When you want to tune up your car and make its performance much better than it was or currently is, the best and most common option is to go to a specialized car shop that also deals in aftermarket car parts. Any viable part of a used or new but damaged car gets recycled at these auto shops and the owners of a less powerful vehicle can opt to buy some of these in order to amplify the capacities of their own car.
The Audi models are the best suited to performance tuning because of the wide availability of the parts and the highly customizable outlook of the car themselves, and therefore we will focus this post on this particular brand, but rest assured that most of the advice we will give applies to other car brands as well.
Examples of such correspondences will be suggested whenever the discussion requires it, and you can also ask any dealer you plan on working with if any Audi parts (or Volkswagen parts) are compatible with whatever upgrades you’re planning on your different brand of car.
How to get the parts you need for the tuning
There are two routes to take if you’re interested in getting your old model Audi tuned and ready to take on new challenges. The first one is to order the parts you need in advance from an online store, which has the benefit of allowing you to get them at a lower cost or with a discount. Also, if you’re getting them from a certified dealer, you can be sure that they are genuine Audi parts or VW parts or whatever brand of spare parts you need, since the market can be sometimes flooded by counterfeit items.
Most major USA dealers have a catalog of car parts for sale, from classic models which are easy to find in regular car shops going all the way to fancier and rarer models, for the pretentious customer or the exquisite tastes owner. Then, wait for your order to arrive, pick up the parts and go to a trusted and certified car handler with them and tell them what you want.
The second route to take, if you expect the changes you want to make will be pretty basic and often requested by others as well, is to go to a car shop or car handler from the start, buying the parts you need directly from them. Repair shops usually deal in aftermarket car parts and they have all the essentials needed to boost the speed and performance of your car for sale (and Audi parts such as OEM are highly available).
Most reviews point out that the prices can be mildly higher than the ones practiced by major retail industries in the field, but considering that this comes with the insight of an expert, we’d say the mild differences are worth it. You feel more in control when you know the car analyst in front of you has received certification following an exam and specialized training, as opposed to simply deciding for yourself what to used, based on limited experience and whatever information you can scoop from online car forums.
A Stasi powered Audi 2012.
Where to get performance tuning
If you’re indeed looking mainly for performance tuning for an Audi model – say, the common models such as A4, A6 or A8, and up to the rarer ones such as the CC, the Q5, the cute TT or the sturdy S4 – a good place to start searching both for parts and for counseling is with the staff from Sears. They can help with common problems such as a busted wheel and even with fancier needs such as parts from an Audi TDI or from a Jetta, Passat or VW Beetle. They have multiple locations all over USA and a quick browse on their website can tell you where to find them near you.
Another good car service provider and dealer which you can use for performance tuning and even for APR tuning is Continental Audi: they are one of the few places where you can tune up your car to a Stasis level of performance. Whatever captivating pictures or videos you may see online describing what just 1 Stasis powered Audi car can do, just trust us when we say it’s nothing compared to the real deal. You will be able to switch between speeds at such a smooth and seamless pace, that you won’t be able to believe how safe and security oriented the experience of high speed can be.
Also, when choosing to work with a dealer, no matter if it’s the local car shop or a major corporation such as Sears, make sure they are certified by GIAC or SANS security to be able to operate with the car’s IT systems safely. The last thing you want is a security breach in your car or a malfunction that could really cast a shadow on your tuned car experience.
Usually, the Unitronic security chips are used for most car brands such as Audi, VW, Skoda, Porsche and so on, and they are indeed the main source you should trust. You can find more information on unitronic chips and their security strategy on unitronics.com and, of course, with your local car dealer as well, if the shop’s experts are well informed and trustworthy.
Whether you want to put the power of a Porsche inside a beetle to stun all the by-passers or you want something more conventional, like bringing your old Audi model (from 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 or 204) up to speed with what the new models (2012 and beyond) can do, rest assured that performance tuning is a highly successful process which always turns out to be worth the investment it requires.
Also, for basic performance tuning, rest assured that even if you live in one of the smallest towns in Ithaca, your local car shop can surely handle the task successfully. Once you get behind the wheels of your newly tuned car, you will feel as if you just bought yourself a new one.