Rick M

I think I've finally settled on the APR chip and borla exhaust combo deal being offered by APR for $950. I did consider the MTM, but really can't justify the extra $.

My last decision is whether or not to spend the extra $500 so I can keep my factory ECU. Can anyone shed some light on the chances that I will or will not need to keep a factory ECU on hand based on your experiences?

Thanks very much to MNE and others for all the great posts and insight into this subject I had little knowledge of...

Rick

mne

The two main things that a spare ECU offer is 1. No down time for your car while you send your ECU off to have it modified. 2. The ability to swap out your chips before going to a "hostile" dealer and being "discovered." But bear in mind that an Audi ECU is $675. I believe the one APR is offering is an "M box" ECU. Its a perfectly fine ECU as far as quality/reliability goes, but its NOT an OEM Audi ECU. It can be spotted as a "non-stock" ECU visually. We all have to make the call on a personal/financial level as to whether or not thats important to us.

billk

You are paying way too much!

I chipped my Q for $700 and that included the new chip, the air filter, and I got back the original
ECU FREE!!

This company is ripping you off. There is nothing they can do with the original ECU, so charging you $500 is 100% profit!

Go to www.tap1.com and look at their combos. That's who I used. I love my Q even more!

mne

Not having his ECU kept by someone, but rather purchasing an entirely different ECU and having that one shipped to him with the chip in it. That way he can simply swap-out ECU's in the event his service department isnt "chip-friendly" or if he's out on the road, breaks down and has to be towed into a dealer. A replacement ECU is a smart idea if you can afford it. Once any dealer plugs your VIN into their computer and denies you warranty work because of your chipped ECU, you could be in for MAJOR problems/hassles at any dealer, any time from then on. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Also your stock ECU risks being "flashed"... meaning that any Audi dealer could reprogram your aftermarket chip with "stock" codes/tables simply by hooking you up to their VAG tool. It DOES happen!!

Wew

Garrett installed my new chip in a socket, gave back the stock chip free. Total cost: $549 w/tax

Andy F

My brother in law told me that if you replace the chip, there still resides in the ECU a complete engine history, so that if you beat on your car, the dealer can see what you've done and void the warranty. Any substance to this? Is this why you might replace the entire ECU and save the original?

Ted

He is talking about stage 2...chip $499, Borla $499 or package for $950. The $500 is of course about chipping a spare ECU.

Ted

mne could give us a better perspective on this but, I read higher torque and HP while all three chips "come one" at about the same RPM. I don't like MTM prices either. And, in this comparison the APR looks good.

However, mne reported earlier an MTM with a whopping 285 torque and 210 HP is in the offing....decisions decisions.

mne

Of course if they were to threaten over that, one might ask wheres the separation between Audis rev-limit and my mistake. In other words why is there a preset rev limit if I'm to be punished for seeing it kick in once or twice? And, accidents DO happen. A redline doesnt necessarily mean an abuse, or even an over-rev... it could also come from a missed shift. Surely theres an added "cushion" dialed into the stock rev limit. Of course if Audi VAG's you and you're redline is compromised and you're 'chipped' AND it shows, someone could be in deep ca-ca. Far better to have a nice, shiney "stock" ECU for any time you need an engine diagnostic from Audi... especially while under warranty. Incidentally, Audi can tell that the chip has suffered a disruption in power recently (by virtue of swapping ECU's) but thats a far cry from catching you with one installed when they look at your car. Burdon of proof if they suspect you have another chipped ECU at that time would rest squarely on them.

Its still remains a risk to a greater or lesser degree. I choose to do anything I can to stack those odds in my favor. And a $675. ECU goes a long way towards that end. Its my insurance policy for continued free warranty work.

Ted

I'm leaning toward cat-back exhaust and scraping any notion of cat forward in the program at the present time.

As for the chip...well, its winter here so there won't be allot of opportunity to put the power down anyhow. Accordingly, I'm thinking of chipping in the spring and see what developes from all three of these organizations in the meantime. My 2 cents.