APR ECU Upgrade MK6 Golf - Customer perspective

[Ryan_R]

I'm planning on getting the car serviced next week and tuned the week after before everyone closes up shop for the holidays - anything extra worth hearing for the sake of hearing it?

[cameronp]

I had mine done at Quattro Motors yesterday. I got all of the APR programmes included for the normal price - not sure if it's a promotional offer or a change in policy or what.

The good news: it's pretty much exactly as logger described in the post that started this thread. Heaps more midrange torque and also noticeably more whine and rumble when you put your foot down at low revs, presumably because the supercharger is running more often.

The bad news: driving home from the city this afternoon I felt as though the car had "lost its mojo" - if anything, slower than the stock tune. Re-selecting the APR programme restored it to how it had been yesterday after the tune. Ambient temperatures (as reported on the MFD) were 36-38 degrees and I was doing a fair bit of driving through slow-moving traffic with the air-con running full blast. That's got to be pretty close to the worst case scenario for forced induction.

I wonder if there's some kind of safety cut off for the APR tune with high intake temperatures? Or, alternatively, it may just have been plain "turbos don't like hot weather", and it was letting the car cool down in the shade for a while that restored it rather than fiddling with the tune.

[Ryan_R]

Mine is still stock - and I've also noticed that my car's mojo is hiding. I was hoping the 15k service next week would restore that, following which I plan on getting the tune. I'm hoping there are some promotions in December.

[cameronp]

I'm thinking that what I saw was just heat-related. The car was great this morning but relatively lethargic again in the afternoon. Suppose that if the intercooler can only just cope with >35C ambient temperatures in stock tune, it might seriously struggle with a higher-boost tune. Have any other chipped 118TSI owners noticed something similar?

The supercharger soundproofing removal mod that a few people tried on the Mk5 GT TSI sounds like it might help too.

[Corey_R]

Yeah a software tune can't break the laws of physics. Even non-turbo cars perform worse in hot weather.
The APR Intercooler would be of worth, but it's listed as for the 2.0T engines. I'm also not sure whether the Forge twin-intercooler product is suitable either. But changes like that would help with hot weather.

[okisub]

Has anyone tried the Bluefin here? This one

[Big_Dave]

Yeah a software tune can't break the laws of physics. Even non-turbo cars perform worse in hot weather.
The APR Intercooler would be of worth, but it's listed as for the 2.0T engines. I'm also not sure whether the Forge twin-intercooler product is suitable either. But changes like that would help with hot weather.

I'm not a mechanic, but wouldn't performance be more effected heat wise by the ability of the engine to breath?
I know cooling is important on hot days, but from what the guys are describing it sounds more of a breathing issue.
Everyone knows that the higher the density of the air the better an engine performs.
thats why piston aircraft engines work better at night.
As long as engine temp isnt going towards the red, i would look at upgrading the air intake.
thats my 2cents worth.lol.

Dealer says my order still hasnt got a build date yet. Aaaargh.

[REXman]

Hey I got a front mount on my car (2 cars ago!) and It definitely helps. A lot. But when its as you say, 36-39 degrees in Aus, there is not much that will help the car not feel like a dog.

On turbo vehicles, its so much more pronounced (the lack of power) on hot days, even 28 deg+.. Where when its below 20, and then 15 and then 10.. you can feel and hear the difference.

The cooler will make it safer for sure. It just wont save you from dog performance on a 35+ day!

[Corey_R]

Good question Big_Dave, and I'm no mechanic either, so I'd defer to someone who actually produces these kits etc, but the air intake goes to the turbo which then goes through the intercooler before going into the engine:


So upgrading the air intake allows more air, but upgrading the intercooler allows it to go through cooler.

The catch with the 1.4 Twincharger is that you have both a supercharger AND a turbo charger. The path of the air is switched during the change over from super to turbo charging. I'm not really sure how this works. I should read up on that

[Big_Dave]

yeah, that makes sense.
Everything in concert.

[aVex]

I've just been advised by a vendor that for the new VW Golf GTI MK6 2009+ the ECU flash counter can't be reset and he believes no other competition out there to his product will be able to as well...

Anyone can confirm this?

[Guy_H]

APR & Oettinger do maybe it's just hand held programming units that cannot?

[Jasonpb]

I've just been advised by a vendor that for the new VW Golf GTI MK6 2009+ the ECU flash counter can't be reset and he believes no other competition out there to his product will be able to as well...

Anyone can confirm this?

Bluefin does as well, at least on the Golf R

[aVex]

Bluefin does as well, at least on the Golf R

The vendor I spoke with actually is from Superchips.

[Guy_H]

two different ECU's (Golf GTI 6 vs Golf R) MED17 vs ME9 so maybe that's the difference. Jason, check your counter in VCDS in the "advanced ID" section in the engine module.