AMD Essex

[Matt-S3]

Hello Chaps & Chapess's,

This is my second foray into the S3 world, first one was an 8L between 2001-03. Loved car, regret getting rid of it, but now i'm back with a 2014 saloon S-tronic and love it to bits.

So...naturally, like my first S3, I need it remapped (ecu & tcu). Back in the day I used APR and was very happy indeed, so naturally I started looking to them first for my current car, only to be put off by various bad experiences and also, substantially higher prices than other tuners.

I then looked at the usual route of Revo and was suitably impressed, but then an opportunity presented itself to have an ecu remap & tcu remap for a smidgen under £700 including before and after RR. This is hugely cheaper than anywhere else and AMD have been around along time and are relatively well known and yet searching the forums here and online generally, I can find no real reviews of their 8v maps or general service; I appreciate there will be good and bad reviews of course, as there generally is for anything, but what I am looking for here is:

1. Why should I NOT go for this deal?
2. Specific experience of any of you with an 8v @ AMD?.

Cheers

Matt

 

[S3Alex]

Hi Matt,

I can't say anything about their 8V maps,but can give you a strong recommendation for their service and build quality.

Prior to needing an aftermarket ECU,all of the work on my car had been done at AMDEssex,including full engine builds,and turbo uprates,and the engine was stripped down and inspected by another tuner recently(Storm Developments),and found to be within tolerances after over 40k miles running up to and beyond 540bhp/540lbs.

I hope that might help re: service and reliability.

 

[Matt-S3]

Thanks Alex, all useful info. One would hope that given the size of the organization, btcc sponsorship etc, that they produce good products. As I say, I will be going for their maps unless somebody tells me conclusively why I shouldn't.

Anybody have any 8v experience's with them at all?!

 

[Asif Shamsudeen]

Hey Matt,
I have an s3 saloon. AMD sourced and fitted my armytrix exhaust for me. They do a really good job. Haven't had a map from them but can say I would trust them with my car.

Hope it helps

 

[RS3ER]

Hello Chaps & Chapess's,

This is my second foray into the S3 world, first one was an 8L between 2001-03. Loved car, regret getting rid of it, but now i'm back with a 2014 saloon S-tronic and love it to bits.

So...naturally, like my first S3, I need it remapped (ecu & tcu). Back in the day I used APR and was very happy indeed, so naturally I started looking to them first for my current car, only to be put off by various bad experiences and also, substantially higher prices than other tuners.

I then looked at the usual route of Revo and was suitably impressed, but then an opportunity presented itself to have an ecu remap & tcu remap for a smidgen under £700 including before and after RR. This is hugely cheaper than anywhere else and AMD have been around along time and are relatively well known and yet searching the forums here and online generally, I can find no real reviews of their 8v maps or general service; I appreciate there will be good and bad reviews of course, as there generally is for anything, but what I am looking for here is:

1. Why should I NOT go for this deal?
2. Specific experience of any of you with an 8v @ AMD?.

Cheers

Matt

I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole I had a APR map flashed on a low mileage RS3 8P.

Engine needed replacing after 7 weeks of having the software installed cost me £5,300 on a good will claim for a replacement engine from Audi.

Also happened to another 2 members on

(http://www.audirs3oc.com/)

who had the APR software flashed by AMD Essex.

All 3 engines had the same issues injector failure under or over fuelling causing wash bore.

AMD initial response was people have had injector problems on stock engine more less wouldn't take any responsibility for the damage caused to my engine.

I would not recommend AMD Essex.

 

[Matt-S3]

Thanks all for replies;

Interestingly, when I spoke to amd they said they write their own maps, but can supply apr ones if requested albeit at the full apr price - same for the tcu map; they said the only thing the amd one didn't do that the apr one did was enable left door braking.

I wonder if they pulled back from using apr due to the issues reported...

 

[J7USS]

Play safe and take yourself to MRC

 

[RS3ER]

Yes AMD Essex write there own maps also a authorised APR dealer.

I believe with the AMD map they will need access to your ECU.

Most tuning companies access OBD port to flash the ECU.

 

[GRE57Y]

I've had various cars remapped at AMD over the years: Golf GT (2007), Audi A3 1.9tdi (2009), Audi A1 1.4TFSI (185PS) all have been great, no problems experienced and great service. They have also removed maps on a couple of occasions from above vehicles and everything was fine after.

J

 

[RS3ER]

I've had various cars remapped at AMD over the years: Golf GT (2007), Audi A3 1.9tdi (2009), Audi A1 1.4TFSI (185PS) all have been great, no problems experienced and great service. They have also removed maps on a couple of occasions from above vehicles and everything was fine after.

J

I have also had previous cars remapped with AMD Essex using there custom map.

Numerous Audi S models,BMW 335D,123D i had on a couple occasions EML lights enabled on instrument cluster.

Never related to anything serious I always took the car back to them to inspect the fault & was always rectified.

I do believe they will physically open the ECU to flash the custom map on your ECU This method is not very good if you do encounter any problems with Audi.

ECU will have very convincing evidence that it has been accessed.

I'm not being negative towards AMD Essex I'm only telling you very honestly how I had problems with them & don't expect any help if things do go wrong from them terrible customer service.

 

[Matt-S3]

Very informative info here guys; if they do have to open the ecu to map, that would be a shame considering that the other mappers do not have to do this. I will contact them for clarification.

 

[Matt-S3]

And here is the response to the obd question...

Good Afternoon,


We can carry out both upgrades via the OBD port.


Both maps make approx. the same power and are both very good. The DSG remap from APR does do a few more things than ours but is obviously a lot more expensive. Left foot braking is probably the most notable thing.



Hope this helps but if you do have any further questions please do not hesitate in contacting us.


Regards,


Ben


AmD Tuning (Essex)Ltd.

 

[RS3ER]

And here is the response to the obd question...

Good Afternoon,


We can carry out both upgrades via the OBD port.


Both maps make approx. the same power and are both very good. The DSG remap from APR does do a few more things than ours but is obviously a lot more expensive. Left foot braking is probably the most notable thing.



Hope this helps but if you do have any further questions please do not hesitate in contacting us.


Regards,


Ben


AmD Tuning (Essex)Ltd.

Last time I used AMD was May 2015 they must of Changed there approaches I can confirm they definitely did flash this way.

I would still check for signs of tempering opening the ECU.

Have a look at screws & seals in the ECU if you do go ahead with it.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

 

[Matt-S3]

Cheers mate, will have that convo with them on the day and reinforce the point for sure.

 

[RS3ER]

Cheers mate, will have that convo with them on the day and reinforce the point for sure.

No worries mate your welcome.

Maybe a little interest for you read all the posts 2 pages.

http://www.audirs3oc.com/topic/6075-td1-code/

 

[RedRS3Reilly]

MRC

 

[Tom.H]

This is my first Audi but having seen lots of videos etc from MRC I'd perhaps be on the phone to them if I was after any tuning.

 

[Matt-S3]

No worries mate your welcome.

Maybe a little interest for you read all the posts 2 pages.

http://www.audirs3oc.com/topic/6075-td1-code/

Hi mate,

The link isn't working for me, says it couldn't be found?

 

[RS3ER]

Hi mate,

The link isn't working for me, says it couldn't be found?

The link seems to be working fine when I click on it.

 

[Matt-S3]

Finally the link worked for me - I hadn't been validated on the forum until yesterday!.

Interesting read for sure - and having a look around generally at most of the options, their are good and bad as I expected.

Funnily enough a mate of mine with a new type r is trying to convince me to get a box from tdi tuning now!!. Too much damn choice!

 

[Matt-S3]

So guys and gals,

Here are the results of my remap @ AMD today. Note that a few weeks ago I installed the Turbo Technics inlet elbow and pipe combo along with the R line panel filter and did the airbox mods as described on this forum.

 

[GSB]

Nice increase. How's it feel?

I've a query regarding the graphs, which you may want to ask AmD yourself... (or not. If you're happy, let sleeping dogs lie)

Dyno units measure power at the wheels, so when calculating the power at the flywheel they have to correct the measurement for driveline losses, and also apply a correction factor to convert the power readings to standard condition reference values of pressure and temperature. Atmospheric temperature and pressure have an enourmous effect on the output of an internal combustion engine, and both vary widely throughout the day and sometimes even by the minute, so accurate measurements of these factors for each run are critical if decent comparisons of tuning efforts are to be made.

This of course begs the question, why are the atmospheric temperature and pressure on all three runs all exactly the same, and yet the correction factors for the 'after' are different from the 'before' run?

 

[Matt-S3]

It feels suitably improved no doubt about it and a smooth delivery to boot.

It's a good question re the correction factors and one that I will ask when I return soon for the tcu remap. (I ran out of time today to have that).

Additionally, I will take the car to my local dyno to have it tested there - it read higher than amd's rollers @ 305bhp standard about a month ago, but at long as the improvements scale the same then it's fine - I know the operator and he will set the same variables as the previous run.

 

[Matt-S3]

Oh dear.... dyno plot on my local RR following remap vs my car as standard 2 months ago on same rollers.

Not what I was expecting.

I can swallow 10-15bhp either way, but not the thick end of 3obhp compared to AMD's dyno. Peak torque was 363lb/ft so only 10lb/ft down which I can accept. Thoughts please all before I contact AMD to discuss...

 

[Matt-S3]

For reference have a look at the comparison with my mates fk2 type r - he had tdi tuning box fitted the same day as my remap - made an additional 46bhp and corresponding increase in torque - not bad for a plug in box that was less £££ than my remap!.

 

[Tom.H]

FWIW my standard R32 made 260-270 at AMD so I'm not too sure they're too accurate.

 

[RS3ER]

Oh dear.... dyno plot on my local RR following remap vs my car as standard 2 months ago on same rollers.View attachment 125280 Not what I was expecting.

I can swallow 10-15bhp either way, but not the thick end of 3obhp compared to AMD's dyno. Peak torque was 363lb/ft so only 10lb/ft down which I can accept. Thoughts please all before I contact AMD to discuss...

If you are not happy with the dyno results & you have doubts about the map what was installed.

Then run some live data tests to back the first dyno result from AMD.

Different Dyno different results you stated in your previous post that you was impressed with what they achieved.

I did give you a legs up about AMD you only have to run a google review search on them.

 

[GSB]

Oh dear.... dyno plot on my local RR following remap vs my car as standard 2 months ago on same rollers.View attachment 125280 Not what I was expecting.

I can swallow 10-15bhp either way, but not the thick end of 3obhp compared to AMD's dyno. Peak torque was 363lb/ft so only 10lb/ft down which I can accept. Thoughts please all before I contact AMD to discuss...

No comparison is possible.

Comparing the same car between two different runs on the same day is fraught with potential errors. Comparing the same car on different dyno's is equally error prone, and comparing runs so far apart will never give you an accurate an comparable read.

Different temperature, humidity, air pressure, fuel, tyre pressures, tyre wear, brake drag, transmission temperatures, tension on the dyno tie-downs, and even how much weight is in the car will influence the reading.

The key to successful dyno readings is not the numbers, but the change in the numbers you see when you alter the tune with all the other things listed above being kept the same or as close to unchanged as possible. The number output is effectively an educated guess, but as long as you minimise the changes between runs and use the same maths for the guesswork you will get a good ideas of gains or losses on the day.

The ONLY way to accurately measure engine power is to take the engine out of the car and install it in a proper dyno cell.

 

[RSS-S3]

This is my first Audi but having seen lots of videos etc from MRC I'd perhaps be on the phone to them if I was after any tuning.

I was very disappointed with MRC after trying to talk to them about a map for my FL s3, they just came across as not giving a toss! Subsequently putting me off remapping my car

 

[RS3ER]

I was very disappointed with MRC after trying to talk to them about a map for my FL s3, they just came across as not giving a toss! Subsequently putting me off remapping my car

MRC tuning is possibly one of the most knowledgeable tuning companies around.

 

[robps3]

definatley wouldnt go to AMD, had some bad experiences with AMD with my Golf R32.