ok, so i have a 2004 VW jetta GLI and im thinking of an ECU upgrade. I have been hunting around for some time, but so far the options are limited. The best I have found thus far can be done for about $500 by a company called APR (they seem to specialize in VW and Audi performance parts). So the question is, is this a good deal? Am I on the right path here or should I be looking down some other road?

Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated

(I will try to post pics of my baby later, but its getting dark here so it may have to wait)

Well, ill get the name, but this company, has a chip, for the diesel Jetta, and it boost its power by about 30+bhp i think.. could be 40bhp lol... They send the box over, and you would need to do it at home, o a mechanic to do it for you!

thank for the offer, but save yourself the time. my car is a 1.8T, but the chip im looking at should boost my peak hp by about 30 too, something i forgot to include

APR is a good company to buy products from
They seem to know what they are doing.

The three main/big companies are APR, Revo, and GIAC. All three are great companies and all three have decent programs for the 1.8t.

You might want to pick up the newest issue of eurotuner (June), it has an entire section dedicated to all the options that are out there for the 1.8t.

Most people I know have used Revo, but that is because one of the guys in our group is a dealer and gives us a discount.

$500 is about average price for any of the companies. Sometimes you can get some decent deals at VW shows if they are there doing a promotion.

I am not sure with the 1.8t, but with the 2.0t, APR has several different programs that you have to purchase seperate,but after the first $500 they get a lot cheaper. Different octane programs etc. You can get a performance program, like a 93 octane, then after that you can add on other programs, a race gas program, a stock setting etc...and you can control which program you want to use through the cruise control stalk. That way you can leave it on stock until you want to go for a spirited drive, or change over to race gas if you ever take your car on a track.

All companies have different programs and different ways of switching between them, APR is the only one that doesn't require you to use anything that plugs in to your car to change though.

Also if you plan on doing any further mods check each company, they may have slightly different suggestions as to what to pair their software with beyond stock components.

thank you, that was just what i needed. ill be sure to check out those other companies too

I think that the companies you must look are these..APR and Revo..500$ are cheap i think..You may pay over 500$ for a good ECU by these companies..These ECUs by both companies are very good for your car and they will turn your car into a small rocket.:D

Any reason you just want a chip and don't want to BPU it?

If I were you, I'd go with GIAC. That's what I use, and it seems to be reputable. Check out www.evoms.com (http://www.evoms.com) It's an AWESOME site.:cool:

BPU? im lost, please explain. but anyways, the ECU seemed the best route go since it provides the most power for the money. Im not financially able to go out and completely rework my car (nor do I have the time), so im looking for something that can give me a modest power increase without having to spend lots of time and money.

I had an APR chip and cat-back on my 2001 1.8t, and it was money well spent.

GIAC chips are certainly reputable and will give you a tad more high-end power, but I personally like the APR stuff better. I just think their parts are more refined, and the power curves are better mapped. However, I wouldn't balk at anyone with a GIAC chip. I don't have any personal experience with REVO, but I know there are people who love them.

You might want to take in to consideration which company has the nearest dealer/service shop. I was fortunate to have an APR installer about 20 minutes away. Though seemingly rare, chips can have problems from time to time and it's nice to know there's someone close-by to go complain to...

Good luck.

thanks everyone, sounds like im on the right track

here are those photos i promised

yeah, i think the easiest and cheapest mods you can do for some extra power is a new ECU and a cat-back system...

the cat-back will definately make it sound better too...

yeah, i think the easiest and cheapest mods you can do for some extra power is a new ECU and a cat-back system...

the cat-back will definately make it sound better too...


Your half way there.

It goes as such, Exhaust, chip(ECU), Intake, Tires.

These are the cheapest and most effective mods you can make to your car and should be done first.

BPU? im lost, please explain. but anyways, the ECU seemed the best route go since it provides the most power for the money. Im not financially able to go out and completely rework my car (nor do I have the time), so im looking for something that can give me a modest power increase without having to spend lots of time and money.

BPU stands for Basic Performance Upgrades.

Basically, it's an intake, dp, exhaust, boost controller, and possibly blow off valve. There's a whole 'nother slue including IC pipes, IC, new turbo, etc. But that gets into BPU+, ++, and APU.

BPU is by far the most effective power/$ you can do on a turbo car.

BTW, the Jetta is lookin hot. I love the 337 wheels on it.

thanks for the compliments. now i understand what you were saying, you just lost me since it was in shorthand. but ya, im basically going the route of basic performance upgrades. The tires and exhaust are fine to me, I dont want to get to flash or ricey. but intake it definitely on the list. Obviously the ECU is up there to. I just want to put alittle extra power to the pavement for now. If i save up enough money, i have my eye on a stage 3 turbo kit offered by APR.