I'm thinking about getting my timing belt replaced and at the same time get it chipped. Any reasons I shouldn't do that? And can the belt be done at home. I've read the DIY but not sure on difficulty level, im plannjg on getting the cam lock tool with the kit from esc any tips?

Also are exhausts worth it?

 

An extra 68 hp has a habit of breaking marginal parts, especially the tip tranny. I chipped mine at 75k and replaced the clutch/flywheel within 10k. But it has run great ever since -- now at 206k. If you do the chip, also replace the throttle body boot and diverter valves with heavy duty. Cannot comment on the tb job. I have a very good indie shop that does all my work and it is guaranteed.

 

When you say the clutch fly wheel on a tip tronic trans are you referring to the Torque Converter Clutch? I want to chip my 2.7T, but its at 130,000. new DV's & the upgrade bolt on throttle body are a given. I just did the TCC to a reman with the internal seal issue resolved, if I was to get the Forge 007 DV's & bolt on TBB would that suffice?

 

I have a manual transmission 6 (MT6). When they opened it up, the flywheel was missing some parts. I knew the clutch was slipping. I think it all stemmed from a 140-150 mile run one night, when it was surging at the very top end. I think that did me in. But the stage2 kit has been rock solid for 120k miles.

 

So basically chipping my 2000 2.7T Auto Tip Trans w/ 130k miles will probably not be a good idea?

 

It depends on how much self control you have. If you romp on it, you risk ruining your automatic tranny and that costs $3-4k to replace. Even with a chip, this is still a big, heavy car and does not get off the line quickly. What the chip does is kick in around 3500 rpm and there is serious acceleration at that point, but it gets to redline very quickly. The other thing the chip does is remove the 133mph governor, but 133 is really quite fast enough. So, a chipped engine will definitely be more fun to drive but it will cost ~$1k to get there and if you break something substantial, another $2-4k to fix it. Weigh the risk against the small gains in speed + pleasure. Caveat emptor.

 

The timing belt job can be a pain in the a** if you aren't mechanicaly inclined. I had some help from a retired mechanic and it took us 17 hours in his home garage, in January to do the whole thing. But,it was a good learning experience, and other than the freezing cold we had some fun. We also didn't have the cam locking tool and still managed to put it on just fine and its been 4000 miles without any hicups or catastrophic failures.

 

I have a Giac Chip ECU for sale for anyone interested, i used it from 150k miles to 205k miles.

 

I chipped when I bought my '04 and have never had a problem. My car was under Audi's warranty for first 75K and I extended that to 100K. The dealership never gave me any headache over it, and they never mentioned it. Now at 130K it's still running fine except for the rinky dink transmission they put in these models. (If you get the class action paperwork in the mail please sign it!! We all may get a new tranny out of it)

Torque convertor was repalced under warranty and I've done the timing belt through a indie. No problems here except the normal rattles one would expect on a 8 year old car. I don't think it matters if you chip it new at 50K, 100K or 200K. These engines are bullet proof. There's a reason for all the LeMans wins!!

 

hypoxia, how much are you asking for that chip because I may be interested.