Audi215

I'm planning on purchasing a 2018 Audi A5 or newer with a CPO warranty, is there any particular brand stage 1 Tunes or Flash that I can install that a dealer can't recognize if car ever needs a service repair if i was to flash back to factory settings?

Any advice is appreciated thanks!

SCarGuy

piggyback - yes
reflash - no

mhoran89

problem with a piggyback is you need to go through the trouble of removing it if you want to go in for warranty work (related to the drivetrain).
problem with a flash is the ECU flash counter goes up every time it is flashed, so even if you flash back to stock and take the car into the dealership, they will know something was altered.

this is a classic case of "you have to pay to play". I have ECU tuned 4 cars and 3 were under factory warranties when flashed and I have not regretted any of my decisions. I am also honest with my service advisor and dealer and they are very nice to me.

SCarGuy

Precisely

Hell, I work for them, but "even I am not above the policy" as mentioned in Seinfeld.

3 of mine are under warranty. 1 of which is tuned/modded. The second I would have modified had things been available earlier on when I bought it. But they took a while, and now that they are out, I just don't care anymore because the car is barely used as is. So it's simply not worthwhile to change a single thing on it. I don't regret it, For the one that is more modded, it's still very basic - reflash, intercooler, intake, a bunch of suspension things, intercooler. I'd do it again, and it's given me zero mechanical issues of any kind, and I've never had any warranty/recall work voided (because nothing required being plugged in to ODIS).

If you value a warranty above all else, and do not want to ever run the risk of having an out of pocket repair, then buy the CPO, and leave it alone. If you're like others of us here, who must mod things on the performance side, it's coursing through our veins, then skip the CPO, do the research, talk to/experience the desired mods from fellow knowledgeable owners, map out a plan (very, very important) and enjoy the process of making it just a bit more 'yours' through the changes you elect to make. This applies to new cars too.

Tesla1856

I suppose you could try, but I thought if it was a 45-TFSI model ... that the 4-cylinder turbo was already tuned near the edge already? Is that not true?

Now that it is broken-in, I tend to drive mine hard (but safely) for short periods of time. If my car breaks near the red-line ... well, that's gonna take all the fun out of it.

And yes, I also have some really nice Windows gaming desktop computers. They were expensive, so I kinda need them to last. I tend to think they are fast enough already, so I don't Over-Clock them either.

mhoran89

nope. can most likely squeeze around 75-90 hp/tq out of one on a stage 1 tune at 91 or 93 octane. none of these cars are pushed towards the ragged edge from the factory.

TheTurbanator

Is there any reason not to get a tune meant for 93 octane if you live in an area where most pumps only have 93 and not 91? Other than of course stability/reliability concerns.

JohnEnglish

I don't see any reason why you wouldn't use the 93 tune if you can get at least 93 octane. As long as you use the correct octane there shouldn't be any concerns or issues over a 91 octane tune.

mhoran89

no reason not to get 93. only reason would be if you regularly take the car on trips and are not familiar with what fuel is offered in those regions. especially prevalent in higher elevation locations (regular fuel is 85 and highest available at the pump is usually 91).

TheTurbanator

That's pretty valid. I guess that's an advantage of remappable piggybacks like JB4, once you see the octane level drop in some regions, you can remap to a lower octane or just go stock altogether.