Diesel Chip - suit Ford Territory 2.7l diesel

Submitted: Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 07:17
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I am currently considering getting a diesel chip for my Ford Territory 2011 diesel. It has a 2.7t towing capacity and my caravan fully laden is 2.3t, so plenty of head room left. However I see the benefits of increased torque as a way of extending engine life and a possible slight improvement in fuel consumption.
In looking at chips, the one I am most keen on is from Roo Systems who provide chip and exhaust packages, but for the Territory diesel, they only have the chip for (the don't have any 3" exhaust systems for these as yet).
When talking with Ford, they don't seem to have a problem with fitting a chip, but warn me against replacing the exhaust as it can muck up engine management apparently.
So, I am wondering if a) any Ford Territory diesel owners have fitted a chip to their vehicle and if so, what 'real' improvements they have seen, and b) any other 4WD owners who have added just the chip, to see if it really is worth shelling out nearly $1500 on (current special for chip only from Roo Systems is $1250 till 9th April).
Finally, are there better chips out there I should be considering?
All help and info gratefully accepted.
Cheers,
Sean
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Reply By: bluefella - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 11:03

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 11:03
G'day Sean
I have done a lot of research on various chips, In my opinion UNICHIP tick all the right boxes, in regards to engine management, timing, fuel delivery mapping etc, they are not cheap but I reckon the BEST. Not sure if they have one to suit your vehicle but maybe worth checking. No affiliation etc.
AnswerID: 508156

Follow Up By: SEANDF - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 12:58

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 12:58
Thanks, from what others have said in other forums, the Unichip is the same chip as what they use for Roo Systems. Apparently there are a couple of others identical as well. Whether this is true or not, I can't say. Roo do customise to your vehicle which it doesn't look like Unichip do.
But at the end of the day, I'm not sure how much actual difference that makes?
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Reply By: Member - ROADKING - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 12:41

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 12:41
Hi Sean
I recently had a Roo System and chip fitted to my Landrover Defender and was not very satisfied with the experience. Firstly when I booked I told them I was travelling down from townsville and asked them how long it would take and was told they would need the car for 1 day.2 Days after I booked they advertised all these specials you recieved when purchasing a Chip and exhaust package, I had a couple of questions to ask which I rang them about and I also asked if I qualified for any of the specials, I was told that because they had to make a custom system for the Landy I didnt get the specials.
When I arrived to drop the car off they then told me they would need the car for 2 Days because they had to send it out to get the exhaust done, a bit of a inconvience but ok.
When I picked up the car I noticed a considerable diesel knock coming from the motor and they said that was normal with the extra power, when I got back to my accomodation I pulled the bonnet and noticed that the Heat shield over the turbo which protects the vacuum lines for the brake booster and the plastic remote radiator tank was missing, when I rang them they told me I didn't need it because the exhaust would be running cooler, I told them I would bring it in the next day and get it fitted back on. When I got there the next day they rang the exhaust mob and they had obviously thrown it away.They made an attempt to make one but it looks pretty dodgy. 50klms outside of toowoomba the check engine light came on so 150klms back to landrover in brisbane to get it checked. I contacted Roo Systems and they told me to turn it back to position 3 and see what happens. A day later when i finally got under way again halfway between miles and Roma the light comes on again, when i finally got home landrover in townsville checked it out and found the chip was causing the problem with the fuel pressure to high , I rang Roo again and was told the same thing to run it on 3 and see what happens. They didnt seem to get I am in Townsville not just down the road and can continue to run back there every couple of days to get it sorted. I got the impression that unless you own a Toyota or Nissan they really dont give a rats as most of their gear seems to be created for those makes.
I hope mine is just an isolated matter but I would not recommend them to any one, currently exhaust is great but the chip is disconnected and hopefully next time Im somewhere near one of their agents I will try to get it sorted
Good Luck
regards Jim

AnswerID: 508159

Follow Up By: SEANDF - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 12:56

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 12:56
Thanks Jim,

This is just the worry I have with fitting something that is 'foreign' to my vehicle.
Steve, the guy I have been dealing with from Roo Systems seems very friendly (but he is in sales - I know, I am too!) and helpful, and offers a 30 day money back guarantee if you aren't satisfied (wonder did they offer you this?). That said though, I have a $70k vehicle that will pull 2.7t legally and safely, and at max weight, my van is only 2.3t, so I guess if it really comes down to it, the Territory (which uses the old L/Rover Discovery III engine) doesn't really need the extra power to tow my van efficiently. Yes it would be nice, but not if there is a risk of damage or problem to my vehicle which is running beautifully at the moment.
I certainly don't want to buy problems, especially at the cost of $1250 (current special price for chip only) or $1500 when it goes off special next week.
So thanks for your feedback. I have heard a couple of other concerns some people have had with Roo Systems customer service. I presume these are isolated incidents and most people are happy, but as in your case, I would have thought you would have been given a better solution to the issue than you were. I just do hope you can get it fixed to your satisfaction.

Cheers,
Sean
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Reply By: Member - ROADKING - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 15:59

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 15:59
Yeah Shaun
I was pretty dissappointed with the whole experience we had travelled 50,000 klms of outback tracks and roads with zero issues but after buying a bigger camper (Australian Offroad Campers Quantum) which weighs about the same as yours I thought a chip and exhaust package would give me the little bit extra I was after, now we are considering a new tow vehicle as we are only a few years off retiring and hitting the road full time Iwould rather buy now while we are both still working rather that be faced with the cost of a new car after we retire.
Anyway best of luck
Regards Jim
AnswerID: 508164

Follow Up By: SEANDF - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 16:46

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 16:46
Yes, I would be disappointed too Jim.
I picked my car from my Ford dealership after having a service. I asked them the question directly if installing a chip would do anything to void my warranty, and they said that anything that modifies the engine management system or anything similar will void the warranty. They asked if I believed it was worth taking the risk. I don't think so.
I have gone cold on it now, as risking my warranty is not something I wish to do.
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Reply By: Ross M - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 17:24

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 17:24
SEANDF
I was interested in your comment below,
"However I see the benefits of increased torque as a way of extending engine life"
In my opinion anything which makes the engine work harder to produce more torque definitely has a lessening effect on longevity and won't extend engine life at all.

As many others have found, when/if you have problem, Ford will blame the chip maker, the chip maker will blame Ford.
Ford/owner/chip maker.
Who is the meat in the sandwich there?

Some people have reasonable success with chips if they aren't asking too much of the system all the time.

Long time durability of the engine and systems, who knows?

Ross M
AnswerID: 508175

Follow Up By: SEANDF - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:22

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:22
Thanks Ross,
This was certainly my perspective on it, and logic would say that if you can do something to make your engine not work as hard and therefore obtain a longer life from it, then that has to be good.
However, when you balance that against bringing your warranty into question, then the balance tips towards the car maker offering the warranty on their known components. Just like insurers, they will seek any way to avoid making a claim, whether it is actually justified or not. How do you prove the chip hasn't contributed to whatever the warranty claim relates to, without perhaps expensive legal costs to do so. And then, if that is the case, any financial gain you have made by extending the life of your engine is quickly vanquished by defending the chip against the car maker. In the end, I expect it would be hard, expensive and not worth the effort defending.

So, the choice is simple, either take the risk and hope it won't be an issue, or, don't take the risk in the first place. With Ford (and I expect the other car makers would also fall in line here too on this issue) stating clearly that this will void my warranty, I am really not willing to take the risk while the vehicle remains within it's warranty period. And to frustrate things further, I have an extended warranty where, as long as I keep getting it serviced at my local Ford dealer, they will cover it for 5 full years. I guess after that, if the car is not too stuffed, I could consider one.

Interestingly Roo Systems say their chip will definitely not void the maker's warranty. However Ford totally disagree on this point. Bottom line: who is offering the warranty? This is where the Golden Rule applies; he who has the 'gold' rules!
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FollowupID: 785616

Follow Up By: fisherPete - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 21:24

Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 21:24
As and old ex hotrodder, anything that gets and engine to produce more power shortens engine life. The bigger the bang(more fuel bigger bang) the more internal stress. If you have and engine that is way understressed you can up the power. But from memory that little v6 diesel is all ready making around 140kw. Thats a lot for and oil burner.
Cheers Pete
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FollowupID: 785975

Follow Up By: garrycol - Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 22:23

Sunday, Apr 07, 2013 at 22:23
This engine has quite a bit more left as it is in a relatively mild level of tune - twin turbo versions produce quite a bit more power and torque than the standard single turbo versions.
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FollowupID: 785982

Follow Up By: SEANDF - Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 04:56

Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 04:56
I think the amount of headroom left between my towing capacity and the weight being towed is probably my saving grace here. I would love the twin turbo version as in the current Disco 4 engine, but still this is a nice engine that loafs along well.
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FollowupID: 785990

Reply By: bluefella - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:23

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:23
UNICHIP is NOT the same as Roo System.
AnswerID: 508182

Follow Up By: SEANDF - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:25

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:25
I won't argue with that, it's just what I read. I guess everyone online is an expert. I don't put myself among those LOL.

Thanks for clarifying though.

Cheers,
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FollowupID: 785617

Reply By: garrycol - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:44

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 19:44
I cannot comment on the Territory but I have a Range Rover Sport with the same 2.7 diesel. I have it chipped via a Landrover specialist in the UK. The response has been quite noticeable with my 0-100kph time decreasing by over 2 seconds - without doing expensive testing this is the only real way to measure improvements.

In my case you use the OBD2 port to copy the car's ECU program to a laptop and you email that to the programmer who goes over it and tweeks it to your requirements - eg power, torque, towing, economy or whatever your requirements are. The programmer emails the new program back to you and it is loaded into the car. You can change back to your original map in about 3 minutes, so can swap and change if required when getting services done etc.

This remapping service worked out at about $700 and is done almost immediately once you have the hardware to do the loading, down loading etc.

This system may very well work for a Territory but given different vehicle weights and 4wd systems it may very not.

If it was me I would not be looking for a generic remap but one that is specific to your motoring requirements - I would only be looking at remaps that can set back to standard when required and chipping is really a poor cousin to remapping.

Garry
AnswerID: 508183

Follow Up By: SEANDF - Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 04:57

Monday, Apr 08, 2013 at 04:57
Again, sounds a great option, but if it voids my warranty, not an option any more for me, sadly.
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FollowupID: 785991

Reply By: Racey - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 20:31

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 20:31
Have a chat to the people from Steinbauer. Not the cheapest but you won't be disappointed with performance or reliability.discovery 4
AnswerID: 508193

Follow Up By: bigfellabrian - Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 22:03

Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 at 22:03
Racey
Is spot on stinbaurer are the only system that does full mapping, the other systems only boost rail pressure. I have a stein on my Toyota and a 3 inch now with 67000 Kms, not one issue.
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FollowupID: 785636

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