How long does a remap take?
Around an hour on your driveway for most cars. Longer where the ECU has to come out of the car and be read on the bench. We tell you which yours is when you get your price, so there are no surprises on the day. Here is what happens in that hour and what stretches it.
- From £245
- Fully insured
- 14 day money back
For most cars a mobile Stage 1 remap is around an hour from the engineer arriving to the road test finishing. The car needs to be parked somewhere flat with the bonnet accessible, the engine off and the keys with you. You do not need to stay with it, though most people do the first time, and you do not need a driveway: a car park at work is fine.
What happens in the hour
Scan. We read every module for stored faults and make a note of anything already logged. Five to ten minutes. If the car has an existing fault we discuss it before anything else happens, because a remap does not fix a fault and would get the blame for it.
Read. We read the original file from the engine ECU through the diagnostic socket, check it and store it. It is kept for as long as you own the car, so the car can go back to standard on one visit. Ten to twenty minutes depending on the ECU.
Write. We write the new file, developed for that ECU and software version, with a stable power supply connected to the battery. Ten to twenty minutes. This is the part where the engineer does not want to be interrupted. Running on a laptop battery or letting the car battery drop is not acceptable here, which is why the van carries its own power.
Scan again, then drive. We clear the faults, reset the adaptations where the ECU needs them, and take the car on a road test to feel it and confirm nothing has lit up. Ten to fifteen minutes.
Why some cars take longer
Some engine ECUs, mostly on newer cars, are locked against reading through the diagnostic socket. The ECU has to come out of the car, be opened or connected on the bench, and be read and written directly. The photograph on our mobile remapping page is one of those: a Caddy 2.0 TDI with its ECU on the wing and the bench rig connected. Those jobs take two to three hours, sometimes a little more, and they cost more. You will be told before you book if yours is one.
A gearbox remap done at the same time adds roughly another hour, because it is a second ECU and a second file. An AdBlue, DPF or EGR delete takes about the same as a remap. A repair on any of those is a workshop job at JF Automotive, and how long it takes depends on what they find. Those pages explain how each one runs.
How quickly can you come?
You enquire first, with the registration and what you want. We come back with a fixed price, usually the same day, and a booking link. Appointments are usually within a few days, and sooner if a car is not driveable or an AdBlue countdown is getting low. We work Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm. Evenings are not something we can offer at the moment.
How long does it last?
Indefinitely, unless a dealer software update overwrites it, which can happen at a service. We keep the file and can reload it on a visit for a call-out charge starting at £50. Tell the dealer the car is remapped before any update and they will usually leave the engine software alone.
What matters, in three lines
Around an hour
We scan, read, write, scan again and road test, all through the diagnostic socket, on your driveway or at work. You need a flat spot and the keys.
Two to three hours
The ECU comes out of the car and is read on the bench. It is mostly newer cars. We tell you which yours is before you book, along with the price.
Price same day, visit within days
You enquire, get a fixed price, then get a booking link. We come sooner if a car is not driveable. Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm, Sat 8am to 1pm.
Related questions
Do I need to be there?
At the start and the end, yes, because we need the keys and we want to show you the before and after. In between you can get on with your day, though most people watch the first time.
Does it matter if it is raining?
Not for a socket read. The laptop sits in the car or the van. For a bench read the ECU is out of the car, so the engineer works in the van or under cover. Heavy rain can push a bench job to another day, and we would rather tell you that than rush it.
Can you do it at my work?
Yes, and many people prefer it. We need a flat space, permission to be there, and the keys. A multi-storey is fine as long as the van can get in.
How long does an AdBlue or DPF job take?
A software delete is about an hour on the driveway, the same as a remap. A repair is done at JF Automotive in Maidstone rather than at your door, and it is priced there once the codes have been read, because it depends on what they find. The AdBlue page and the DPF page set out how each runs.
Get my price
Registration, what you would like done, and where you are. We come back with a fixed price, usually the same day, and a booking link if you want to go ahead.
- From £245, quoted on the car
- Fully insured, at your home or work
- No workshop visit, no courtesy car needed
Where to go next
Mobile ECU remapping
What a mobile remap is, what it costs, how it compares to a workshop, and everything else the van can do.
Read more → Before you bookHow much does a remap cost?
From £245, quoted on the car. What moves the price and what a fixed price includes.
Read more → See for yourselfYour car's figures
Put the registration in and see what your engine makes now and what a Stage 1 file gives it.
Read more →