View Full Version : Reliability of Stage1+ unitronic + Feedback
proxemus
06-17-2018, 06:46 AM
I have been contemplating going to a stage 1+ (im in Canada) on my 2013 s5 i've had it for about 6 months now. I was just wondering how you guy's have had any issues with reliability or any issues with the tune? I came from the bmw world N54 and JB4 was an amazing thing but the piggy back system like chipwerke don't really tickle my fancy like the jb4 did ( changing shit on the fly was good stuff ). Another question is can you do coding with the uniconnect +? Like seat belt chime, headlight wink ect ect. Just need some clarification :)
Proxemus
Spoorguy
06-17-2018, 06:50 AM
No coding, you’ll have to grab VCDS for that. Unitronic is good and their tunes have been great. Reliability is good and good consistent power from all stages. Overall, I’d go for it. Loading/swapping tunes from home, or almost anywhere really as long as you have you Uniconnect, laptop and WiFi, that’s a big plus in my book
TexasDfwS4
06-17-2018, 07:16 AM
+1, I've had Unitronic for over 4 years now and have zero issues. Love the tune and I have the TCU tune as well great pair for this platform.
Estoril4
06-17-2018, 07:20 AM
+1, I've had Unitronic for over 4 years now and have zero issues. Love the tune and I have the TCU tune as well great pair for this platform.Is the TCU tune a must have with just a stage 1 for normal every day use?
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Spoorguy
06-17-2018, 07:22 AM
I noticed a difference with shifting points, smoother I feel like between shifts and it’s simply more responsive I feel like. There are other features like gear indication in other modes where you wouldn’t see it, higher redline, etc...you could get away with it for a bit. Did about 6-7 months without it and after doing it, don’t regret it and happy I did.
TexasDfwS4
06-17-2018, 07:35 AM
Is the TCU tune a must have with just a stage 1 for normal every day use?
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No not a must. At the beginning there was no TCU and we all made it through it LOL. I thought it was just fine without until I got the TCU and it made the whole package just perfect. My wife is not into the tuning thing but when I got the TCU tune she said I want this for my car because it was buttery smooth.
hilmar2k
06-17-2018, 07:48 AM
No coding, you’ll have to grab VCDS for that.
Or Carista.
Spoorguy
06-17-2018, 07:50 AM
True, there are other options I didn’t mention
Tom Sawyer
06-17-2018, 08:01 AM
Nice to hear the feedback on Unitronic, thanks! I'm still a good 6-8 mos out on tuning (warranty) but based on lots of searching and reading, I'm torn between EPL and Uni. Considered Eurodyne for a hot minute because the price is so good ($1k for ECU+TCU), but just not enough reviews and info out there to make me feel comfortable with it.
bhvrdr
06-17-2018, 08:29 AM
Nice to hear the feedback on Unitronic, thanks! I'm still a good 6-8 mos out on tuning (warranty) but based on lots of searching and reading, I'm torn between EPL and Uni. Considered Eurodyne for a hot minute because the price is so good ($1k for ECU+TCU), but just not enough reviews and info out there to make me feel comfortable with it.
I had it on three cars and its solid. I never needed a single revision. It logged out really well.
Mike
proxemus
06-17-2018, 08:30 AM
Are you able to do logging with the cable or clear codes? Or is it literally plug dump the tune on Ecu and done with the cable till you want to change your tune? Also how many km/miles do you guys have on your tune? And on the car?
Spoorguy
06-17-2018, 08:34 AM
ECU is 20k plus, nearing around 30 and TCU is over 5k, no problems
TristanT14
06-17-2018, 09:48 AM
My buddy has had the ECU stage 1+ and tcu stage 2 from Unitronic for about 3 years and has had no issues at all, however I believe APR is better but thats just my opinion, they're both really great companies and tunes.
I've only had my Uni tune for a couple months, but no issues so far. I chose them due to the research I did pre-purchase. There are definitely more aggressive tunes out there, but the combination of price, performance, reliability, and convenience, let me to Unitronic.
TexasDfwS4
06-17-2018, 12:45 PM
I've got 45k on the ECU and 35k on the TCU
callsus
06-17-2018, 02:30 PM
OBDeleven for coding
only works with android though
proxemus
06-17-2018, 04:52 PM
I've got 45k on the ECU and 35k on the TCU
And no issues at all? are you running any other mods? single pulley? cooling mods?
OBDeleven for coding
only works with android though
kinda funny I actually just ordered one today for the car. 90 bucks CAD way better then like 300 cad for vag com
jerseyboosted91
06-17-2018, 06:48 PM
EPL is having a sale now for their July 4th sale. Bout to hop on stage 1 with them within the next couple of days. Truthfully in my honest opinion, it just comes down to personal preference. Either way, you can’t really go wrong.
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There are almost zero reliability issues I've seen on this forum from a stage 1 or 2 tune. A clutch might be an issue on a manual car.
I've been to the dealer once in three years. DSG service and brake fluid. I've been tuned for 2.5 years.
proxemus
06-17-2018, 07:20 PM
EPL is having a sale now for their July 4th sale. Bout to hop on stage 1 with them within the next couple of days. Truthfully in my honest opinion, it just comes down to personal preference. Either way, you can’t really go wrong.
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If I was in the states I would do EPL, but since the epl tune would be like 1450$ cad for stage one and 1G for the unitronics. its kind of a no brainer :P, the other one I thought about was eurodyne but there is like zero data about them lol
Spoorguy
06-18-2018, 04:45 AM
EPL is having a sale now for their July 4th sale. Bout to hop on stage 1 with them within the next couple of days. Truthfully in my honest opinion, it just comes down to personal preference. Either way, you can’t really go wrong.
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I’d agree here for sure even though I’ve only had Uni with my B8 and Giac with my B5. I won’t ever discredit other companies but will speak for Uni because it’s what I have and I haven’t had issues. What’s your main concern going stage 1? Are you afraid some things will start to break, etc?
proxemus
06-18-2018, 08:16 AM
I’d agree here for sure even though I’ve only had Uni with my B8 and Giac with my B5. I won’t ever discredit other companies but will speak for Uni because it’s what I have and I haven’t had issues. What’s your main concern going stage 1? Are you afraid some things will start to break, etc?
Was just seeing if anyone has had any issues with like cold start or starting up in the cold or tossing engine codes things like that.
Spoorguy
06-18-2018, 08:18 AM
I haven’t had any and I was living up Washington. My buddy also has a b8.5 tunes with Uni and he’s had his longer and has had no issues either
bhvrdr
06-18-2018, 08:34 AM
Was just seeing if anyone has had any issues with like cold start or starting up in the cold or tossing engine codes things like that.
I've had Unitronic stage 2 on 2 different 3.0T cars and had dual pulley on one 3.0T car and now stage 1 and 2 on a 2.0T car. On the S4 and S5 I lived in south florida and routinely beat the hell out of the car on datalogging sessions doing full 3rd gear pulls back to back to back to back with no resting trying to find the limits of the cooling system. I did this weekly. On a daily basis I take the car WOT to 100+ mph speeds as I live just out in a rural setting. I also had probably 50 or so 1/4 mile passes on the car and some lapping.
I never had a single check engine light related to the tune. Never had a single hiccup. Never a driveability issue. Never needed an update for "more power" or "better driveability." Never needed a single revision to any of the production tunes. I received one single update to a beta dual pulley tune but had never requested it.
Mike
If I was in the states I would do EPL, but since the epl tune would be like 1450$ cad for stage one and 1G for the unitronics. its kind of a no brainer :P, the other one I thought about was eurodyne but there is like zero data about them lol
I think all of the "leading" tunes for the 3.0 TFSI engine are pretty much equal in power delivery, although they use different tuning philosophies to get there. I do not have Unitronics, so I wlll not speak to it and accept as true the observations of others. I mention EPL only because I am familiar with it. It, too, has flash at home via a cloud based server. It saves and stores your OEM map so it can be flashed back for dealer visits, if you need that. I do not know if Unitronics does so. Perhaps.
I know that EPL often has sales with pretty heavily discounted prices during those sales. That may make it competitive with Unitronics in Canadian dollars. Again, perhaps. Worth checking with them. Ask Chris directly via PM and you'll get a very quick response. There customer service is outstanding.
I would humbly suggest that whatever tuner choice route you go, consider going straight to Stage 2 (or whatever stage is equivalent, as tuners don't all use the same stage numbering system). By that, I mean single pulley with increased supercharger ratio. You either go with an undersize s/c pulley or an oversize crank pulley. Something at or just under 3:1 ratio seems to be a good place to begin because it still works well with your stock cooling system and does not seem to adversely affect the life of your catalytic converters like may be the case with pulley ratios above 3:1.
Stage 2 has enormous value in daily driving because the faster spinning supercharger and tuning value adjustments to optimize fueling, timing and boost, mean that the power increase is not merely at the top end of the rpm range but everywhere, especially greatly increased torque in the range where most driving takes place.
I progressed from Chipwerk Pro to EPL Stage 1 to EPL Stage 2 single pulley (179mm crank pulley). In retrospect, I would have gone straight to Stage 2. It is that much better, IMHO. Unless you plan to race your car at the dragstrip, Stage 2 single pulley at or under 3:1, regardless of the tuning choice (Unitronics, EPL, GIAC, APR, etc.) may be the "sweet spot" where you get max gain against risk.
Tangerined
06-18-2018, 10:07 AM
Went straight to Unitronics Stage 2+ in May 2017, haven't had a single issue.
TexasDfwS4
06-18-2018, 03:22 PM
I remember when I got the tune Unitronic was one of the last to present their tune and the shop I use would alway say that's how they do it. They will not sale a tune before its time. They have been tuning for VW and Audi and others for many years but they have always used the model test test test. Same thing with the TCU tune I would see other tuner come out with the TCU and would wait. But while I was waiting I would read that the TCU tunes were having issues and I'm glad I was able to wait. If your looking for a reliable tune with no issues then I think Unitronic stands up to that task.
proxemus
06-19-2018, 11:36 AM
I've had Unitronic stage 2 on 2 different 3.0T cars and had dual pulley on one 3.0T car and now stage 1 and 2 on a 2.0T car. On the S4 and S5 I lived in south florida and routinely beat the hell out of the car on datalogging sessions doing full 3rd gear pulls back to back to back to back with no resting trying to find the limits of the cooling system. I did this weekly. On a daily basis I take the car WOT to 100+ mph speeds as I live just out in a rural setting. I also had probably 50 or so 1/4 mile passes on the car and some lapping.
I never had a single check engine light related to the tune. Never had a single hiccup. Never a driveability issue. Never needed an update for "more power" or "better driveability." Never needed a single revision to any of the production tunes. I received one single update to a beta dual pulley tune but had never requested it.
Mike
Damn this is really good to hear, all my worries are lifted tbh.. it gets warm in summer here (85f-90 on a really hot day) but normally around 75-82f so i wont be running in little cooler temps then you normally... but in winter it gets to -25f on average and then dips to -40 to -50f at times on really cold days.
I think all of the "leading" tunes for the 3.0 TFSI engine are pretty much equal in power delivery, although they use different tuning philosophies to get there. I do not have Unitronics, so I wlll not speak to it and accept as true the observations of others. I mention EPL only because I am familiar with it. It, too, has flash at home via a cloud based server. It saves and stores your OEM map so it can be flashed back for dealer visits, if you need that. I do not know if Unitronics does so. Perhaps.
I know that EPL often has sales with pretty heavily discounted prices during those sales. That may make it competitive with Unitronics in Canadian dollars. Again, perhaps. Worth checking with them. Ask Chris directly via PM and you'll get a very quick response. There customer service is outstanding.
I would humbly suggest that whatever tuner choice route you go, consider going straight to Stage 2 (or whatever stage is equivalent, as tuners don't all use the same stage numbering system). By that, I mean single pulley with increased supercharger ratio. You either go with an undersize s/c pulley or an oversize crank pulley. Something at or just under 3:1 ratio seems to be a good place to begin because it still works well with your stock cooling system and does not seem to adversely affect the life of your catalytic converters like may be the case with pulley ratios above 3:1.
Stage 2 has enormous value in daily driving because the faster spinning supercharger and tuning value adjustments to optimize fueling, timing and boost, mean that the power increase is not merely at the top end of the rpm range but everywhere, especially greatly increased torque in the range where most driving takes place.
I progressed from Chipwerk Pro to EPL Stage 1 to EPL Stage 2 single pulley (179mm crank pulley). In retrospect, I would have gone straight to Stage 2. It is that much better, IMHO. Unless you plan to race your car at the dragstrip, Stage 2 single pulley at or under 3:1, regardless of the tuning choice (Unitronics, EPL, GIAC, APR, etc.) may be the "sweet spot" where you get max gain against risk.
damn do anything under 3:1 you don't need cooling?i was thinking of a 179crank pulley in the future, but i don't think i would go DP for a few years until i decide to get another DD car.. Ya i talked with EPL and 999USD + shipping will be like 1400(ish) CAD( monopoly money) to my door, i can get uni for 1200 for the stage 1+ to my door free shipping. So essentially i would save a few hundred bucks. Like everyone is saying all the tunes are pretty damn good and they are all fairly close to eachother.
Went straight to Unitronics Stage 2+ in May 2017, haven't had a single issue.
Nice! hopefully 2+ will be in my future :)
I remember when I got the tune Unitronic was one of the last to present their tune and the shop I use would alway say that's how they do it. They will not sale a tune before its time. They have been tuning for VW and Audi and others for many years but they have always used the model test test test. Same thing with the TCU tune I would see other tuner come out with the TCU and would wait. But while I was waiting I would read that the TCU tunes were having issues and I'm glad I was able to wait. If your looking for a reliable tune with no issues then I think Unitronic stands up to that task.
I've never had uni before but ive had other tunes on other cars and they all have been pretty good. My last car (b7 a4 3.2) i never did a single thing to it. Then again it didn't have barely any aftermarket support.
jerseyboosted91
06-19-2018, 04:57 PM
For the people that are stage 2 how’s the gas mileage? Lol
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TexasDfwS4
06-20-2018, 05:19 AM
better
For the people that are stage 2 how’s the gas mileage? Lol
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Depends on how heavy your right foot is and how often you hit it hard. Increasing hp will use more fuel only if you tap into it wide open throttle.
I'm getting about the same as before in mixed driving. Maybe a bit better under light throttle, a bit worse with more spirited driving.