Tuning box broke my ECU - Word of caution

[JACUPRA280]

Hi folks,

Those of you who know me know I changed my Cupra 280 for a Golf GTD last year.

With a lack of performance from the oil burner I bought a TDI-Tuning tuning box for it.

Here comes a word of caution:

It worked as intended for six months. Then the glow plug light started flashing on the dash. An intermittent issue that forced the car into limp mode. I removed the tuning box and drove around stock for a few weeks. No improvement. Obviously an issue.

Had the car in with the dealer. They informed me it wasn't a glow plug issue, the ECU was knackered. It was sending an electrical current the wrong way. Absolutely "knackered" I was told.

Thank god, praise the lord, they didn't detect I had a tuning box on the car. They checked it when it first went in. No TB1 flag (the tuning box version of the TD1 remap flag). So I got the ECU replaced, coded, keys coded etc. under warranty.

Total cost came to £2.9k. Ouch.

Update: In the interests of fairness I've take up Stuart @ TDI-Tuning on the offer of a chat about the box, my issue and another go with the brand. I'll update the post with my experience. My aim here was to share an honest interpretation of my experience with a tuning box.

 

[ukoldschool]

Ouch! result they didn't bill you for it though!

Had wondered about these boxes as such an obvious cheap clone of the DTUK box...

 

[Major Tom]

Correlation and causality...

 

[Stuart Hill]

JACUPRA280, Sorry to hear this. Ill be honest and say I work for TDI Tuning and currently run a Leon 184 DSG. I have to be honest and say I find your comments a little alarming with no proof the system caused the ECU to fail. Im that confident the TDI system didnt cause the failure that if you prove it did I will pay you for the ECU out of my own pocket. What I will offer is a visit to TDI Manchester with your car and I will re install a system to your self at no charge. Run it for 6 months and if you have no further issues then pay me what you think the level of customer service is worth. Please dont read this as an angry reply as I am very open and honest when it comes to our systems. If yuo would like to take me up on this please email me at [email protected]

 

[JACUPRA280]

JACUPRA280, Sorry to hear this. Ill be honest and say I work for TDI Tuning and currently run a Leon 184 DSG. I have to be honest and say I find your comments a little alarming with no proof the system caused the ECU to fail. Im that confident the TDI system didnt cause the failure that if you prove it did I will pay you for the ECU out of my own pocket. What I will offer is a visit to TDI Manchester with your car and I will re install a system to your self at no charge. Run it for 6 months and if you have no further issues then pay me what you think the level of customer service is worth. Please dont read this as an angry reply as I am very open and honest when it comes to our systems. If yuo would like to take me up on this please email me at [email protected]

While I appreciate your response to protect your brand, I've published my experience. I don't intend to become a case study for you. The fact is, the VW mechanic had seen this issue once before when he worked at Skoda. A tuning box knackered the ECU out of warranty (his was a cheap one off eBay). Luckily mine was in warranty and I removed it before I took it in. I didn't incur a cost due to the issue.

I dont have evidence. But ECUs on 17 plate cars that have done less than 8,000 miles don't cook themselves. I'll allow people to make their own judgement. Mine is a consumer report. Take it as you will.

 

[Stuart Hill]

While I appreciate your response to protect your brand, I've published my experience. I don't intend to become a case study for you. The fact is, the VW mechanic had seen this issue once before when he worked at Skoda. A tuning box knackered the ECU out of warranty (his was a cheap one off eBay). Luckily mine was in warranty and I removed it before I took it in. I didn't incur a cost due to the issue.

I dont have evidence. But ECUs on 17 plate cars that have done less than 8,000 miles don't cook themselves. I'll allow people to make their own judgement. Mine is a consumer report. Take it as you will.

I appreciate your response and honesty. Its not my product I just simply work for TDI Tuning. I have 20 years of main dealer experience though and can say after 11 years with VW and Audi as a service manager, there can be a whole number of issues why an ECU would fail. Its is impossible for a TDI tuning box to create an ecu failure. Did you advise our selves of the issue you have experienced at all.

 

[JACUPRA280]

I appreciate your response and honesty. Its not my product I just simply work for TDI Tuning. I have 20 years of main dealer experience though and can say after 11 years with VW and Audi as a service manager, there can be a whole number of issues why an ECU would fail. Its is impossible for a TDI tuning box to create an ecu failure. Did you advise our selves of the issue you have experienced at all.

I haven't advised you of the issue. I didn't want to waste my time. I assumed you'd tell me what you've said in your posts. That you're shocked and that a tuning box can't damage an ECU.

Can you explain why it is impossible for your tuning box to cause the ECU to fail or be damaged? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Stuart Hill]

All the TDI Tuning box dose is change the voltage coming from the sensors , these are always between 0 and 5v, the tuning box can not go over 5v. For an ECU to fry it would need a huge power surge or shortage IE trying to start your car with a battery booster pack and leaving it connected after starting (not saying you did this just an example). Ill be honest and say tuning systems can fail, but all that will happen is the ECU will put the car in limp mode. Remove the box and the car will be fine. That's the whole point of the system. For VW to replace your ECU they would have to have a series of tests carried out and repair procedures before VW Warranty would authorize the repair, this is standard practice on repairs over £500 , anything under £500 is self authority. Please do email me though at [email protected] as I would like to find a suitable out come for you. Hopefully you are local enough to Manchester to come visit us. We will show you the internals of the system and show you it working on my car and how it makes its changes and increases the performance safely. At least then you will understand it is impossible the TDI system caused your ECU to fail.

 

[R3k1355]

Yea to be fair they intercept and alter the voltage on just a couple of sensors, they don't splice into the entire loom, so it's not really possible for them to "send electrical current the wrong way".

Which kinda sounds like a dodgy explanation in the first place.

 

[JACUPRA280]

All the TDI Tuning box dose is change the voltage coming from the sensors , these are always between 0 and 5v, the tuning box can not go over 5v. For an ECU to fry it would need a huge power surge or shortage IE trying to start your car with a battery booster pack and leaving it connected after starting (not saying you did this just an example). Ill be honest and say tuning systems can fail, but all that will happen is the ECU will put the car in limp mode. Remove the box and the car will be fine. That's the whole point of the system. For VW to replace your ECU they would have to have a series of tests carried out and repair procedures before VW Warranty would authorize the repair, this is standard practice on repairs over £500 , anything under £500 is self authority. Please do email me though at [email protected] as I would like to find a suitable out come for you. Hopefully you are local enough to Manchester to come visit us. We will show you the internals of the system and show you it working on my car and how it makes its changes and increases the performance safely. At least then you will understand it is impossible the TDI system caused your ECU to fail.

Ok. I'm in Blackburn, I can come over. I'll email to arrange. I'll bring the old tuning box.

I should note that I ran the same box on my Cupra. I've had the box for more than 12-months. It got reprogrammed for the GTD.

 

[Stuart Hill]

Ouch! result they didn't bill you for it though!

Had wondered about these boxes as such an obvious cheap clone of the DTUK box...

Just a quick note, we dont clone boxes. TDI tuning own and develop their own systems. Unlike DTUK we dont buy the product in and resell. We manufacture and sell to the end user. Just saying

 

[Stuart Hill]

Ok. I'm in Blackburn, I can come over. I'll email to arrange. I'll bring the old tuning box.

I should note that I ran the same box on my Cupra. I've had the box for more than 12-months. It got reprogrammed for the GTD.

That's not an issue at all. Chances are you have one of our older systems. As a gesture of goodwill I will swap it for our latest up to date system and map for your car.

 

[JACUPRA280]

We'

That's not an issue at all. Chances are you have one of our older systems. As a gesture of goodwill I will swap it for our latest up to date system and map for your car.

Ok we'll sort something out. I'll bring the warranty worksheet too.

 

[Stuart Hill]

We'


Ok we'll sort something out. I'll bring the warranty worksheet too.

Excellent, Im here all the time but we do close Thursday half day. If you work through the week we can do it on a Saturday morning if suitbale

 

[simaservis1108]

Tuning box hasn't got anything to do with the ECU failure.
EDC17 are prone to failure,and something is fishy here about the price.
3k bill for ECU?
New ECU with programming and coding is around 800E at my dealer.

 

[R3k1355]

New ECU with programming and coding is around 800E at my dealer.

Where's that though? Doesn't sound local

 

[simaservis1108]

Where's that though? Doesn't sound local

Balkans

 

[LouG]

Where's the evidence the piggy back "broke" your ECU? The Tech description of "sending the current the wrong way" sounds less than credible.
A bit of circumspection before bagging someones product is always good.
It also sounds like they are good sorts, to look after you despite that.

 

[AndrewJB]

Hold on, Dealer has replaced ECU under warranty because its knackered, VW HQ must be aware of an issue or else they would of sent it to MK or even Germany/Spain for testing, they wouldn't just replace an ECU that easy. Hell they drag their feet over replacing a rusty bolt that costs 20p never mind a £1,000 piece of electrics.

If they suspected a 3rd party object had been placed into the loop (tuning box) they would either send it for testing or flat out refuse.

 

[JACUPRA280]

Hold on, Dealer has replaced ECU under warranty because its knackered, VW HQ must be aware of an issue or else they would of sent it to MK or even Germany/Spain for testing, they wouldn't just replace an ECU that easy. Hell they drag their feet over replacing a rusty bolt that costs 20p never mind a £1,000 piece of electrics.

If they suspected a 3rd party object had been placed into the loop (tuning box) they would either send it for testing or flat out refuse.

They didn't suspect anything, hence no send off. Didn't say they did either.

They didn't suspect anything because no TB1. The other case I mentioned regarding the Skoda tech and the tuning box was different. The guy admitted he used a tuning box and screwed himself.

My post is a synopsis of my thoughts on the issue and a caution. I have emailed TDI-Tuning to discuss further. I'm more than happy to edit my post and call myself wrong if proven wrong. I'm equally as happy to give TDI-Tuning another go to determine this. I'll update the post with my experience.