FAQ's to Common Problems

ISSUE:- The vehicle was not running properly and it's not improved after uploading the tuned file (excluding 'off' files).

Why a Remap Won’t Fix a Poorly Running Engine

A remap can be one of the most effective ways to improve engine performance, efficiency, and drivability – but only if the engine is already in good working condition. Remapping, which involves altering the engine control unit (ECU) settings, can optimize power delivery, throttle response, and fuel economy. However, it’s important to understand that a remap isn’t a repair tool and won’t fix an engine that’s struggling with existing faults or wear.

Understanding the Role of a Remap

A remap essentially customizes your vehicle’s engine control parameters. By modifying fuel, air, and ignition timing, remaps unlock the engine’s potential within safe limits. However, they depend on the engine’s current health and baseline performance.

When a vehicle is already experiencing issues – such as poor idling, hesitation, stalling, or misfires – a remap cannot address these issues. In fact, tuning an engine with unresolved problems may worsen these issues. A remap fine-tunes performance, so if the core components aren’t in good working order, it can’t compensate for underlying problems.

Issues That a Remap Can’t Resolve

Here are common engine issues that a remap won’t be able to fix:

• Mechanical Problems: Issues like worn pistons, damaged valves, or a failing turbo are mechanical in nature and require direct repairs or replacements.
• Sensor Failures: Faulty sensors, like the oxygen sensor or mass airflow sensor, send incorrect data to the ECU, leading to erratic engine behavior. A remap doesn’t bypass or correct these malfunctions.
• Fuel System Issues: Blocked injectors or a failing fuel pump affect fuel delivery. A remap may increase fuel delivery requirements, but it can’t fix restrictions or ensure fuel pressure consistency.
• Ignition Problems: Misfires caused by worn spark plugs or ignition coils can reduce power and affect combustion quality, issues a remap won’t fix.

When a Remap Can Help

The only exceptions to this are when a remap is used to disable specific systems that have already been removed or bypassed due to malfunctions or personal preference. In cases where physical modifications are made, a remap can adjust engine settings to account for these changes.

For instance:

• Disabling Faulty Emissions Systems: When emissions-related components like the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter), EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), or AdBlue systems are removed or bypassed, remapping can help disable the ECU’s dependency on these systems. However, this is typically done for off-road or competition purposes, as it may not comply with road legality in all regions.
• Adjusting for Hardware Upgrades: When hardware upgrades such as larger turbos, upgraded injectors, or free-flow exhausts are added, a remap can optimize the engine settings to handle these enhancements.

Ensuring Your Engine is Ready for a Remap

To get the most out of a remap, it’s essential to ensure that the engine is in good condition. This involves:

1. Diagnosing Faults: A diagnostic scan can reveal stored error codes or sensor issues that may affect tuning. It’s wise to address these issues before proceeding.
2. Performing Routine Maintenance: Check that all engine components are properly maintained, from fuel filters to spark plugs. An engine that runs smoothly will handle increased power and optimized performance settings far better.
3. Inspecting Engine Components: An inspection of vital components like the turbo, injectors, and exhaust system can ensure they’re ready to handle the optimized demands a remap places on them.

The Risks of Remapping a Faulty Engine

Attempting to remap an engine with existing issues can result in a variety of problems, such as:

• Increased Wear and Tear: A remap generally optimizes performance, which puts more strain on engine components. If these components are already struggling, they may fail more quickly under increased demands.
• Compounding Faults: Ignoring sensor faults or fuel delivery issues may lead to miscalculations in fuel-air ratios or ignition timing, potentially worsening fuel efficiency and drivability.
• Reduced Performance Gains: Ultimately, an engine with faults won’t respond to a remap as intended, reducing the effectiveness of the tuning file and the overall performance gains.

BoostCo Remaps Limited: Quality Tuning for Healthy Engines

At BoostCo Remaps Limited, we prioritize engine health and performance quality. Our team advises all customers to ensure their engines are in good condition before tuning. We offer expert advice to guide you through pre-checks, as well as diagnostic support to identify potential issues before they become a problem.

In summary, a remap can provide transformative results, but only on a healthy engine. Before opting for a remap, address any existing faults to ensure you achieve the best possible results and protect your vehicle’s performance. For more information or to discuss your specific tuning goals, BoostCo Remaps Limited is always here to help.

ISSUE:- I have uploaded a new map and now the car has lost all boost after a short journey (there was a loud pop or bang and then lots of hissing).

The Importance of Turbo Hose Integrity When Flashing Performance Remaps

Flashing a performance remap, such as a Stage 1 file, is an exciting upgrade that can significantly improve a vehicle’s power, throttle response, and overall driving experience. However, performance remaps often increase boost pressure, which places additional demands on the engine’s turbo system—particularly on the boost hoses that transport compressed air from the turbo to the engine. One weak link in this chain can result in a dramatic loss of performance or, in worst cases, complete failure. Ensuring the integrity of turbo hoses before flashing a remap is essential to maintaining reliability and preventing costly repairs down the road.

How Increased Boost Pressure Affects Turbo Hoses

A performance remap typically increases turbo boost pressure, which means that all components within the turbocharging system, including hoses, pipes, and couplings, must handle higher-than-factory pressures. Over time, boost hoses can wear down due to age, heat, and constant exposure to pressurized air. Remapping an engine with a weak or worn turbo hose can lead to sudden failures under increased boost, causing leaks, power loss, and possibly leaving you stranded.

When a weak or worn hose is subjected to increased boost, the pressure can cause cracks, leaks, or even complete separation of the hose from its fittings. This results in a sudden loss of boost pressure, preventing the turbocharger from supplying the necessary air for combustion and causing a drastic drop in power.

Common Turbo Hose Failures and Symptoms

There are several signs that a boost hose may be failing or may not be suitable for the increased demands of a performance remap:

1. Whistling or Hissing Sounds: A leak in a boost hose can create a noticeable whistling or hissing noise, especially when the turbo is under load.
2. Sudden Loss of Power: If a hose completely separates, you’ll experience an immediate loss of boost and power, often accompanied by a loud bang or pop.
3. Check Engine Light: In some cases, a leaking or disconnected hose can trigger the check engine light as the ECU detects a discrepancy in air intake pressure.

It’s crucial to inspect all turbo hoses and fittings before flashing a performance remap to avoid these issues. This brings us to one of the most infamous examples of weak boost hose fittings: the “pancake pipe” found on VW Golf 1.9 PD engines.

The Infamous Pancake Pipe on VW Golf 1.9 PD Engines

Owners of Volkswagen’s 1.9 PD engines, particularly in the Golf models, may already be familiar with the notorious “pancake pipe.” This flattened section of boost piping connects to the intercooler with a clip-on coupling, and although it serves its purpose at factory boost levels, it’s notorious for failing under increased boost pressures from remaps or upgrades.

Why Does the Pancake Pipe Fail? The pancake pipe connects to the intercooler with a clip fitting, and over time, the surfaces of the clip and couplings wear down, creating a loose fit. With increased boost pressure, the worn clip struggles to hold the pipe in place, and under the force of the pressurized air, the pipe can separate completely from the intercooler. When this happens, it results in a loud bang as the pipe disconnects, and the vehicle will experience a complete loss of boost pressure, leading to a severe drop in power.

Symptoms of a Pancake Pipe Failure:

1. Loud Bang or Pop: Upon failure, the separation is often accompanied by a loud sound as the pressurized air escapes.
2. Complete Loss of Power: Since there’s no longer any boost reaching the engine, the car will struggle to accelerate, and performance will drop drastically.
3. Possible Check Engine Light: Depending on the severity of the leak and the vehicle’s sensors, a check engine light may appear due to the lack of expected boost pressure.

Ensuring Turbo Hose Integrity Before Remapping

To prevent failures, it’s essential to inspect, replace, or upgrade turbo hoses and fittings before flashing a performance remap. Here are some recommendations:

1. Inspect All Boost Hoses: Check for signs of wear, cracking, or loose fittings, especially at high-stress points near the turbo and intercooler connections.
2. Upgrade to Reinforced Hoses: Consider upgrading to high-quality, reinforced silicone hoses that are designed to withstand higher boost pressures.
3. Replace Worn Clips and Couplings: Replace any worn or loose clips and couplings to ensure a tight, secure connection. This is particularly important for vehicles with known weak points like the pancake pipe on VW 1.9 PD engines.
4. Consider Pancake Pipe Replacements: For vehicles with notorious weak points, such as the VW pancake pipe, consider aftermarket or OEM upgrade options that provide a more secure fit and are designed to handle higher boost pressures.

BoostCo Remaps Limited: Performance and Reliability

At BoostCo Remaps Limited, we’re committed to delivering tuning solutions that enhance performance while maintaining reliability. Our Stage 1 remaps and other performance files are crafted to ensure safe, powerful gains, but we always emphasize the importance of checking turbo hose integrity before flashing a remap. Our experienced team can advise on any additional modifications or replacements needed to ensure that your turbo system is ready to handle increased boost pressures.

Final Thoughts

Performance remaps can be transformative, but increased boost pressure requires careful attention to turbo hose integrity. Weak or worn hoses can’t handle the demands of a tuned engine, and ignoring these components can lead to sudden failures, leaving you with a car that lacks power and possibly requires costly repairs. By ensuring the integrity of your turbo hoses, especially known weak points like the VW pancake pipe, you can enjoy the full benefits of a performance remap without compromising reliability.

For guidance on vehicle readiness, remap options, and best practices, BoostCo Remaps Limited is here to help. Reach out to us today to learn more about achieving safe, reliable power gains.

As a general rule your cooling system should be in tip top condition before you start asking your engine to produce more power.  More power equals more heat and there is no escaping this fact but all vehicles are engineered with cooling systems that exceed the requirements of the vehicles they are fitted to when in good working order.

If you vehicle runs hot under normal use you should clean the system and check for any missing/broken or sticking parts (like thermostats).  A common problem is missing pump vanes on water pumps (plastic and metal are known to fail over time) so if your vehicle is running hot check these first.

Some performance vehicles are know to have recommended water pump changes every 5 years as a precautionary measure for just this reason.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi volutpat gravida lectus, at suscipit tortor tempus vitae. 

Aenean nec quam ligula. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Donec placerat et mi nec lobortis. Sed porta lacus sed nunc aliquet porta. Fusce quis hendrerit nunc. Vestibulum non metus volutpat, venenatis mi non, dignissim libero. Duis eu nulla vel quam porta varius cursus non urna. In ullamcorper purus et venenatis dapibus.

Quisque nulla erat, luctus et diam eu, consectetur hendrerit purus. Etiam interdum libero eget nulla interdum tempor. Pellentesque sagittis dui ut nunc dapibus bibendum. Nullam at est a lorem condimentum aliquet. Aliquam congue ullamcorper tortor, at placerat est elementum sit amet. Fusce fermentum enim at eleifend sodales. Ut magna velit, ultrices ut tempor eu, pharetra a nibh. Sed viverra, nisl fringilla volutpat cursus, dui ex bibendum nunc, vel egestas orci nisl sit amet nulla. Sed sed suscipit ipsum. Aliquam porttitor nisl at egestas pretium. Pellentesque convallis quam a lacus dictum convallis. Nam auctor erat viverra libero aliquet, a lacinia ligula tempor. Vivamus lacus eros, sagittis ut gravida ut, accumsan tristique dui. Sed vitae imperdiet orci.

Donec vehicula, dui vitae sagittis sodales, ex leo mattis tortor, ut porta nisl dolor nec urna. Phasellus et tristique quam. Nam blandit mauris consequat laoreet pharetra. Nunc suscipit velit sed felis sodales dignissim. Sed orci tortor, luctus quis convallis sed, laoreet quis lorem. Integer sollicitudin sit amet justo eu tempus. Maecenas non congue nunc, in eleifend augue. Suspendisse euismod accumsan mi. Maecenas vitae bibendum magna. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Donec varius augue vitae feugiat hendrerit. Mauris ut mauris pretium, volutpat odio sed, pulvinar ante. Vestibulum tortor nibh, aliquam at felis lacinia, faucibus posuere urna. Donec sit amet enim leo.

Donec dictum mattis tincidunt. Maecenas sollicitudin porta aliquet. Phasellus auctor, libero quis sodales mattis, purus ligula elementum justo, vel imperdiet mi ante sit amet velit. Quisque aliquet erat ac ligula ornare consectetur. Quisque magna leo, molestie sed dapibus a, viverra vitae dui. Fusce gravida urna vitae nulla eleifend condimentum. Suspendisse nec libero vitae erat commodo rhoncus vitae vitae dolor. Fusce volutpat pulvinar dolor, at mattis urna fermentum eu. Donec sodales orci eu volutpat posuere. Maecenas volutpat semper quam, luctus dapibus urna laoreet eget.

Terms of Use for Business-to-Business Sales for BoostCo Remaps Limited

1. Introduction

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern all business-to-business sales transactions between BoostCo Remaps Limited ("we," "us," or "our") and its business clients ("you" or "your"). By accessing our website or making any purchase, you confirm that you are a business entity, not an individual consumer, and accept these Terms. Purchases from BoostCo Remaps Limited are intended exclusively for business entities and not for sale to non-business entities or individual consumers.

2. Business Entity Requirement

By agreeing to these Terms and making a purchase on our website, you warrant that:

• You are entering this contract as a business entity and not as an individual consumer.
• You acknowledge that this is a business-to-business (B2B) transaction and that your rights, remedies, and protections differ from those provided under business-to-consumer (B2C) contracts.

As a business entity, you waive any right to protections, obligations, or remedies typically afforded under consumer protection law. You further agree that the contractual terms herein supersede any such consumer protection rights, as this sale is classified strictly as a B2B transaction.

3. Sales of Digital Products

All sales of digital products by BoostCo Remaps Limited are final. Due to the nature of digital products, we do not offer refunds or exchanges once a product is purchased and delivered, except as outlined in these Terms.

Digital products include, but are not limited to:

• Remap files
• Tuning software files
• Any software or digital configurations provided by BoostCo Remaps Limited

4. License for Use

Upon purchase of digital products, you are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, single-use license to use the product solely for your business purposes. You are prohibited from copying, modifying, redistributing, or reselling any digital product, except where expressly authorized in writing by BoostCo Remaps Limited.

5. Limitation of Liability

BoostCo Remaps Limited is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from the use or inability to use our products, including, but not limited to, lost profits, business interruption, or loss of data. Our liability is limited to the purchase price paid for the product.

6. Intellectual Property Rights

All intellectual property rights related to the digital products, content, and materials provided by BoostCo Remaps Limited are owned by BoostCo Remaps Limited. No ownership or proprietary rights are transferred to you through the sale or licensing of our products.

7. Prohibited Use

You agree that the products purchased from BoostCo Remaps Limited will only be used for lawful business purposes within the scope of your business operations. Any misuse, including unauthorized distribution or reproduction of digital products, may result in immediate termination of access and potential legal action.

8. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the Republic of Ireland where BoostCo Remaps Limited is based, and any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved exclusively in the courts of the Republic of Ireland.

9. Changes to Terms

BoostCo Remaps Limited reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. By continuing to access or use our products after any revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the updated Terms.

10. Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and BoostCo Remaps Limited concerning your business-to-business purchase and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings between the parties.

By confirming your purchase, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms, confirming that you are a business entity purchasing for business purposes.

For any questions about these Terms, please contact our customer service team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU CHECK BOTH THE FILE AND VEHICLE SUITABILITY BEFORE FLASHING ANY SOFTWARE UPGRADES / DOWNGRADES AS MISTAKES CAN RENDER THE VEHICLE UNABLE TO START OR DAMAGE MAY BE INCURRED LATER

AS MENTIONED ELSEWHERE WE ALSO RECOMMEND A FULL CHECK OF THE ENGINE WITH DIAGNOSTIC SESSION AS ANY INCREASED STRESSES WILL INEVITABLY CAUSE FAILURES ON PARTS ALREADY HEAVILY WORN AND DUE TO FAIL ANYWAY

WE DO NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED USING ANY OF OUR FILES AS IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY WHEN UPLOADING ANY SOFTWARE TO ANY VEHICLE

DUE TO THE MASSIVE NUMBER OF VARIABLES IN ANY VEHICLE TUNING FILE WE CANNOT GUARANTEE SUITABILITY OF ANY FILE 100% AND AS SUCH IT IS ALWAYS RECOMMENDED TO RUN A LOGGING SESSION AFTER ANY TUNE TO CHECK

AIR FUEL RATIOS AND BOOST PRESSURES IF APPLICABLE - ANY INCREASED BOOST PRESSURE AND OR FUEL PRESSURES CAN AND WILL CAUSE WEAK JOINTS IN TUBES OR PIPEWORK TO FAIL SO MAKE SURE TO CHECK THESE PRIOR TO FLASHING

**AS WE CANNOT GUARANTEE ALL THESE STEPS ARE FOLLOWED AND WE HAVE NO IDEA OF THE CONDITION OF ANY VEHICLE USED WE REQUIRE THAT THESE FILES ARE USED FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY AND ARE SOLD ON A BUSINESS TO BUSINESS (B2B) BASIS**