APR ECU Upgrade MK6 Golf - Customer perspective

[elisiX]

All good mate. I can totally appreciate where the apprehension comes from.

[GL118]

Gday all Iv been following this thread for quite abit but wasnt a member, and must thank you guys for the informative discussion. As per a previous post and just to clarify over the 8 pages worth of dialogue.. does the APR ECU stage one tune for a 118TSI breach VW factory warranty? And would you have to set it to "stock" setting for them not to notice at the dealership or would it not matter as their upgrades would replace everything? i only ask this as for some reason i had a ECU upgrade as part of my first check up for some reason and the "service advisor" couldnt tell me what it was for.. i had just assumed they left it alone.

Additionally has anyone noticed a fall in fuel consumption?Im quite interested in the tune but im loving the fantastic fuel economy ** i never fail to rub it in my mate's face due to him having an XR6 Turbo and the obvious fail on fuel economy there** so i hope

[Corey_R]

Hi, I'll try to answer all your questions.

1) Does the APR ECU stage one tune for a 118TSI breach VW factory warranty?
Putting any aftermarket component in your car (ECU, stereo, wheels etc etc) does not breach the VW factory warranty. However, if the aftermarket component caused a fault, that may not be covered. So in other words, if you flash your ECU and your windows fall out - VW will fix y our windows under warranty.

2) And would you have to set it to "stock" setting for them not to notice at the dealership?
If you don't set it to stock, they WILL notice. The upgrade is THAT noticable (at least it was on my Golf GTI and is on my Polo GTI) - even at low speeds.
If you really wish to hide it from the dealer though, you will need to get the optional 'security lockout' feature that APR have. That way you need to put in a custom 4 digit code before you can access the ECU program swap. Only then is it undetectable by the dealers.

3) (The dealers) upgrades would replace (the ECU)? i only ask this as for some reason i had a ECU upgrade as part of my first check up.
If the dealer reflashes the ECU, and this does happen occasionally for various reasons, you just take your car back your APR dealer and they'll reflash the ECU again for free.

4) Has anyone noticed a fall in fuel consumption?
I've had a MKV Golf GTI with APR Stage I, and a MKIV Polo GTI with APR Stage I. I have not noticed a drop in fuel consumption with general driving. With both cars I've tried driving 'normally' from home to work and back both with and without the Stage I enabled and found no difference, apart from regular variances due to traffic, lights etc. I also drove to Coffs Harbour from Sydney with it enabled and back without it enabled, and also found NO difference at all!
If you are driving hard, then there is some difference in fuel consumption. But not in day to day driving

[robihe]

hi, just curious as to how long it took to complete the upgrade. is it just a days work or do they require a few days? thanks

[Corey_R]

For the APR Stage I ECU?
It only takes ~30 minutes. They can do it whilst you wait. It's just a software change.

[DracZ]

hi, just curious as to how long it took to complete the upgrade. is it just a days work or do they require a few days? thanks

Depends if they need to remove the ECU to do the initial flash. If they do, then might take 2 hours? If not, it can be less than 30 mins. Best to ring up the particular dealer and ask them yourself if you need an exact time.

[h100vw]

Depends if they need to remove the ECU to do the initial flash. If they do, then might take 2 hours? If not, it can be less than 30 mins. Best to ring up the particular dealer and ask them yourself if you need an exact time.

They'll not need to remove the ECU these days. It'll be flashable though the OBD port.

Gavin

[waterboy]

Hi, I'll try to answer all your questions.

1) Does the APR ECU stage one tune for a 118TSI breach VW factory warranty?
Putting any aftermarket component in your car (ECU, stereo, wheels etc etc) does not breach the VW factory warranty. However, if the aftermarket component caused a fault, that may not be covered. So in other words, if you flash your ECU and your windows fall out - VW will fix y our windows under warranty.

Might be a stupid question but if a engine problem does occur, how can they link the ECU reflash as the problem?

[DracZ]

They'll not need to remove the ECU these days. It'll be flashable though the OBD port.

Gavin

Hmm, from what I know there seems to be a new 'lock' of some sort placed on the newer '10 models. Not too sure about the other tuners, but APR has spoken up about the topic even tho it does not explicitly state so on their website.

"The MK6's in the US have new communication protocols that require removal of the ECU to be flashed." LINK (dated 11/03/10)

A REVO rep clarifies / confirms this later on by saying that the ECU also needs to be *opened* and not just removed, for the initial flash.

Not sure if this applies to local models however. Anyone with a '10 MK6 have any solid info?

[G-rig]

They'll not need to remove the ECU these days. It'll be flashable though the OBD port.

Gavin

The latest GTI MK6 won't be able to upload through the OBD port (ie built 2010) and need a special tool, but best to check with the installer. 09 built cars may be ok.