Car completeled its Unitronic Tune - how to safely maintain it?

[buyingconstant7]

Just got the call from the dealer and the Stage 1 tune is done on my 2015 GTI DSG. I'm just wondering the do's and don'ts if there are any on a tuned mk7. Or just really am looking for guidelines on how to drive this car now so it stays in the best shape as long as possible. Otherwise I'll drive it how I normally do which is conservative during the week getting 36mpg, and on weekends I drive spirited. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Rafiki76]

Don't drive hard until oil temp is over 180 F minimum. Let the turbo cool after long spirited drives before killing the engine a little. Just cruise around the block basically. Change your oil around every 6-8,000 miles. I'm sure others can add more but this is a start.

 

[JLgti]

Guy above is pretty much spot on. I personally wait until oil temp reaches 190. That’s just me though. Change your oil every 5-6k miles. Don’t forget to get better spark plugs and swap them out every other oil change.


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[Diggs24]

Don't run into things. Shiny side up.

 

[Cowzill00]

Do you guys generally upgrade plugs and/or coil packs with a tune? Just wait until first replacement? I guess my tuner will recommend something there.

 

[adam1991]

Don't drive hard until oil temp is over 180 F minimum. Let the turbo cool after long spirited drives before killing the engine a little. Just cruise around the block basically. Change your oil around every 6-8,000 miles. I'm sure others can add more but this is a start.

I'm going to let my oil go 10K on my factory stock '17, but otherwise, that's how I drive the car regardless. Don't wail on it cold, and don't ride it hard and put it away hot.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

You don't need to change your oil every 5 - 6k miles. The 10k mile change is just fine.

 

[Diggs24]

Do you guys generally upgrade plugs and/or coil packs with a tune? Just wait until first replacement? I guess my tuner will recommend something there.

Don't need to. If it misfires try a 1 step colder plug. I run Brisk Silvers. Did it need it? Who knows. Car runs great and they were $40.

 

[tknj99]

Waiting for it to cool down after getting home is not necessary, built-in safety precautions for that already came with the car.

 

[miked617]

Dont let other people drive it. Especially those who wont do the aforementioned things.

 

[Hoon]

Waiting for it to cool down after getting home is not necessary, built-in safety precautions for that already came with the car.

You're correct, there is coolant circulation briefly after shut down.

There isn't oil circulation, so it's still a good idea to let the car idle for a minute or two (or drive easy for the last couple of miles) after a good beating.

 

[Cowzill00]

Man, I haven’t bought spark plugs in 15 or 20 years probably. ?

My maintenance advice is not to park in bar parking lots. Or near another car that runs maybe. Saves body work.

 

[Hambone]

You don't need to change your oil every 5 - 6k miles. The 10k mile change is just fine.

I believe a number of tuned vehicles on this forum have had their oil tested and it was recommended for them to increase their interval. Obviously individual owner experience varies.

Just got the call from the dealer and the Stage 1 tune is done on my 2015 GTI DSG. I'm just wondering the do's and don'ts if there are any on a tuned mk7. Or just really am looking for guidelines on how to drive this car now so it stays in the best shape as long as possible. Otherwise I'll drive it how I normally do which is conservative during the week getting 36mpg, and on weekends I drive spirited. Any help is appreciated!

How often, how hard, for how long, and where you drive you car will all factor into the wear and tear that will occur on the vehicle regardless of mods. The factory service intervals for things like oil are great -- for a factory car. Tuning your vehicle is going to alter the demands on your engine, even with a more conservative tune like Unitronic. Can you get by on 10K oil changes? Probably. But what do you feel more comfortable with?

I have been tuned Stage 1 ECU/TCU Unitronic for almost 17K (car is at 37K) now and I change my oil every 5K and my spark plugs every 10-15K now that I am running Brisk Silvers. I was having a misfire issue, went with RS3 coils, and combined with the plugs it cured my rough idle. Other than that I've had no other issues with the car, and since the tune, I get on it every chance I get!

I recommend a more diligent service interval for the basic, but crucial things your car needs to operate well, especially tuned. But its your car, and your money. Either way, enjoy the tune!

 

[SpaceGhost]

Where are you guys getting that it's not okay to get on your car until the oil temperature is 180 degrees? I noticed that the oil temp reading doesn't display until 120 or 125. My guess at the reason is that this is the temp where it's okay to get on the car. If not why not show the temp all the time? It's not like the display couldn't do it.

 

[steddy2112]

Where are you guys getting that it's not okay to get on your car until the oil temperature is 180 degrees? I noticed that the oil temp reading doesn't display until 120 or 125. My guess at the reason is that this is the temp where it's okay to get on the car. If not why not show the temp all the time? It's not like the display couldn't do it.

Better rule of thumb is don't be DONE driving it until it gets up to 195-200 for about 10-20 minutes. Reason is going from cold to hot with any humidity whatsoever causes condensation. If you don't get the oil warm enough to evaporate the condensation is will dilute the oil and can lead to sludging. In really cold climates can freeze up in the PCV system...I don't think I need to go into why that's bad

Probably want to wait until coolant temps are up to the point where the t-stat is open(195) as the oil cooler is coolant cooled, which means it's trying to get the temp up. I usually wait until the temp readout is reading something.