Paying that much for something that's less convenient and doesn't have a provision for resale or logging is not something I would recommend.
What is garbage with an APR or Uni tune? They work great for so many people. Set and forget. I log my Uni tune all the time - what is it supposed to show me that is garbage? Some KR when I have shitty gas? Nice consistent boost, timing advance, and lamda. At the HPDE I did in the fall at VIR, all the VAG folks there I spoke with, they were all APR/Uni. Not everyone needs a Cobb AP and pro tune on a daily-driven car with stock or OTS bolt-ons. The other comment to "ask for logs" - your average Joe doesn't even know what to look at. Do you really think APR or Uni don't do the R&D on this stuff? There is no need to drive around staring at a Cobb AP for a stage 1 tune.
The notion of resale isn't a thing for everyone - I can give 2 shits as I'll have my car forever and the sunk cost of softwaren't isn't a big deal in the ownership cost. With that said, the wagon crew doesn't get the Cobb AP availabilitiy and I think it's a nice tool and has so many pluses but there are limits such as flex etc. that other tuners can do b/c they are married to Cobb and the culture of resale etc. that it's fostered with the MQB/MK7 world. I do wish we had the option. My Uni tune wasn't any less convientent with a cable at-home flash than anything else I've seen. APR dealer model ok... you have to find a dealer but there are plenty and it works for a lot of folks. I can log with my Uni cable as well. Choice is good and it's all about what the customer is trying to accomplish/wants. Some folks are happy as clams flashing and driving their cars and for that, these OTS tuners are great.
I second the Continental DWS06 +. Great for shorter stopping distances in dry and wet. Had mine for several months now and got to use them in dry and wet weather. Much better grip than the cheap tires I had before. Less wheel spin on harder acceleration and you feel a little more confident in tighter turns at speed.
I meant "too high a gear"!
OP has a GTI so I'm not sure why wagons are relevant. I also didn't suggest a pro tune, just a couple companies that offer solid OTS Cobb tunes (for a fraction of the cost of Uni/APR). I don't think he cares about flex-fuel as he's looking for a stage 1 option.
You're being completely disingenuous when you fail to mention you have to first buy a Cobb AP for $600-$650
And I don't know what logs you've seen, but I've seen good and bad logs from literally every tuner posted in these forums and/or in FB groups. But they almost all have solid, reliable stage 1 tunes. To claim that a massive company like APR is making trash tunes is just silly and plain wrong. Unitronic objectively makes very good and reliable stage 1 tunes too. I don't have enough data on IE to have an opinion.
I'm aware of what he is driving and the MQB tunes are MQB tunes in the end, the 1.8 and 2.0 are v. similar w/r to tuning and tuners and how all of this works. An OTS Cobb AP tune will also include the cost of the AP so the cost will not $500 as APR can sell you for a stage 1 but yes, you can sell that Cobb and tune in the end so I get it, the cost overall is less if you factor that in. It allows more flexability. It allows easy logging. I too have seen many logs from a variety of tunes/tuners and am still trying to understand what the logs from an APR stage 1 tune will show that is a problem? I know many folks driving GTIs with APR or Uni tunes and having no drama. It's not for everyone in our community but it has a place and my issue when this topic comes up isn't recomending xyz tuner, it's that the other tuners are "garbage" comments that simply are false. Buying an OTS EQT staged tune is the same concept - it's a canned tune.
Nailed it dude.
Easily recouped. Quickest used part sale you'll experience.
IE is probably the worst I've seen. Hard to find people who even have 034 tunes but there's a reason for that.
The cons to APR have already been laid out. You have to visit a dealer, they're charging you like it's still 2016, and there's no upgrade path as they've abandoned anything with a downpipe. You sell the car, you're out the full price (and no one's paying you more for a tuned car, so have fun paying for labor to get your stock tune back).
LMAO now you're just projecting. We never told OP to choose anyone. You were literally saying multiple companies had "garbage tunes." That's very different from outlining pros and cons and providing objective info, which is what we're trying to do here. This is the best way to provide helpful info. When I first joined this community, I was continuously frustrated by people who gave non-answer answers but just saying "X sucks" instead of honestly giving details. Anyways, glad you're finally coming around to explaining the pros/cons a little more.
I'm not telling anyone what to buy - where did I do that? I don't care what he/she buys but just dispelling the myth that somehow running an APR/Uni tune is an issue. Nothing wrong with APR and Uni was my point. You are telling him they are "garbage". Not everyone cares about re-sale value of mods, I don't. If thats a thing for you, I think I clearly stated that the Cobb AP/AP tuners are an advantage among other advantages.
