Genuine (OE) Garrett or Borg-Warner turbos are strongly recommended. The vast majority of rebuilt or hybrid turbos are not optimally calibrated. VNT turbos are naturally more complex than wastegated turbos that are commonly found in gas (petrol) cars, therefore there is more room for error. We do not recommend other brand turbos. However, if you put in a potentially significant amount of work logging boost and recalibrating the vacuum actuator and/or stop screw, then you could get reasonable results from an aftermarket/rebuilt turbo.
An ECU (engine computer) tune can be installed using one of the following methods:
Purchase a FlashZilla v3 from our website and install the tune at your home: https://tunezilla.com/flashzilla. A Windows 7 or newer computer is required to transfer tune files to/from the FlashZilla. Head to https://tunezilla.com/fz/guide to see instructions.
Contact and book an appointment with a dealer: https://tunezilla.com/dealers
Contact us for a rental tool ($50 fee plus $500 deposit): https://tickets.tunezilla.com/tickets/new
Bench flashing: The ECU module must be removed from the vehicle and shipped or tuned by a distributor with bench tools. This process may take longer than the other methods above. This is required if you want immobilizer delete.
Note to all 100HP 1.9L PD TDI owners (especially BEW and BRM engines): We don't recommend modifying your exhaust and intake, if you plan on keeping your turbo stock and if you are interested in maximum power. The stock turbo is prone to boost creep (overboost at high RPM), because it cannot throttle back effectively with improved exhaust flow. Below are some solutions for boost creep:
Install a larger turbo that won't overspeed with improved exhaust flow,
re-install stock parts,
or limit the high-RPM power in the tune, which we can happily help you with