Should I remap my Audi A3 with 80,000 km on the odometer?

Post the remap, the car should be able to push 192 BHP and 450 Nm.

BHPian Eagle1234 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello folks,

I recently bought a well-maintained 2019 Audi TDI A3 with 80,000 km on the odo. The previous owner had used it extensively for his weekly runs between Bangalore - Chikmagalur. The car was serviced exclusively at Audi, Bangalore. The service records are clean and I did an extensive test with an FNG too for peace of mind. This is going to be my only vehicle in my garage as I recently sold my Rapid.

The stock output is 143 BHP and 340 Nm. I feel the engine is much more capable than these numbers on paper. I got in touch with the team in Engineering Exponent and they suggested ECU + TCU remaps. Post the remap, the car should be able to push 192 BHP and 450 Nm. These numbers look very tempting indeed!!! I have a few questions and I was hoping if few members could throw light on these:

• Does TCU + ECU remap increase the general wear and tear, engine issues, clutch assembly etc?
• This is DQ250 so it's a wet clutch. I assume this is a less problematic gearbox from the VAG stable. Should I be mindful of DSG issues cropping up later
• This car has completed 4 years and 80k km, so should I go slow on remaps and run stock alone?

Will be helpful if members might throw light on anything that I might have missed.

Here's what BHPian suhaas307 had to say on the matter:

Congratulations on your latest acquisition!

80,000 km may seem like high mileage for a 4-year-old car. But if most of these kilometres were covered on the highway between BLR - CKM, your car is probably healthier than an A3 TDI of similar vintage that has been driven exclusively within city limits, with 20,000 km on the odo.

Tuning your car is therefore not going to be a problem despite the higher mileage indicated. Wolf Moto is a great tuning outfit and one of the best in the country, in my opinion. Don't focus on numbers, and instead, request for better drivability and midrange punch. Also, do ask them to keep the black smoke to a minimum, even if this means compromising a little bit on outright performance.

Ensure that your car has undergone a thorough check-up with the authorized Audi service centre as well. Some weak points include the water pump and injectors. That said, these engines are quite robust, with plenty of headroom and potential for more power. So you should be fine.

EDIT: What I would focus more on are suspension and chassis components like the bushes, mounts, links, ball joints and even the dampers, considering the mileage done. Give them a once-over because the roads between Hassan and Chikmagalur are not in the best state, and frequent highway drivers don't bother too much about ruts and potholes after a point.

Have fun with your new car and tuning it, and drive safe!

Another thing to consider:

Please do not get TCU tunes.

I have cut my teeth with them, and although it was for a Polo GT TSI, I would not recommend TCU tunes generally.

Reason: The TCU is perfectly set up from the factory to provide a good balance between efficiency and performance. Messing with the TCU may disturb this balance and your car may not be 'happy'.

For instance, I flashed Polo's TCU with stage-2 software, which essentially altered the shift points and sharpened the gear changes. While the quicker changes were nice, it will wear the clutch pack far quicker. And the altered shift-points meant the car never felt "settled" or relaxed in traffic in 'D'. I reverted to the stock TCU map very quickly.

TCU tunes are great for track days and getting the most out of your box, but for daily driving, it's not something I would personally recommend.

Here's what BHPian vattyboy had to say on the matter:

You can drive the car for at least 1 year in stock power outputs and when you are bored of it you can tune it later on.

If you tune the car to its maximum potential just after buying it then you will get bored with it very early.

Instead, I will suggest driving the car for 1 year and putting your money on regular maintenance items which the car will demand in the coming months.

And talking about the tune don't worry, it will not harm the engine. The same engine is tuned to deliver 188 bhp in A4 and A6. There are 2 good tuners in Delhi which I know - Gt Tunez and Auto Psyche.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.