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and for both ways they need to actually be looking for it.

The first one is a dead ringer for turbo cars. Once they hook up the VAG tool, they can see what boost levels the car is running. If they see that you've been running 20psi...then they know obviously that the car has been chipped, since the original programming is for much less. For N/A cars, they can look to see how high the motor has been revved. If it shows that you've consistently been hitting 7500rpm, they know something is up. If they suspect one of these, then they will do the next thing...

The second way to detect it is by searching for the region code of the ECU number. There are basically only 2 or 3 region codes for the whole country, and when you get your car chipped, the region code gets replaced by that chip manufacturers code so that they can recognize their programming in the future if they need to. The only time they would ever look for this is if you're having some type of serious electrical problem or system malfunction which they suspect could be caused by a faulty ECU.

And then there's the third and easiest way for your dealer to tell if your car is chipped....they simply troll the forums. Parts guys, techs, service writers....they're all here, trust me. And I'm fairly sure that there are even a few lurkers from AOA around (hey guys!) just keeping an eye on things. In your case, being that there are less Allroad owners who modify their cars than, let's say, A4 owners...you're pretty easy to pick out from the crowd.

 

at a certain local dealership took a diagnostic ride with me in my TT when i had it and said "this car is chipped right?" and i said "no why" and he points to the boost gauge and says your running high boost. Funny thing is i only had an intake at the time and was only hitting 12.5 PSI the norm for a 225TT. Just thought this was a funny story in regards to techs and boost levels.

 

This has been confirmed recently by many. Sure you have to read the scan..it does not say "warning this vehicle has been chipped."
But it does show in the coding. Dont refer to the coding that we see with a VAG -COM..dealer tools are far beyond this in their read outs and information gathering.

I'm just pointing it out, being I was discovered..OK at 85K..no big deal. APR 5.0 Flash

 

technician. I'm also very familiar with the dealer scan-tools. The "coding" you're referring to is the region code, only the dealer can see it, only they know what it means, once you chip your car it changes...simple. That's the ONLY 100% way for them to tell. The other way I mentioned (reading boost levels) is deductive, but once they see boost levels, you better believe the next thing they do is check the region code.
They HAVE to look for a chip, it never just "pops up on the diagnostic tool".
We all know chipping your car is a gamble, I'm just clearing up some of the myths that dealers spread to put the fear of chipping in people's heads.

 

I went to the dealer and mentioned a hesitation in my power delivery. They did a VAG scan and mentioned my "performance program". I asked how?.they said they saw the code as a result of the VAG scan. Very simply put we both are saying the same thing.

 

but I'll leave them posted here. Since I'm pretty sure they don't troll AW.