APR Tune at VW Dealer: $2400 – Wait How Much?!

Aftermarket tunes available from several vendors are $500-$750, and this APR tune specifically is $599 “on the street” without the labor of installing it, so when my sales guy told me a dealer-approved/installed APR tune for the Golf Alltrack would be 4X as much, I almost fell out of my chair.

A tune is a product that re-writes some or all of the programming on a car’s engine management computer… or the part of the engine control software that controls air/fuel/boost/etc. The goal is more power.

Factory programming usually leaves a great deal of headroom for engine longevity, so getting more power — especially from a turbocharged engine — isn’t difficult. [Getting more power out of a non-turbo (“normally aspirated”) engine is very expensive compared to a turbocharged engine… but that’s beside the point…]

So why get the tune at the dealer in the first place? The upside of getting the tune at time of delivery is that it’s a dealer-approved modification that doesn’t void your warranty.

Hey I was expecting to pay more at the dealer. Keeping the VW warranty intact while enjoying the extra horsepower of a tune is a win-win. But the “lose” in all this is the price… 1/10th the cost of the car!?

$2400 is a steep price to pay for 35 HP.

At $2400 it wasn’t even close. At 1-2X, I’d have gone for it. But two-and-a-half grand is absurd.

Alltrack Tune Plan B

Alltrack tune plan B isn't actually a tune, it's a "piggyback".
Alltrack tune plan B isn’t actually a tune, it’s a “piggyback”.

I’ll probably pick up a $379 “JB1” piggyback module for my new Golf Alltrack [very lengthy forum discussion here]. It’s not a tune in the traditional sense, but runs alongside the factory tune on the car’s ECU.

The JB1 is a true user adjustable plug and play solution for all MQB based models in the VW Audi Group range. Power Gains: Starting at 35whp and 35ft lb with 91 octane with + 4.80psi boost over stock on the default setting. Engine estimates are 50bhp gained and 45ft lb.

It’s a configurable device that boosts boost. I might see more MPG if I can keep my foot out of it. And therein lies the paradox: it gives VW 1.8 and 2.0 liter EA888 engines a nice kick to the midrange power. So it’ll be difficult to keep my right foot light. Let’s be honest. I’m not getting this for fuel economy.

1 Comment

I just had the APR engine and trans tune completed an the gain was 74 HP and 107 TQ. Cost $1,400.00 and worth every penny.
My advice take it directly to APR or have a local authorized APR performance shop install the upgrade.
Never trust your sales guy.

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