3 quick things, ECU swap, Aftermarket Foglights, No Drill License Frame

Hey, I have looked around a bit and wanted some opinion.. 1 Euro ECU swap, can it be done with our cars? 2. I looked but didn't find anything on aftermarket alternative foglight applications. I don't mind a discreet switch and relay for effective lighting. I'd like to get them higher in the Grill than the conventional location. The grill is tight and louvers relatively small. I'd change or modify the grill if it would work better. 3. I saw the various no drill license frame kits available. Has anyone put together a homemade version? If so, please pass it on. Love the car so far... thanks

As for the ECU swap, what's your goal? European power levels? It can probably be done, but not easily and would be pretty expensive. When my '09 needed a new ECU (under warranty luckily) the EDC17 was listing at ~$1,200. I would also think it'll void your warranty.

For ~$600 you can get a good chiptune.

Thanks for the response. I am looking for a quick ECU change if there is a problem, plus if it is all VW I am hoping any issues would be minimized. With the avg. $1000 for the tune and DSG flash another $200 to keep it in the VW family might not be bad. I also realize there may be significant changes and issues with sensors and settings. VW and most of the European manufacturer's make some amazing cars that we never see over here. Check out Youtube and the TDI Scirocco and the 105 hp TDI that are getting 80 plus MPG. Look at all the models on the VW.com.de site, jeez. You just can't import them. I looked into it. Yet it seems I have the frame (safe US approved JSW), but not the Brain(ECU) to get the most out of my platform. So it seems like an area that hasn't been discussed before. I am not suggesting anything illegal or any reduction or bypassing/modifying/deleting/removing any emission equipment etc. We all know Europe is ahead of us in clean air/diesel technology. Come on gang, yeah or nay, is it doable..

$1,000 for a tune? That's about $400-$500 higher than what the reputable tuners are getting for a stage 1 tune.

The ECUs for the '09+ TDIs are not plug 'n play like the earlier models. My '09 needed an ECU swap back in Sept '09. It took 6 weeks to get a new ECU from Germany (hopefully they're more readily available now). When the dealership finally got the ECU, it took another week to get the car to start. Hopefully the dealers have gotten better at it by now.

European 140hp cars have 170hp turbos and injectors, the ecu would not properly work in your car. Even if it did then you would have to pay the dealer to align the immobilizor which can be 100-200 bucks each time you want to swap it since only one ecu can be aligned at a time. You can find someone who could defeat the immo in one of the ecus but that would be 100+ on top of the ecu.

1200 bucks just for an ecu would also not cover a DSG flash so your comparison of 1000 bucks for a tune and DSG flash at a grand isn't really apples to apples. Our software for example is 499, on sale right now for 399 or a free SPS.

You are much better off getting a tune specific to your car from one of the many options available in North America.

Thanks Chris, that's the info I was looking for. You start digging for that 170 hp and it wasn't clear if they used the same turbo/injectors. I appreciate you taking a minute to respond and clearing that up. I checked out your site and will certainly consider your company when the time comes.