AMD Stage 1

[james]

yeah i know all about that.

I have never had any luck with them.   Maybe my luck.

[mvb12]

It was the Essex branch they where a bit weary of. woking didn't get a mention, but with any company you will find good and bad!

[jimk04]

I am AMD Stage 1 map running 260 - albeit with FMIC and TBE with Sports cat.

259 on AMD Essex rollers last year, and 257 on Sharks rollers last month, so accurate enough.

[Little_Dave]

I've seen alot of views on AMD both positive and negative and obviously it's people's own experience with them but as for my own i've had nothing but good service and sound advice and on the few occasions when i've had any problems, stuttering and misfires, i've just booked the car in and they've checked it over for me and if an easy fix like resetting a dash light or similar not even charged me  and even replaced plugs for free once too, fitted my cruise control, fixed a bonnet sensor that broke, carried out 2 services etc

I know the rollers can be a bit inflated sometimes but ive always taken the results with a pinch of salt and looked more at the increase from the previous time to see the gains from a new mod or upgrade rather than the pub figures of max bhp

Dave

[Mk5 GTian]

Simon at AMD woking has done a few bits of work on my car including fitting the NQSBBK and i have been pleased with their service. Think i would probably go to R-tech or JKM or someone like that for  remap though as i dont think they have the facilities at AMD woking to set it up and get the best potential out of your car.

Cheers for that Ben. What facilities don't they have? Do they not have a rolling road? Is there an R tech near us?

[Mk5 GTian]

They may have been around since 1987 but so have loads of company’s does not mean they are any good...

This may enlighten you on the origins of AMD.

http://www.moddedvag.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=20

So they've been bought out by some pretty experienced people then! Simon Howarth told me he used to work for Revo too!

[PDT]

People will 'forum bash' some companies, on One they will be the absolute worst place to take your car to and on another they will be regarded as the best tuners since man Invented engines.

People will say things like 'they dont write their own maps etc...' but in reality from the contacts I have in the tuning industry in the UK I can count on 1 hand the number of people that offer remaps and actually write them themselves, most are bought in.

We supply software to 20-30 tuners in the Uk and they claim it as their own, doesn't mean it's poor quality just because the tuner that flashed it to the ecu wasnt the one that wrote the code.

What is far more important is that the car is checked and datalogged then adjusted accordingly, ideally with the use of a Dyno to measure accurate afr's etc...

[GrayMK5GTI]

have you done your research on the forum regarding remaps?

It is highly unlikely to get 260bhp from just a remap.  

Although it has been said that AMD's rollers are a touch on the generous side. . . .  

Gray, here's the thread on my research into it back in November. I asked about which out of 3, and ended up with a list of over 10!

http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,37913.0.html

Good thread there   

If you have a look at JKM's website for a realistic power & torque reading for stage 1. Unfortunately all companies (REVO, AMD, SHARK, AMD, APR etc) over rate the figures you can achieve. Realistically on an accurate dyno you can expect about 230-237bhp from a remap but don't get hung up on figures - its how it drives that matters 

[Mk5 GTian]

People will 'forum bash' some companies, on One they will be the absolute worst place to take your car to and on another they will be regarded as the best tuners since man Invented engines.

People will say things like 'they dont write their own maps etc...' but in reality from the contacts I have in the tuning industry in the UK I can count on 1 hand the number of people that offer remaps and actually write them themselves, most are bought in.

We supply software to 20-30 tuners in the Uk and they claim it as their own, doesn't mean it's poor quality just because the tuner that flashed it to the ecu wasnt the one that wrote the code.

What is far more important is that the car is checked and datalogged then adjusted accordingly, ideally with the use of a Dyno to measure accurate afr's etc...

Thanks a lot for that PDT, If I lived near you I'd get you to do it. When you say checked and datalogged on a dyno, presumably you mean the vehicle is checked to ensure all running properly, and then datalogged using a rolling road to assess current figures, and then the same after the software has been flashed giving before and after figures. Sorry, but what's an afr?

[Mk5 GTian]

have you done your research on the forum regarding remaps?

It is highly unlikely to get 260bhp from just a remap.  

Although it has been said that AMD's rollers are a touch on the generous side. . . .  

Gray, here's the thread on my research into it back in November. I asked about which out of 3, and ended up with a list of over 10!

http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,37913.0.html

Good thread there   

If you have a look at JKM's website for a realistic power & torque reading for stage 1. Unfortunately all companies (REVO, AMD, SHARK, AMD, APR etc) over rate the figures you can achieve. Realistically on an accurate dyno you can expect about 230-237bhp from a remap but don't get hung up on figures - its how it drives that matters 

I've had a look at the JKM site and I like the fact that they include changing the DV as part of the package rather than doing the map, seeing if it goes pop (which it sounds like it probably will) and then having to go in and get that done afterwards. It's pricey though at 550 plus VAT, but I might get it cheaper as I've just had a  Pipercross panelfilter put in last week 

[GrayMK5GTI]

It's well worth replacing the DV (you can do it yourself without too much effort) as it will almost definitely fail after a map- or get AMD to do it, will only take about 5-10mins on a ramp.

Ps: nice to see another shadow blue owner on here  we are a rare bunch haha

[Mk5 GTian]

It's well worth replacing the DV (you can do it yourself without too much effort) as it will almost definitely fail after a map- or get AMD to do it, will only take about 5-10mins on a ramp.

Ps: nice to see another shadow blue owner on here  we are a rare bunch haha

Fastest colour, Shadow Blue !! 

I'll get a price from them to change the DV as well. Portsmouth is a long way to go if something does go tits up, so it would  make sense to go with AMD, and it is quite a bit cheaper than Revo.

[Hedge]

So they've been bought out by some pretty experienced people then! Simon Howarth told me he used to work for Revo too!

All they did was buy the name. AMD as it was went bust or shutdown.

[luckyGti]

Simon is a top guy and very knowledgeable, he has looked after my Rs6 S3 and Mk5 over the years and really does give first rate customer service and support.

He certainly isn't new to the game and has been in the industry for years, he did take over the Amd brand at the same time big boys toys in Essex changed to Amd but also worth noting he was in the the tuning world long before Amd.

My 2 pence....

 

[Jussa]

Last year I had a stage 2+ GTi with an AMD map. It drove nicely and I had no issues with it.
I went to a JKM RR day and only had 253bhp - for a stage 2+ I'd say thats excessively low.
I called AMD up the next day and told them I wasn't happy with their map and I'd like them to remove it, and I'd pay the difference for a Revo map.  They agreed and were very helpful.  When I got the car back it was far more aggressive, and you could really feel the extra power, she was definitely a different beast!! 
If I was you I'd definitely choose Revo, no bones about it!