Interested in doing APR's Stage 1 ECU upgrade once I get my GTI this summer, and their occasional sales sound like an awesome deal. How often does APR normally do their sales? I think I'll just wait until I can get in on that...
Never done them before, so pardon my ignorance... I know they're designed to increase HP/TQ performance and do a great job of that, but do these chip tunes have any tendency for leading to problems down the road due to pushing the engine, turbo, etc. further? I mean in terms of the car's maintenance requirements, reliability/longevity, fuel economy, and so on? I only ask because this will be my only car for commuting and such, not just a hobby "go fast" car.
Also, since OKC doesn't have any APR dealers, I'd have to drive 100-200 miles to Tulsa or Dallas to actually do the upgrades... Would you be comfortable with doing this so far from home (not having the APR specialists around if something goes screwy)?
You bring up some great questions.
1) APR normally brings up their sales around seasonal changes. "Spring into Power" and "Fall into Power" are their common marketing ploys. There should be on VERY soon if not next week.
2) Tuning on these cars are a tried and true method for gaining the best amount of horsepower and torque for very little money. Stage 1 tuning is by far one of the most common modifications done to the TSI engine because, as of now, there are very little issues that arises from doing it. Main concerns would be install integrity rather than the actual tune itself. People have explained of issues with ECU malfunctions due to improper handling, but those are rare cases, which from what I've seen have been handled by the respectable company 100% of the time.
Gas Mileage will increase as long as you stay sane and keep your foot out of it. If not, you'll more than likely see a decrease in mileage on the account you're having so much fun!
Put it this way, in terms of reliability, I drive my car 100miles a day as 100% Daily Driver. I'm APR K04 tuned putting roughly 366hp and 380tq at the crank. Never once have I had an issue with it in the almost 10K I've had it on there. :thumbsup:
3) 100-200 Miles away isnt nearly as bad as some drive. But ALWAYS ALWAYS know, we here on the forums are always here to help. Every company has associates that prowl the forums looking to answer questions if need be and most of them are very happy to help! You can always PM anyone who you might seem fit to answer your question correctly and detailed as you see fit. We're pretty easy to get in touch with.
If theres anything else, feel free to ask.