Chip Tuning and Warranty
FAQs
These FAQ's about chipping
will help to clarify some of the myths and misconceptions about
chipping your Audi/VW Turbo car. These are the most commonly asked
questions by people wishing to chip their car:
Will it void my warranty?
Yes and No: according to the
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act:
"No warrantor of a consumer
product may condition his written or implied warranty of such
product on the consumers using, in connection with such product,
any article or service (other than article or service provided
without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified
by brand, trade or corporate name..." (15 U.S.C. 2302©)
So basically, if you have a
warranty claim, the dealer (or warrantor) must prove that the
part that you modified directly caused the failure. For example,
if you chipped your car and the exhaust falls off, then the car
is still under warranty.
Of all of the chips that APR,
LLC has sold, as well as pretty much all other chip manufacturers,
there just really aren't any problems in chipping the car. Your
Audi/VW was so well engineered, that you really are not stressing
anything that was not designed to take the changes that a chip
produces.
Won't my dealer know
that my car is chipped?
Not unless he is specifically
looking for it. All APR chips are undetectable to a dealers VAG
diagnostic scan tool. The only way they will know that the car
is chipped is if the physically open up the ECU itself (which
they have no reason to), or drive the car (it makes that big a
difference). Likewise, the dealer cannot "flash" reprogram an
APR chip, so you need not be worried about losing your precious
investment.
Why should I choose
APR?
Because we are the best at
what we do. There are several reasons to GO APR over other companies.
First, we are the only Audi/VW aftermarket design firm in the
US with engineers on staff (we have three of them). Second, we
only tune Audis and Volkswagens (not Volvos, BMW's, Hondas, etc...).
Third, we have completely reverse-engineered the entire Bosch
Motronic system. We can safely say that we probably know the system
better than anyone in the world (except Bosch, of course). Finally,
we always strive to provide the best customer service and support
possible.
What all is included
with the chip?
All chips that we sell here
at APR include the following:
- Lifetime Warranty against
defects in the software/soldering
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
Free Upgrades
You offer free upgrades,
what are they?
Like Audi (or any software
company for that matter), new software versions are occasionally
released by APR. The APR software upgrades are based on the latest
version of the factory software, and represent the latest iteration
of our continually improving software.
How do I go about
getting a chip?
There are two ways you can
get an APR chip in your car. The first method is to send your
ECU to us, and we will send it back to you the same day that we
receive it. If you choose this method, you need to either call
APR just before you send your ECU or include the following information
in the same box as the ECU.
The second method is to purchase
a spare ECU for your car. APR buys factory ECU's (the same you
would get at your dealer) in bulk, hence allowing us to sell them
relatively cheaply. APR does not profit from these spare ECU's,
so if you can find them cheaper, don't hesitate to buy them yourself
and send them to us. Usually APR keeps an adequate supply of spare
ECU's; however, due to the many variations in cars, we may not
have yours in stock.
Can I get my chip
socketed?
Sorry, no. Since sockets cannot
be made as reliable as a soldered chip, APR will not sell an ECU
with one. All APR chip upgrades use soldered encryption boards,
which serve several purposes. First, it keeps prying eyes out
of our software and prevents lesser companies from copying the
chip and degredating the product. Secondly, the encryption board
prevents the dealer from flash programming the ECU. Also, encryption
boards help keep APR software from being undetectable to a dealers
VAG diagnostic tool.
How do I send my ECU
to you?
Factory ECU's are pretty durable.
Just wrap them in bubble wrap and put them in a good sturdy box,
and they will be fine. There isn't a need for over packing them.
We recommend that you send your ECU to us via INSURED Fed-Ex or
UPS. We have had problems with US Mail getting to us in a reasonable
time.
