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My new GTI and APR ECU Review

GTI-in-progress

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Santa Monica
Hi everyone. I have been reading the posts on here for a while, thank you for all of the helpful tips and advice.

Some background on me - I am a german car nut. My last two cars were an 2002 AMG C32 and a 2004 BMW 545i. About 3 months ago I got out of my BMW lease because I moved close to work and decided to start biking to work. It soon became apparent that my wife and I could not indefinitely share a car and so I decided to get something relatively cheap and quick. The GTI quickly became a contender.

This past Saturday I picked up a United Grey 6spd with package 2. What a little beast this car is! Being so light and nimble with such a torquey engine, I was left with a perpetual grin while driving it. That said, it left me a little wanting in the "terror" department. That is to say, that there was never a point that the car scared me with its power - something that both the C32 and the 545 had managed to do in my early days with each car. Answer: Tuning!

I researched the available ECU options and the APR solution seemed to be the most interesting choice. Having multiple programming modes was probably what made them stand apart for me. I also like that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and that they will reflash updates at no charge. I looked on the apr website www.goapr.com and found a dealer in Canoga Park, CA, which was closest to my home in Santa Monica. I managed to make it out there early this morning and get the thing installed. I had a grand total of 61 miles on the car when I went through the procedure.

To those of you who have not been through this process, it's simple and impressive. The technician plugs into the diagnostic port of your car first and checks to make sure that there are no fault codes present. They then plug (I think) a different port and begin the programming process. As I understand it, each ECU contains code specific to the VIN number of the car. Therefore what the APR system does is actually read the program from the car and then upload a custom program back into the ECU. The process takes about 25 minutes. I chose to have 2 modes - stock and stage I 91 octane. (You use the cruise control stock to move between the two modes - very slick). My entire procedure including labor and tax was about $850. I thought this was a little pricey...for the 5 minutes before I was able to test out my new throttle.

I know I should be taking it easy during my break-in period, but I had to see what the impact was. The difference is night and day. Throttle response is significantly improved - much more responsive, and much higher torque off the line. My wheels actually squealed when I made a 6k RPM shift from 1st to 2nd. Passing on the freeway is amazing with smooth roll-on power and unbelievable throttle feel. I actually think the throttle response is now better than it was on my 545. I have no idea what this is doing to fuel economy - but coming from the BMW V8 and its 16MPG, it can't get much worse.

All-in-all I give this product a 5-star rating. It's relatively cheap, it's immediately noticeable, and it satisfies our need for instant gratification.

Next stop - exhaust. I will probably wait for the APR system to come out so that I can remap to match.
 

IML337

bahnstorming
Location
Singapore
Nice work, lots of guys down here have done the APR re-map on their GTI's and are loving it.

I'm waiting to get a few km on my GTI and for AmD to make a OneClick version of the GTI re-map. That said, if they take too long, I'll just have to buy an APR one :p

Out of interest, does your car have the function that allows you to switch between the stock and the modified ECU re-map using the cruise control stalk?

Cheers
 

Accel

Rally Car Champion
Location
Chino Hills, CA
Quick question about the APR dual program thing. Do you loose the cruise control function when you have them install 2 interchangable configurations? That would really be a bummer.
 

frank2287

Touring Car Newbie
Location
IL
Well on my 1.8 i had 2 progrmas on it and i still kept my cruise control so i dont see why they would make a stupid mistake like that .
 

kosmo6

Ready to race!
Well done, GTI-in-progress. APR seems to be the best (at least from what I've found). The upgrade sounds pretty painless. I'll be cruising up to Canoga Park pretty soon myself...
 

GTI-in-progress

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Santa Monica
IML337 said:
Out of interest, does your car have the function that allows you to switch between the stock and the modified ECU re-map using the cruise control stalk?

Yes - Here's how it works:

You turn the ignition to the "on" position without starting the car. You then put the cruise control into the "cruise" position and hold down the "set" button for about five seconds. The engine light then starts to blink - once per second is for ECU position 1, twice per second is for ECU position 2 etc. You let the button go once you are in the slot that you want to be in. Then to take the key out for 10 seconds and you're off to the races.

I am in love with this thing.
 

GTI-in-progress

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Santa Monica
Accel said:
Quick question about the APR dual program thing. Do you loose the cruise control function when you have them install 2 interchangable configurations? That would really be a bummer.

Absolutely not. Once the car is running the cruise works as normal.
 

Skim Diesel

Go Kart Champion
Location
Philly
great post GTI-in-progress. You've just answered all my questions regarding ecu remapping w/ APR. I've had my 06 gti for 2 weeks now and was wondering what was the best way to boost performace fast. it seems chipping is the answer. Please keep us posted on your car's progress (performance, maintenance issues, etc.) Once I get the loose change to pay for that, I'm on board.
 

cmcm

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Chicago IL
gti in progress
I actually talked to a personel of an APR authorized dealer in Illinois, and I'm bringing my GTI there on thursday after i've read your comment about APR.
Thanks, let u guys know what's going on after its "tuned"
 

cmcm

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Chicago IL
just got my gti "tuned" today, i have 2 programs - stock and chipped (93 oct), i also got the security code to avoid dealer to test my cruise set ctrl, that was $59 extra.
Everything goes pretty smooth, and definitely felt the difference, especially from 2nd to 3rd.
 
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