Compare BMW 1 Series engine balancing or remapping job quotes from specialist garages

Looming hundreds of feet up in Munich's skyline is BMW's headquarters, a vast and impressive building designed to look like four engine cylinders - the configuration that drove much of the brand's early success.

BMW has come a long way since 1927, when it produced its first car, the Dixi, shortly to be renamed the BMW 3/15. In 2022, it was awarded 'Best Manufacturer' at the AutoCar Britain's Best Car Awards, and the same year, it triumphed at the WhatCar? Awards, winning more accolades than any other brand. The M5 special edition, celebrating 20 years of BMW motorsport, is one of the rarest M automobiles in the world.

See how BMW's maintenance prices compare to Audi and Mercedes in this guide.

Car remapping, sometimes called ‘chipping', involves changing your car's engine control unit (ECU) programming by overwriting the manufacturer's settings on the microchip. This process is done by plugging a laptop into the vehicle's OBD port.

Engine remapping is different to engine balancing, which involves altering components in the engine itself rather than making changes to the car's computer.

A car remapping service can give you better fuel economy, improved driveability and control, increased power, and a better throttle response. It is highly customisable, so you can choose which aspects of performance you want to improve, and you can also have multiple remaps so you can switch between them depending on your needs.

However, remapping often makes your insurance more expensive, and it only benefits cars with a turbo; if your vehicle doesn't have one, the difference after remapping will be minimal.