OP, i'm backing you up on this. I'm at 5000+ elevation 2015 GTI and 2016 R with APR tunes (tried all) and both cars had exact same tune issues. I worked with APR for 8 months on the GTI and nothing was resolved. Sold the car bought R and had exact same tune issues. Worked with APR for a couple months and then never heard back from them so I said F**k it, no more APR for me (going UM stage 3 once it's all figured out). From my point of view there are two things wrong. First, I had to run a tighter gap on the plugs to get rid of bucking right when the boost starts to rise (APR never suggested I try this). Changing the gap fixed the worst part of the problem. The second part of the problem once the gap is right is that I get inconsistent part throttle acceleration that most people do not notice but to me it is major. Basically I have to back pedal very carefully (searching for the magic position) and if I get it right the car accelerates as if the pedal is mashed to the floor, get it wrong and the car is not much faster than the other cars on the road. The issue is very very noticeable in 5th and 6th at higher speeds. This is a driveability tune issue PERIOD!
Currently at high-ish altitudes with APR stage 3 GLI in Montana
Actually seems to have more power. Definitely more torque, which is strange...
Going from 2000ft where it was tuned to 5000+ft. No longer running pump 93....can only get 91 octane in Montana....and no ethanol blends, which sucks!
Living at 8k’. Wife’s ‘13 allroad has an apr stage 1 tune (latest update was maybe ‘17 or ‘18 (?). Does well enough but if I go WOT too often within a short amount of time, I get a CEL for high fuel rail pressure. I just stay out of multiple WOT pulls (within a short amount of time) and all is well. No need for me to drive her car that hard anyway.
Best bet for anyone at high altitude is just to go Cobb and get a pro tune done. Not to say canned tunes are bad, but they're designed with the most common conditions in mind.
Best bet for anyone at high altitude is just to go Cobb and get a pro tune done. Not to say canned tunes are bad, but they're designed with the most common conditions in mind.
For set and forget UM is a great solution and of course we have a great dealer here in Denver with Bluewater. For me 2.5 yrs ago it came down to getting UM tuned OR go with EQT who at the time was not nearly as popular as they are today. I really didn't like the dealer support model of UM. I prefer more self sufficient solutions that the Cobb Accessport provided. Also, I came from a JB4 and being a data junkie loved being able to log data to see what the car is really doing. You can supposedly log data with UM by purchasing their cable but having to hook up a laptop vs the much smaller/portable form factor of the Accessport was no contest. I've been with EQT now both on the stock IS38 on a custom E40 e-tune and then the past 1.5yrs on their Vortex turbo. Been flawless the entire time. I'm sure I would have been happy with UM but for my requirements/preferences EQT/Cobb was the better route for me
Stop crying, part of the game of modding is no tears allowed, you should have bought a DIY flashing ECU solution if you know your location is complex....