APR stage 1 tune, engine dead, replacement, mod advice

[Spike619]

Hi all,

I did a stage 1 tune on my 2015 Audi Q3 Quattro back in March and this week the engine died on me, long story short was driving it normally, suddenly check epc light and check engine light comes on it goes in limp mode and when I open the hood I see a big oil leak on the left side… mechanic told me one of the cylinders lost compression and engine needs replacement, I’ll save you the sob story but im gonna end up paying 3k (lucky that my mechanic is a friend and I found a great reman long block engine deal) otherwise would have cost 5k+…

Called up the shop and they told me that the tune did not cause this, and that the 2015 A3 have a known issue that causes the pistons to fail… I asked him but at 50k?! He said he’s seen even lower miles fail and not even tuned.

Got a couple of questions:

1) do you think the tune contributed to this? I barely drove it 6K miles on the tune and didn’t even push the car.

2) since I’m replacing the engine, anything I could take advantage off to mod the car to up its performance since the engine is coming off? I was thinking intake manifolds cleanup… any parts that I could install now and take advantage of that?

3) have you heard of the 2015 A3 2.0 engine having this piston issue that causes it to fail? I am replacing it with a 2016 engine that will fit and the APR shop guy who tuned my car told me the 2016 engines has this issue fixed, is it BS?

4) any advice about where can I sell the core old engine?

Thanks!

[MikTip]

Hi all,

I did a stage 1 tune on my 2015 Audi Q3 Quattro back in March and this week the engine died on me, long story short was driving it normally, suddenly check epc light and check engine light comes on it goes in limp mode and when I open the hood I see a big oil leak on the left side… mechanic told me one of the cylinders lost compression and engine needs replacement, I’ll save you the sob story but im gonna end up paying 3k (lucky that my mechanic is a friend and I found a great reman long block engine deal) otherwise would have cost 5k+…

Called up the shop and they told me that the tune did not cause this, and that the 2015 A3 have a known issue that causes the pistons to fail… I asked him but at 50k?! He said he’s seen even lower miles fail and not even tuned.

Got a couple of questions:

1) do you think the tune contributed to this? I barely drove it 6K miles on the tune and didn’t even push the car.

2) since I’m replacing the engine, anything I could take advantage off to mod the car to up its performance since the engine is coming off? I was thinking intake manifolds cleanup… any parts that I could install now and take advantage of that?

3) have you heard of the 2015 A3 2.0 engine having this piston issue that causes it to fail? I am replacing it with a 2016 engine that will fit and the APR shop guy who tuned my car told me the 2016 engines has this issue fixed, is it BS?

4) any advice about where can I sell the core old engine?

Thanks!

I'm gonna share my experience with my 2015 S3 E888 2.0L motor and a UM tune.

While I dont believe a stage 1 tune can "cause" an engine to fail...I do believe the OE fueling system components can. Namely the fuel injectors.

On my 2015 one day my check engine light was flashing and the engine sounded like it was missing....the day before the engine ran oddly under boost...No CEL...

I hooked up my laptop and vcds to capture miss fire on 2 & 3 cylinders...

So I changed spark plugs and coil packs. The issue continued... I performed a compression check on all 4 cylinders...all 4 were good...185psi.

I added a can of Jectron, Lubri Moly Fuel injector cleaner...my issue quickly went away...

Likely conclusion.. the fuel injectors. I ordered a set of injectors.

Seems VW/Audi have been updating fuel injectors...allot.

Online the part number for a set of S3 injectors end in AD. However the dealership says they are actually AK. Several supersessions...

Fueling on these engines is critical!

Especially under boost. 24psi of boost!

The issue is compounded by no warning from the ECU as to weather or not and injector goes bad and say 1 or 2 cylinders doesnt get enough fuel...at boost.

Things can quickly go bad for a piston under lean boost conditions...

[MikTip]

For those who have miss fires and you know your spark plugs and coil packs are good...



Add a can of this Audi approved fuel injection cleaner and see if the miss fires go away.

[MikTip]

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...1#post14556622

[Gberg888]

5k... ur lucky. My s3 motor blew up at 46k miles with a stage 1 ie tune and it was 14k to get it done and in.

[billndut]

This happened to me 3 times on my 2016 A3.

The first time it happened it was at 52k miles, no compression on cylinder 2 with scoring on the piston wall. I’ve had APR stage 1 since around 20k miles. I changed the oil every 5k miles, new spark plugs every 15k miles and coil 30k miles. Ended up bought a used engine from LKQ of a 2016 model year A3 with unknown mileage for $2300. This was in 2018 so even without a clear mileage the engine is only 2 years old at the most.

The car ran great after the swap. I changed the oil twice with 500miles interval before I installed a downpipe and APR stage 2 at 53k miles. At 56k miles it started having a random misfiring on cylinder 3 at idle, checked compression and it was 20 psi lower than the other cylinders, it was too late to save the engine at this point. The misfire would come and goes until around 59k when it complexly failed. Upon inspection there are hairline crack on cylinder 1 and 3 and low compression on cylinder 3. 2nd engine lasted shy of 8k miles with APR stage 2.

At this time I decided to source a brand new long block from Audi for $3.2k. They also found out that my injector on cylinder 3 was leaking and could be the cause of the failure. All 4 injector was replaced with the new engine installed, did a proper break in but still have APR Stage 2. Everything was fine until around 71k miles where all of the sudden CEL pops up and it goes on limb mode while I was cruising on the highway. I can’t exactly remember which cylinder is the problem this time tbh. 3rd engine, brand new, lasted 15k with APR stage 2.

At this point I probably should just get rid if the car and eat the loses.

So I did what I had to do. I got the IE Sport block and a different stage 2 tune. Happy to say Im problem free at 90k miles at the moment.

So to answer your question;

1) Is APR Tune cause this? Well, maybe. I do believe LSPI is what causing it the piston and piston rings to failed. But LSPI also can happen in a stock car with no tune.

2) Intake manifold and intake valve cleaning. Replace water pump if you haven’t already (very likely to leak at some point.) intercooler or is38 if you planing to go that route.

3) BS… also the store that sells APR wont say that the tune caused it. I have nothing against them, but maybe try a different tune company?

4) The core doesn’t worth anything. The junkyard might give you some money for it.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[texasboy21]

x2 on the finicky fueling on these cars. Around 40k miles I started to notice a misfire at idle. After speaking with the Tech they suggested the Audi fuel additive to clean the injectors (they also suggested I run several tanks of 93oct only rather than a ~e30 blend with 93/e85). Sure enough the misfires sent away. These are my top three suggestions in no order:

BG 44k
LiquiMoly Jectron
OEM Audi fuel additive/cleaner part: G00 177 0A2

[MikTip]

x2 on the finicky fueling on these cars. Around 40k miles I started to notice a misfire at idle. After speaking with the Tech they suggested the Audi fuel additive to clean the injectors (they also suggested I run several tanks of 93oct only rather than a ~e30 blend with 93/e85). Sure enough the misfires sent away. These are my top three suggestions in no order:

BG 44k
LiquiMoly Jectron
OEM Audi fuel additive/cleaner part: G00 177 0A2

After removing and testing my injectors...my #2 was not spraying properly at idle pressures...#3 was having issues but at different pressures. 1 & 4 seemed fine.

I dont have an ultasonic injector cleaner...so changing them was my best option.

The Original injectors in my 2015 S3 were "L" versions.

Online Audi was saying AD. Once ordered Audi emailed me they are now AK.

Audi/VW injectors have been superseded allot! Which tells me they have issues with them.

See how long my AK's last.

[MetalMan]

After removing and testing my injectors...my #2 was not spraying properly at idle pressures...#3 was having issues but at different pressures. 1 & 4 seemed fine.

I dont have an ultasonic injector cleaner...so changing them was my best option.

The Original injectors in my 2015 S3 were "L" versions.

Online Audi was saying AD. Once ordered Audi emailed me they are now AK.

Audi/VW injectors have been superseded allot! Which tells me they have issues with them.

See how long my AK's last.

Since you posted your maintenance thread recently I started looking into injectors recently and have also come across the various revisions... and I'm left wondering if the 8V A3 & S3 use the same injectors.

[MikTip]

Since you posted your maintenance thread recently I started looking into injectors recently and have also come across the various revisions... and I'm left wondering if the 8V A3 & S3 use the same injectors.

It depends where you look! Also Audi runs the VIN to assure you get the latest revision. I have a new set of AH...which one dealership told me this was my version for my vin and AK were unavailable.... Audi Reno took care of me with AK. Later the AH were redesignated to an A3...I tried to find info on all the revisions and what was revised...closely held corporate secrets after the emissions scandal😝

[AraS3]

Hi all,

I did a stage 1 tune on my 2015 Audi Q3 Quattro back in March and this week the engine died on me, long story short was driving it normally, suddenly check epc light and check engine light comes on it goes in limp mode and when I open the hood I see a big oil leak on the left side… mechanic told me one of the cylinders lost compression and engine needs replacement, I’ll save you the sob story but im gonna end up paying 3k (lucky that my mechanic is a friend and I found a great reman long block engine deal) otherwise would have cost 5k+…

Called up the shop and they told me that the tune did not cause this, and that the 2015 A3 have a known issue that causes the pistons to fail… I asked him but at 50k?! He said he’s seen even lower miles fail and not even tuned.

Got a couple of questions:

1) do you think the tune contributed to this? I barely drove it 6K miles on the tune and didn’t even push the car.

2) since I’m replacing the engine, anything I could take advantage off to mod the car to up its performance since the engine is coming off? I was thinking intake manifolds cleanup… any parts that I could install now and take advantage of that?

3) have you heard of the 2015 A3 2.0 engine having this piston issue that causes it to fail? I am replacing it with a 2016 engine that will fit and the APR shop guy who tuned my car told me the 2016 engines has this issue fixed, is it BS?

4) any advice about where can I sell the core old engine?

Thanks!

This is one of the reasons I like EMS that makes it easy to spot-check all the systems. You can get a bad set of gas and cause your car to detonate. And if the car start detonating, you'll know right away and avoid further damage. If there were an issue, the ECU would've shut down the cylinder. It could be oil starvation... looking for an answer after the fact will be difficult to pinpoint who's at fault. Did you do many logs the first 1000 miles to make sure all parameters are in order? Also, I typically log in and see which gas station causes my care to detonate more. This is why I opted for Cobb AP. I can't afford to make 1 mistake. I want to be easily spot-check my tune every now and then. If I have to pull my laptop just to check and log, then I would probably not do it :)

Are you rebuilding the motor or replacing it? there are reputable company that sell built motor.. If you are staying tuned, then i would get stronger internals

[Gberg888]

x2 on the finicky fueling on these cars. Around 40k miles I started to notice a misfire at idle. After speaking with the Tech they suggested the Audi fuel additive to clean the injectors (they also suggested I run several tanks of 93oct only rather than a ~e30 blend with 93/e85). Sure enough the misfires sent away. These are my top three suggestions in no order:

BG 44k
LiquiMoly Jectron
OEM Audi fuel additive/cleaner part: G00 177 0A2

How often would you recommend this?

Do you use the audi additive and the jectron at the same time?

[texasboy21]

How often would you recommend this?

Do you use the audi additive and the jectron at the same time?

I only used the Audi cleaner and it was at the 35k service. I may do it again around 55k-70k miles. .

[Gberg888]

I only used the Audi cleaner and it was at the 35k service. I may do it again around 55k-70k miles. .

For 10 bucks it cost, I think I am going to use it every other oil change.

[Faceman76]

For 10 bucks it cost, I think I am going to use it every other oil change.

In case any leaks down past the rings, a tank or so before each oil change may be best.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[Allen254]

Hi all,

I did a stage 1 tune on my 2015 Audi Q3 Quattro back in March and this week the engine died on me, long story short was driving it normally, suddenly check epc light and check engine light comes on it goes in limp mode and when I open the hood I see a big oil leak on the left side… mechanic told me one of the cylinders lost compression and engine needs replacement, I’ll save you the sob story but im gonna end up paying 3k (lucky that my mechanic is a friend and I found a great reman long block engine deal) otherwise would have cost 5k+…

Called up the shop and they told me that the tune did not cause this, and that the 2015 A3 have a known issue that causes the pistons to fail… I asked him but at 50k?! He said he’s seen even lower miles fail and not even tuned.

Got a couple of questions:

1) do you think the tune contributed to this? I barely drove it 6K miles on the tune and didn’t even push the car.

2) since I’m replacing the engine, anything I could take advantage off to mod the car to up its performance since the engine is coming off? I was thinking intake manifolds cleanup… any parts that I could install now and take advantage of that?

3) have you heard of the 2015 A3 2.0 engine having this piston issue that causes it to fail? I am replacing it with a 2016 engine that will fit and the APR shop guy who tuned my car told me the 2016 engines has this issue fixed, is it BS?

4) any advice about where can I sell the core old engine?

Thanks!

The same thing happened to my A3 Quattro 2015. My incident was while stock thought, and, had never tuned the car prior. luckily, it was still under warranty. Its called low speed pre-ignition (LSPI). But long story short, I picked up my car from the dealer having it checked out for something else, smh.

Anyways, they said they couldn't find anything. I took it home that day and not even 2 hours later my car starts to shake violently, the clutch was slipping, and the EPC light came on. I've pampered this damn car. Audi should have to fix any piston related or any engine failure fort that matter. I hope there is

TSB out for this. They had to replace cylinder 3 and what ever else they replaced idk.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzssfImJjZA

[MikTip]

https://www.oronite.com/about/news/l...-ignition.aspx

- - - Updated - - -

Mobil 1

https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/...ine-protection

[MikTip]

There are several ways to cure pre-ignition:

Run higher octane fuel. How many of you run the lower grade fuel? Be honest...

I seen places that sell gas... sell the lower grade fuel as premium...or mix it...many have been caught doing this.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/con...-think-n776016

[Rod Paine]

Sadly this is TRUE and is still a problem with too many gas stations!

We drive 27 miles to get to a Sunoco gas station to use its 93 octane in our 2019 Audi RS 3, which we run country mountain back roads during the week, 2-3 runs weather permitting. And now at 16,800 miles of such back road use, with 23,444 miles total on our RS 3. This station is also used by others driving high performance vehicles and is well known for its consistent fuel quality. What do the 'Drag Strip' folks in your area use? You may find a consistant qualty gas station by asking around at your local dragstrip or race track.