By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
>>However, any gain due to mods will be at the expense of drivability - you are more likely to have reliability problems, warranty issues, a more noticeable turbo lag, less linear acceleration, maxing out on RPM's faster, etc., etc. <<
Actually, daily drivability can be totally unaffected with the APR as you can have the car run stock settings and when you want the extra go juice, you simply switch programs on the fly. As for warranty issues, again this is avoided with the APR chip or by getting a second stock ECU. Acceleration is astronomically increased with either the GIAC or the APR. With an APR/GIAC chip, you go from 150 HP/155 lbs-ft of torque to 200/240. That's a substantial jump. Also, the engine's redline is changed but still this doesn't make a difference as ALL 1.8Ts drop quickly after 5500 RPM, so shift there, not at 6500.
An APR or GIAC chip makes the 1.8T have more useable power over the same powerband, resulting in dramatic gains in power and gas mileage. There's LESS lag with the chips actually. And when the torque kicks in, it KICKS in.
And we're suggesting that rather than silverton fret over not getting the 2002, he could drop a $600 chip into his 2001 and have FAR more power than the 2002 and still save about several Gs.
Thank you for any inputs.
GIAC's chips are cheaper but lack the stock program option.
I found a review that mentions the mods to the 2002s: "But for 2002, it has new ECU (electronic control unit) software that revises ignition timing, fuel mixture and air intake; and a new, less restrictive exhaust system. Both of these contribute to a substantial 20% increase in horsepower and a 12% increase in torque."
http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02jetta1pt8t.htm
Still wondering about this transverse v. longitudal thing. I know Edmunds mucks things up every now and then, so I'm not exactly trusting them. On Vortex I found this info in their reports, not forums:
"Volkswagen claims a less restrictive exhaust and ECU tuning (read boost increase) are responsible for the 20% increase in power."
Of course, on the flipside, the G's faster than a Jetta by a long shot and its handling even without the sports suspension, totally trounces it. Naturally interior volume's majorly different too.
As for resale, past Infiniti's blew for resale value and you could, if this one turns out like others, buy a 2 year old G for probably 60% of its MSRP. But that's assuming the G won't hold its value and I have a feeling these things will. They're the best car Infiniti's ever released in the US, so I expect it will hold its value better than previous Infinitis, but not like Bimmers do.
If you get a chip, just be honest. It won't void your warranty if you tell the dealer about it, but you will have to pay for anything directly related to the chip, like replacing a Diverter Valve.
Trying to defraud the dealer isn't prudent, IMO.
One last thing, chipping will not void your entire warranty. If a dealership tells you that, smile and walk away. He's lying to scare you. If you mod a part of your car, a dealer can try to claim that mod impacted another part but they can't deny warranty work across the board. Changing my exhaust will not negate VW's responsibility to say, fix a malfunctioned window. Any dealer who says otherwise is begging for a call from your lawyer.
I guess it's just me but 90 more lbs-ft of torque is well worth it, as that's the motivating factor for take-offs and bursts of speed. If I'm gonna keep this VW, I'd rather enjoy it.
A sincere thank you in advance.
-Larry
Folks they already have gotten to that 10000 mark, so they dont' need any more help, thank you very much! :-)
Is there a prize?
It's very difficult to know how many posts there have been about any individual topic, though. Remember how on our previous platform we had to archive topics after 500 or so posts? And now we don't have to do that anymore. So it isn't readily apparent how many total posts there may have been because it depends on how many iterations of the topic have been archived, and how many posts each of those had.
Anyhow, pardon the interruption, and please carry on! :-)
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
My friends and I installed it yesterday. It took us about an hour. One thing's for certain, the included instructions are pretty poor. I'd say we spent the majority of the time figuring out what we were supposed to do, rather than physically acting upon the car.
And no, it won't void your whole warranty. There does exist a slight possibility that if something goes wrong with the suspension a dealership may claim your swaybar is the culprit. Even if that is their claim, the dealership would only refuse to service the afflicted region, not the whole of your car. They're not able to say, "You've got a swaybar, so we're not fixing your turbo that blew up." It doesn't work that way.
I am, however, quite unnerved by some of the nightmare entries in the Edmunds customer opinion section, about non-stop repairs and unscheduled trips to fix power windows, sunroof, trunk, locks, oxy sensor, etc. that some of these require. I could save money and mileage by going with the new 03 Corolla Type S, which is also a nice looking car (though without any of the speed/handling performance of a Jetta). That's kind of where I satnd on the whole thing after driving them both.
I'd love to hear some typical stories regarding the type of unscheduled service needed and the dealership experience, and maybe some anecdotal evidence about whether repairs every few months is "pretty much commonplace" for 1999/2000/2001 Jetta owners. That would be a strong factor in my decision to start to look at other things like the Acura RSX and the Civic, or on the higher end at the A4 and BMW 3-series. Thanks!
Of course, you caught me on a weekend where I'm in love with my car.
I bought the Jetta, not because I really needed a new car, but because I drove it and loved it. I enjoy the heck out of it every time I drive. I suppose I think it's worth the greater risk of problems to have a more enjoyable driving experience.
My wife loves the seat heaters. :^)
you should test drive the jetta for about 30 minutes. drive on roads that you drive everyday. see how you like it. they don't compare to a corolla that well, so it is apples and oranges. i don't think too many people cross shop a corolla and a jetta, do they?
most people say that the toyota is much more reliable than the jetta, so if reliability/staying out of the shop is a major concern, i would recommend the toyota/honda/nissan cars.
Fortunately, one vwvortex member was selling his car and his apr ecu. So, I got it for $350 for APR ECU with 3 programs (93 octane, stock, throttle body alignment) & error code/CEL reset. I was planning to negotiate a little but there were couple guys wanting it too.
Anyway, we will be swapping our ECU this weekend. Can't wait
BTW, is there anything I should check before putting it in my car? For example, a car has a vin number so we can check if it's a lemon. Is there such a number for the chip.
Thank you
My white 2001 WE has 12,000 miles and its very reliable, excellent performance and gas mileage is 24 city and 32 highway.
Meade
You forgot the most important reason you missed your Jetta. The Maxima was hit, really really hard, with the ugly stick. That back end....nightmare-ish.