Another APR tune blows up. The tune was detected even though he flashed to stock

[markn1689]

and now he is flagged and facing the costs of a turbo replacement

just wanted to share this little nightmare: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-0-blown-turbo
apparently people are getting confused as to what forum they should post in. there is an 8P and 8L forum, and a forum for the 8v, and another forum for all a3's,s3's, and rs3's. kind of confusing...

apr should pay for the repair.

another reason to go unitronic

[deadbolt]

It sucks what happened to that guy buy there is nothing in the OP's post that gives significant evidence that his APR's tune was the core cause of the problem. All the dealer told him was were aren't doing anything for you anymore since we detected a tune. When I had APR Stage 1 on my car I had flashed back to stock and did not get flagged by the dealer. I have since moved onto GIAC.

I'm not a APR fanboy but APR and Untitronic or any tuner cannot guarantee you wont get flagged by the dealer with the tune on or even if you flash back to stock. They say you shouldn't have a problem which is not the same as saying we are guaranteeing that the dealer wont detect it, if they did I would understand how the tuner can be more liable. In that persons post the OP said the "shop" said it was undetectable. That's the negligence of the shop not properly informing their customers. But you know the saying you pay to play.

Also according to a buddy of mine who works as a Audi mechanic, they recently just updated there software which now has different ways to detecting changes in the ECU. Also once they plug you in all the data is sent to AOA directly. The dealer no longer has discretion. Most dealers use a wireless dongle that connects to a laptop/lablet. Only thing your mechanic can do for you is to disable the network connection on the device so it doesn't transmit your readings.

[Primolak]

I wonder if that update also allows the mechanic to see readings from a tuning box as well. Sure it would be removed but I have heard they can still see the engine running differently than it is supposed to be.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[will13k7]

All tunes raise boost, and if this turbo failed due to the increased boost, it doesn't matter which tune is it.

Sad to see a 2016 turbo go though, I thought Audi fixed their A3/S3 turbo problems, but maybe this was just a dud.

[markn1689]

the problem is that when apr flashes you back they flash you to some apr stock mode. not back to full stock. that is how the tune was detected

[roadrunner_oz]

the problem is that when apr flashes you back they flash you to some apr stock mode. not back to full stock. that is how the tune was detected

As far as I know APR don't have a APR stock-like flash. Before they flash a car they take a reading & backup of your car's OE ECU and back that up on their servers. Then when it is unflashed it is this OE file that is restored. Raises the question how it was flagged?

[HurrayFive]

the problem is that when apr flashes you back they flash you to some apr stock mode. not back to full stock. that is how the tune was detected

We all know you hate APR bud, you have the right to voice an opinion and even be upset about whatever wrong(s) they may have caused you, but it doesn't give you the right to spew blanket nonsense without any facts. Any tune or piggy back that raises power output beyond stock has the capability of grenading a turbo. It happens on stock vehicles.

In this case, the dude's tuning shop could have been at fault too. APR stores your box code's bone stock flash on their servers, when you ask to go back to stock, their flashing software wipes the ECU completely, and then reloads that stock image, resetting both the flash counter AND ALL diagnostic sensor data back to like the car is brand spanking new. I have sat, in the car, with John @ Goodspeed Performance and looked at the before and after logs to verify this process.

I've taken two different Audi's through 6 different service appts now (just had the 15K done on the S3, where they plugged the car in for a software update) and my tune has never been detected, never TD1 flagged.

My shop also makes a point of stating never to drive the car straight to the dealer after you go back to stock, to put at least 80 miles on it first. The reason being, when the stock image is reloaded, all of that diagnostic sensor data I listed above is also wiped, making the car look like it's got no miles on the clock. The dealers are aware of this trick, and apparently can even automatically detect that a car with 15K (or whatever miles) should not look like it's fresh off the factory floor. Driving the 80ish miles before taking it to the dealer allows the diagnostic and environmental tables to actually rebuild so that the car doesn't appear to be reflashed. This could have played a factor for the person in question.

At the end of the day, like others have said, if you tune and have a catastrophic failure...don't count on that warranty. If you can't afford a major breakdown, don't modify the car. There are processes in place to help you, but they are not guaranteed, for ANY tuning company (which is why absolutely none of them have touted this as a feature). Keep the conversation factual at least when stuff like this happens.

[LINDW4LL]

apr should pay for the repair. another reason to go unitronic

the problem is that when apr flashes you back they flash you to some apr stock mode. not back to full stock. that is how the tune was detected

Why do you spew this nonsense? APR flashes back the same exact file that the car comes in with.

It's never guaranteed that a tune will be undetectable as Audi is continually changing their detection methods and algorithms.

[LINDW4LL]

Also, regarding your thread title... More nonsense. All tunes run similar [increased] boost pressure levels, so trying to put APR in a bad light for someone's turbo blowing is ridiculous.

More importantly, any turbo that fails within the first 600 miles is clearly defective from the factory.

[markn1689]

apr has a history of releasing software before fully tested. dont forget the tcu fiasco
they care more about making a quick buck than taking the time to do their homework.

[HurrayFive]

apr has a history of releasing software before fully tested. dont forget the tcu fiasco
they care more about making a quick buck than taking the time to do their homework.

The sky is purple and smells like cinnamon toast crunch. Since we're making stuff up, I'll go with that one.

The TCU problem is a great example of APR noticing a production problem, haulting production, and completely compensating and fixing the whole 5 people affected before fixing and re-releasing the product. They owned up to being completely responsible for it and handled it as well as they could have.

The entire A3/S3/GTI/R line has a history of faulty production turbo's with premature shaft failure. If it's going to happen, it usually happens in the first 1K miles (just like this guy) regardless of whether the car is stock or tuned. Put some ice on that burn APR left you with, build that bridge and get over it already.

[markn1689]

gota love the apr fanboys

[LINDW4LL]

gota love the apr fanboys

Not a fanboy. In fact I've not purchased a single APR product, ever.

[markn1689]

ment for hurrayfive, the purple cinnamon toast crunch comment

[HurrayFive]

gota love the apr fanboys

Way to add anything of value to the conversation. Wouldn't want to strain you with things like facts, evidence, or anything more than the anecdotal BS you bring to the table every day. You should run for office.

Look at my mods man, I've got no less than 7 different brands, I only even run APR at the recommendation of my tuning shop and so far it's worked out just fine. The best part is that if you were pitching this same slanderous crap about Uni or GIAC or Revo or any other tuning company, I'd stand in their defense the same way, because you're incapable of ever providing a factual argument.

Parts break, shit happens. If my engine explodes I'm not going to whine like a baby and blame APR for it and every other problem for the rest of time, get over yourself.

/end troll feeding, you win, APR caused the financial collapse of '08, wake up sheeple!

[JohnnyUtah787]

To me this story doesn't say anything about APR. It says more about what was likely a lemon turbo from the factory and a shop that may have screwed up the re-flash. Either way, it really sucks and I hope he gets it all worked out.

[KevinM.]

I think the most important thing to take away from this is that if you are going to tune your car in ways Audi never intended it to be tuned, you shouldn't be surprised if somewhere down the line you have problems with your car that a stock Audi should not have. The problem has nothing to do with APR, or whoever flashed the software, incorectly tuning your car or not reseting it properly. It doesn't have to do with what kind of tune is better. You either had a faulty Turbo which failed, or you realized that maybe the turbo was only meant to handle so much pressure the hard way. With the reset issue you probably didn't drive the car enough to let the sensors map out your car to look like it had been driven (so it doesn't look like a brand new car).

Tuning is awesome, but it comes with risks, and if you are going to tune your car, you should be prepared to deal with whatever consequences come along with it. I know that this tune should not brought up a TD1 flag, but you can't be too surprised when a global company like Audi has found ways to detect some of the most widely used tunes.

Sorry that this happened to you, but you shouldn't mad at APR for tuning your car. You chose to tune it.

(I have never tuned my car nor have I purchased anything from APR)

[gp813]

Nothing to see here, move along everyone. Markn up to his regular agenda and inability to present any reasonable, logical arguments beyond borderline incoherent sentences.