Sending it out isn't an option as I work or have school everyday of the week

 

Well rush shipping would only be about 3 days turnaround, maybe you can arrange a ride or use public transportation? If you have to get it chipped and not flashed anyways its gonna take at least a full day to get it done with drive time. How far is APR from where you live?

 

Like i said, it is the most hassle. But you have options, and thats a start

 

apr is about 2 hour drive as is giac... but the apr rep was kind of a dick, he had other people on hold and didnt have time to look up if they had the files for my ecu.. so im just gonna go giac

 

Well what im getting at is a good tech takes about 2-3 hours to install a chip, so you might want to make an appointment before you head out to get it all done in one day. Its probably going to take 8 hours total with driving time if all goes well, which is doable.

 

I still say just buy a used one with a tune off classifieds and save money and time

 

well the giac site shows my ecu code as having flash loadable upgrade... so hopefully that stays true when i arrive... and i called ae performance and eurocode and they are both kinda booked so im gonna have to wait before i can schedule an appointment with them

 

GIAC is now a flash-load deal, I had mine done back in July. If the shop you call says they can't do their car, then tell them to contact GIAC or just move on to a different shop.

The reason the shop would charge $600 is due to tax and labor. The GIAC software itself costs $300, I ended up paying a total of $70 labor and $26 tax ($396 when all was said and done). If the shop is charging $600 tell them they are idiots if they are gonna charge that much labor for a fricken FLASH.

Don't forget about the DV (diverter valve) upgrade, and ideally you'll go with one heat range cooler (many would recommend copper) spark plugs gapped at 0.028". A boost gauge would also come in handy so you know what your car is doing.

 

Or buy an equivalent stock ECU, send that out for upgrade, and swap it in once it's returned to you. Zero downtime either way but an unmodded one may be easier to locate.

 

IIRC (which i might not) all AEB had to be pulled due to they chip it. You ecu isn't special! It's just now more recent that flashing has become available to aeb.