Summary

    – Car reprogramming: definition

    – The advantages of a car reprogramming

    – Car reprogramming: the steps to follow

After buying a car, you may want to optimize its capabilities. Choosing to reprogram your vehicle means ensuring better performance and lower consumption. This post brings you explanations on this approach.

Car reprogramming: definition

Every new vehicle leaving the dealership has an electronic box hidden under the hood. It has been configured by the manufacturer to transmit strict directives to the engine, such as maximum power. Once conditioned, the engine will not be able to go beyond what the ECU allows.

Reprogramming your car is a legal action that requires you to call on a professional who will modify the instructions that the electronic box delivers to the engine.

Good to know: after this operation, the maximum increase in power is 30%.

For those who like powerful cars, having your vehicle reprogrammed can be an interesting operation financially: you should count on about $600. Whereas buying a new and more powerful vehicle will cost you more. Not to mention that the insurance and car registration will also be more expensive.

The advantages of a car reprogramming

The interest of reprogramming a car consists of having a more powerful and more economical vehicle without changing the engine or the car.

Reprogramming your car is, first of all, the certainty of gaining power. But the second positive point, and not the least, lies in the 15% reduction in fuel consumption. Since the engine is freed from certain constraints, it can reach high speeds in less time than a non-reprogrammed engine. The mechanics are less stressed, and driving is smoother. Nevertheless, be careful to respect the speed limits! Driving too fast is synonymous with insecurity but also with over-consumption of fuel.

Good to know: The insurance premium is calculated on the vehicle’s value, power, and age of the driver. You can therefore carry out a reprogramming without any consequence on the value of your monthly payments.

Car reprogramming: the procedure to follow

To reprogram a car, you must go to a specialized company employing qualified engineers. This is a matter of reworking the core of the system, and you can only entrust your vehicle to professionals. A wrong diagnosis and your engine will quickly give up the ghost.

The reprogramming takes between two and three hours:

    – First, the professional will perform a test drive with your vehicle to collect the original data and extract it.

    – Then, after quick calculations, he will reprogram and update the ECU.

    – Before returning the keys to you, he performs another test drive, this time on the road.

The price of the maneuver is between $600 and $800.

Good to know: ask for the curves showing the changes on a graph. That way, you can be sure that the person in charge of your car has collected the information and you can see the changes on paper before you feel them behind the wheel!

Hope this post helps you decide whether you should reprogramme your car. Remember to share and comment below. 

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