Passat TDi Remap - Pros & cons?

[PeteK]

I'm after some advice of anyone who has had their car mapped if possible. I've had my Passat for nearly two months now and love the performance and economy it has. However it would be nice to have a little more!

I had my last car, a BMW 318iS, chipped by ChippedUK and it was the best money i've ever spent on the car - the engine was much more responsive and fuel economy improved as well. I realise the potential gains are much higher on a turbo diesel car and I am concerned they may affect the longevity of it. My car is a 2004 130bhp model and has done 100k with a full service history. I do approx 25,000 miles a year which is mainly motorway and A road driving. By remapping the engine is there a chance of causing premature failure to items such as head gasket / turbo or even things like intercooler pipes blowing off. I am extremely tempted to go ahead and have it done but am looking for a little reassurance of anyone who has a remapped TDi.

Thanks for your input!

Pete

[minty0_10]

ive had my 2003 130 remapped a couple off weeks ago lots more power seemed to get better the more i drove it.
but not in the way i was expecting
i can change from 1st to 3rd to 6th the turbo comes in sooner and pulls harder but i think this has also effected my mpg averaging 36mpg and that nursing it
i wouldn't bother again but i think im going to have to get my car re done again as im not happy with the mpg it also blows a bit of black smoke and the turbo sounds louder.

[NeilS]

I've had a Passat 115 remapped to 136 bhp and a Fabia vrs from 130 to 170. On both cars I found that the overall fuel consumption hardly changed at all, perhaps 1 or 2mpg less. Obviously when you're pressing on with the extra power it uses more fuel but with the extra power comes loads of extra torque and I found I didn't have to drop down a gear so often which helps the economy especially on motorways.

I was advised by the tuning company to use the revs and not to bury the throttle from low revs in a high gear as this puts extra stress on the clutch/flywheel and can cause problems. I'd recommend a remap but there are lots about so I think it pays to do a fair bit of research and find someone who knows exactly what they are doing - they aren't often the cheapest!