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What would you guys do? Reputable DSG tuning issue

jcarl126

Ready to race!
Location
Wilm, NC
Just want to see where you guys stood on this situation.

I went IS38 on my 2017 DSG gti shortly after purchase. I decided to go with an Accessport and Cobb pro tune from the awesome guys at Stratified. Half way through the tune iterations i noticed my DSG clutches were not holding all the extra power - i was aware of this prior so I scheduled a custom DSG tune through a local brick and mortar shop that only does VW and Audi stuff.

Took the car in on the appointment date and Ubered to work. About 8 hours later i called to check status, and was told "were trying to figure this out, we flashed the initial read file from XXXX and now every time the car is in sport mode and goes past 1/3 throttle it throws the EPC for overboost and goes into limp mode. has it ever done that before?"

Heck no!! Id be driving it for a few weeks and it never had ANY codes or lights set other than the initial clear from a battery disconnect. So the took the DSG tune off and emailed the tuning company to see what was going on. I picked up my car with the original DSG file on it and continued to drive conservatively.

"Ok, we got another file we are ready to try" . Drop the car back off, wait most of the day again, same thing, EPC for overboost and limp mode. This time when they contact the tuning company i get told, "its due to your ECU tuning not being finalized or finished". Weird. ok ill give it a shot. Alex pushed me 2 iterations of Protune updates in the mean while, then i scheduled to go back in and get the DSG tune done thinking ok problem solved.

Nope, same thing happens, so i leave after being without my car all day again and the guy says "when youre done your pro tune come back" to which i respond " the tuner wants to check out the logs and see whats going on, see if he needs to remedy anything. Also a friend will be checking the DSG log to see whats going on". Every time i left that place with my original DSG software installed on my car.

Then i went to APR and had an IS38 DSG file flashed knowing if it threw overboost codes i had 30 days to take it back. Well, the APR software was freaking great, been running it for 3 months no, no codes, no clamping issues, etc.

Today i get a bill from that first company for almost $1000, for 2 hours of labor to flash a tune (ok, i can understand that) and the cost of a custom DSG tune. Emailed the tuning company and they say "its not our tunes fault, it was your tuners issue, our tune was perfectly fine" - ok, then why couldnt you just flash it on there and not get any EPCs?? why is my vehicle perfect WITHOUT your DSG software, then every time the software is on there it throws EPCS no matter whan ECU iteration in flashed to the ECU?? The tuning company cut $250 off the bill to accomodate a "regular DSG tune charge" but refuse anything else.

What the heck would you guys do? Im all for paying if i had gotten a working tune and needed to adjust my ECU tune, but that was clearly not the case and they are denying anything otherwise.

Pay and then instantly enact the right to Cooling Off Period law from the FTC? FYI its been 4 months since i heard from the local flashing company with ANY bill at all... nor was price mentioned during any point of any prior conversations.
 

carchrism5

Go Kart Champion
Location
CT
Car(s)
GTI
If this was the first time you saw any bill, with no prior talk of price, and a working tune was not supplied at any point; I do not think I would pay the bill. You ended up having to go elsewhere to get what they were supposed to provide you.

I do find it quite odd that they never spoke of pricing until 4 months after it wasn't done though.
 

adam1991

Banned
Location
USA
So:

someone sent you a random bill for something you don't owe.

So what?

Let them stew, and send another one if they will. Maybe they won't. They now know the story.

Just because someone sends you a bill, doesn't obligate you to pay it.
 

Hoon

Autocross Champion
Location
Rhode Island
I would send them an invoice for my Uber bills.

Those guys owe you, not the other way around.
 
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jcarl126

Ready to race!
Location
Wilm, NC
In their defense i supposed i did commit to initiating a custom tune, no? Its like ordering a pizza and being told it got messed up during delivery, theyll make a new one, then the next two pizzas same thing.... then being told "its your pizza combination, you cant order hawaiian successfully until you fix your driveway". why the heck would i order another pizza?! strange comparison i suppose.

i feel badly for the company that flashes this tuning company's software as i guess they were charged for the tune already and will be out of their pocket??
 
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YoWassupFresh

New member
Location
Phoenix AZ
If you put it on a credit card you could always do a chargeback with the card company. The merchant would have 60-90 days (depending on the card issuer) to respond to the chargeback request with documentation that they delivered on the services they promised.
 

r-gazmic

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Colorado Springs
In their defense i supposed i did commit to initiating a custom tune, no? Its like ordering a pizza and being told it got messed up during delivery, theyll make a new one, then the next two pizzas same thing.... then being told "its your pizza combination, you cant order hawaiian successfully until you fix your driveway". why the heck would i order another pizza?! strange comparison i suppose.

i feel badly for the company that flashes this tuning company's software as i guess they were charged for the tune already and will be out of their pocket??

While I doubt it was explicitly defined, there is a point where they're expected to deliver a finalized, functional product. They never got to that point. The whole point of "custom" tuning is to fit it to what you already have, if they can't tune to match your ECU they shouldn't be in the "custom" tuning business.

As for the shop, this is a lesson learned for them on who they decide to go into business with. There's a few companies that they could've picked that don't have these issues, like the APR tune you eventually ended up with.

As for the bill tell them, politely but firmly, to go fuck themselves. If they were reputable or had any business sense at all they wouldn't even dream of sending you a bill after your experience.
 

Dubstro

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Texas
Car(s)
2016 2dr GTI 6MT
Wow what a hassle! Did you sign anything authorizing work on your car? Not a lawyer but not seeing how they can say you owe anything since they weren't successful in providing you a working TCU tune.

Glad to hear the APR is working out for you though. My IS38 arrives soon and I'm hoping APR has a memorial day sale or something to offset the "labor" charge.
 

jcarl126

Ready to race!
Location
Wilm, NC
Dubstro - the apr is38 dsg file is great, once that was flash I had ZERO thoughts of missing any habits of how the dsg worked before. Two thumbs up on that!

I told the shop I would pay their labor for flashing and u flashing (2 hours at $90/hr), but I am not paying for a DSG tune I neither have nor want since it was causing that issue which CLEARLY correlated. Thanks for the input guys, glad my feelings are normal on this matter
 

Cameron1292

Ready to race!
Location
Florida
Just subbed. This is funny lol what kind of company does that. I wouldn't pay a penny. They can't do anything. They didn't give you the product you were going to pay for. The fact your up and running with Apr and strat show its their fault.

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Rafiki76

Ready to race!
Location
Los Angeles
Car(s)
MKVII GTI
Sounds like a nightmare. I would call them and explain that they're tune didn't work and you had to go to another shop and you're not gonna pay because they didn't deliver. You didn't sign anything committing to the tune right?
 

Cameron1292

Ready to race!
Location
Florida
Sounds like a nightmare. I would call them and explain that they're tune didn't work and you had to go to another shop and you're not gonna pay because they didn't deliver. You didn't sign anything committing to the tune right?
From what I gather, he left the shop each time with the stock tune. So he left with as much as he came in with lol and they are charging him

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