Lol....
First off, whilst I'm not a massive fan of plug in tuning, the Dastek is probably one of the better ones around.... (And I don't won't this to turn into some daft slagging match)
Mike is true in what he said, using commercially available kit, a standard Td5 ECU can not be mapped in real time!! (Regardless of what some other tuners claim!) Instead you would run the car, make adjustments and run the car again - whilst long winded, the end result is the same.
However, again possibly unlike other people, I do not have just the one tune, and instead can provide modified remaps to suit individual needs and requirements. And if needed, I will have the vehicle on a rolling and do a fully custom map.
A Dastek box is pretty similar to most remaps...
You buy the box and it comes with a generic tune (well, a set of generic parameters) that should provide more power..... But it is not tailored to the vehicle.
If you want a custom remap then you need to drive up to Dastek and have it done.... in just the same way I can provide a custom remap ;)
Warranty issues wise... (with regards to Td5's)
You could have two ECU's and just swap them over... as long as both are coded to the 10AS and have the correct injector codes then it will work without a problem.
Or...
If you reflash the ECU with a modified version of the original files, a dealer will not be detect that anything has changed - as for all intentional purposes the files haven't changed.
Is true that the Dastek units can be sold on if you change cars - but then you get the problem (which happens quite often) that people buy a second hand Dastek unit under the misguided judgment that all Td5's are the same!!! (they are not!!!)
In the same manner, you could always sell on your 're-mapped' ECU.
As for further upgrades...
A remap (from the correct people) is very similar to a Dastek unit - for common modifications I have 'pre-made' tried and tested tunes, and for custom mods, as mentioned I can make a 'unique' remap.
Unlike some other tuners, my remaps always air on the side of caution.... I don't sell balls out remaps that cause reliability issues - mainly because I don't want unhappy customers. I have not had one remapped Land Rover come back with problems caused from the remap!!
The issue of warping manifolds is an interesting one.... even standard Td5's suffer from it!!!
I know of one 130" that has suffered warped manifolds, it ran a Dastek unit with a 'standard' remap - but then this is far from conclusive - as already mentioned even standard Td5's sometimes have a problem!!!
I don't claim daft figures.... and don't focus on all out power. Some one told me the other day that their mate had 310bhp from a Td5!!
So… what’s wrong with plug in units – just my opinions….
Firstly, there are lots of companies that will sell people plug boxes, without even knowing what they do, or how they work.
They are not tailored to customers needs, and some still require you cut into the vehicle wiring loom!!! They tell the customer to plug this in, and you’ll have 200bhp!!!
However, the main thing that bugs me…. (this covers plug in boxes and ‘remapping by post)
In my case, I will not (out of choice) remap a Td5 (or tune any engine for that matter) without doing a full ‘diagnostic’ check first to ensure that the engine/vehicle is in good working order and free from any faults.
As I’ve said before there is no point remapping an engine that has faults…. And remapping can suddenly make any faults a lot worse!! – Which will lead to an annoyed customer, who would only have themselves to blame.
From my point of view, when I do a remap a customer also pays to have their vehicle checked over, and if I find anything wrong that affects (especially) performance I will get the engine working correctly first and get them to drive it as standard to ensure they actually require a remap – i.e. more than the performance offered by a standard engine… I’m not going to sell something that people don’t need.
Whereas… you could have a Td5 that feels sluggish, everyone tells you to get it tuned, or get a plug in box… But the actual reason the Land Rover is sluggish is because there is something wrong with it!!!
Whilst I’m having a moan – people will probably say well I have a Nanocom, so I can check my own Td5.
Just because you have a Nanocom, doesn’t mean you know how to use it. Just checking for fault codes if far from checking everything is ok on a Td5… a lot of faults do not even show up in the fault code lists!!
What is else is wrong with Plug in Boxes…
You will always have a delay.
They will still try and up the fuelling even when the engine has faults!!! (this can actually be ‘very’ bad!!!)
Personally I find them slightly lacking with regards to driveabilty.
They can and ‘do’ cause spurious errors on Td5’s (even Dastek units do this!!) – On from this they even cause the Land Rover to go into limp home mode!!!
This will, at times, require a trip to a Land Rover specialist to clear.
From an insurance point of view – there is no way an insurance inspector will know the ECU has a set of modified files inside!!! If a dealer can’t tell, an insurance inspector won’t tell!!! Unlike if you have a crash, and don’t get chance to remove the plug in box before it goes off to the insurance inspectors.
On a TD5 - a plug in box (regardless of the way it does it) either modifies the signal to the fuel injectors - so that they stay open for longer, modifies the signal from the fuel pressure sensor so that it thinks its running a lower pressure than it actually is (so increases to fueling) or it adjusts the temp sensor, so the engine thinks it's colder than it actually is and employs cold start enrichment. It can not affect turbo boost pressure, or do some of the things it can on other cars.
Basically, it is still a bit of bodge method of tuning....
I only sell what I would use myself…
This is just my opinion though, so feel free to disagree.....
Ian
