Tunes... program + labor???

[dennisA4]

I called one local shop and the cost for a stage 1 GIAC tune is $550 + $130 for labor.
They said it takes about an hour.

Is this the norm?
I've gotten APR flashed several times before and don't recall paying for additional labor.

[poweredbyaudi7]

I pay $50 for labor...or free on a sale.

[s4baby]

I called one local shop and the cost for a stage 1 GIAC tune is $550 + $130 for labor.
They said it takes about an hour.

Is this the norm?
I've gotten APR flashed several times before and don't recall paying for additional labor.

Yes you would think the 550 would include the labor but it doesn't. It's annoying that most shops don't mention this on there websites.

[homelessNY_LI]

Like power said, 50 is typical or wait for a sale

[ToddBrunswick]

I called one local shop and the cost for a stage 1 GIAC tune is $550 + $130 for labor.
They said it takes about an hour.

Is this the norm?
I've gotten APR flashed several times before and don't recall paying for additional labor.

I think it depends on the shop. I paid about $150 up front in labor for free unlimited reflashes since I will need to go back to stock everytime I go to the dealership. You may want to ask if they will charge you for any reflashing. Are you still under warranty?

[dennisA4]

Are you still under warranty?

Nope. 48k miles.

[ToddBrunswick]

Nope. 48k miles.

Then I would definitely inquire about reflashes.

Edit: never mind. I originally read it that you were still under warranty. In that case, see if you can find a cheaper shop.

[adamazing]

I've always understood shop labor to be independent of the tune/software purchase price. Some shops might do free flashing, some might do it based on an hour of work, some might have a separate flat rate. All depends on the specific shop you go to.

[homelessNY_LI]

Then I would definitely inquire about reflashes.

Why?

[ToddBrunswick]

Why?

Misread the response. Need coffee.

[dennisA4]

ok looks like with the shops near me, I'm looking at $750 for APR or $680 for GIAC.
Both Stage 1 single 93 octane programs. I don't care about getting anything else.
APR advertises more hp and tq.... is that fairly accurate? Worth the extra cash?

[zcspec]

Wow, here in Seattle, our local APR dealer does not charge labor if you're getting a new tune. It's only if you need to unflash to avoid TD1, and reflash that they charge $50 per incident.

[doowopaudi]

Labor was free for me, but I had it done during the sale. Also, the reflash package can also be worth getting for when you have to smog your car.

[dennisA4]

Ya, i missed any holiday sales there might have been and I'm getting tired of waiting.
So given my options a couple posts up, what would you guys do?

[adamazing]

Is E85 fuel available in your area?
If so, APR all the way.

[dennisA4]

Is E85 fuel available in your area?
If so, APR all the way.

According to the e85 locater, not anywhere convenient for me.

[shaunm82]

Is E85 fuel available in your area?
If so, APR all the way.

Ditto to that. If I had the option of running an e85 tune, there would be no doubt.

If you are just getting a regular 91/93 tune. You probably won't notice a difference between APR or GIAC on Stage 1.

So at point it would be for convenience, which shop do you trust more, which is closer. You can also take into consideration on future upgrades, will you eventually go Stage 2, or want an e85 tune? Or even the route of K04/EFR?

For what it is worth, my local shop charged $75 for the flash, about 45mins worth of labor.

[adamazing]

If you are just getting a regular 91/93 tune. You probably won't notice a difference between APR or GIAC on Stage 1.

So at point it would be for convenience, which shop do you trust more, which is closer. You can also take into consideration on future upgrades, will you eventually go Stage 2, or want an e85 tune? Or even the route of K04/EFR?

+1 to all of this. If this is going to be the pinnacle of your build/tuning, you can't go wrong with either.

[homelessNY_LI]

+1 to all of this. If this is going to be the pinnacle of your build/tuning, you can't go wrong with either.

How big is the mpg difference, I do at least 200 miles a week and fill up once a week with 93. How would that change switching to e85

[adamazing]

How big is the mpg difference, I do at least 200 miles a week and fill up once a week with 93. How would that change switching to e85

Admittedly, fuel economy with E85 is terrible. 14-16 MPG ballpark, more or less depending on driving style - but I usually forget all about the MPG's when I mash the pedal.


I did a Targa Trophy Rally through Angeles National Forrest and DTLA on a full tank of E85. It got me through the entire rally and it was around 175 miles or so of some very, very spirited driving.

[LINDW4LL]

FWIW, I would not pay more than $50 for the flash- $130 seems ridiculous. Many shops don't charge anything at all for the initial flash.

How big is the mpg difference, I do at least 200 miles a week and fill up once a week with 93. How would that change switching to e85

It's big. Figure a 25-30% decrease in MPG with E85. But, you are getting race gas performance for sub $2/gallon.

[PBKIDD24]

Is E85 fuel available in your area?
If so, APR all the way.

I'd like to add that GIAC also has an E85 file so it really does come down to what will be most convenient/which tuner you would prefer. If you wanted to go bigger turbo or k04 well that's a different story.

How big is the mpg difference, I do at least 200 miles a week and fill up once a week with 93. How would that change switching to e85

I usually get around 18-19mpg AT BEST with E85, usually somewhere around the 16mpg mark if I'm doing mostly city driving.

It's big. Figure a 25-30% decrease in MPG with E85. But, you are getting race gas performance for sub $2/gallon.

The cost in my area is right around the same as Premium gas.

[homelessNY_LI]

Now the real question that I get mix answers on. Is it really bad to run e85 on the engine?

[dennisA4]

FWIW, I would not pay more than $50 for the flash- $130 seems ridiculous. Many shops don't charge anything at all for the initial flash.

So you wouldn't get a tune at all then?
FWIW, they are all saying its a solid hour. $130 seems high but I don't have any tuners around here that charge $50/hour.

As far as convenience, doesn't really matter much. The APR dealer is closer, but not a big deal to drive to the GIAC dealer.
The GIAC dealer is the cheaper option.

[LINDW4LL]

Sorry, that was poorly worded- I meant the labor to flash. If all of the tuners are charging more, then I suppose you don't have much of a choice. Not a big deal.

In the case that both dealers are convenient, I can't speak to which makes more power...

[ToddBrunswick]

FWIW, they are all saying its a solid hour.

I don't know about others, but mine took 15-20 minutes.

[ModdedEuros]

Flashing takes about 20min to do yourself at home. Have you considered flashing with Unitronic and UniConnect+ ? You can upgrade, downgrade yourself right at home plus it is a diagnostic device as well.

https://www.moddedeuros.com/products...tool-uh008-tla

[dennisA4]

Flashing takes about 20min to do yourself at home. Have you considered flashing with Unitronic and UniConnect+ ? You can upgrade, downgrade yourself right at home plus it is a diagnostic device as well.

https://www.moddedeuros.com/products...tool-uh008-tla

I have not... and probably because you don't see it talked about much... just hasn't been on my radar.
Works out to about the same price though, eh? Around $700 total?

Anyone have seat time in both Uni and one of the others? Why does it seem less popular or not get the forum chatter vs APR or GIAC?

[ModdedEuros]

I have not... and probably because you don't see it talked about much... just hasn't been on my radar.
Works out to about the same price though, eh? Around $700 total?

Anyone have seat time in both Uni and one of the others? Why does it seem less popular or not get the forum chatter vs APR or GIAC?

UniConnect+ has not been out for long. Few months. It literally looks almost identical to the same cable a shop uses to flash. You will see it more and more as people stop having to go to shops to get tuned and just do it right at home.

Would check it out at least when making your comparison as they offer consistent, reliable, safe tunes that put down some power

[dennisA4]

UniConnect+ has not been out for long. Few months. It literally looks almost identical to the same cable a shop uses to flash. You will see it more and more as people stop having to go to shops to get tuned and just do it right at home.

Would check it out at least when making your comparison as they offer consistent, reliable, safe tunes that put down some power

But the Uni tune has been around for awhile, right? That's more what I was referring too. The uniconnect seems like a nice option though.

My only worry is that I run the installer and something goes haywire.

Also, looks like it needs a PC to run? What about a Mac Powerbook running Parallels?

[ModdedEuros]

But the Uni tune has been around for awhile, right? That's more what I was referring too. The uniconnect seems like a nice option though.

My only worry is that I run the installer and something goes haywire.

Also, looks like it needs a PC to run? What about a Mac Powerbook running Parallels?

No need to worry. Unless you sit there and unplug it while in the middle of doing it, really nothing can happen. Just need to follow the prompts and maintain the connection. Pretty simple.

Unitronic has been around for a number of years making great tunes. You do need Windows based laptop however can do via Mac Boot camp like one of our customers actually just did and posted a review over in the S3 section if you want to check it out.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...missions-story