after doing it (maybe the EGR wasn't in bad condition in the first place?) I forgot to tell Mathew I had the EGR blanked until after he had mapped and he said that's a pity because he would of mapped it slightly different knowing that.

I also have a K & N air filter fitted two weeks ago aswell.

I'm assumimg that if I get the DPF removed the car will need to be remapped again?...Would the DPF have any effect on turbo lag do you know?

A few cars ago I had a 1.9TDI 130bhp Passat and it seemed to have absolutely no turbo lag whatsoever which made it extremely easy to drive...I know it's a differnent car and different engine but hoping to reduce the lag as much as possible

[Hassen]

Great to hear that you got it sorted and that you had a positive experience with the people who did the remap as I was thinking of using them in the new year as well to remap and remove the dpf in my car. My Focus is the same model as yours and reaching about 103,000 miles soon. Like you said, the dpf is well past it's prime and I can definitely feel the car being less powerful. It has had the egr blanked and has a tuning box which has been performing admirably over the last 2 years. The tuning box has paid for itself by saving me fuel and I think next year it's time to get the dpf out to avoid any more problems in the future.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did the remap cost in the end? In a few months time, I will email them to get a quote for remap+dpf removal. I will take out the tuning box then and probably sell it.

[FOCA]

Well, i got my 1.6 TDCI 110bhp remapped this morning.

Before the remap the guy doing it said it should bring the car up to around 140bhp so that sounded good to me. I also told him that in particular I wanted more low end torque for easier driving.

I got a call then after an hour and a half to say the remap was done so I went to collect the car. The fella told me that he probably didn't get it up as much as he hoped to because the DPF was quite clogged and the egr valve needed a bit of cleaning. He did a forced DPF regeneration to try clear some of the soot and I could see a mark on the ground bellow the exhaust from all of this soot. He advised me to clean the egr valve and possible down the line remove the dpf.

He also told me that I might not feel the full difference immediately but over the next week of regular driving it should become a bit faster.

On the drive home to be honest I really didn't notice much of a difference at all. There's possibly a bit more of boost mid range, but no difference low range and doesn't feel like 140bhp. I've read people saying remapping has completely transformed how their car drives but I can't say the same, definately doesn't feel like €275 worth of a difference anyway. He said that two faults came up on his diagnostics for the DPF and the EGR but I didn't get any warning lights on my dash. I also told him I blanked my EGR last week so maybe that's why and he recommended I unblank it and clean it out as the turbo needs some of the gas recirclant for better boost.

I'm wondering firstly is their any truth in the fact that it could take over a week to feel the full extent of the remap?

And also if the dpf has a bit of a build up could that sap alot of the power I had hoped to gain from the remap?

Feeling a bit dissapointed at the moment :(

That is complete and utter garbage - EGR valves reduce power/ cause flat spots you dont get better boost from them, but worse boost, the EGR valve reduces the energy going to the turbine (part of the turbo system) so fitting a solid EGR plate helps increase the energy going to the turbine, thus reducing lag/ turbo spoolup time and improving throttle response - as may forum members can confirm from actual practical experience

In general, total peak boost stays the same (with/ without EGR/ plate) as this is controlled by the actuator etc

Sounds like a complete sharlitan who has taking your money but does not know what he is talking about

If you have an underlying fault (like a blocked DPF) it can stop the engines power increasing with the remap, though

[FOCA]

After seeing the stain of soot below my exhaust after the forced DPF regeneration the tuner did today I decided I would give the car a good long drive and try clean it out to see if there was any truth in what he was saying.

After work I drove 70miles out the motorway in 3rd gear at 120km/h so the car was reving at slightly above 4000rpm. I also turned on the heater and the back window heater to try get the car as hot as possible.

After driving for about half an hour in 3rd gear I turned around and said I'd drive my car home normally now and see if there's any change.

To my surprise there seemed to be a big difference in performance. The car seemed more responsive and there was a far stronger pull when I accelerated harder. Could not get over the difference! :)

There is still a bit of turbo lag which I was hoping the map would sort but considering how the car was driving immediately after the remap there is a vast difference. The forced DPF regeneration and my 70 mile drive today must of cleared alot of the soot.

As South_Bound also stated, driving in normally you would not really notice much of a difference but if you accelerate hard it definitely has far more of a pull and a kick off the turbo.

Considering completely removing the DPF now as my next mod as I'm shocked at the difference it made today

Its the DPF you need to heat up - not the inside of the car!

Any performance increase may be due to the DPF unblocking rather than a the remap

Remaps can be done specifically to increase bottom end power, on some diesels the bottom end power/ torque is restricted to help put less strain on the DMF (dual mass flywheel) mant remappers simply increase the fuelling so the remap "follows" the original map and the "low down restriction" is still in place - a better/ more expensive remap is more sophisticated and can increase bottom end but you may need to strengthen the transmission to cope with the extrabottom end torque

A tuning box often increases bottom end power/ torque more than a remap

A DPF delete can reduce turbo lag by allowing the turbine to spool up quicker - along with back box delete and decat can make a big difference , (as well as a free- flowing exhaust, as lenny has suggested)

[Kye]

I'll echo what FOCA says about the blanking plate. I noticed a difference straight away.

Careful with the DMF as well. If I give my car a moderate amount of boot now, there is a small amount of quiver around 1800 revs. Uh oh...

[Dave_TDCI]

Haha yeah I know but when checking up about trying to regenerate a DPF it suggested turning on the rear windscreen heater and turning up the climate heating...it was like a f**king sweatbox while I was trying to regenerate though ha.

To be honest immediately after the remap I was skeptical because of the lack of extra power, but to be fair the DPF was obviously restricting much of it...there diffinitely is far more of pull now when I accelerate hard. MFK Autocare seemed fairly professional to deal with, and even before I unclogged the DPF and rang up complaining, they assured me that they think it's the DPF but if I still wans't happy they would come back down to me and try a remap again at no extra cost.

I agree with the theory behind blanking the EGR valve it makes sense, and reading on this forum of people who had done it and got great results made me do it myself but I can honestly say I noticed no difference from before and after.

Yeah the extra power can cause problems with the DMF in particular, but I got mine replaced in September so hopefully a new one should be able to handle it provided I drive it right.

In regards to a tuning box...I was always of the impression you should avoid them as they are tricking the ecu and can cause problems?...What tuning boxes are ye using?

[Lenny]

..

[Dave_TDCI]

Seems like it's really in my own intrest to get the DPF removed so as firstly since it's clogging at at 103k miles it must be on the way out and secondly I'll feel the proper benefit of the remap. Do you mind me asking how much it cost you to get your DPF removed there?

Prevention is better than cure really and the price of a DPF removal is far less than the price of a new filter

Hassen, the remap cost me €275...they have offers every so often though for a remap for €225

[Lenny]

..

[Lenny]

[Lenny]

[Dave_TDCI]

I emailed MFK Auto Car today and they said they would do a DPF removal for €325 for me since I already got a remap and they would also do the EGR valve included while I was there.

Looks like they did a very tidy job on your car which is the key of getting it done really.

I was always against the idea of removing the DPF incase of the NCT but once they do a decent job they shouldn't know the difference, and your Focus and wallet will thank you down the line :)

Brilliant stuff man, I'll crack open a cold beer and those videos should keep me entertained for awhile anyway :)

[Lenny]

..