[MatthewClement]

I've done searches here and on the Performance board, and the general concensus seems to be that the Speedparts Stage 1 upgrade is worthwhile. While not quite as smooth as the Maptun upgrade, it provides good value for money and enough

to keep me entertained.

My question is this: how difficult is the new ECU to fit? A quick look at my Haynes manual says that it's a two-spanner operation, pretty straight-forward. But I've got a factory-fitted alarm system on my 95M Aero, and wondered whether I could simply swap out one ECU for another, or whether I've got to jump through hoops to get everything talking to one another.

I'd be grateful for any advice on the procedure, or indeed, on the Speedparts Stage 1 upgrade.

 

[Andyvo]

I have recently fitted a Speedparts ECU to my 9-3. When ordering the upgrade, you provide the selllers with the ECU serial and product no's obtained from the stock ECU itself. This allows Speedparts in Sweden to programme the upgrade to marry to your vehicle without having to do anything yourself. Then it is a simple case of fitting and doing your adaptation runs

!

 

[mikehunter]

Its dead easy to fit.
Unscrew the black plastic cover over the false bulkhead. Remove old ECU (1 bolt for the earth strap and release retaining clips, unplug locking connector) and replace with the new one.
Now the difficult bit (assuming you have an LPT) - which way round does the APC valve go? The picture they send is for a 900 which doesn't help. The bracket fits to the fan cover with the valve fitment LOWEST and the valve sits up on this with the elecrical connector pointing towards the battery. The pipework is then obvious. Incidentally, the instructions say to remove the fan hosing in order to fit the bracket : this is WRONG as the fan cover is designed to take self-tapping screws from the engine side so just get some biggish self-tappers and screw it on.

The speedparts kit must be the best value enjoyment upgrade ever. Second best (and much cheaper) is poly bushes on the rear anti-roll bar - IMO these should be a compulsory fitment for anyone interested in driving above 35mph.