Well after all the talk, I finally took the plunge and had my vehicle flashed with Aidan’s aka Customspooling’s tune HERE.
BACKGROUND:
The reason behind going with Aidan, as oppose to another vendor, was his ability to remove DPFs and lessen the EGRs function. I had an issue with my exhaust; fault codes generating CEL regarding Exhaust Pressure Sensors. The result would have been to bring it to the dealer and have them drop the engine to replace the defective parts. So I did the math, spend $1200 on a tune for power/economy as well as clearing out the CEL or $2500 for just 2 sensors!!!
But for some odd reason, after the product shipped and before I received it, the CELs went away –on its own, 8000mi after being on??!! Go figure, I can now pass state inspections. So I didn't get my DPFs deleted along with the sensors, but I will consider it in the future.
INTERFACE:
Arrived well packed however it appeared to have some scratches on the screen, like that of a used cell phone or something –nothing major/interfering and Aidan assured me the item was indeed new. So, who knows, maybe Customs got their hands on it? Also, it didn’t have the custom bezel sporting Aidan’s Logo but he said it would ship out later if I still wanted it. Nothing crazy, light weight, again you’re not paying for the loader really but rather the tune itself. It’s not like this will be used heavily after the initial install either, even though it has some OBD functionality, I will stick with my VAGCOM…
FILES:
Before you can flash, as mentioned in previous threads, you need to download your ECU files then email it to Aidan for modification. The procedure on my end should’ve only taken 30min from start to finish, but we ran into some minor difficulties. One was my PC on windows 7 had issues finding drivers –resolved after reinstalling the software. The other was confusion regarding leaving the interface connected to pc or standalone while connected to vehicle –standalone it is! Aidan’s instructions/directions were pretty spot on, but some tweaking was necessary and it was smooth sailing from there on out.
FLASHING:
The next morning, ‘I Got Mail’!!! OOoooohhhweee, couldn’t wait to load this bad boy! I drove over to my mechanics shop, hooked the Treg to a battery charger (just added assurance incase the voltage changes, recommended by Aidan). Loaded the file to the interface via pc, loaded the interface only to the Treg and followed the on-screen instructions. It took the whole 20mins that Aidan said it would. Ok, that was easy, now what?!
DRIVE:
Feeling very anxious/nervous all I was thinking at first was, ‘Please START!’ And it DID. I mean, I just operated on my car, brain surgery hahaa. First impression was, did anything change? I’m not gonna lie, I was a little skeptical and my 5min drive didn’t do it any justice. (I felt the same way after my 1.9l Golf TDI was chipped.) So I went back to my mechanics shop and had him take it for a spin. He noticed significant changes, drove it minutes before we began the load and just now afterwards. So more than likely any doubt was all in my head! I guess I was hoping for wheel spinning action. But I do have somewhat new tires, plus I didn’t throw it in Sport mode or have ESP off -not yet atleast!
FINALE:
The past 3weeks, I have been through maybe 5 tanks of fuel or ~2,000mi. I’ve been having waaayyy to much fun to try and get good mpg’s, nor have I tried the ECO tune... It shifts very smoothly, quickly and holds the power steady. You definitely feel/see the front end lift and your body gets stuck in the seat. It’s not anything uncontrollable, you’re not going to crash your car or anything! But just the feeling of STRONG, CONSTANT power is really, really good!!! And I will say the recent brake change ~1,000mi ago was very key to keeping this beast tame.
So yes, overall very impressed with the drivability now –I needed to ‘break in’ the tune and let the Treg and myself get use to the changes. I held off from posting a review earlier and would’ve done so sooner but I just wanted to be comfortable and a bit thorough with what I was experiencing/reporting. Along with the brake change, it was in much need of oil/fuel/air filter changes as well… Furthermore, there were times when I just couldn’t get good driving in due to inclement weather and commuting to/from work in heavy traffic. Nor did I want to do fast pulls/testing at night.
I don’t know how this tune will hold up in the long run, say 50k miles down the road, but with Aidan’s extensive knowledge and excellent customer support, I have no problem standing behind him and his tune. So if anyone is in the area and wants to check out my Treg, hit me up.
Now I wonder, how will it perform off road??
~micah
BACKGROUND:
The reason behind going with Aidan, as oppose to another vendor, was his ability to remove DPFs and lessen the EGRs function. I had an issue with my exhaust; fault codes generating CEL regarding Exhaust Pressure Sensors. The result would have been to bring it to the dealer and have them drop the engine to replace the defective parts. So I did the math, spend $1200 on a tune for power/economy as well as clearing out the CEL or $2500 for just 2 sensors!!!
But for some odd reason, after the product shipped and before I received it, the CELs went away –on its own, 8000mi after being on??!! Go figure, I can now pass state inspections. So I didn't get my DPFs deleted along with the sensors, but I will consider it in the future.
INTERFACE:
Arrived well packed however it appeared to have some scratches on the screen, like that of a used cell phone or something –nothing major/interfering and Aidan assured me the item was indeed new. So, who knows, maybe Customs got their hands on it? Also, it didn’t have the custom bezel sporting Aidan’s Logo but he said it would ship out later if I still wanted it. Nothing crazy, light weight, again you’re not paying for the loader really but rather the tune itself. It’s not like this will be used heavily after the initial install either, even though it has some OBD functionality, I will stick with my VAGCOM…
FILES:
Before you can flash, as mentioned in previous threads, you need to download your ECU files then email it to Aidan for modification. The procedure on my end should’ve only taken 30min from start to finish, but we ran into some minor difficulties. One was my PC on windows 7 had issues finding drivers –resolved after reinstalling the software. The other was confusion regarding leaving the interface connected to pc or standalone while connected to vehicle –standalone it is! Aidan’s instructions/directions were pretty spot on, but some tweaking was necessary and it was smooth sailing from there on out.
FLASHING:
The next morning, ‘I Got Mail’!!! OOoooohhhweee, couldn’t wait to load this bad boy! I drove over to my mechanics shop, hooked the Treg to a battery charger (just added assurance incase the voltage changes, recommended by Aidan). Loaded the file to the interface via pc, loaded the interface only to the Treg and followed the on-screen instructions. It took the whole 20mins that Aidan said it would. Ok, that was easy, now what?!
DRIVE:
Feeling very anxious/nervous all I was thinking at first was, ‘Please START!’ And it DID. I mean, I just operated on my car, brain surgery hahaa. First impression was, did anything change? I’m not gonna lie, I was a little skeptical and my 5min drive didn’t do it any justice. (I felt the same way after my 1.9l Golf TDI was chipped.) So I went back to my mechanics shop and had him take it for a spin. He noticed significant changes, drove it minutes before we began the load and just now afterwards. So more than likely any doubt was all in my head! I guess I was hoping for wheel spinning action. But I do have somewhat new tires, plus I didn’t throw it in Sport mode or have ESP off -not yet atleast!
FINALE:
The past 3weeks, I have been through maybe 5 tanks of fuel or ~2,000mi. I’ve been having waaayyy to much fun to try and get good mpg’s, nor have I tried the ECO tune... It shifts very smoothly, quickly and holds the power steady. You definitely feel/see the front end lift and your body gets stuck in the seat. It’s not anything uncontrollable, you’re not going to crash your car or anything! But just the feeling of STRONG, CONSTANT power is really, really good!!! And I will say the recent brake change ~1,000mi ago was very key to keeping this beast tame.
So yes, overall very impressed with the drivability now –I needed to ‘break in’ the tune and let the Treg and myself get use to the changes. I held off from posting a review earlier and would’ve done so sooner but I just wanted to be comfortable and a bit thorough with what I was experiencing/reporting. Along with the brake change, it was in much need of oil/fuel/air filter changes as well… Furthermore, there were times when I just couldn’t get good driving in due to inclement weather and commuting to/from work in heavy traffic. Nor did I want to do fast pulls/testing at night.
I don’t know how this tune will hold up in the long run, say 50k miles down the road, but with Aidan’s extensive knowledge and excellent customer support, I have no problem standing behind him and his tune. So if anyone is in the area and wants to check out my Treg, hit me up.
Now I wonder, how will it perform off road??
~micah
