Your overall thoughts of Stage 1 GIAC tune for S6 / S7

[eurodaddy]

I am wondering what some of your thoughts are for the GIAC stage 1 tune for your S6 / S7 are. I have had the tune on my 13' S6 for almost 17 months now. Of course I had the initial issues with misfires and the car going into limp mode. Those issues have been resolved and now I am running APR downpipes & Oem RS7 sport exhaust with the stage 1 tune. The car runs strong but sometimes feels like it is not as strong. I really wish GIAC would come out with a stage 2 but other then just getting the CEL off I wonder if it would make any more power. So what are your thoughts of your GIAC stage 1 tune?


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[ryanlada]

I'm going through this on my 16 S6. Stock it felt slow. Cleared stored codes and it woke up a bit but still not 100%. Changed the plugs and what a difference. I wasn't misfiring but the 20k miles on the original plugs must have taken their toll, a new set really helped my car.
BTW, O2 spacers for the downstream sensors may resolve your CEL. I'm running these with the smallest insert on my APR down pipes and no CEL.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[CR8LUCK]

I am wondering what some of your thoughts are for the GIAC stage 1 tune for your S6 / S7 are. I have had the tune on my 13' S6 for almost 17 months now. Of course I had the initial issues with misfires and the car going into limp mode. Those issues have been resolved and now I am running APR downpipes & Oem RS7 sport exhaust with the stage 1 tune. The car runs strong but sometimes feels like it is not as strong. I really wish GIAC would come out with a stage 2 but other then just getting the CEL off I wonder if it would make any more power. So what are your thoughts of your GIAC stage 1 tune?


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I personally will never use GIAC again and I am switching to APR next week. I have a 13 S7 and before I purchased Milltek Catless DP's I asked them about getting a stage 2 file. We spoke about it several times and they told me they had a file they did for a guy in Washington and they would look at when they had some time but were busy working on BMW stuff.

After numerous discussions about this and them assuring me they would work on it and also saying they would get me the file, I went ahead and installed the DP. Got the CEL and asked if they could help at least get that off in the meantime. They told me to send them a copy of the engine report which I had a GIAC dealer do, and then they went silent. Every time I checked in they told me they were busy and then they finally told me they wouldn't do it.


Driving a premium car with the check engine light on is ridiculous! Now, 45k miles on the car, only 25k with the tune, the right turbo blew up. I have a great relationship with my service people and they told me they have never seen that engine blow a turbo ever.

The tune was nice compared to a stock, but it wasn't smooth. The worst part is GIAC is a bunch of liars with poor customer service and there is no way to prove for certain, but that turbo blowing is not normal and is costing me a lot to fix.

I've used APR in the past and never had issues and I would suggest anyone who has GIAC or is looking at the 2 companies, goes with APR just cause it's a better product.

Plus, no CEL, and more power from Stage 2.

In any case, since I have to replace the turbo I am now going to Stage 3 which GIAC doesn't even support.


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[eurodaddy]

I personally will never use GIAC again and I am switching to APR next week. I have a 13 S7 and before I purchased Milltek Catless DP's I asked them about getting a stage 2 file. We spoke about it several times and they told me they had a file they did for a guy in Washington and they would look at when they had some time but were busy working on BMW stuff.

After numerous discussions about this and them assuring me they would work on it and also saying they would get me the file, I went ahead and installed the DP. Got the CEL and asked if they could help at least get that off in the meantime. They told me to send them a copy of the engine report which I had a GIAC dealer do, and then they went silent. Every time I checked in they told me they were busy and then they finally told me they wouldn't do it.


Driving a premium car with the check engine light on is ridiculous! Now, 45k miles on the car, only 25k with the tune, the right turbo blew up. I have a great relationship with my service people and they told me they have never seen that engine blow a turbo ever.

The tune was nice compared to a stock, but it wasn't smooth. The worst part is GIAC is a bunch of liars with poor customer service and there is no way to prove for certain, but that turbo blowing is not normal and is costing me a lot to fix.

I've used APR in the past and never had issues and I would suggest anyone who has GIAC or is looking at the 2 companies, goes with APR just cause it's a better product.

Plus, no CEL, and more power from Stage 2.

In any case, since I have to replace the turbo I am now going to Stage 3 which GIAC doesn't even support.


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Let us know the difference if any after you go APR.


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[CR8LUCK]

Let us know the difference if any after you go APR.


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Going Stage 3, so I don't think it will be a very close comparison.


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[flyfishing]

I had to send in an ECU to GIAC for my b5 s4. Took weeks. Terrible communication and CSR. They said it would take 3 business days.....

[Ze_Nardo6]

GIAC doesn't give a sh*t about this platform, it's easy to see. I would go EPL or APR

[cobrario]

GIAC doesn't give a sh*t about this platform, it's easy to see. I would go EPL or APR

agree totally with Mickey- I've seen nothing of consequence from GIAC on the 4.0TT, not one single time slip when they have probably a billion from the B8's. APR & EPL are the most committed to the platform, Uni seems to be trying but for me the jury is still out on their offerings.

[Ze_Nardo6]

agree totally with Mickey- I've seen nothing of consequence from GIAC on the 4.0TT, not one single time slip when they have probably a billion from the B8's. APR & EPL are the most committed to the platform, Uni seems to be trying but for me the jury is still out on their offerings.

And to Carl's point, EPL is the only tuner for this platform that is actually interested in advancing this platform further (e85 testing, etc. to continue pushing their stage 1, 2, and eventually 3 file).

APR is a very solid company with fantastic tunes for this platform, but they are not interested in taking their tunes any further than they currently are, as far as I know. Maybe another revision eventually, but no further testing with things like e85 blends, etc.

[cobrario]

And to Carl's point, EPL is the only tuner for this platform that is actually interested in advancing this platform further (e85 testing, etc. to continue pushing their stage 1, 2, and eventually 3 file).

APR is a very solid company with fantastic tunes for this platform, but they are not interested in taking their tunes any further than they currently are, as far as I know. Maybe another revision eventually, but no further testing with things like e85 blends, etc.

To be fair, and unfortunately, EPL is the only one doing E85 for just about anything Audi- but FWIW E85's true "E" is so unpredictable from pump to pump it's no wonder most are afraid of getting in to that arena with an off the shelf file.

[eurodaddy]

Going Stage 3, so I don't think it will be a very close comparison.


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Lol. Very true.


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[eurodaddy]

GIAC doesn't give a sh*t about this platform, it's easy to see. I would go EPL or APR

I need to take a ride in a APR tuned S6 before I make a decision. Who is in the Annapolis/ Eastern Shore area I can meet up with and check it out?


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[Chris@EPL]

With our cable you can flash at home and we are the only tuner that lets you sell the tune within 2 years of purchase.

[millerchris85]

Sounds familiar. GIAC too aggressive, APR doesn't do custom. That said, I've always had good experience with APR. EPL was unacceptably slow on revisions for my B5, so I went another route. Possibly because they're focused on newer platforms, which I understand, but it'll be either APR or AMD for me. APR for good OTS stuff, AMD for pushing the envelope.


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[RiveraS7]

Hi eurodaddy. I have a question about a comment you posted. We have the same tune, I just recently had a CEL light come on due to misfires. Can you shed some light on that for me or give me any advice on how you got yours fixed. It's only happen on my 104 map. Thanks

[CR8LUCK]

Hi eurodaddy. I have a question about a comment you posted. We have the same tune, I just recently had a CEL light come on due to misfires. Can you shed some light on that for me or give me any advice on how you got yours fixed. It's only happen on my 104 map. Thanks

Hello,

Seems like he had the CEL light due to downpipes. The Catless DP's cause this to happen, and GIAC won't fix it anymore. APR removes the CEL code when you run their stage 2 tune.




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[CR8LUCK]

Let us know the difference if any after you go APR.


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Long story, and I am just getting started to try and figure out who is ultimately responsible for this situation, but I went from a blown turbo to a blown engine now. Never made it to having the APR software cause the car is basically totaled at this point.


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[flyfishing]

Long story, and I am just getting started to try and figure out who is ultimately responsible for this situation, but I went from a blown turbo to a blown engine now. Never made it to having the APR software cause the car is basically totaled at this point.


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damn that sucks! b/c of GIAC?

[Eyeswideopen]

eurodaddy - did you ever switch tunes? I have the same GIAC tune (minus DPs) and am not impressed. Given CR8LUCKs experience, it's pushing me to switch sooner. Have you taken yours to the track? I saw the 3.3 - NICE!

[Brooklyn]

Would appreciate an update once this issue has been thoroughly investigated. I haven't read too many reports of complete engine failure with this platform. And certainly none that I can recall from a Stage 1 tune.

Long story, and I am just getting started to try and figure out who is ultimately responsible for this situation, but I went from a blown turbo to a blown engine now. Never made it to having the APR software cause the car is basically totaled at this point.


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[CR8LUCK]

Would appreciate an update once this issue has been thoroughly investigated. I haven't read too many reports of complete engine failure with this platform. And certainly none that I can recall from a Stage 1 tune.

The short of it is the left turbo failed around 45k miles. The dealer said there was nothing wrong after test driving it 3 times and having it for a week. I picked it up and then took a different tech for a ride who validated the issue and on the test drive the turbo completely blew sending parts into the engine and smoke through the exhaust. The dealership then diagnosed the issue as a blown turbo and when I took it to a different shop they pointed out the engine damaged caused. The dealership said Audi would not take any responsibility because the tune was the reason for the turbo damage which then caused the engine damage. In my opinion the dealer was negligent for not properly diagnosing the problem correctly prior to the critical failure. The dealer said their protocol was to check for turbo pressure and it met speck. They never even looked at the turbo despite a clear noise and reduction of power, just put it on the scope which had only showed a single misfire and was cleared. Long story short, the car is gone, I lost money, dealer lost money, and the performance shop is screwing me for $5k.

If you're Audi you blame the issue on the tune, if you're the tuning company you blame it on the part. Bottom line is GIAC did not deliver on promises they made prior to this all happening, they are a terrible company to work with and nobody can say for certain if the 20k miles I put on the car with the tune was the reason for the damage or not. Overall, a terrible situation and a warning to all that have tunes on their car. You never expect a problem to happen, but if it does, be prepared to total your car cause nobody will be there to help you. In all fairness to the dealership, they did make an effort to help out and lost money on the deal as well, still hard to get the bad taste out of my mouth and over the cash I lost out of my pocket, but this could have become a much bigger mess than it was had they not worked with me on it.


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[eurodaddy]

eurodaddy - did you ever switch tunes? I have the same GIAC tune (minus DPs) and am not impressed. Given CR8LUCKs experience, it's pushing me to switch sooner. Have you taken yours to the track? I saw the 3.3 - NICE!

Hello, no I did not switch tunes yet. Only because I have not had time this summer since I have been so busy with work. I really want to go the EPL stage 2 route but for now I am still stage 1 GIAC. I haven't been in any other S6 stage 1 or 2 tunes cars by other tuning companies. I will say I feel the GIAC stage 1 tune is an aggressive tune. Since I am running the APR down pipes I feel the tune has adapted more and had become a little more aggressive. I haven't taken it to the track yet but I hope to very soon. I'm only about 45 minutes from Delmar. I am anxious to see what the stage 1 GIAC tune will do in the 1/4 with the APR down pipes. I'm gonna cross my fingers and hope nothing detrimental happens.


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[CR8LUCK]

Hello, no I did not switch tunes yet. Only because I have not had time this summer since I have been so busy with work. I really want to go the EPL stage 2 route but for now I am still stage 1 GIAC. I haven't been in any other S6 stage 1 or 2 tunes cars by other tuning companies. I will say I feel the GIAC stage 1 tune is an aggressive tune. Since I am running the APR down pipes I feel the tune has adapted more and had become a little more aggressive. I haven't taken it to the track yet but I hope to very soon. I'm only about 45 minutes from Delmar. I am anxious to see what the stage 1 GIAC tune will do in the 1/4 with the APR down pipes. I'm gonna cross my fingers and hope nothing detrimental happens.


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I hade Stage 1 GIAC with Miltek catless DP. The tune doesn't do anything difference with or without. It needs a stage 2 file which GIAC said they would make and then didn't. The only way to get a bump is to do the APR tune which is adjusted for the added benefits of the DP.


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[Eyeswideopen]

Thanks for your insight CR8LUCK, I think anyone reading this read feels for you. SUCKS.

[millerchris85]

It's guaranteed that the tune increased the risk of turbo failure. The only shortcoming on the dealers part was negligence in the diagnosis, which would have avoided a lot of the issue. GIAC maps have been blowing up turbos and engines since the 20th century.


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