APR ECU Upgrade MK6 Golf - Customer perspective

[logger]

Oh nooooooo

Really thought it was sorted this time Logger.....

Well it is more or less sorted. At the time of the previous fix I had just identified the cause of the fault. Have not gotten around to fixing it yet. So will keep you updated on how that goes.

Keep in mind that the cause of this IGN fault is not caused by the tune in any way. The behaviour I see is mirroring what is supposed to happen with APR tunes if you were to pull the battery lead. As far as I am concerned the tune is working as it is designed to do.

The issue my car has, would also generate a fault and would probably ultimately cause issues even in a car without the ECU tune. Once I fix the IGN problem I expect the un-commanded switching will go away.

[Corey_R]

Hey logger. Do you feel that the IGN fault is something that you've caused with one of your other mods (lights etc) or VCDS changes? I'm just wondering why you haven't just dropped it to the dealer already...

[logger]

I doubt it. Possibly due to how I interact with the IGN though. But again unlikely. Maybe just a faulty component.
It hasn't been to VW only because the car is in MELB and I am about to leave PERTH to fly to Brisbane.
When I return to MELB I'm going bush so again. So the reason for the delay is purely convenience.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

[AdamD]

It would seem there's a few levels of sportiness (in D mode)

<> Stock (Program One)
<> APR - you can hear the extra exhaust noise but not that much more response/power/torque
<> APR - fairly punchy
<> APR - absolutely mental acceleration

So, a modern car with a stock ECU tune will also produce varying power depending on conditions - especially if it's turbocharged. Temperature, humidity, and many other inputs from vehicle sensors are all going to have an inpact on how the car chooses to run boost, ignition timing, and fuel mixture. Flashing with an APR (or any other) tune doesn't change this - the car still needs to run to the conditions.

[Ryan_R]

Well, we've had some warmer weather, and I've started using Manual mode a bit more, and the car (and tune) are responding brilliantly.

[Ryan_R]

Car is still running great - I ran a fault check in VCDS and nothing to speak of besides a Rain/Light sensor fault about 600kms ago (last Tuesday I'm guessing). The engine was stuttering a tad when I started it the other day (had the radio off which is how I heard it) - was probably just cold, as it was gone after sitting there for 2 minutes. I didn't realise how low the RPMs are when it idles (I think it went from 2200 down to 1100 or thereabouts).

I washed it yesterday and really want to drive it, the problem is that 1) the front will get splatterred with more bugs, and 2) I've driven all the great driving roads around my area multiple times. I might have to resort to playing Test Drive Unlimited on the PC again

[ctan]

Hi,

Need some advice on this as I am thinking of getting this done to my Mk6. I live in NSW. There are 3 dealers in NSW as advertised on the APR web site. I started by speaking to the one closest to my office about the 6 hour free trial. Unfortunately it is not free with this dealer (not sure about the others). There is a charge of $100.00 for this free trial to cover labor costs which is then credited to me if I decide to go ahead with the purchase (if made within a 2 week period). I asked if I would get the credit if I purchase it a few months later when they have their sales special with the discounts. The answer is No.

I have 2 questions :

1. Do all dealers in NSW (or other states) charge for this 6 hour trial?

2. If so, should the ECU need to be reinstalled because it is reverted to stock during a VW service for whatever reason, will there be a labor charge for this too? If not, how many times is the APR dealer prepared to do this w/o charge?

Any advice on this is much appreciated.

[Corey_R]

1. Do all dealers in NSW (or other states) charge for this 6 hour trial?

Not all of them do, however, it seems that far too many people have been taking advantage of APR's "free trial" and then going off and purchasing "cheaper alternatives" from companies that either don't offer free trials or have no convenient method (i.e. dealer network) of providing a free trial. So whilst it is at each dealers disgression, I can understand the fact they are doing this now.

In a way it's like going to a shoe store to try on a bunch of shoes, but then walking out and ordering them on the internet. This type of things is happening across so many industries these days

2. If so, should the ECU need to be reinstalled because it is reverted to stock during a VW service for whatever reason, will there be a labor charge for this too? If not, how many times is the APR dealer prepared to do this w/o charge?

You'll need to ask the specific dealer. In the past I was told that this was without charge. But it's so rare that in my 3 years of VW ownership, I haven't had this occur.

[ctan]

Thanks Corey. That really puts it in perspective. In terms of installation I should think that it is not a delicate technical challenge and all the dealers would do any equal job. Based on this I think it is best to get it done by the dealer closest to my location then.

[Corey_R]

Yes, I would agree with that assessment.

The only comment I would have about going further than your closest dealer is if you intended to have additional work done (servicing, Stage 2 or higher, handling mods such as suspension, rollbars etc) where technical expertise and experience did come into play. In that case it may be worth travelling further to the company you deem to be the "best", so that in the future when you get that additional work done, you've already got that relationship with them.