want a new venture..obd mapping maybe?

[james walker]

guys, i posted a thread on buying and selling used cars last week, i am looking for a new venture in life tbh, i have a solid full time job which is ok, pays the bills etc..but im 30 this year and decided i want a new challenge etc

so, i looked into buying and selling cars for a small profit, looks ok, but space could be a limiting factor, now i had my car mapped yesterday by a local mapper and the results are absolutly amazing, top guy aswell.

so i was thinking of maybe branching out into this, i have a wealth of car maintenance knowledge and a decent amount on tuning etc.

what do you guys think on this, maybe join a franchise such as elite, or black code??

im not looking to be a cheap and chearfull flash mapper, i would want it done well with a good code and a full backup service and advice etc. insurance would be a given and i would be prepared ot be fully mobile, and if succesful have premises aswell.

any opinions welcome, i know the reputation of existing mappers is where people go, but they started somewhere and reputation is born from results and commitment

ta

[hebblemarine]

Agree with you regarding reputation / trust / reliability is vitally important. Also, a franchise, or acting as some sort of agent for a reputable firm with the backup and knowledge would help this, if you're looking to the long term.

As with any new venture, do your homework, research and look for any gaps in the market or recurrring problems. With your background as a mechanic, it would give you a nice 'edge' if you were able to offer some fresh ideas to issues, so look around, look at other forums.. Good luck

[james walker]

yeah i agree mate, ive had lots of performance cars of which i have always gone to reputable tuners to map, ive been looking at this for a few weeks and come across various franchises, which leads me to believe the market may be flooded with chancers etc.

i was thinking of maybe contacting a local agent, such as the guy who mapped mine to see if there any joint opportunities in this area. im not the guy who thinks its easy as it wont be, i am though hard working and like fresh ideas and thinking.

i also believe in this era the market for economy related maps are high, and maybe piggybacking this with a service which may provide something along the lines of a fully mobile, or part mobile business which provides mapping and maybe other services which people who dont have the time would like, i.e valeting, cleaning, mobile servicing, minor repairs, minor part fitting etc etc.

even silly things like wiper fitting, bulbs and such like where people arent confident of diy and dont want to pay a dealer silly labour for small jobs.

rambling a little, but i dont know of anyone that could provide such a service......

[hebblemarine]

There are loads of 1.9 CDTI engines out there.. in different vehicles (vans, cars, VX, non-VX). Lots of 1.9 vectra-c taxis around my neck of the woods. They are fundamentally a strong engine, but have recurring issues (mostly related to emission control systems), that, if you know how to adress them, are straightforward: swirl bars falling off, EGR issues / blanking / mapping out (and map some power in at the same time), DPF, vacuum pipes.

You could also do worse than finding local taxi firms that operate these engines and getting a deal with adressing these issues for them - getting a foot in the door to sort out common problems with vehicles (not just VX) for their operators could do you a few favours m8

[pistonpete]

Perhaps plenty of business from here. Customers would post honest opinions and hopefully it will do well.
Good luck with your venture, just make sure you do a vectra-c.com discount

[Big-Pete]

I think you may find that OBD mapping will become a thing of the past as manufacturers seem to be looking to stop people using devices like the PPC, Bluefin etc, My own car has an anti-tamper ECU fitted..