APR ECU Upgrade MK6 Golf - Customer perspective

[Escell]

Just had the 6 hr trial flash last week and have to say I was underwhelmed until I hit third gear, which just rocketed me off with the new torque thanks to APR. From there it was a great 4 or so days of driving until the trial ran out, then (could be placebo) I felt like I was driving a Yaris.

No exaggeration, the car just had no punch. I don't actually think the difference was that marked beforehand.

After that I had to go back and stage 1 done permanently to satisfy my torque craving, so I forked out the money.

While I was getting the flash done for good, I had a chat to another customer who quietly mentioned that there has been at least one incident of an Audi being flashed for trial where the owner demanded to know what they had done to his stock settings afterwards - he was adamant that the car was driving far more sluggishly than before. APR then "reset" his "stock" settings quietly. This particular guy I was talking to said that if you read extensively enough, there are multiple cases of owners who have accused APR of resetting the stock settings after trial to a lower level where you will be effectively forced to go back and pay to have the Stage 1 flash done.

I take no sides on this issue - bottom line is that with Stage 1 installed my GTI is a cracker and I'm driving it more than ever, but I did sit there in my "Yaris" for a few days just wondering what had happened...

[Beena]

I got a Stage 1 done to my R by Dean at VolksPower this morning - very noticeable! Went back to drive my mates stock R (with 500km) and the difference was even more profound.

So in my first 24hrs of VW ownership I've driven 900km and done my first mod! I wonder what this says about the future...

Also found that Dean has the same (almost) plates as me on his white R with black wheels - GLFR and V GLFR!
That's got me thinking... If i cover up the 'V' with black tape then Dean will pay my tolls and speeding fines for me...

[brimway]

Just had the 6 hr trial flash last week and have to say I was underwhelmed until I hit third gear, which just rocketed me off with the new torque thanks to APR. From there it was a great 4 or so days of driving until the trial ran out, then (could be placebo) I felt like I was driving a Yaris.

No exaggeration, the car just had no punch. I don't actually think the difference was that marked beforehand.

After that I had to go back and stage 1 done permanently to satisfy my torque craving, so I forked out the money.

While I was getting the flash done for good, I had a chat to another customer who quietly mentioned that there has been at least one incident of an Audi being flashed for trial where the owner demanded to know what they had done to his stock settings afterwards - he was adamant that the car was driving far more sluggishly than before. APR then "reset" his "stock" settings quietly. This particular guy I was talking to said that if you read extensively enough, there are multiple cases of owners who have accused APR of resetting the stock settings after trial to a lower level where you will be effectively forced to go back and pay to have the Stage 1 flash done.

I take no sides on this issue - bottom line is that with Stage 1 installed my GTI is a cracker and I'm driving it more than ever, but I did sit there in my "Yaris" for a few days just wondering what had happened...

I didn't let my trial expire before going the hole hog! I would seriously doubt that they would tinker with stock settings. After APR stage 1, I had APR turbo back exhaust fitted and reflash to suit, and in stock mode is still better than original stock mode, so Mike Weber certainly didn't mess with mine. I could not be happier with the results so far, but hunger is taking hold.

[ganis5]

Does anyone know if you can transfer the apr back to stock 3 year 'warranty' to the cars second owner?

[Guy_H]

If its paid up, shouldn't be a problem, just check with your local APR dealer.

[logger]

Pretty sure I worked out why my 98 Ron tune spontaneously stopped working without me switching anything. At some point I have had a fault in my Ignition switch that spat "Electrical Fault in Circuit - Intermittent" messages on four separate terminals. When this occurred it appears to have interrupted power to the ENG ECU. Cutting the power to the ECU means the the APR software will default to program 1 when power returns. In a standard installation this is Stock mode.

Just to follow up. The tune was spontaneously switching back to stock pretty much on a daily basis. The "Electrical Fault in Circuit - Intermittent" message was returning each time the car was left overnight.
So about a month ago I persuaded VW to replace the electrical portion of the IGN switch under warranty. Since then the Tune has been as good as gold and no unwanted switching. So problem fixed I'd say. I wanted to drive the car for a while to be sure it was actually fixed before reporting back. So all good again.

[m3103]

I understand that APR has the option of a six hour trial for their product?
Does this include their diesel variant! (oettinger I believe?)
Thanks

[Guy_H]

Hi M3103,

The Diesel's don't have enough memory for trial software, but you certainly get a 7 day money back satisfaction guarantee. (Oettinger)

[Peteaussi]

Got my Stage 1 flash today.... wow.... I also installed a carbonio intake last night and the combination of the two is the dogs nuts in my opinion. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear wheel spin gets me giggling. Not to mention the increase turbo blow off without being one of those showy twats. Thanks APR for having an Easter sale on a day I have off from work.

[Hhawker]

Hi Guys,

Recently emailed my local APR dealer Re Stage 1 on my 2011 GTI, and got the below response.

"As this vehicle is very new it may not not yet have the program written for it. We will need to sight the ECU and find out from APR."

Just wondering whether it is normal to have to take the car down for an inspection before organising an appointment to have the upgrade done? Does this response also imply they will want to remove the ECU?

The dealer in question is Quattro Motors, in Perth. As far as I'm aware they're the only option available to me for APR here in WA.

Thanks Guys.

[Guy_H]

You should be fine with an MY 11 GTI, we have done quite a lot.

There is always the chance, when new cars roll off the boat, they have a different part number or version (or in the case of the new Jetta's & Passat's - totally different ECU's).

It's nice to know that if you are the one case in 50 that has something new, it will be a two visit trip.

If I was a betting man, I would say you are 97.3% safe as our own MY11 GTI is a week old & we just did it.

[spiff]

Aye. Quattro are the only place here to go for APR. They're good at what they do. My experience with them was a no-nonsense straight-talking service. Not much banter, but they know what they do. I'd have said "their support" (and the support I got) came via way of Guy and VWW, but I see that Guy's already replied. top stuff.

Hi Guys,

Recently emailed my local APR dealer Re Stage 1 on my 2011 GTI, and got the below response.

"As this vehicle is very new it may not not yet have the program written for it. We will need to sight the ECU and find out from APR."

Just wondering whether it is normal to have to take the car down for an inspection before organising an appointment to have the upgrade done? Does this response also imply they will want to remove the ECU?

The dealer in question is Quattro Motors, in Perth. As far as I'm aware they're the only option available to me for APR here in WA.

Thanks Guys.

[cavinsoo]

Hi,

I've read up on APR Stage 1 tune. kw and torque gains... blah blah blah.

How about 0-100? How fast would it be if the car still has the stock components. Just an ECU flash. No component upgrades. Thanks!

[brad]

Hi,

I've read up on APR Stage 1 tune. kw and torque gains... blah blah blah.

How about 0-100? How fast would it be if the car still has the stock components. Just an ECU flash. No component upgrades. Thanks!

Not sure about 0-100 as i think they are irrellevant in daily driving but I knocked up to 18% off my in-gear times when I Bluefinned the 1.8TSI. Reduction in overtaking times is the important bit - justifies the remap on OHS grounds.

40-120 in 3rd gear. 40kmh is just off boost at just on 1500rpm.
Before: 10.99 / 10.92 / 10.96 - call it 10.95?
After : 8.82 / 8.80(det)/ 9.02 - call it 8.95?
~2 seconds/ 18% reduction

40-140 in 4th gear. 40kmh is way off boost at about 1000rpm
Before: 14.99 / 14.74
After : 13.79 / 13.48 / 13.72
Call it 1 second better? 6% improvement?

[Guy_H]

Oettinger claim .5 second quicker 0-100 - that's very conservative to say the least. There are a lot of factors involved in setting 0-100 times.