Change your car’s factory settings
Car Coding in Reading
Wish your car did something differently, or did something your friend’s car does? Vehicle coding changes the factory settings in your car’s software, from start/stop and lights to mirrors, locking and displays.
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Vehicle coding
Vehicle Coding Reading
Some of you, especially if you think of yourselves as petrol heads, will be familiar with vehicle coding. Most people, though, won’t know what it involves, or even that car coding is possible. It’s a relatively new service, so it isn’t a common phrase yet in car parlance. At Mobile Mechanic Reading we try to keep abreast of most car enhancement options, alongside services such as engine remapping, so that we can offer car coding in Reading when our customers want it.
Most people assume that the features on their car are fairly fixed by the model they have. Programmes such as Pimp My Ride have shown that a vehicle can have all sorts of alterations and additions, but most of those examples aren’t exactly subtle. Bigger wheels and tyres, or a lighting system inside and out, would be classed as modifications.
Vehicle coding is much more subtle. It focuses mainly on your car’s electronics, and on how they interact with the parts and features your car already has. Some enhancements may need a modification as well, and we’ll tell you if yours does.
Factory settings
Car Coding
Car coding is mainly about changing the original factory settings for your particular model. Changing the software can alter how the car reacts, and how it works with other components and displays.
Some of your car’s settings come from local regulations, but many come down to the model you have. Most models come in versions with a different name, letter or number for each combination of engine and specification: L, GL, Ghia and GT on older cars, A4, S4 and RS4 at Audi, or SE up to Ultimate Nav on the Vauxhall Crossland. From the outside you’d be hard pressed to spot the difference, but inside, the basic SE has a number of blank buttons where the Ultimate Nav has none, because you pay for the extra features.
A simple way to think of car coding is moving your SE a step closer to the Ultimate Nav. Coding can switch on or change features your car’s electronics already support, while features that need extra hardware mean parts being fitted too.
Coding options
Car Coding Options
Now you know what vehicle coding is about, what changes can you make? You may already have ideas from what a friend’s or partner’s car does, or there may be something about your own car that irritates you and that you wish could be changed. Here are some examples.
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Start/stop
Your automatic start/stop always starts as on. We can change the default so it always starts as off.
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Alerts and warnings
Change the sound or duration of touchscreen and warning alerts, or adjust the seatbelt warning if you carry heavy items on the back seat and the car thinks you have a passenger.
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Lights
Change factory light settings, such as lights coming on in clear daylight, which wears them out sooner, or the lights that come on when you lock or unlock the car.
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Mirrors and reversing
Fold the wing mirrors in when the ignition is off, lower them when you select reverse to help you see behind, or add a warning sound if the car rolls backwards.
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Locking, windows and handbrake
Lock the doors automatically at a set speed, close all the windows with a double press or long hold of the key, or remove the electronic handbrake’s auto-hold, which many drivers struggle with.
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Digital displays
Show a speed closer to your actual speed, and change fuel consumption settings, when gear changes kick in for each drive mode, how incoming calls are shown and what appears on the dashboard screen and the driver’s screen.
Not every option is listed here, and not all of these will be possible on your car. Enter your details, including your registration, on our contact form and we’ll come back to you with the options.
Getting started
Car Coding near Me
We can look at coding for almost any car made after 1996. The makes we code most often are German: Mercedes, Audi and VW.
To find out what’s possible on your car, call us or send us your vehicle details. You can complete our form at any time, and we’ll talk you through the options for your car.
Free quotes
Something About Your Car You’d Change?
Send us your registration and the changes you’d like, and we’ll tell you what’s possible on your car. We’re open 7 days a week, 8am to 8pm.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Car Coding
Which makes of car do you code?
We can look at coding for almost any car made after 1996. The makes we code most often are German manufacturers: Mercedes, Audi and VW.
What is car coding?
Car coding changes your car’s original factory settings. It focuses on the car’s electronics and how they work with the parts and features the car already has, such as start/stop, lights, mirrors, locking, alerts and digital displays.
Is car coding the same as modifying a car?
No. Modifications such as bigger wheels or added lighting change the car physically, while coding changes its software settings. Some enhancements need a modification as well as coding, and we’ll tell you if that applies to yours.
Can every coding option be done on my car?
Not always. What’s possible depends on your make and model. Send us your registration through our contact form and we’ll come back to you with the options for your car.
Related services
Related Services
More ways to get your car working the way you want it to.
We cover Reading and nearby areas including Caversham, Earley, Shinfield, Tilehurst and Woodley. Not sure if we reach you? Call 0118 338 5138.