Software/ECU question - Security Lockout Feature

[Fonzie Audi]

The car is going under the knife again. Huge hesitation between shifts, RPM's are jumping around all over the place.

Audi has the car.. l have APR ECU/TCU software. The motorsports shop put the car into "stock" mode, and locked it in with the Security Lockout Feature. They ENSURED me that audi will not be able to see the software program, and warranty will not be an issue....

Any idea if this is true or if i'm just looking for trouble? I'm not sure if all ECU's have this feature, or if it will actually make the program invisible to audi. Very anxious, because i know there is work that needs to be done.

Any guesses?

[Spidercat]

I'm guessing that no one will ever know except you and APR (and the RS6 board). I'm sure there is a way to find out, if it really came down to it, but I don't think the dealer is going to bend over backwards cracking the code just to give some aftermarket warranty company a loophole to crawl through. IMO.
FWIW, I had switched my Revo back to stock mode for a recent tune-up, and to check out the CEL, and no engine problem was found. The question about whether it'd been chipped never came up, and they were LOOKING for problems, so I think you're safe. I got the distinct impression that my service advisor was on my side, not the warranty rep's, btw. But still, the question was never asked.

[DuckWingDuck]

Ya, it's been my experience that service advisors tend to be pretty decent guys. Hell, my service advisor's been pushing me to get my car chipped! Heh.

[Fonzie Audi]

awesome feedback, thank you guys.

so far, so good. although it looks like i'm gonna need tranny work - at least they won't find the chip. you guys have a great night

[Spidercat]

awesome feedback, thank you guys.

so far, so good. although it looks like i'm gonna need tranny work - at least they won't find the chip. you guys have a great night

Tranny! Ouch!
How long did you have the car chipped and what's the mileage, if you don't mind sharing? Also, did you have the ECU/TCU done at the same time?
Good luck with everything! I think the downtime without your baby will hurt the most.

[Fonzie Audi]

Yes, APR ecu/tcu done at the same time. had the car a year - got it at 39,000.. now at 45,000.

all started with a high pitched noise following the RPM's.. then slight hesitation between shifts.. soon to be a HUGE drop in RPM's and then SLAMMING into gear.

i'm driving an A4 loaner, and it feels like i can run faster than the car drives. every time i floor it, i cry. i have a feeling it's gonna be a while till i'm back in the beast.

[DuckWingDuck]

Everybody will cover transmission (original warranty, CPO extended warranty, aftermarket extended warranty) so the only part that sucks here is that you're in that A4 for quite a while! Anyway, I'm in an A4 2.0T right now and I don't know about you but it always feels like the car is a gear higher than where it needs to be with the end result of, NO GO WHEN YOU PUSH THE DAMNED PEDAL!!

[Fonzie Audi]

LOL! well said. nothing like shifting through 7 gears, and going nowhere.

[cornishmoocher]

I had an A6 2.0ltr TDi as a loaner- it was a nice car, but if it was soooooooooooo slow and retarded that i thought i was going to die of boredom. I could have done the Telegraph crossword before it got to 60!

for what it is worth, i think you should be ok. Unless your tech is a real knob jobsworth. Although, if you have tran problems, they will for sure look at the map.

[Fonzie Audi]

aside from the lack of sheer fun.. i have actually found that driving this A4 today was almost dangerous. i'm so used to pulling out in front of cars (with more than enough space for safety, of course), but then pulling away with my beast and easily catching up with traffic. today, i suppose i forgot what car i was in, and pulled in front of an oncoming car - only to take about 8x longer to speed up to pace with traffic. both times the car behind me passed me to the left, with a not-very-happy look on their face. i almost felt like opening the window and screaming "it's not my usual car!"

[DuckWingDuck]

hahaha. As a result of what I mentioned above, while I rarely used the tiptronic mode in my RS6 (to be honest, S-mode usually more than suffice), I have found that I _need_ to use tiptronic in the A4. Fonzie, maybe this might help you in your safety concern ;)

[papadoc]

I've had the same APR chips, now about 6500 miles on the car since, along with APR exhaust. No problems, but transmission problems make me nervous, even with extended warranty. I've avoided stop light races when driving in one of the chipped modes, not wanting to send the extra torque to the tranny. How have you driven the car since chipped? I've run between the 91 and 93 chipped programs most of the time. I've also an aversion to trying to be stealth with the chips; how can I expect a dealer to be honest with me if I am dishonest with them? Not trying to be preachy, but something to consider...

[Fonzie Audi]

i agree, don't get me wrong. i don't like anything about being dishonest with the dealer. if i could tell them i have the chip, and it wouldn't cause me problems - i would love to tell my service guy. he is actually a hell of a guy. for the obvious reasons however, i need to keep it to myself, because i have plenty of bills that need paying.

i mostly run the car in 93 mode. 90% of the time, i'm running in D. i don't race, but will give it a squirt once in a while. definitly not an aggressive driver. most of the power is used on the highway from 60-100 mph.

how do you like the apr exhaust? any chance of you getting a video clip up?

moocher - tip mode is all i ran in the A4 today. smooth shifts, but i mean it's just not a drivers car. i don't look forward to my hour long commute to work like i usually do.

[Fonzie Audi]

i agree, don't get me wrong. i don't like anything about being dishonest with the dealer. if i could tell them i have the chip, and it wouldn't cause me problems - i would love to tell my service guy. he is actually a hell of a guy. for the obvious reasons however, i need to keep it to myself, because i have plenty of bills that need paying.

i mostly run the car in 93 mode. 90% of the time, i'm running in D. i don't race, but will give it a squirt once in a while. definitly not an aggressive driver. most of the power is used on the highway from 60-100 mph.

how do you like the apr exhaust? any chance of you getting a video clip up?

moocher - tip mode is all i ran in the A4 today. smooth shifts, but i mean it's just not a drivers car. i don't look forward to my hour long commute to work like i usually do.

[Spidercat]

Try a beat-up Saturn Ion! I was actually glad when the warranty company told my I had to return it because they would only pay for 15 days. Ain't no chance, no way, no how that I'm paying out of pocket for day 16! I've been driving my wife's lil' red wagon (chipped & modded A4) since, and although I like it, it's certainly not filling the void for my six-fix. I always drive in Tip-mode, by the way, and keeping the rev's pretty high seems to help.
Incidentally, I used the same argument about pulling out in traffic (after getting use to the RS6) to get her car started on the road to tuning bliss. Downpipes & exhaust are next! This is a much cheaper project than the RS6 I have to admit (a little goes a long way).

[Fonzie Audi]

Got the diagnosis today - a new tranny is being ordered and needs to come from Germany. I'm going to have to get used to this A4 for a couple weeks at minimum. :cry:

The real question now is, when i get the car back, do i dare run it on 93 mode. I got away with it one time, i will not get away with it again. The trade offs are big - on one hand, the APR software cost me 2600.00.. on the other, another tranny would cost, well, who knows..

do i run it stock when i get it back?

[grizz]

Run it with 100% power , the new gearbox will last another 40k.

[cornishmoocher]

Fonzie- the Grizzmiester has spoken!

The box will have a 12month warranty on it anyhoo!

My loaner was a manual mate, so it i cant blame the equipment for the shite performance!

[ben916]

[quote=Fonzie Audi;136458].. on the other, another tranny would cost, well, who knows..
[quote]

Bummer but better now than later....

Also on this board there has been mention of a shop in the states that rebuilds the transmission on the RS6 for up to something like 600HP, correct me if I am generous on that number. You can search the forum but if someone remembers the name of the shop, post away... Something 10 on the East Coast... DWD help me out here....

[Fonzie Audi]

grizz, 100% power.. 93 mode all day? i like the sound of that.

thanks

[Spidercat]

[quote=Fonzie Audi;136458].. on the other, another tranny would cost, well, who knows..
[quote]

Bummer but better now than later....

Also on this board there has been mention of a shop in the states that rebuilds the transmission on the RS6 for up to something like 600HP, correct me if I am generous on that number. You can search the forum but if someone remembers the name of the shop, post away... Something 10 on the East Coast... DWD help me out here....

Search "Level 10"

[Spidercat]

Here's a good thread regarding Level 10 tranny mods:
http://www.rs6.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14901&highlight=Level+10
If I were local, I'd certainly put it on my wish list.

[DuckWingDuck]

I don't think we've been able to find anybody with an audi who's got first hand experience with Level 10 and weren't there concerned with Level 10 work on another manuf. vehicle?

[Spidercat]

According to the thread above, mi021le has had it for over 2 years and likes it, and he's got 461 BHP at the wheels. Certainly worth looking into, since the engine's gotta come out anyway. Otherwise I'd hate the waiting, oh the waiting!