Motoza tune long review

[Nate01A4]

d 2 d

[MetalMan]

FYI on deletes, he got mine right with the secondary O2 "trick" and also deleted SAI successfully. My readiness appears to work properly, where it takes a little time to set as Ready. This passed California OBDII inspection.

Here is a chronological summary of my Motoza experience:
12/30/13: Ordered Motoza Hybrid K04 tune
1/6/14: Motoza kit arrived. Performed initial ECU read and sent off file to Motoza to await base file.
1/10/14: sent Motoza follow-up email about awaiting base file. Motoza responded same-day saying they would get to it later that day or next morning.
1/13/14: sent Motoza another follow-up email waiting for base file. Got it [Rev 1] later that day.
1/14/14: I installed 550cc injectors, flashed base file, drove around for it to adapt, took a log, and emailed the log.
1/16/14: sent email to Motoza about my CEL turning on. (Later discovered my secondary O2 sensor was bad)
1/16/14: Motoza told me they incorrectly set my base file for 3" MAF (I was running stock MAF), and sent me a new base file [Rev 2] for stock MAF.
3/21/14: During this gap of time I fixed boost leaks, replaced secondary O2 sensor, etc. Took a log and sent it to Motoza on this day.
4/3/14: Received Rev. 3 of my tune. This should have fixed some large fuel trims I was seeing and other improvements.
4/16/14: I took a log and sent it to Motoza. My instrument cluster MPG readout had been way off since base file, hoping it would be fixed in next rev.
4/22/14: Motoza sent Rev. 4, with MPG readout fixed as I requested, as well as other tweaks.

Some various communication went on, and I ended up replacing my F4H kit with an F21 kit to hopefully resolve some "problems" I thought I was having. Nothing really changed though... one of the problems was rattling that I thought was from the manifold-to-turbo connection, but turned out to be intermittent contact between my downpipe and AWE DTS bar.

7/10/14: I took a log and sent it to Motoza. My main "complaint" was my feeling of rough partial-throttle driveability in 1st gear, especially with AC turned on.
7/30/14: Took another log and sent it as a follow-up email after not hearing from Motoza for 20 days.
8/1/14: Heard back from Motoza, and some short back-and-forth communication about overboost that I had fixed on my car (wastegate lines).
8/6/14: Motoza sent Rev. 5. Said that he would be happy if it weren't for the 1st gear "hiccup" (as I described it) based on logs.

Some time passed. I bought a MKIV VR6 / TT225 3" MAF housing from Doug @ FrankenTurbo, and installed it and flashed my original incorrectly-set base file. 1st gear driveability improved a little bit, but the tune was a little rough since it was an un-tweaked base file. MPG readout was way off, and I think fuel trims were off a bit too.

12/19/14: emailed Motoza more info about my driveability issues, inquiring about starting over fresh with 3" MAF (and maybe paying a $100 hardware change fee).
1/9/15: 3 weeks with no response, called Motoza and spoke for 30mins with them. Discussed some tuning logic and whatnot, and determined to try car with stock tune and injectors (to determine if Motoza tune or hardware was culprit for driveability issues).
1/13/15: I emailed Motoza and cc'd their Sales email. Basically with stock tune/injectors (no other hardware changes) I DON'T have the driveability issue, suggesting to me Motoza tune might be the culprit.
1/29/15: called Motoza during open business hours (2pm their time) to follow-up to email sent on 1/13/15. Call went to answer machine and I left a message. Also sent a follow-up email and copied the Support @ motozaperformance.com email address. Motoza responded a couple hours later by email, saying he was at the dyno that day and would look into it the next morning (1/30).
2/5/15: Have not heard from Motoza yet, and since he suggested he would be looking into it on 1/30, I sent another follow-up email.
2/5/15: Received a prompt reply from Dave's coordinator, saying he is looking into it and would send an update later in the day
2/5/15: Received Rev 6 (still for stock MAF housing) from Dave a few hours later. Flashed it later in the day.

4/29/15: Inquired to Motoza about upgrading to E85 switchable tune, along with 3" MAF housing and upgraded injectors. Would also upgrade my 91 octane tune to the new hardware.
4/30/15: Heard back from Dave's coordinator, and had several emails back-and-forth. Dave's suggestion is Bosch EV14 750cc injectors.
5/1/15: Paid Motoza $297 for 1) BTX bluetooth interface ; 2) 91 octane tune upgrade (3" MAF, 750cc injectors) ; 3) E85 switchable tune. They suggested 1 week turnaround time on new base tunes [would be 5/8/15].
5/4/15: Received BTX interface in the mail. Very fast shipping.
5/7/15: Inquired to Motoza about when I might expect to receive base tunes.
5/8/15: Dave's coordinator said new base files should be ready by 5/11/15.
5/12/15: Dave's coordinator said new base files should be ready by end of day 5/12/15.
5/12/15: Received new tune [Rev 7] that has tune switching! Changes should be 3" MAF housing, 750cc injectors, and E85 with tune switching.
5/18/15: Emailed Motoza about bad fuel trims and apparent wrong MAF scaling.
5/18/15: Received a prompt response from Dave's coordinator with updated/corrected tune file [Rev 8], probably for proper MAF scaling.
5/28/15: Sent log of Rev 8 after switching to E85. Received prompt response from Dave and his coordinator. Reported large fuel trims (-16%). Reported no-start on first crank (cold-start).
6/1/15: Some various communication occurred.
6/3/15: Received Rev 9. Fixed the big fuel trims, added a little timing and high-RPM boost.
7/11/15: Fixed an exhaust leak between turbo/manifold on my car. This appears to have fixed much of the "part-throttle driveability" issues I had.
7/20/15: Verified exhaust leak fix. Logged the car and sent log of Rev 9. Inquired about fixing cold starting issue and consumption signal.
7/21/15: Received response from Dave about fixing cold start issue and consumption signal. Says he will get to the logs, but didn't offer an ETA.
7/30/15: Sent followup email. Received prompt response from Dave's coordinator. Later in day received Rev 10.
8/3/15: Sent logs of Rev 10, and additional info. Cold startup still has same issue, consumption signal not fixed. More timing/boost added.
8/3/15: Received response from Dave, says he'll get out a quick fix on Thursday for cold start issue, but not get to anything else.
8/6/15: Received Rev 10x, which is modified to have more fuel at startup to try to fix cold start issues.
8/10/15: Sent log of Rev 10x not starting on first cold start attempt. Received a rapid acknowledgement from Dave's coordinator.
8/27/15: Received Rev 10xx, another attempt at fixing cold-start issues.
9/4/15: Motoza sent a follow-up email to see how Rev 10xx was working out. I sent a log of cold startup, as Rev 10xx didn't yet fix cold start.
9/10/15: I swapped in BKR6E plugs @ 0.032" gap to replace 1,000-mile-old BKR7E @ 0.037" gap to see if a hotter plug/tighter gap would improve cold startup. It didn't, but throttle response seemed slightly improved.
9/11/15: Received Rev 10xxx, another attempt at fixing cold start. Still not there yet.
9/14/15: Sent out log of Rev 10xxx cold start. It almost starts on first, so getting closer. Received a prompt response from Dave's coordinator about being put on the schedule.
9/23/15: Sent follow-up email, with new information that I fixed several minor boost leaks with no changes. Received response from Dave within 2.5 hours about his plan-of-attack for continuing to try and improve cold starting.
9/29/15: Received Rev 11. Fixed cold start; now it always starts on first try.
10/16/15: Sent response on cold start being fixed. Inquired about resuming performance improvements [from log of Rev 10] and fixing fuel consumption signal.
10/19/15: Received response from Dave's coordinator that I was put on the schedule.
10/23/15: Received Rev 12. Supposed to be a little more top end performance and mostly-fixed fuel consumption signal.
1/11/16: Sent email containing log of Rev 12. Experiencing semi-poor running shortly after cold start for ~ 60 seconds, on E85 in slightly cooler weather. Inquired about taking advantage of recently-installed connecting rods, and switching to 3 bar MAP sensor.
1/15/16: Received a response, probably from Dave [seems they don't have a coordinator now]. Described the known E85 warm-up enrichment issue they've been working on, said they would look at the log. Said there would be an upgrade fee for implementing 3bar MAP sensor.
2/2/16: Sent a follow-up after not hearing anything for 2.5 weeks. During my normal morning commute 1-2mins. after cold start, engine died/stalled while clutch was in and I was making a turn. This is the E85 warm-up issue at work that Motoza said they would work on.
2/3/16: Received a response saying they would hopefully have the next revision out today, along with an invoice for 3bar MAP sensor upgrade.
2/6/16: Received Rev 13. This seems to have fixed the warm-up issues on E85 after a cold start, however the car no longer starts on first crank attempt when the engine is cold (like pre-Rev 11).
2/11/16: Received Rev 14. Fixed issue with Rev 13, by bringing fueling during cranking back to Rev 11 level.
2/11/16: Sent email acknowledging receipt of Rev 14, inquired again about 3bar MAP sensor upgrade.

4/20/16: Sent another email inquiring about 3bar MAP sensor + upgraded FMIC (TR18T) tune upgrade.
4/21/16: Received PayPal invoice for 3bar MAP sensor upgrade tune, and paid promptly.
4/22/16: Was told I was "on the schedule" for 4/29 to have the tune worked on.
5/3/16: Sent email inquiring about status of tune upgrade.
5/5/16:Received email suggesting new tune upgrade should be ready by end of day or following day at the latest.
5/11/16: Sent another follow-up email. Received response later in the day saying it should be ready by the next morning.
5/12/16: Received 3bar-Rev 1 in early afternoon.
5/30/16: Took a log and sent it out.
6/1/16: Received a response that I would be on the schedule for 6/2/16 morning.
6/17/16: Sent follow-up with a question, and requested when next revision might be ready.
6/23/16: Received response with answer to a question, and said next revision should be ready on 6/24.
6/24/16: Sent response mid-day encouraging completion of next revision, but no luck.
6/27/16: Received 3bar-Rev 2 at end of day.
8/14/16: Logged 3bar-Rev 2, and sent log.
8/15/16: Received response from Motoza's coordinator saying I am outside of the "30 day retuning window for the upgrade that was purchased" and will have to pay for an additional $99 fee for them to even look at a log!
8/15/16: I responded promptly, saying that I waited a combined 49 days for last 2 revisions... so their statement is unfair and shouldn't apply to me.
8/18/16: Motoza responded, saying that would take care of this next revision. Also said they are having to put a time cap on tuning to prevent customer projects from dragging on too long.
8/22/16: Received 3bar-Rev 3. Increased mid-range boost, refined fueling. This could be the last revision.
9/1/16: Logged 3bar-Rev 3, and sent log. (would have logged sooner, but battling a coolant leak)
9/6/16: Received response from coordinator that I'm on the schedule for 9/9/16.
9/8/16: Received response from Motoza, saying log looked great. He also asked how far I want to push the car. We decided to give it more boost in the mid-range, since he feels it is already fairly tapped-out in the upper end.
9/9/16: Received 3bar-Rev 4. Increased mid-range boost.
9/19/16: Logged 3bar-Rev 4, and sent log. (would have logged sooner, but finally was able to fix the coolant leak)
9/22/16: Received response from coordinator that I'm on the schedule.
9/26/16: Sent brief response (hoping it would prompt Motoza that they had put me on the schedule).
9/28/16: Received 3bar-Rev 5, supposedly a tad more boost. They also suggested it could be a good time to put the car on a dyno.
9/30/16: Took the car to AU Tuning in Huntington Beach, CA to do some pulls on their DynaPack Dyno. Click here for dyno results [309 lbft and 277 hp @ the wheels].

1/11/17: Sent inquiry to Motoza about short 2.0T coil pack life (did they ever adjust my tune for 2.0T coil packs?). Also inquired about engine struggling/stalling at idle on cold starts with E85.
2/2/17: Followed up on 1/11 email, and received a response that day saying they would make the change to adjust coil dwell time.
2/8/17: Received 3bar-Rev 6, which has reduced coil dwell time, to hopefully prolong 2.0T coil life.

Once Motoza hired a coordinator around late Jan. 2015, email communication improved IMMENSELY. Also in 2016 they set up an online portal for uploading logs & downloading revisions that seems to work pretty well. When you upload a file it triggers an alert, and that's how they know to begin working on your next revision.

My summary at this point: Dave seems to be a good tuner, but tends to be quite busy and early-on in the tuning process overlooked major things in my hardware sheet multiple times (initial hardware setup and for hardware change).

One thing to keep in mind, is that in 2016 Motoza began implementing a time limit on tuning. Basically you have a limited time frame to get in logs for them to be reviewed. This is to prevent projects from dragging on too long, which I'm sure makes their work more difficult/annoying/time-intensive.

Overall I'm pretty satisfied with Motoza, or at least I can't really imagine using another tuner.

[B5nDisciple]

Nate,

Sorry to hear about the bad experience also. I've had Motoza for my stage 1 tune, and it has been great. I will be upgrading to the K04 hybrid tune as I will be installing the F21L kit very soon. I had some issues with the stage 1 tune because (I didn't know) there was a chip soldered into my ECU that the previous owner didn't even know about. Obviously this was not Motoza's fault at all. I shipped my ECU to Motoza and they removed the chip, installed a stock variant, and shipped it back for free with the soldered chip so I could also sell it off (MTM). I feel like they went above and beyond. They also ordered the stock eeprom chip that was needed to restore the ECU to being stock and "flashable" for free. I thought they were going to charge me for the chip (in the ecu), but they ended up not asking for any money even though I offered.

With all that being said I think you need to keep in mind that your block is stroked and you are on a K04 which is a combination he may not have worked with before (not sure if he has). I wonder how many setups Motoza has tuned with a bored block and a Borg Warner K04? Keep in mind that even though he tunes them "specifically" for your car, the first base tune is not going to be all that good. Especially if he doesn't have any previous data and logs to go off of with a previous tune and setup. Motoza is also located in Fort Collins, CO. which is actually located at a higher elevation than Denver. This is another factor to keep in mind if his tunes are based off of high altitude setups. These are just a couple of things to keep in mind. As far as the response times and turnaround for new tunes and such, there is probably more to be desired there. It seems they are very busy most of the time as I have had slow response via email as well. But for the price and customization they provide there really isn't any better options that I know of that will send you multiple revisions until it is perfect. Although you probably have to be more patient with Motoza because of the turnaround time, I think it's definitely worth it.

Motoza is working on my base file for the F21 now, so I will post and update once I have more information and feedback. Metalman is having pretty good results with the 3" MAF housing which is what I will be starting off with from the get go.

[Doug@FrankenTurbo]

I emailed Motoza regarding the problem. NOTE* email is the only way to contact them, so if its a weekend you will have to wait until the weekday to hear back. This is the biggest problem with this company. I got lucky it was during the week. and I was amaized I got a reply back the same day. I was left with no answer other than to try a different computer.


First attempt to flash/write the ecu... FAIL another 2 hours wasted. had to contact Motoza again. It took a week this time before hearing back from them. They said I need to reset my cable, because of the update I mentioned earlier. so, back and forth to my parents place to use their computer.

OP -- I want to say that I have every faith that Motoza will do right by you and your difficulties. When I was scanning your post, I focused on anything to do with responsiveness (or lack of it) by the tuner. And I've quoted you here on that particular question. Your experience waiting an entire week for word back from Dave understandably made you really frustrated and angry. But is it possible that your email got mis-directed or lost? As a fellow vendor, I cringe at the thought of angering a customer simply because of miscommunication. And my years of experience with Motoza have proven that they are responsible, professional & hard-working.

Give them a chance to show you what they can do. I am confident you'll be satisfied. That confidence comes from years of association with Dave Donnelly there. I'm proud to say we deal his product.

[DiertyEuroSpec]

He needs to hire some CS reps period. This will allow him to open up communication to more than just email which is just wayyy to limited for a company that is exploding and already has a very large customer base. I have always been contemplating going to Motoza for that "Custom" tune but his always scares me away.

[alexvanlewen]

Yeah I think I'm going with k0mpresd

[jmcwayne808]

Have had motoza about 6months now and nothing but good experience, what I did was send out a spare ecu I had to him to bench flash the base file, I have had instances where I did not here back from him for a little amd sent him a email and he simply explained hes been busy really happy with my experince, not saying your experience didn't suck just stateing my own experience

[Nate01A4]

I wish I had all the good experiences you all have had. I was hoping when I purchased the tune to post a good experience. I am not trying so much to say the tune is bad, but I feel it is too much hassle communicating only through email. But I guess some one has to be the one with a bad experience. Just wish it wasn't me!

As for emails getting lost, I don't think so. Because some times he would reply to them saying sorry for the delay, and he will get back to me later. well, later never came until I sent a reminder again. At first I was fine with it, but as of right now I don't know what to feel. But it is winter here now with a lot of snow. My plan was to park the car for the winter. Roads are all salty and now I will have to run it in this junk to get this tune done. Its just been too long.

I just wanted a tune that would work with my setup. I didn't even care so much about the power gains/losses. I just wanted something that would be reliable. I stroked the engine with intensions of going big turbo, I even had the turbo to put on it. However I have a wife and 2 kids and work 12 to 15 hours a day. The wife and kids kept complaining I am always at work or in the garage working on the car. So, I gave up, slapped the K04 on it, talked to Dave if he could help me out, and that was it.

[B5nDisciple]

I wish I had all the good experiences you all have had. I was hoping when I purchased the tune to post a good experience. I am not trying so much to say the tune is bad, but I feel it is too much hassle communicating only through email. But I guess some one has to be the one with a bad experience. Just wish it wasn't me!

As for emails getting lost, I don't think so. Because some times he would reply to them saying sorry for the delay, and he will get back to me later. well, later never came until I sent a reminder again. At first I was fine with it, but as of right now I don't know what to feel. But it is winter here now with a lot of snow. My plan was to park the car for the winter. Roads are all salty and now I will have to run it in this junk to get this tune done. Its just been too long.

I just wanted a tune that would work with my setup. I didn't even care so much about the power gains/losses. I just wanted something that would be reliable. I stroked the engine with intensions of going big turbo, I even had the turbo to put on it. However I have a wife and 2 kids and work 12 to 15 hours a day. The wife and kids kept complaining I am always at work or in the garage working on the car. So, I gave up, slapped the K04 on it, talked to Dave if he could help me out, and that was it.

I feel you with working on the car taking away time from the family at times (I am married with 2 children also). I think you mentioned this but are you still on the first revision? Dave emails me pretty regularly (like twice a week) regarding tunes and such so he should respond to you pretty quickly. Based off your logs (did you send him logs?) he should be able to get you a better revision soon.

[pichno]

Anyone else having issues getting timely responses from Dave? I've had 3 revisions now over the course of 4 months now and never had to wait longer than 5 days or so for a response, but as of last Tuesday when Dave asked me some follow-up questions haven't heard anything back.

Not having any issues so it's not dire need, but definitely walking the line of "slow customer service" at this point......

[Cybersombosis]

I find it if I don't hear back from him in a couple days I just send another email and usually he responds almost immediately. So don't be afraid to email him more than once or twice on the same subject. I'm pretty sure his inbox is always full. I've come to the realization that's just the way it is.

Doug

[MetalMan]

Anyone else having issues getting timely responses from Dave? I've had 3 revisions now over the course of 4 months now and never had to wait longer than 5 days or so for a response, but as of last Tuesday when Dave asked me some follow-up questions haven't heard anything back.

Not having any issues so it's not dire need, but definitely walking the line of "slow customer service" at this point......

I haven't been in contact with him since August, but in my case 5 days was about the minimum I would wait for a response.

[pichno]

Thanks for the input guys. I finally text him and got a response stating he was overloading with some app he's starting up.

[Doug@FrankenTurbo]

Thanks for the input guys. I finally text him and got a response stating he was overloading with some app he's starting up.

It's the Bluetooth interface for between your car and computer (or Android phone). He's sent me a sample of the hardware and it looks to be a big improvement over the standard-issue cable that snakes from the OBD port, over the steering wheel, to your laptop.

[pichno]

It's the Bluetooth interface for between your car and computer (or Android phone). He's sent me a sample of the hardware and it looks to be a big improvement over the standard-issue cable that snakes from the OBD port, over the steering wheel, to your laptop.

That does sound awesome. Just so nobody gets the wrong idea, I'm VERY happy with Dave and Motoza! If I were in his shoes and the Bluetooth interface was on my plate, I'd make someone wait longer than usual too!

[Mark916]

What is recommended for this tune from Motonza "Hybrid KO4 Remote Tune: A4 1.8t (2001-2005)" I assume it's everything based on Stage 1+ and adding k04-15 turbo for a 01 Audia4 b5 1.8T ??

[dl-customs]

Motaza takes weeks to get a new file, if they even return your emails. Too busy maybe. I have been using their tune for 18 months...still not dialed in. To be fair my car had missfire issues.

[pichno]

What is recommended for this tune from Motonza "Hybrid KO4 Remote Tune: A4 1.8t (2001-2005)" I assume it's everything based on Stage 1+ and adding k04-15 turbo for a 01 Audia4 b5 1.8T ??

Their K04 program is tuned around what you have (completely customized). When I first went with this tune I had the stock intercooler, so Dave adjusted things accordingly. Then, once I installed a FMIC he turned things up to accommodate. With that said, it's not like most other companies that "require" you to have certain things for the program to function properly which is IMO the best part with Motoza.

In regards to them not getting back to you via email, make sure to email both [email protected] & [email protected] to get a prompt response. If you don't hear something back in a couple of days I'd say, send a follow-up. When I initially went with them I was coordinating with Dave and his email only, but once they became more established and what not, the support email address is what got me a far quicker response.