GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

How Trouble-Free Has Your Stage 1 Tune Been?

Has your Stage 1 ECU tune caused any significant service/repair/reliability issues?

  • APR--YES, I've had service/repair/reliability issues

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Cobb--YES, I've had service/repair/reliability issues

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Integrated Engineering--YES, I've had service/repair/reliability issues

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Unitronic--Yes, I've had service/repair/reliability issues

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    81

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL
RSR, I had one already waiting to go in. I didn't want to go with a smfw, but after seeing what happened with the original flywheel it was kinda like shit, maybe I made a mistake.

Please keep us updated on how it holds up. I'm looking at the same clutch. Current plan is staying stage one, adding IC, and MAYBE E blend tune, but who knows. I'd hate to get the RSR then decide to go IS38.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
For sure, ty. I've joked around that my 2nd time out will be without a hood or (on a more serious note) find one in a junk yard and play w it.
I just chopped up my stock one. Verus engineering louvres look almost factory like. They're one of the rare few aftermarket products I've found that just look and perform as expected.
 

NCM

Ready to race!
Location
Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Car(s)
2015 Golf R
My Unitronic Stage 1 drives just like stock, except more so. Quite a bit more so!

I'd be surprised and disappointed if anyone experiences problems with a Stage 1 tune. (Well, other than with the clutch on a 6MT...)
 

Hotsky

Ready to race!
Location
Hamilton, Canada
Tune of any kinds will wear our the engine and other components faster than with out the tune period (all other things being equal).

I thought about stage 1 but these cars already known for burning oil as it is. 😕
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
Tune of any kinds will wear our the engine and other components faster than with out the tune period (all other things being equal).

I thought about stage 1 but these cars already known for burning oil as it is. 😕

Stage 3 for 80,000 miles and still don't burn any oil or have any other problems.
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
Lmao at the tune increasing oil consumption? No way!
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
Increase in power will increase engine wear. Engine wear often means oil consumption. Whats so funny Ian?

No.

Increase in power could increase engine wear however you have no idea how much if at all. There's absolutely no evidence that it increases wear in a perceptible manner or evidence that increased wear would present itself as increased oil consumption.

I had a golf R stage 1/2/+ for nearly it's entire 45k miles of life and that car never burned a drop of oil (or, lets say, a perceptible amount with a dip stick)
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
No.

Increase in power could increase engine wear however you have no idea how much if at all. There's absolutely no evidence that it increases wear in a perceptible manner or evidence that increased wear would present itself as increased oil consumption.

I had a golf R stage 1/2/+ for nearly it's entire 45k miles of life and that car never burned a drop of oil (or, lets say, a perceptible amount with a dip stick)

He's not going to come off that opinion however misguided it is. I already told him that I've been on stage 3 for 80,000 miles and don't burn any oil. Currently at 104,000 miles. And that's tuned since 5000 miles but stage 3 since 20,000 miles.
 

Hotsky

Ready to race!
Location
Hamilton, Canada
If you had no issues for 80k miles that's great! Probably means a lot of highway driving and may i assume oil changes a bit more frequent then 10k miles? Doesn't APR recommend changing oil every 5k miles? (would they if tune didn't increase long term wear?) All im saying is there is no fee lunch here, and im not sure what kind of proof im supposed to present to show that if push the engine to work harder and squeeze more out of it it's very likely it will shorten its life expectancy. 80k is great but its just a sample of 1 and its only 80k. I'd like to know how its holdung up after 100k, 150k and 200k etc.
 

IanCH

Autocross Champion
Location
MA
Car(s)
'20 GTI
If you had no issues for 80k miles that's great! Probably means a lot of highway driving and may i assume oil changes a bit more frequent then 10k miles? Doesn't APR recommend changing oil every 5k miles? (would they if tune didn't increase long term wear?) All im saying is there is no fee lunch here, and im not sure what kind of proof im supposed to present to show that if push the engine to work harder and squeeze more out of it it's very likely it will shorten its life expectancy. 80k is great but its just a sample of 1 and its only 80k. I'd like to know how its holdung up after 100k, 150k and 200k etc.

You've got a 1.8t with a regular auto trans that you purchased with 47k miles, I'd probably just steer away from tuning or this forum in general if you are going to be so particular about the longevity of the car to car if it can reach 150k or 200k without major repairs. Just tuning your car would cost nearly 8% of the purchase price!

Also he just told you he's at 104k - By your logic posted above that should be equivalent to 200k on your stock car :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
If you had no issues for 80k miles that's great! Probably means a lot of highway driving and may i assume oil changes a bit more frequent then 10k miles? Doesn't APR recommend changing oil every 5k miles? (would they if tune didn't increase long term wear?) All im saying is there is no fee lunch here, and im not sure what kind of proof im supposed to present to show that if push the engine to work harder and squeeze more out of it it's very likely it will shorten its life expectancy. 80k is great but its just a sample of 1 and its only 80k. I'd like to know how its holdung up after 100k, 150k and 200k etc.

It's 104K total and it's 80% hard city driving in up to 118* temperatures. None of my mods are APR but that's not really relevant. Yes I change oil every 4000 miles.
 
Top