Cabal_san

What has not been addressed yet is the problem of carbon build-up in these engines after 40k or 50k miles and a "chip".

While the older b7s (or b6's for that matter except for the DV replacement) didnt seem to have an issue with the "tune", IMO this engine is too new to see if the tunes don not contribute more to the build-up. I could def see AoA denying coverage for build-up and blaming it on a tuner.

I could be wrong and there is no relationship between a tuned engine and carbon, but there is not enough empirical evidence to NOT show any relationship at this point in time.
You can search forum after forum on tunes b6/b7s andd see that the only problems that came up where small issues (e.g. dv related). IMO the b8 is too new to see what if any long term issues pop up.

B8aruba

I do agree it's definitely too early to determine long-term contributors. Not enough miles on the cars, and haven't spent enough time with the latest 2.0TFSI engines yet. Time will tell. However, I've been so impressed with the older 1.8T engine tunes, that I'm willing to trust the same tuners with my new 2.0T right out of the box. Wished I had immediately tuned my VW from new, and intend on putting VAG to the test on the new B8. Yes, I'm that confident in the reliability.

B8aruba

Not really, you pretty much have the idea. Watch your launches and don't drive it like you stole it all the time. Give it time to warm up, and cool down after a hard run. My point is that, when tuned, the powertrain is more susceptible to failure as a result of torque shock to the system, increased cylinder head temps and pressure, etc. Launching with 22 psi available presents a more aggressive drivetrain load and shock curve, when compared to 13 psi stock. If you keep this in mind, and save the extra power for passing and having fun once rolling, it will last.

B8aruba

Installed the AWE vent-mounted boost gauge last night. It turned out perfect, the nicest kit I've ever installed. The install wasn't without some minor hiccups, though. Not the easiest I've done, but not that bad if you take your time and study what each step is specifically asking you to do (as others have reported as well).
<O
First off, AWE freaked me out by pre-mounting the gauge upside down on the vent louver assembly they provide. I thought for sure I'd be on the horn to them this morning, inquiring about how the 2010 vents have somehow changed. But, then it struck me to spin the gauge 180deg, and all fit perfectly. Also, if you have the tip tranny, you don't have to remove the washer fluid reservoir and cut into the engine ECU wire boots to route the boost hose through the firewall (as per the instructions). Simply go inside the footwell on the driver's side, look up where the clutch linkage would normally be, and there's a nice large hole you can poke through instead. It comes out underneath one side of the washer fluid reservoir in the engine bay. Use a wire snake from the inside to pull the boost hose back through. Pretty easy. To me, less disassembly and cutting of critical water seals (specifically on any of the various computer weather boxes) is a good thing in the long run. Water has a nasty tendency of causing issues with electronics.

Like I said, this gauge kit is the nicest I've seen. Not the easiest to install, but well worth it. Matches the dash lights perfectly. Needle matches the other gauges. And, it sweeps on startup to match the VCDS mod on the speedo and tach. It's really nice.

So, down to why I'm bumping this post. I did a couple of pulls on the way into work this morning, and found stock boost is actually 15-16 psi (even higher than the 12 psi previously reported). This is taken from my completely stock S-Line with under 100 mls on it. I was surprised to be running that high of stock boost, but thought the car pulled pretty damn hard so it makes sense to my butt dyno. <O</OCan't wait for the APR tune next Fri. Very curious to see what the boost gain will be. Oh, wait. I have to keep it in stock until I hit 1k mls. Oh, well. At least it'll be there once the engine is broken in.

ItsDubC

^Nice, thx for that post. Some great info there. I was under the impression that stock boost was around 12 as well.

My bro has been suspecting that his DV is going downhill on his B7 lately. He installed his podi boost gauge yesterday and discovered a boost leak, since his APR tune should be producing about 19psi and he's only hitting 16psi I think. Anyway, just making the point that a boost gauge is a great debugging tool

B8aruba

Definitely is. Can't imagine driving a forced-induction engine without one. Can't tell you how many times I've used it for diagnosing issues. Sure, you may get a MIL eventually, but in the meantime, you'll be down on power and potentially blowing oil vapor all over everything. Heck, sometimes you get a wacky code that doesn't readily point you toward the vacuum/intake system. That's when the gauge can tell you the rest of the story. I always carry a descent industrial spare from Grainger in the glovebox, for quick customer diagnosis on-site, etc.

Mrslydways

Mine is stock it spikes to 12.5psi settles at 10.5