DPChip frequently asked questions. All you ever wanted to know about the Diesel Power Chip and more...

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Will the DPChip void my warranty?

A. We often hear this old chestnut. "My dealer said they would void my warranty if I fit a chip." Please, if they say that ask for it in writing and forward to us. We would love to see it. Nothing can ‘void’ factory warranty just by fitting it, you need a problem to happen first and it needs to have happened because of the aftermarket product. The manufacturer is not liable for a fault caused by a non genuine part. However, unlike a bull-bar, dual battery system larger exhaust or even BAD fuel, the DPChip system is very inconspicuous and can be unplugged.

Furthermore even whilst plugged in it cannot be found through diagnostic testing. This helps make the DPChip impact in a minimal way greatly lowering the chance of a 'blame game' situation coming from the dealer. We know the DPChip cannot cause a problem because of the way it is designed and the way it works, coming after the ECU and leaving all engine operational safety and warning systems intact. In fact we are so confident that the chip can’t cause an issue that we now offer a new vehicle engine and driveline warranty.

If the vehicle manufacturer rejects a warranty repair on the grounds that the DPChip caused the fault/failure, DPChip must be contacted, we will arrange for an assessor to meet with the car dealer rejecting the claim, assess the claim and authorise repairs to take place. Simple as that.We are the only diesel chip company in the world that is prepared to put our money where our mouth is on this.

We have never had a claim and we have had many thousands of chips running around out there for over 10 years now.

Depending on the vehicle the DPChip is also completely removable, so as you could imagine if it was removed it would also reduce the stress involved if there was a failure, but again we just don't see failures due to the time and effort we have spent over many years setting up our product.

In a real world situation, if your engine or driveline was damaged, for example your radiator has a manufacturing fault and runs dry and the engine over heats and is damaged (impossible to be caused by the chip) then before taking the vehicle back you would simply unplug the chip and there is no trace it was ever there. Problem solved. Even worse case, you leave it in and the vehicle manufacturer decides to play silly buggers and try to blame the chip so they can get out of covering their warranty on the faulty radiator, then we will step in cover it and we will argue it out with the manufacturer. We would never leave a customer in the lurch and we stake our over 50 years in the diesel busines on this. You can be confident when you fit a DPChip you are getting the safest device on the market, backed by Berrima Diesel Service, a proudly Australian company with over 50 years specialising in diesel.

Q. Can DPChip damage my engine?

A. No, our standard settings have taken many years to fine tune to suit our unique Australian climate and fuel and are kept well within the engines tolerances. Most other tuning devices are set to European conditions however the DPChip is calibrated to our climate and fuel. DPChip optimises the entire engine map resulting in increased efficiency. Increased engine efficiency leads to improved engine durability. DPChip is installed downstream of the ECU leaving all error detection and operational safety systems intact. DPChip cannot harm the vehicles ECU.

Q. I've been told I have to fit a larger exhaust to get the best results. Do I need to fit a larger exhuast with the chip?

A. No. An exhaust system may give you a 5% improvement, a larger intercooler and other modifications such as high flow air filer, snorkle etc may also add a few percent however the chip will give you the largest single improvement on it's own because it is altering your fuel system. All these other modifications will do little without also altering the fuel system to match. The DPChip is adjustable so you can adjust it if you decide to fit other modifications at a later date however there is no need to fit a larger exhaust when you fit the chip.

Q. How long does the DPChip take to fit?

A. Depending on the application, some DPChip can be installed in as little 5-10 minutes by simply plugging in; while a wire-in DPChip harness can take up to an hour. DPChip comes with detailed illustrated instructions and can be self installed by anyone with average DIY skills, alternately DPChip can be installed at one of our nationwide distributors or by any auto electrician. Once installed DPChip can be removed in seconds.
Click here to see how easy it fits.

Q. Will giving my vehicle more power achieve better fuel results?

A. DPChip provides more torque earlier and longer throughout the rev range. This allows gear down changes less often resulting in lower engine revs for longer allowing better fuel efficiency. Depending on driving style you can achieve up to 10% better fuel economy. It is almost impossible to put an exact figure on the fuel economy with the DPChip as there are so many factors involved. The type of vehicle, the individual vehicle setup, the terrain and traffic conditions and the fuel quality all influence fuel economy. The biggest influence on fuel economy is the drivers right foot. From our experience the DPChip will give you around a gear to a gear and a half better which means you will have to change down less, particularly when going up long hills or towing up hills. The extra power also means you wont have to put your foot to the floor to get going and you will get to speed quicker so can let the foot off sooner. It is no magic bullet however so if you still drive foot to the floor you will still use fuel. Essentially if you drive conservatively these things will mean you can get some good economy benefits. We have found up to 10% better economy on many vehicles we have fitted. See our testimonials page for some examples. Driving style really is the deciding factor.

Q. Why does the DPChip for my vehicle need to be wired in while others are plug in?

A. All common rail vehicles are simply plug and play using original adapter plugs and the DPChip fits in around 5 mins. Other vehicles such as the GU Patrol for example must be wire in for safety reasons. Many people do not realise that the Bosch VP44 pump has another ECU inside the injector pump (called an Injector Pump Control Unit). This is where the other plug in chips plug into so they are still upstream of this ECU. The DPChip comes in after that ECU, which we believe is a much safer system, hence the hardwire connection. Any chip that claims it is after the ECU on that model fuel pump must be wire in because of the inherent design of the pump. Having that Injector pump control unit means it is impossible to be plug in and not have all the inherent potential problems that effecting the signal before the ECU can cause. The DPChip is designed to avoid these problems and our loom must be wired in on these type of fuel systems. Once the DPChip loom is wired in the chip iteself then just plugs into and out of this loom as required.

Q. What if I want more power on top of the DPChip standard settings?

A. Not a problem. How much do you want? Our DPChip can be adjusted, if required, to enhance performance modifications such as a larger intercooler or exhaust. The ‘sky is the limit’ when it comes to producing more power with the DPChip. Advanced computer programming can also be performed for extremes such as off-road racing etc. Just consider this though, we only recommend these advanced settings for enhancing additional engine modifications!

Q. How easy is the DPChip to adjust?

A. Very easy. DPChip can be user-adjusted via a10 position pre-programmed selector. In Standard form your DPChip will not need any adjustment.

The different settings are really more of a fine tuning and to account for slight variations between individual vehicles. If the vehicle is a factory standard vehicle then just leave it set on 5. If it is modified or you fit a larger intercooler or exhaust then you can adjust upwards to take advantage of this but there is really no need.

We flash the chip inside the module with the rotary dial set on 5. This is an arbitrary setting but if we flashed it with the dial set on 9 you could only adjust downwards. Each notch up or down from 5 moves the whole programming inside the chip up or down a few percent.

Instructions for adjustment come with the chip. Feel free to 'play' and find what is best for your style of driving and vehicle. We don't recommend going above 7 or 8 on a factory standard vehicle. You can't damage the vehicle at all. Each vehicle will be different, even if produced in the same factory on the same day. We have seen this with two of the same vehicles, one having a 'best' setting of 6 and the other 8. These were same month and year model of the same vehicle type.

Q. Why don’t the manufacturers do this ‘extra’ tuning?

A. The answer comes down to $$. When the original vehicle manufacturer receives the engine management software for a new production vehicle, the electronics are bulk programmed in batches to a given tolerance and not prepared to each individual engine. Treating each engine to an optimum and individual adjustment would increase production costs for the manufacturer. For example:- With a VW Golf coming of the assembly line every 30 secs approx. Imagine the loss to VW if they spent just 10 minutes (equiv. to 20 vehicles coming off the line) fine tuning each individual vehicle!!

Q. Do I need a dyno test?

A. No, we have done this in the development of the DPChip. Being an aftermarket device, there is no vehicle manufacturer’s specification to set DPChip to.

Q. Will it make my vehicle smoke?

A. No. When set correctly there will be no smoke. If your vehicle does smoke to start with then it may clean the smoke up due to the ability of the DPChip to optimize settings!

Q. Why is your DPChip better than others on the market?

A. DPChip is the most advanced product in the market place. The DPChip has been continually evolving and constantly tested in ‘REAL WORLD’ conditions. This fact gives DPChip the advantage over similar products as being truly Australian tested tough! Beware of European/UK products that are not calibrated to our climate or fuel. Our ongoing development program ensures we keep up to date with the latest engine management and injection systems. As you can see from our huge model range (over 1200 vehicles supported and growing) we have done many thousands of hours or research and development. We don't release for a new model until we have thoroughly tested it on the vehicle and under all conditions. DPChip is compact and comes with a 5 year warranty. Our product support and technical knowledge are second to none.

Q. I have found another brand of module that claims to achieve much higher power and torque figures than the DPChip. Can you achieve similar figures? I would rather support an Aussie product but these figures are substantially higher.

A. We could achieve these and higher with the DPChip. The problem is running unrealistic outputs which is what we would call those, particularly for operating temperatures and conditions found in Australia. European products are not set up for Australian conditions. We have spent many years developing specific power and torque settings designed for factory standard vehicles and we do not wish to enter the power for engine sacrifice market. If you have modified your engine you may be able to safely reach those figures but on a standard vehicle we have found our settings will achieve the best balance between more power and engine durability.

The DPChip will reduce output on demand if engine safety systems kick in due to engine problems keeping everything extra safe. We are heavily involved in truck tuning systems and a $50k engine rebuilt is not what we want so we program safe power and torque levels for a reason.

Q. What about overfuelling? I have heard that some other products have a built in system to protect against overfuelling.

A. There really is no such thing as overfuelling protection , or rather it is a misnomer, as at the end of the day it is up to the programming inside the chip as to how much fuel you put in. The DPChip is programmed well within safe parameters. The built in overfuelling protection that we have is that our programming is conservative. The truck market is our largest customer base and the first thing they worry about is engine longevity so we have kept our settings conservative. You may see other chips make slightly higher power claims but we are interested in clean power gains with engine longevity. We also fit to 3.2 million dollar boats and would be out of business very quickly if we had engine or warranty issues with those.

Q. Is there a warranty on a DPChip?

A. All DPChips now include a new vehicle engine and driveline warranty. Industry confidence in the DPChip is already extremely high because of the class leading 5 year warranty, 30 day money back guarantee and unmatched technical support that comes with each DPChip. No other diesel tuning device in the world can match this. Now, to add to all this, each DPChip also includes engine and driveline warranty for new vehicles. Click here for more about our warranty.

Q. Does the DPChip need any maintenance?

A. No maintenance at all.

Q. Should I fit a High Flow Air Filter?

A. We do not recommend fitting anything other than standard filters, particularly for 4WD’s. We have seen some real disasters with poorly maintained or poor quality aftermarket filters.

Q. What is Common Rail?

A. Common Rail technology is one of the simplest forms of delivering high pressure (25,000+ PSI) fuel into a diesel engine. Each injector receives fuel from a common point at constant high pressure delivering highly atomised and efficient burning diesel fuel.

Q. What is Unit Injection?

A. Commonly found on most VW diesels, is a rather new system developed by Bosch. Called Pump Deuse by Bosch, it stands for single unit injection (each injector has it own fuel pump built in). It is another very accurate and efficient method of diesel fuel delivery. Land Rover also uses this system in their TD5 diesel engine.

Q. Is there a DPChip available for my vehicle (1HZ '94 model), or are they not compatible with the older injection systems?

A. Unfortunately DPChip is only suitable for Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) engines. In Australia the main switch to EFI began from about 2000 onwards. Your vehcile would probably benefit from a manual 'hands on' engine tune and up15% increase can be gained if this is done properly depending on the vehicle. Contact Berrima Diesel Service for more information about this.

If you have any questions that are not answered here please contact us.

.
...	Increase Power & Torque by up to 35% Improve Economy by up to 10% Plug-in Power for all EFI Diesel engines
Torque to your diesel with a DPChip