----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Barber
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 4:47 PM
Subject: Tuning Box / Christmas
Hi Andrew
I have had many performance cars over the years and have always looked for ways to increase their power in a safe and effective way. Most products I have bought in the past, often involved remapping the car's ECU, which overwrites the settings on the Engine Management System, in order to increase the power output from the engine. This particular technique has had it's advantages in the past, as there is no physical evidence that the car has been modified. This was particularly useful when insurance companies would charge a ridiculous premium, just because the car was modified (although you are supposed to tell them - what they can't see, they won't know about!) and the only other alternative was to have a an old style tuning box (which you couldn't fit or remove yourself without specialist skills or without leaving tamper marks) or piggyback unit soldered onto your ECU (thus invalidating your manufacturer's warranty and requiring declaration to your insurance company, costing an arm and a leg)
Although the Remaps sound great, they had a few major drawbacks.
1) If you sell your car, your Remapped ECU goes with it and at £500+ for a remap - that's a lot of money to loose if you change your car often.
2) Dealer's sometimes reflash your ECU when doing a service, thus you would have to arrange to get your software put back on (often being charged for the privilege and having the inconvenience of visiting the dealer who Remapped your ECU for you)
3) The hassle of arranging to have the ECU Unmapped if you are trading the car in or selling your car on to someone who doesn't want it.
I had just bought a new Vectra 3.0 CDTi SRI and felt that the car was capable of a lot more than it was giving out, and was also dissatisfied with certain areas of the car's performance. I looked at remaps, but many of the sellers were charging £500-£600 for an extra 20 horses. I felt this was too expensive for such small power gains, and started to search for alternative solutions when I found the dieseltuninguk site through ebay.
After reading all the Info about the tuning box available for my car, I felt this was the best solution, but was about to disregard it due to my preconception that my insurance company would either not allow it, or charge me a fortune in extra premiums. Out of curiosity, I decided to contact my insurance company for a quote and was pleasantly surprised to hear that it would only cost me an extra 10%-15% on my premium.
I decided to call dieseltuninguk to obtain as much information as possible about the tuning box, and also about the manufacturer. After having a great conversation with Andrew, I was convinced this was the product for me. My mind was also put at rest, as Andrew has the exact same car as me and gave me the re-assurance of a full 30 day money back guarantee if I was not satisfied with the tuning box.
The box arrived the very next day, and true to Andrew's word, took me less than 10 minutes to fit the box (And I am very much a novice when it comes to mechanical work). After fitting the box, I immediately took the car for a drive.
Once I had given the engine a chance to warm up, the increase in power became immediately obvious. I often felt the car suffered from turbo lag at lower revs in higher gears, and also felt a slight lack of power in 4th, 5th and 6th gear, but these all seemed to improve remarkably. 6th and 5th gear pull more like 4th gear used to, and 4th pulls more like 3rd used to.
And the benefits don't end there! This box cost me £280, which is a lot less than a remap, but is more flexible, adjustable and puts out more power. Also, I am now getting an extra 20 miles+ out of a tank of fuel, mainly I believe due to being able to use 6th gear when trying to increase my speed gradually from 50-60. In addition, the power delivery is much smoother and the engine seems to rev a lot more freely.
The only drawback I have found so far is a slight increase in smoke output - but if it's emissions your worried about, you can always turn the setting down on the box (giving a little less power but better efficiency)
If you want my advice - Trust Andrew! He's a great guy, he really knows his stuff, he's extremely fair and honest, Is always quick to call you back if you have any queries and will always do his best to help you if you get stuck (Unlike some sharks I have dealt with in the past, who would dodge your calls and never phone you back!)
If you a thinking of getting one, just buy it! Trust me, you won't be dissapointed!
Stephen Barber
(North East Scotland)