vis

I know this issue has been beaten to death, but I own a '00 180QC TT and I'm looking to chip. Im looking for a nice increase in low-end.

Long-term reliability is definitely a concern w/ me, and I'm interested in anyone's experiences w/ chipping their 1.8T's. The TT board doesn't have many people w/ over 35k miles on their cars yet.
I've looked at APR, GIAC, and MTM so far.

Any comments (good or bad) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Dan

Donkihad

LOL..This is a hot subject at the moment. Best advice would be check archives.

Ray Khan

I have APR for their customer service, future upgrade options and EMCS(program switching)

CPQuattro

I went with APR based on what I have read in European Car and based on other people's experiences.

Give them a call - they are very knowledgable.

Also - APR offers EMCS w/their chip. Lot's of nice options.

Good Luck.

Rodney

It's a personal decision. Best bet is to try to get together with some chipped owners in your area for some test drives. Also, if a dealer/shop in your area supports a particular tuner, it's great to be able to have someone who can take care of any problems that might come up. I think the GIAC may actually be the best for low end power. The MTM (Motor Technik Mayer) chip gives serious grunt from 3000-5500 rpm. I chose MTM because of their experience and relationship with Audi. It is also my OPINION that since Roland Mayer worked for Audi on the 1.8T's design team MTM will have an advantage in designing products that will maintain long term reliability (reliability WILL suffer with any chip...it's just a question of how much). Since I plan on keeping my car 6-8 years, this was a factor. I've had my chip for 13,000 miles and have a total of 33,000 miles (trouble free) on my car. I know of people with over 50,000 MTM chipped miles on their cars. Check the archives for tons more information.

Go with a company YOU are comfortable with, make sure there is no pinging or detonation (don't just listen, do some runs on a hot day with a VAG tool hooked up...pinging is bad for the engine), get a boost guage so you know when you're on boost, give the car a chance to circulate fluids before using much boost, and allow it to cool down after long highway drives/track runs/spirited driving (lots of boost).

RickM

No one can say for sure just what effect(s) chipping will have on long-term engine/turbo life. Personally I believe the effects will have more to do with driving style than the increased boost itself. But one thing seems pretty certain: chipping (any chip) will reduce engine/turbo life. It only stands to reason that it will. BUT by how much, and in what respects, remain unanswered questions. Personally I can't see any difference, in terms of longevity risks, among the various 1.0 bar chips. An .8 bar chip would logically pose less risk, as it's less demanding. But for those who lease or buy a new car every 2-3 years, these are not major concerns. For others, like me, the long-term effect of chipping is a risk we've deemed worth taking even though we plan to keep our cars longer than that; all <i>available</i> info points to good longevity for a chipped 1.8. However, only you can decide your own tolerance for risk, given the uncertainties. If "definitely a concern" means it's your preeminent concern, and that it's more important than any performance advantage you might gain from chipping, then maybe chipping isn't for you. My suggestion is that you read as much as you can on the subject, listen to what others are saying about their own experiences, and decide based on a full plate of knowledge. I waited a year to do it. I felt very comfortable with my decision once I got there, and haven't had any regrets. But I have very low mileage on my car. It'll be a long time before I see any adverse effects from chipping, if ever.