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TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Knowledge Centre
Straight answers on remapping, emissions systems, gearboxes and the tools we ship. Written by the people who do the work, for dealers and home tuners wherever you are.
60 articles
18,424 vehicle and ECU records
Tools shipped and supported worldwide
Emissions systems
AdBlue / SCR removal
What AdBlue and SCR actually do, why the systems fail, what a proper repair involves, and the legal position on removal in the UK.
Gearbox and transmissionAGS removal
Active grille shutters, what they are for, and the actuator faults that set a fault code.
Diagnostics and ECUBattery management module recovery
Recovering a battery management module that will no longer communicate. What this is, and clearly what it is not.
Performance and limitersBoost sensor calibration
Why a boost sensor has to be recalibrated when it is changed for a higher range unit.
Sound and characterBurbles and overrun crackle
How overrun crackle is actually produced, what it does to your exhaust, and the noise and MOT position.
Common questionsCan the remap be reversed?
Yes. We will put the vehicle back to its original software free of charge if you bring it to us.
DriveabilityCold start noise reduction
The rattle and elevated idle on a cold start, why it is deliberate, and what changing it costs.
DriveabilityCreep mode disable (trucks)
Disabling low-speed creep on trucks with the Delphi engine controller - DAF, Kenworth, Peterbilt and others. A commercial vehicle job, not a car one.
DriveabilityCylinder deactivation disable
Cylinder on demand on the Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Mercedes and Porsche V8s - what it is for, why owners switch it off, and what changes when you do.
Common questionsDo I need to tell my insurance company?
Yes. A remap is a modification and you should declare it, because failing to disclose one can invalidate your policy.
Common questionsDo you take a deposit?
Not for tuning any more. We take card details to hold the slot and charge £50 only if you cancel. Parts deposits are separate and are not refundable.
Emissions systemsDPF removal
How a diesel particulate filter works, why it blocks, what a clean or replacement involves, and where removal is and is not lawful.
Dealer troubleshootingECU not identified: open a ticket, or proceed anyway
What the tool is telling you when it cannot identify the ECU, what proceeding anyway actually risks, and when it is and is not safe to do it.
Dealer troubleshootingECU writing error
A write that has failed partway. What to do in the first minute, why you must not disconnect or switch off, how to recover, and when it becomes a bench or boot job.
Emissions systemsEGR removal
What exhaust gas recirculation does, why EGR valves stick, what cleaning and replacement achieve, and the legal position on deletion.
DriveabilityEngine temperature calibration
Why modern petrol engines are run hot on purpose, what that costs under load, and the calibration that brings the target temperature down.
Emissions systemsEVAP removal
The evaporative emissions system, the purge valve faults that set a check engine light, and what a proper repair looks like.
Sound and characterExhaust flap removal
Electronic exhaust valves, how they are controlled, and what happens when an actuator fails.
Diagnostics and ECUFault code (DTC) removal
The difference between fixing a fault and hiding one, when clearing a stored code is legitimate, and when it absolutely is not.
Diagnostics and ECUFault code lookup
Type in any P, B, C or U code and find out which system it belongs to, whether it is an industry-standard code or your manufacturer's own, and what usually causes it.
Dealer troubleshootingFull write or partial write
The difference between writing the whole memory and writing only what has changed, when each one is correct, and what goes wrong when the wrong one is chosen.
Gearbox and transmissionGearbox torque limiter removal
Why a gearbox limits torque, when raising that limit is sensible, and when it is how you destroy a clutch pack.
Emissions systemsGPF / OPF removal
The petrol equivalent of the DPF, what it does on direct injection engines, and why it is far less likely to need touching.
Performance and limitersHigh pressure fuel pump calibration
Calibrating the ECU for an uprated high-pressure fuel pump on direct-injection engines - when it is needed, and why fitting the pump without it does not work.
DriveabilityHot start fix
The hot start problem on common rail diesels, what actually causes it, and why a file is only sometimes the answer.
Common questionsHow long will my remap take?
An OBD remap is usually one to two hours. Bench work or dyno development can take a full day.
Dealer troubleshootingHow to download K-Suite log files
Where the log lives, how to get it out, and why we ask for it on every failed job rather than working from the error message.
Common questionsI already have modifications. Does that affect the remap?
It often helps, but we need to know exactly what is fitted so the file is written around your car rather than a standard one.
Diagnostics and ECUImmobiliser removal
When an immobiliser has to come out of a control module, the proof of ownership we require, and why we turn most of these away.
Home tuning toolsIXI Flasher: tuning your own car at home
The one that needs a Windows laptop rather than a phone. Set up, read, write, and the cable trap on certain French and Japanese cars.
Home tuning toolsJFA Elite Flash: fitting your gearbox tune
Our own plug in gearbox tool. No laptop, no phone, no file to send. Plug it in, wait for the beeps, then let the box learn.
Home tuning toolsJFA Touch Tune: tuning your own car at home
The four pre checks that actually matter, the read and write sequence including the step that surprises everyone, and what the light colours mean.
Dealer troubleshootingKESS or K-Tag generic error
The catch all error these tools throw when something did not go as expected. What it usually means, and the checks to work through in order.
Gearbox and transmissionKickdown deactivation
Removing the kickdown detent at the bottom of the throttle travel on automatic cars.
Emissions systemsLambda / O2 sensor removal
What lambda sensors measure, why a failed one is nearly always a sensor rather than a file, and why removing a catalytic converter is the same job.
Performance and limitersLaunch control
What launch control does, which cars can have it added, and the honest wear conversation.
Emissions systemsMAF sensor removal
What a mass airflow sensor does, what a contaminated one does to fuelling, and why cleaning or replacing beats deleting.
Emissions systemsNOx storage catalyst removal
The NOx storage catalyst fitted to lean-burn direct-injection petrols, why it fails, and what we can do about it.
Diagnostics and ECUOil pressure monitoring fix
Oil pressure warnings on the Audi, Porsche and Bentley V6 and V8 engines - what is usually behind them, and where a calibration fix is and is not appropriate.
Dealer troubleshootingORI file not found in virtual reading
What virtual reading is, why the original is sometimes missing, what to send us so it can be added, and the reason a physical read is still worth taking.
Sound and characterPopcorn limiter
The pops at the rev limiter on some performance cars, what they are, and where we set them.
Home tuning toolsPowergate 4: tuning your own car at home
Work through it on your phone with the car in front of you. Every step ticks off, so you always know where you are and where you left off.
Emissions systemsReadiness calibration
What readiness monitors are, why a car can pass a test with a clear dash but fail on readiness, and how the drive cycle works.
Emissions systemsSecondary air pump removal
What the secondary air pump does in the first ninety seconds from cold, and the common failures on VAG and BMW petrol engines.
Performance and limitersSoft rev limiter removal
The difference between a soft and hard rev limiter, and why the hard limit exists.
Performance and limitersSpeed limiter removal
Manufacturer speed limiters, where raising one is legitimate, and the UK legal position on road vehicles.
DriveabilitySport display calibration
Enabling and calibrating the sport displays and performance pages in the instrument cluster.
DriveabilityStop/start disable
What stop/start actually saves, why so many drivers want it gone, and the battery and starter points nobody mentions.
Emissions systemsSwirl flap removal
Why swirl flaps exist, why the early BMW ones had a reputation, and what a sensible repair looks like today.
Common questionsThe 30 day money back guarantee
Stage 1 engine tuning and gearbox tuning are covered: if you are not happy within 30 days we put your original software back and refund the tuning. What it does not cover, and how to claim.
Emissions systemsThrottle valve actuator removal
What the throttle valve actuator does on a diesel, why it is used for shutdown and EGR flow, and the usual faults.
Gearbox and transmissionTorque monitoring disable
What ECU torque monitoring is, why it triggers after a tune, and why we would rather calibrate it than switch it off.
Common questionsWhat do Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 mean?
The stages describe how much hardware the software is written around, from none at all up to a full dyno developed build.
Common questionsWhat if a main dealer wipes the map with a software update?
Bring the car back to us and we will re-read the ECU and rewrite your map free of charge.
Common questionsWhat is bench tuning?
Bench tuning means removing the ECU and connecting to it directly, which is needed on vehicles that cannot be tuned through the diagnostic port.
Common questionsWhat is ECU remapping?
Remapping recalibrates the software already inside your engine control unit so the engine runs to a different set of instructions.
Dealer troubleshootingWhat to data log
What to record on petrol and diesel, how to take a clean log, and the four stage build up for proving a Stage 2, Stage 3 or turbo swap file.
Common questionsWhy choose a remap over a diesel tuning box?
A remap adjusts the whole calibration inside the ECU, while a tuning box works by altering one signal from outside it.
Common questionsWill a remap affect my warranty?
A remap is a modification to the manufacturer's software, and a manufacturer can decline a claim where that modification caused or contributed to the failure.
Common questionsWill a remap shorten the life of my engine?
A sensibly written file keeps the engine inside its design tolerances, but a healthy engine and proper servicing matter just as much.
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Technicians, calibrators and the front desk, all in Maidstone. No call centre and no subcontracting - the person who books you in is the person you can ask about the job.
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