Stereodude

All the more reason for APR to get at dealer flashing out the door like their competitors instead of this convoluted 2 way shipping scheme.

PsYkHoTiK

Yeah their flashing is very broken. I mean I've only just sent it in four times...

Even once completely on my own...

The way I see it, if you're so concerned, DON'T MOD YOUR CAR... If not, it's a risk you take that "after market" parts don't work as you intended as OEM. You've got to pay to play.

It's a risk you take no matter who you go with to get a tune. Or at the very least, take it to a shop that's a dealer for that part (there's still inherent risks even with that).

NWS4Guy

Actually the documentation had been updated months prior, they even showed the guy this, but he had printed the directions out from months before, when the docs didn't say to disconnect the battery. So yea, it was his fault. APR still gave him the vast financial benefit of the doubt, and he was still not happy, so he made a post full of vitriol and half truths, blaming APR.

I'll have to agree with Scott here, if you are this paranoid that someone is out to get you, you probably should never even consider modding your car. You may not want to post here either in the event Audi gets the admins to pull IP info and correlates this to email and tracks you down. Maybe Audi themselves will not build something right on the car, but they will use this information to void your warranty.

Just sayin.

zerinS4

Sounds like the OP is a good candidate for not modifying a car. Why stop at the ECU? Should APR or any other company require a complete systems check of the entire car before flashing an ECU so the blame can't be put on them? Seriously, out of THOUSANDS of ECUs they've flashed over the years (and every other tuner) you hear one bad story and get overly paranoid? Don't modify your car, problem solved.

will13k7

I'm amazed APR paid out anything, I never got that lucky, even when it was non-disputable a local speed shop was at fault for installing parts incorrectly.

I haven't modded my S4 since modding has been such a pain in the *** for me in the past. Back in the late 90's, I had a heavily modded car, and when anything goes wrong, no one takes the blame, there is just finger pointing and reminders of policy that they take no responsibly (or claims that the warranty is invalidated even with no proof or relation of mod to failure). In the end, no matter what happened, you took the risk to mod your car, with no guarantees, so be ready to pay and deal with your car being disabled and damaged from time to time. Also be ready to deal with law enforcement giving you sh*t about your exhaust even though its under the legal sound level, calming your intake is not smog legal even though it has a C.A.R.B. sticker (sending you to the state smog referee), be prepared for your lowered car to scrap once in a while and damage your lower body panels, requiring resprays. Also, if you don't do your homework to get things done right, you'll wear-out other components much quicker (shocks, tires, etc...)... but it is fun, an addiction really, and its probably worth dealing with for at least one car in your life!

DrVolkl

I don't get what the OP is getting at?

What are you worried about??? If there is something wrong with your ECU it's apparent that APR will replace it.

The worse thing that can happen is that you're going to be without your car for a few days.

That could happen no matter who you send your chip to or who works on your car. What the hell are you getting at?

Sounds to me like you should keep your car stock if you're scared of the possibility of being without it for a period of time.

The only issue that APR did not correct/fix on their own dime was the rental car.. a rental car that was never rented. What's the problem? What bone are you trying to pick? Do you think another company could have done something different? Blame or no blame, APR picked up the bill and replaced everything. If that doesn't give you piece of mind, I'm not sure what will.

Tweakophyte

There is always a risk of bricking a device when you flash it. Many devices allow you to detect and/or revert from a bad flash. You'd hope the ECU is highly tolerant.

That said, it would behoove any tuner to have a way to validate the ECU before and after a flash. Maybe this is just a risk of the business and effectively covered in their business model?

yas

Had the customer in question supported a local shop, he probably would've gotten a rental car for free, insured/warrantied work on the car and a few new enthusiast friends.

I'm all for working on a car yourself, but the risk is that you screw something up.

doctorno

dr volkl, your car is pure sex. okay, carry on with this thread.

sakimano

locking threads FTL

There's never a good reason to lock a thread. Protecting your advertiser dollars by snuffing out threads that ask hard questions of them is not a good reason. It's a reason...just not a good one.

If someone makes outrageous claims, acts like an idiot and damages an advertiser, the simple fact is that the forum as a group will step up and evaluate the facts. Leaving that thread open for people to give their opinion (and support the good companies) will show people who search the real truth.

Snuffing the thread sends the message that the tuning company needs protection from the facts. I know APR doesn't usually like threads getting locked for this reason.