2.0 TDi Remapping - Revo vs Shark

[ESD1711]

Morning all,

I'm starting to look in to the possibility of getting my 2.0 TDi (140bhp) remapped. Wont be immediately, but hopefully over the coming months.

I know there's a heap of companies out there who will do this, but from the reading i've done - i've kinda narrowed it down to either Revo or Shark, both of which I can get done fairly locally.

So my question is with regards to peoples experiences of both and recommendations as to which is a better choice.

I know that Mark @ Brotek on here is spoken very highly of, and he offers the Shark map at £50 cheaper than the Revo one - but if i'm honest, I'd never heard of Shark till I joined here, whereas i've previous knowledge of Revo and the work they do.

So are there reasons that make the extra £50 for the Revo worthwhile?

Thoughts, comments, opinions etc all welcome one way or another

Cheers,
Erik

 

[Joe_Murphy21187]

For a stage 1 map you will probably never notice any difference. The parameters in the ECU are tweaked but remain within safe limits, plus the map is fairly generic with stage 1.

You will probably notice more difference in maps between the technician you get on the day, than you will which company they work for...

You could equally get a just as good remap from a non-branded local mapper, the difference with the bigger name companies like Revo, if that you know the technicians are properly trained etc. You pay for the piece of mind, not necessarily the quality of the remap...

 

[psychopomp1]

May i ask what your Revo dealer has quoted you for stage 1 remap? (i have same car). Here in Inverness, my local Revo agent has quoted me £499+vat and he said this is a standard price which is set by Revo themselves, so he wasn't budging. Whereas Shark charge £349 (inc vat) and dealer such as Brotek give 10% off for being a forum member. So AFAIK Shark is considerably cheaper. Personally i'm gonna go with Shark, still can't decide between having it done by a dealer or go for the self tuning system (STS)... the latter is priced at £499 but trying to haggle on this.

 

[ESD1711]

Hmmmm. I'd just lifted the £399 price off the Revo website, but i've just looked at that again and noticed that that is without vat, so its a bit more than I thought initially - that said, i've also seen it listed in another part of their website for £349?!

Not sure if i'm checking two different websites - but the one which is products.revotechnik.com etc etc lists £399+vat, whereas the price shown on their 'locate a dealer' page claims £349..... confusing much!!

So Shark with 10% off courtesy of Mark comes in at £314.10, whereas revo is potentially £480 odd. Thats a far more significant difference than i'd first thought!!

If it'd been a case of £349 against £399, i'd maybe have been tempted to pay the extra for the 'brand' - but if we're talking a swing of £160 then I guess it becomes a bit of a no brainer for something which is ultimately going to produce the same end result.

 

[chale989]

Not sure why everyone thinks they have to go for Revo and other expensive maps?

I would understand if you had a heavily modified car but for a standard 2.0 tdi , whats the point?

I got a map from a professional company for £180 and its perfect. No issues what so ever

 

[ESD1711]

That was kinda the point in me asking - i.e is there any reason why it would be beneficial to go for the 'branded' option.

What I would say is that when it comes to selling your car on, surely a revo remap is a better selling point than 'aye, wee boab doon the road mapped it in his garage', if you see what I mean? Not saying thats what you've got or anything by the way - i'm just using the two extremes.

 

[chale989]

As long as you get a few reviews from the company and it is a legit place then go for it.

No need to spend £300+ for that engine

 

[nbray67]

That was kinda the point in me asking - i.e is there any reason why it would be beneficial to go for the 'branded' option.

What I would say is that when it comes to selling your car on, surely a revo remap is a better selling point than 'aye, wee boab doon the road mapped it in his garage', if you see what I mean? Not saying thats what you've got or anything by the way - i'm just using the two extremes.

What gains would you get with a map on the 140bhp?? I only ask as the map gains on the 170bhp is approx 35-40bhp, same as a diesel tuning box. For me, I opted for the tuning box from DTUK because 1) my warranty would not be affected, 2) If I sell the car, i'll remove the box and fit it to another car (may have to buy another loom / reconfig the box) and 3) their reputation is A1, whereas a map cannot be swapped to another car and 'could' invalidate warranties.

 

[S3AMK20VT]

save yourself a few bob an have a look at these guys www.fr-rtuning.com also do the self tuning box

 

[Rob W8]

the difference with the bigger name companies like Revo, if that you know the technicians are properly trained etc.

Little bit of a sweeping generalisation? Don't Revo dealers just upload a standard file with a tool the same as everyone else? It's just the file itself that is different.

 

[jdp1962]

save yourself a few bob an have a look at these guys www.fr-rtuning.com also do the self tuning box

This is the firm I used when I had my 3.0TDi re-mapped. I chose them initially because they were able to map out the inlet manifold fault code, and then decided they might as well pop a power map on as well. They're based in Lancashire, but have franchised agents around the country. I had mine done in East London; the price was £250 plus VAT, so £300 inc. VAT. Very happy indeed

 

[Joe_Murphy21187]

Little bit of a sweeping generalisation? Don't Revo dealers just upload a standard file with a tool the same as everyone else? It's just the file itself that is different.

After saying that I did question whether or not Revo is a franchise setup, therefore anyone could buy the franchise and use the name, but still be 'Dodgy Dan' from down the street. Not sure how Revo works?

Personally I would never go with a garage for any work based on their name. It's all down to the specific technician mechanic that does the work which determines the quality. That's why a lot of remappers have company names but people reference the individual who did the mapping. With stage 1 is it not a standard download of a pre-configured map anyway? For something as common as the B7 VAG engines?

 

[Rick @ Unicorn Motor Dev.]

Mine isn't

As i like the customer to have input as to how he wants his torque curve to look.

With Shark and Revo you are relying in large part on the dealer to spot any issues - however they do have access too good tech support, where as with some companies you are on your own...

Rick

 

[Smillie13]

Hi Erik,

Can I just say that Mark @ BroTek done mines (1.9TDI) and I immediately felt the difference in torque and power.

Car is running smooth with good fuel economy.

Susan