B6V8Driver

Greetings!

As you can see from my sig, I am not a newbie to Audi. Actually... my previous 5 cars have been either an S or RS car. That is except for the car I currently own, the SUV I had wanted for years, the vehicle that I thought would change my mind about American Muscle, the 2014 Jeep SRT. 50 days in service (spread over 4 months), a new transmission, 12 other parts.. and its going back via lemon law. Time to go back to my German roots!

so here we go, I have very little self control when it comes to cars. Don't we all? I have modified in one way or another every car I have owned. The RS6, great engine, horrible tranny and suspension, constant service. The B8 S4, Great car, was an early TD1'er and got scared away with dealer threats and a few bad coils. Big mistake to run away.

Now I have been lurking here for over 6 months, waiting for my time to jump on the S6. A car I feel is the best all around sedan on the market. So, im days away for finding a nice low mileage example, yet I find myself looking at BMW lease deals. Why would i do this to myself? I know how much I want the S6 and I know how superior it is to the 435i GC I have priced but why the back and fourth? Tuning- That's why. I know that if I get this S6 I will only be able to hold back for a few months and then will call APR in my sleep, aimlessly drive to my local shop in an altered state, and before I know it, I succumbed to temptation.

TD1 (yes I know, its far over talked about) was what scared me the first time but this seems different. I have been watching and seen almost zero reports of failures engine or tranny related. As much as I search, It seems more bulletproof then any of my past Audi's powertrains. Then again, its also rarer (pardon the RS6)

So I ask again, in yet another (long) thread, has anyone had any direct issues with the APR tune or is it really that worth it to take the chance? Will I regret the decision to go BMW simply to jail myself from as much of a tuning temptation or should i just dive in and know my inevitable APR S6 future?

Hey APR, any news on Direct port for our ECU's?!

RobC

I personally don't worry about failed parts directly related to the tune. The Germans over-engineer their cars so that components are not operating near their design limit. I also go by the adage of "you've got to pay to play" since yes, I'm taking the risk of stressing components beyond standard usage.

My biggest worry is that Audi can deny warranty for things that may not have been caused by a tune. It should be their burden to prove a tune caused a failure, but anecdotal evidence has shown they're going to take the easy way out and simply say sorry, you've modified your vehicle and your warranty will not cover the failure.

mikec7s6

I just had my car in for 25k service, I reported that the turbo coolant lines were leaking. (known problem that's happened on many of our cars) my SA called me and asked if my car was chipped/tuned. saying that they were going to do a full scan on it and if it was, I would be flagged TD1 and they were not going to cover the leaking turbo lines under warranty if I was tuned. the repair bill on the lines was $1200 parts and labor, which was covered because I didn't tune it. dealer to dealer may vary, but mine doesn't seem tune friendly. ive had the fuel line replaced twice in my car, once leaving me stranded 100+ miles from home. I honestly don't trust this car 100% and will most likely be getting rid of it next year. I would never want to own this car out of warranty.

Vijay

Thank you. The fact that you are not tuned, and have had this issue with the turbo coolant lines adds to the evidence that this is not caused by tuning your car.

S6Express

Yes, but had he had the tune, warranty would not have covered it even though the tune didn't cause it.

I'm in the exact same boat as the OP. I have been in the boat for a year now and even though I am an irrational and spontaneous spender, I have not yet pulled the trigger on a tune.

Before knowing what a TD1 was I went to my APR dealer and they plugged in only to find out that the tune for my car's particular ECU had not yet been released. I often think back and sometimes feel I should've just blindly done it and other times I'm glad I didn't. I'm a conflicted S6 owner. I have my 15,000 mile service next week and that has helped me to hold off. After next week there's no telling what I may do. Or not do....

thelionsden

well, I will tell you that the car is a whole lot more amazing and bad @ss with the tune. I think you should do it. You will love it.

It is not so hard to flash back to stock original map for a trip to dealer, although it may seem a bit unethical. Nevertheless, as in the case of the leaking lines, it would certainly seem that the problem should be covered either way, so in flashing back, there is at least a good possibility that you are getting service that you really deserve and are not being denied unjustly.