[Quatto]

REVO has tuning software available for our Q3's in a range of stages to cater to what ever increase in power you're looking for accomplished through a tune.

Prices start at $500

http://www.revotechnik.com/product-details/software/audi/q3/116/stage-1

Stage 1 software is a must have for any standard 2.0TSI. With power and torque increases throughout the entire rev range and very smooth power delivery, Revo Software gives the 2.0TSI the performance it should have had when originally released. Most people directly compare the 2.0TSI engine to the 2.0TFSI K03 engine found earlier cars, in reality it really is a step above. The engine has so much torque, power is instantaneous and available throughout the entire rev-range. It’s such a flexible engine, with smooth and progressive power delivery ensuring both significant performance increases and no loss in drivabiltiy. The car feels so much stronger than you’d expect, overtaking comes easily and you can be upto license losing speeds with the bat of an eyelid. Stage1 software removes the speed limit and increases the rev limit from 6800rpm to 7000rpm.

 

[Otto]

Thanks for posting this up. I want to hear some feedback from people who get it done to see if its all its cracked up to be. Has anybody went ahead with a tune on their Q3 yet?

 

[CortinaQ3]

I'm interested to see what sort of performance these tunes add to the Q3's. I used to have a 2011 VW GTI (same engine as the Q3) and everyone on the forums ranted and raved about the APR stage 1 tune and how it really "woke up" the car. I never got around to installing it (went for suspension upgrades instead lol), but I know countless people who swear by these tunes.

TL;DR - The tunes are great for these engines, we're probably going to wind up going with APR at some point as I like their products a bit more.

 

[kniteshift]

I'm interested to see what sort of performance these tunes add to the Q3's. I used to have a 2011 VW GTI (same engine as the Q3) and everyone on the forums ranted and raved about the APR stage 1 tune and how it really "woke up" the car. I never got around to installing it (went for suspension upgrades instead lol), but I know countless people who swear by these tunes.

TL;DR - The tunes are great for these engines, we're probably going to wind up going with APR at some point as I like their products a bit more.

Had an MK6 myself and went with the APR Stage 2 tune w/ Downpipe. After trading it in, I really miss the way it drives. There were times that the car felt slower, even before I got the tune, but I guess that's due to other issues with the engineering.

I plan to get my Stage 1 tuned after 1,000 miles or after 18 months.

 

[Quatto]

I'm glad to see the response this thread is getting already, it helps to know interest in performance is growing as much as it is here
I'll be on the look out for more tunes.

 

[rnlabas]

Hey I know there was another reason why I went on this terrific weekend - 4 days in the north Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee mountains. In addition to 3 days of great drives (go here http://quattrodemayo.com/ to see what you missed for $50) and here's me (re: the Q3 is the bride's - plus the weather was DEFINITELY top-down) behind the blue S3 with an S4 at my 6 :

I actually WON a door prize for an APR Stage I tune of a CCTA engine - whoeee, wham, as easy $600 - and there was more, SO MUCH more - y'all gotta plan for next year - really....

 

[CortinaQ3]

man... sounds like I need to take a trip down south next year! Let us know how you like the stage 1 tune in the Q! I see they're also listing the K04 upgrade on their site for the Q3's... can't wait to see who's gonna end up doing that one first

Hey I know there was another reason why I went on this terrific weekend - 4 days in the north Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee mountains. In addition to 3 days of great drives (go here http://quattrodemayo.com/ to see what you missed for $50) and here's me (re: the Q3 is the bride's - plus the weather was DEFINITELY top-down) behind the blue S3 with an S4 at my 6 :

I actually WON a door prize for an APR Stage I tune of a CCTA engine - whoeee, wham, as easy $600 - and there was more, SO MUCH more - y'all gotta plan for next year - really....

 

[CortinaQ3]

I'm glad to see the response this thread is getting already, it helps to know interest in performance is growing as much as it is here
I'll be on the look out for more tunes.

Based on my experience with my GTI, the major tune companies are gonna be APR, Revo, and GIAC. then you'll see other tunes/chips from Neuspeed and companies like that, but from what I've read you really wanna stick to either APR or Revo when it comes to reliability. And personally I'd stick with APR 100%. If VW/Audi is willing to go to them to develop parts for their show cars (SEMA, Worthersee, SoWo, etc) and even go as far as giving them advance access to models before the general public to begin developing parts & accessories, then I can definitely trust them with my own car haha. APR is sort of the pioneer in the ECU tuning world for VW/Audi. They definitely know their stuff.

Also, APR has seasonal sales where you can get the tunes with all of the add-ons (valet mode, 91, 93, 100 octane modes, security lockout) for the same price as the tune alone ($599)!

 

[kniteshift]

Based on my experience with my GTI, the major tune companies are gonna be APR, Revo, and GIAC. then you'll see other tunes/chips from Neuspeed and companies like that, but from what I've read you really wanna stick to either APR or Revo when it comes to reliability. And personally I'd stick with APR 100%. If VW/Audi is willing to go to them to develop parts for their show cars (SEMA, Worthersee, SoWo, etc) and even go as far as giving them advance access to models before the general public to begin developing parts & accessories, then I can definitely trust them with my own car haha. APR is sort of the pioneer in the ECU tuning world for VW/Audi. They definitely know their stuff.

Also, APR has seasonal sales where you can get the tunes with all of the add-ons (valet mode, 91, 93, 100 octane modes, security lockout) for the same price as the tune alone ($599)!

From what I heard Unitronic is pretty reliable too.

I used to have a VW dealership in the bay area that did the tune, but they are no longer involved from what I heard.

 

[CortinaQ3]

From what I heard Unitronic is pretty reliable too.

I used to have a VW dealership in the bay area that did the tune, but they are no longer involved from what I heard.

Ahhhh, you are right. I knew I was missing one company but couldn't think of it at the time. Thanks for adding that!

 

[Tanqueray]

I'm feeling the itch...should I pull the trigger on Revo 1?

The shop owner says he's willing to re-flash ECU back to stock whenever I have serious drive train issue and need warranty care at the dealership. Re-flashing back to ECU will not show TD1 flag; it will just show that it has been flashed.

He said there should be Revo sale this winter and that I should wait if I decide to get Revo 1.

Itchy Itchy Itchy!

 

[rnlabas]

I'm feeling the itch...should I pull the trigger on Revo 1?

The shop owner says he's willing to re-flash ECU back to stock whenever I have serious drive train issue and need warranty care at the dealership. Re-flashing back to ECU will not show TD1 flag; it will just show that it has been flashed.

He said there should be Revo sale this winter and that I should wait if I decide to get Revo 1.

Itchy Itchy Itchy!

Uh, Fact No. 1 : The CheckSum reset when re-flashed DOES throw a TD1 flag, and anybody who tells you different either a) does NOT know or care about this or b) wants your money first and your problems are yours later.

The answer to this is simple : I am CERTAIN SOMEONE can hack Audi's TD1 check somehow, someway, someday. THAT being said, IF ANY tuner does succeed in doing so, bully for them. GET IT IN WRITING that THEY will WARRANT your car against the factory discovering or turning down warranty service in EVERY case while your warranty is in effect. NOT ONE SINGLE CURRENT TUNER WILL DO THIS. Wonder why?

 

[Tanqueray]

Uh, Fact No. 1 : The CheckSum reset when re-flashed DOES throw a TD1 flag, and anybody who tells you different either a) does NOT know or care about this or b) wants your money first and your problems are yours later.

The answer to this is simple : I am CERTAIN SOMEONE can hack Audi's TD1 check somehow, someway, someday. THAT being said, IF ANY tuner does succeed in doing so, bully for them. GET IT IN WRITING that THEY will WARRANT your car against the factory discovering or turning down warranty service in EVERY case while your warranty is in effect. NOT ONE SINGLE CURRENT TUNER WILL DO THIS. Wonder why?

Hmmm... like they always say, gotta pay to play...

That 40-50 extra hp sounds so good though.

 

[Q3User]

The answer to this is simple : I am CERTAIN SOMEONE can hack Audi's TD1 check somehow, someway, someday. THAT being said, IF ANY tuner does succeed in doing so, bully for them. GET IT IN WRITING that THEY will WARRANT your car against the factory discovering or turning down warranty service in EVERY case while your warranty is in effect. NOT ONE SINGLE CURRENT TUNER WILL DO THIS. Wonder why?

You are correct - there is no tuner that is willing to warranty anything that happens to the engine with their tune still on board..and that is across ALL brands & manufacturers.

Having said that, I have been around the BMW/VW world long enough to know that there are some of the most die hard enthusiasts around and that tweaking the engine management has been embraced by the DIY-er since almost the time it was available. And with the exponential success over failure history, these 2 marques continue to be supported by the aftermarket tuning industry.

furthermore, I see no reason why this isn't any difference than tweaking the electronics management with VAGCOM.

So of course those that have never experienced it will be cautious.
Those that have in this case - the Q3's EA888 Gen 1 engine from the Golf Mk5 - is as close to bulletproof as the sun rising in the east.

 

[rnlabas]

...

furthermore, I see no reason why this isn't any difference than tweaking the electronics management with VAGCOM.

..

We do NOT tweak electronics management with VAGCOM, we apply coding to program variables that Audi already uses elsewhere in the world. Now in the wrong hands doing the wrong things, THAT coding can be erased, changed to variables that do not work, or cause other things to go awry - this is true. But it is generally reversible and leaves NO trail of what was done in its wake - unless of course you render the car unusable or broken.

When used prudently and with caution it is most certainly NOT like tweaking your ECU to function differently than Audi intended or warrants.

Believe me, I warn folks to be careful with VCDS but EVERY code so far listed on this and many or most sites IS used by Audi themselves somewhere. That CANNOT be said of tweaking any ECU...

What you said is like saying horseshoes and hand grenades are the same when described as being made of mostly iron ... but yatta hey - use your money, take your chances -

 

[rnlabas]

Hmmm... like they always say, gotta pay to play...

That 40-50 extra hp sounds so good though.

Try a SprintBooster first; if that's not good enough for you in this car - go scratch your itch, then you can surely sell your SprintBooster here to someone who will be happy with it -

 

[rnlabas]

..- the Q3's EA888 Gen 1 engine from the Golf Mk5 - is as close to bulletproof as the sun rising in the east.

I agree, and never said or hinted otherwise - just that IF anything were to go wrong and you wanted or expected Audi to warrant it, they COULD easily find a way out of it. It's also worthy of note that Audi has extended HUGE amounts of goodwill on this engine especially around turbo failures, oil consumption woes and timing chain failures - literally thousands of engine rebuilds or outright replacements, well into their service lives (45-70K miles, 5-8 years) - this engine IS their bread and butter, AND beer too - and will likely continue to be for quite sometime. Another bit of trivia - in aggressive race tune, this powerplant with a nice seasoned block has been shown to be race reliable upwards of 1800 - yup - 1800 hp. It's a good beast.

 

[Tanqueray]

this powerplant with a nice seasoned block has been shown to be race reliable upwards of 1800 - yup - 1800 hp. It's a good beast.

Yikes