D Spin

Hi there, wondering if anyone here is running an APR tune on their TDI Q7? If so, how do you like it?

Also wondering how risky it is to install a tune while still under the extended emissions warranty? Anyone have luck flashing back to stock and getting warranty work done?

APR advertises no increase to the flash counter on the ECU with their flashing and the rep I talked to said that it is possible to flash back to stock and 'should' be undetectable. Curious if anyone has had any first hand experience with this?

I still have four years of warranty on the TDI and have a credit at an APR dealer so thinking I could go with an APR tune for now until the warranty expires then look at upgrading to a Malone tune with a delete, etc.

Thanks for any feedback!

drjonez

Any flashing you do will result in Audi seeing the "TD1" flag when they scan the ECU (regardless of what APR says). That flag will likely impact any warranty coverage you would get, then again the dieselgate warranty is only as good as the dealer you're using. What year is your Q7?

Edzzed

I see they left themselves with an out using the word SHOULD be undetectable instead of using the word WILL be undetectable. Are they willing to take on any costs if Audi finds the tune was on there at some point and they forfeited your warranty. Try and sell the APR credits.

D Spin

My Q7 is a 2015 but was one of the holdbacks so wasn't actually sold until 2018. I guess what APR is saying is that an ECU flash won't increase the flash count but there still may be other ways to tell if one looks close enough.

Yes, the 'should' is very ambiguous. In discussing more with APR and an APR dealer they will not make a statement guaranteeing that it's undetectable. Someone more advanced at tech support for APR ended up conceding that if a dealership looks hard enough, they will be able to find evidence of a tune even if it was flashed back to stock. The APR dealer I was consulting with basically said that given the warranty, they wouldn't risk it. With a TDI that still has four years of warranty, odds are that an oil leak or other issue may show up that will require engine out service. It's not worth jeopardizing this given the retail cost of such work. They did say that APR offers their own extended 'tuned' warranty that covers anything that the dealership deems failure due to a tune but sounds like it's pricey. As with anything insurance/warranty based, the real truth is in getting it covered when something happens.