im sure some people must have the chipped ecu from ARP. have you had any problems with it? how do you like it?

The two most reputable remapping tuners are APR and GIAC.
Most of the people here with chipped ecu's have one of the two.

APR is well known for it's smooth, conservative (yet strong) powerband and the added benefits of the "switching" modes.
GIAC is known for it's cutting edge top-end performance; GIAC recently added the "switching" features to their latest versions.

You shouldn't have any worries or issues with the APR at all; there customer support is pretty good, too.

yea, ive heard alot of great things about the customer service. i think the switching is pretty cool, give you more control and shit.

When are you getting the chip?
Which switching options/modes will you get?

what are the options?

Does anyone care to share a link to ARP's website?

Here you go:
APR (http://www.goapr.com)

Hey, thanks Imola![8D] I was planning to drive to PA this weekend to see family. I think I'll leave a day early and stop at APR.

If they squeeze me in to their schedule, I'll post the results. I'm not planning on doing much else in the way of modifying until the warranty is done. I voided the warranty on my WRX in less than a week!

The chip makes all the difference. Drivability is much better and the extra power is just what the car needs. If this doesn't affect longevity, I'll be very pleased.

Does the chip affect fuel economy at all? (in what way?)

Am I voiding the warranty by having the car 'chipped'? Can the service department tell that the car is 'chipped'?

Yes there is an internal counter that can see if the computer has been flashed. There is a company out there that has gotten around this "Problem".

If someone could link to that company that would help out alot. I think it might be GIAC?:eek:

People have reported actually getting better fuel economy after being chipped. That is, IF you don't suddenly develop lead foot.

Sorry guys, I'm brand new to the platform. My question is whethere it is possible to install the chip yourself or would I have to take it to a shop.

Thanks

I am selling my apr chip,its for a b5 1.8t(6mth old). Pm me if your interested.

why are you selling - can you tell me more about the differences it made? I got a new 05 1.8 will it work on that?

no it will not work on yours.

Thanks for handling my lightwork jesty:D

"lightwork" so thats what you call it :)

How about the Hoppen/MTM chip ? I hear they are pretty good, too. Any experience ?

d

i dont understand what the switching mode that you guys were talking about is....is that like if i get the ECU chip and then the tiptronic chip as well i could switch inbetween to the two since i wouldn't be able to use both at the same time?

No. The program allows you to switch back and forth between stock and chipped. It's sometimes mistakenly called valet mode. Valet mode is another option which limits the revs - so a valet won't abuse your car while driving your beauty.

oh thats really cool, where do you controll this from, is it like a switch inside your car? or somthing under the hood?

With APR it's programmed into the wiper stalk - the switch that you use to flip between miles, mpg, etc. on the display. It's coded so only you can access the feature on the stalk.
With GIAC (I believe) it's built into a remote - I haven't seen one in action yet.

I keep coming to this thread, and the more I read it, the more I want a chip.

I'm looking at either the GIAC or APR.

Which one, is harder for the dealer to detect?
I think the GIAC has the option of a socket solution, so you can swap with a stock program for dealer visits, however, if the dealer notices the socket, wont the be able to tell you chipped the car?

Just trying to chip w/o voiding warranty :)

any thoughts?

thanks!!

id like to know more about the whole warrenty situation considering my A4 1.8T just became cert preowned.

yo defensemen i see ur @ RIT

i live in rochester also, i live in penfield and will go going to St.John Fisher next year.

Good to see some forum users from rochester :)

What year are you at RIT?

ORIGINAL: defenseman

id like to know more about the whole warrenty situation considering my A4 1.8T just became cert preowned.

The whole warranty issue has been exhausted time and time again here and at other forums. Search the archives on this subject and you'll get plenty to read for a few hours - which is what you need to make such a personal decision.

Bottom line: It's going to be up to you and your own subjective terms. Most owners will go ahead and chip the car. They are willing to take the risk because, although the risk in theory is high, the risk in the real world is actually very low.

ORIGINAL: defenseman

id like to know more about the whole warrenty situation considering my A4 1.8T just became cert preowned.



The situation is that it will void your warranty. Now some dealers are more lenient, and look the other way.

Sorry if I missed this but can the APR chip be installed by most owners and/or swapped out with an alternate stock chip for service visits? Is this swap out method a pretty solid method from having dealers discover you are chipping?

The dealership is not detectable if you buy it with the switch mode

get to know your salesperson, service team...and you should be set!

I have an '04 B6 1.8T APR Stage 1+, which is the Chip and bigger fuel injectors. The bigger injectors are Bosch, and that is OEM for our cars...therefore whenyou have it in for service the mechanic will not even know they are different unless he pulls them and looks at the part number (not going to happen).

I have had it for 4 months and no 1.8T should be without! I have had excellent experience with it! It makes and incredible difference. I have the stock option on it too, this way when you take it to a dealer they'll be none the wiser. It has a lock mode too - you set a code so you can turn it on and off and lock it so nobody can turn it on but you (read: service tech can't mess with it). You simply make the adjustments on the cruise control stalk in the cabin, and away you go. It also will remove all the fault codes and do a throttle valve alignment adjustment when you switch between modes (which you will want to do when the engine is cold) to keep peak performance.

That being said, I am selling it and it WILL work on your '05. The reason I am selling it is because the tuner shop I take my car to is going to upgrade my turbo and intake, and the kit comes with a REVO chip and injectors. So I need to sell this and trade my ECU with the stock one in your car...we can do it overnight mail to keep the down time at a minimum. If you are interested, email me.

ackjazz@netzero.com.

By the way, a chipped car will void the warrantee on the engine if the dealer knows it's there and are adverse to mods. Some dealers will turn the other cheek more than others. This unit is perfect because you can put it in a mode where they will never know it's there and lock it so they can't play with it to figure it out!


ORIGINAL: angelo_nyc

I keep coming to this thread, and the more I read it, the more I want a chip.

I'm looking at either the GIAC or APR.

Which one, is harder for the dealer to detect?
I think the GIAC has the option of a socket solution, so you can swap with a stock program for dealer visits, however, if the dealer notices the socket, wont the be able to tell you chipped the car?

Just trying to chip w/o voiding warranty :)

any thoughts?

thanks!!

Can i put the APR chip in my automatic 1.8T FWD or is it restricted to manual trans??

i see most of you are talking about a4's. i have an 01 a6 2.7t. will the apr work in my vehicle as well? what about the tcu or the tip chip? nobody thus far has mentioned upgrading the dv's or tbb's, how come? thanks

APR offers chip for all Turbo'd vehicles. A4, S4, A6, TT, and the VW's.

We're an APR distributor, feel free to give us a call or shoot us an email if you have any questions on the EMCS switching technology. We'll be happy to explain how it all works.

The chip for the A6 2.7T is awesome... you will never want to go back after that mod..