how soon is too soon

[JohnA]

I have had my mk6 gti now for 4 weeks and 1000kms clocked up.

Have been enjoying the car, but have the modification bug already.

First up looking at just doing the stage 1 tune, but is it too early, and if so, how long do you think i should wait.

Am very itchy, have done my research and ready to start pouncing.

Suppose if i must wait, i may just purchase a turbo back exhaust, intake and get a stage 2 tune

[Paolo]

you're good to go! bored of stock performance already? i kept mine stock until around 3500? then the mods just kept coming after

[chugga44]

my pirelli lasted 500kms before GIAC...havent touched it since though...

[HCGTI]

its never too soon :p

[Tensixty6]

Are you going to change your oil & filter at 1000ks?

[JohnA]

thanks all, looks like i will pull the trigger now

just need to make my final decision between the bluefin or the revo.

[JohnA]

Are you going to change your oil & filter at 1000ks?

Do i need to?

the dealer told me to bring it in for a free check up at 2000km and a top up

[AP]

Go for it!!

[chugga44]

12000KMS since pickup and no one has looked at mine yet...
(disclaimer: probably not the greatest recommendation)

[GBJ-R32]

I have had my mk6 gti now for 4 weeks and 1000kms clocked up.

Have been enjoying the car, but have the modification bug already.

First up looking at just doing the stage 1 tune, but is it too early, and if so, how long do you think i should wait.

Am very itchy, have done my research and ready to start pouncing.

Suppose if i must wait, i may just purchase a turbo back exhaust, intake and get a stage 2 tune

go straight to stage 2 u know ull get bored if u dont

[stephen8512]

lol ask MasterKevin how long he lasted in his MK6 before he started modding......
i dont think that thing hit 100kms on the clock! it was go go go from day 1 ahahaha

but yes, go for it!

[JohnA]

Thanks again all, will be going for it early next week.

Stephen, yes have been talking to master kevin via PM's and he has been great help :)

[JohnA]

go straight to stage 2 u know ull get bored if u dont

tell you what, after seeing the price of the miltek systems, i may be very tempted. Still can't get over the price of that system.
add an intake and stage 2 tune all of a sudden is not mega $$$$

[Paolo]

id say maybe stay stock for awhile then when you really are bored or frustrated with performance, THEN go with just the stage 1 tune. Once you get bored of that then go stage 2, etc. If you go straight to stage 2 then you might get bored sooner then go for stage 3 which is more big money and time hahah

[Bizi]

Check if anyone else wants to go in for a group buy. Have you seen Kevin's car since he did the APR full exhaust? :)

[JohnA]

id say maybe stay stock for awhile then when you really are bored or frustrated with performance, THEN go with just the stage 1 tune. Once you get bored of that then go stage 2, etc. If you go straight to stage 2 then you might get bored sooner then go for stage 3 which is more big money and time hahah

Stage 3 will never happen with this car. If i went the golf R then thats a different story.
I think stage 2 will be plenty enough for everyday use, and something the missus won't complain too much about when she has to drive it.

[JohnA]

Check if anyone else wants to go in for a group buy. Have you seen Kevin's car since he did the APR full exhaust? :)

No i haven't, however i am not prepared to pay the money for the APR system, unless i can import it.
Have seen pics of the APR system on APR's mk6 though and it does look good, but not $3100 good :)

[G-rig]

Doesnt take long before Its retune time LOL.

Still good to do a couple of thousand km though to make sure the car is running properly then you would be less likely to blame any hiccups on the retune. However should be fine..

Guy has less than 2k km and stage 3 :).

I'd just go stage 1 first as you always get used to the power so no point getting it all straight away.

[iBoost]

I think as long as you've done 1000 or 1500 kms you should be good to go.

Personally, I'll probably do Stage 1 first and then see how I go after that. Supposedly stage 1 is a big jump so I'd like to see the progress each mod makes rather than add them all on in one hit.

How much is the Milltek exhaust you are talking about? I've been looking at the APR one but $3100 is way more than I've ever paid for an exhaust for any of my other cars.

[JohnA]

the Miltek is $1100 for cat back, so figure when they have the downpipe and offer the full turbo back should be around $2k

looks like i will be doing it 1 stage at a time. As most have said, good to experience each stage to see what it does.

Am also 90% sure i will be going down the bluefin path. Seems like the guys overseas are getting the stage 2 tune for free also. Wonder if we get the same. $800 seems a good price for it also

[iBoost]

$1100 for the Milltek cat back seems a lot more reasonable to me.

The Bluefin for $800 seems like good value as well. I was talking to Master Kevin about it and he said it's a bit more conservative in Stage 1 guise than the APR or GIAC, not sure about the stage 2 though. From what I understand you send a config file of some sort to the guys at Bluefin and they make a "custom" tune for you. Is this right?

I'm also wondering how the APR tune would go with a different manufacturer's exhaust. Eg. Milltek exhaust with APR tune etc. You wouldn't want any check engine lights or anything.

[JohnA]

From what i understand with the bluefin, is they send you the hand controller and software. You plug it into your car and it uploads your stock tune. Send it to them and from that they do a custom tune that they send back to you, then you upload it.

you now have the stock tune and the stage 1 tune so you can revert back at any time.

As for APR, IMHO i think they are too overpriced here, no doubt very good from all reports though, and i wonder how they would go with mix and match components. I know some tuners don't like it when you use other manufacturers components

[iBoost]

Thanks for the info John.

Yeah that was pretty much my question, how do the other tunes go with mix and matching of components? Is the Bluefin actually more custom or tailored than the other brands?

I do agree with the recommendation of going with a tuner who is close by so you can get support if required, although MK tells me Bluefin were emailing him back and forth within minutes answering any of his questions.

[JohnA]

Not mentioning any names, but i can tell you when i had my WRX, the tuner i got the ecu tune done at and got their exhaust, told me they could not tune my car with the CAI i had purchased from another company. They told me i would have to get their pod filter (sitting exposed in engine bay) before they could finish the tune properly.

took my car and got out of there.

There is allot of info regarding the differences in tunes between the likes of bluefin, revo, apr etc etc. How much to believe i don't know. Owners of each one rave about them, and bag out the others.

[Jig]

Wow. everyone is so quick to tune their cars from the get-go. I am the total opposite. I have a rule that you dont tune cars under 1 year. There are many reasons.

1. Your internals are still bedding in and getting used to the idea that the car can actually move.
2. As a driver, you need to really become one with the car and understand its limitations and its prowess.
3. Maximize your warranty card a bit longer and minimize warranty repair challenges if the car is tuned in some form or another.
4. Lastly and more importantly, this teaches you patience. Forums like this is like an addiction. Temper the addiction and you'll do better in life.

But this is just me... Good luck with whatever mods you choose man.

[iBoost]

Good advice Jig, but I see you gave into your addiction. Eg. Supercharged R32! :D

[G-rig]

Nah just do it now!!

With that logic Jig you should have waited till your car was out of warranty before performing major modifications :). Good points though and I agree but not very patient.

[Capercat]

Wow. everyone is so quick to tune their cars from the get-go. I am the total opposite. I have a rule that you dont tune cars under 1 year. There are many reasons.

1. Your internals are still bedding in and getting used to the idea that the car can actually move.
2. As a driver, you need to really become one with the car and understand its limitations and its prowess.
3. Maximize your warranty card a bit longer and minimize warranty repair challenges if the car is tuned in some form or another.
4. Lastly and more importantly, this teaches you patience. Forums like this is like an addiction. Temper the addiction and you'll do better in life.

But this is just me... Good luck with whatever mods you choose man.

Humm, that's like waiting a year to have sex with your newly wed wife. :rolleyes:

[G-rig]

Humm, that's like waiting a year to have sex with your newly wed wife. :rolleyes:

Yeah it should be two weeks max.
(for gf's that is).

[nath_mk6]

Wow. everyone is so quick to tune their cars from the get-go. I am the total opposite. I have a rule that you dont tune cars under 1 year. There are many reasons.

1. Your internals are still bedding in and getting used to the idea that the car can actually move.
2. As a driver, you need to really become one with the car and understand its limitations and its prowess.
3. Maximize your warranty card a bit longer and minimize warranty repair challenges if the car is tuned in some form or another.
4. Lastly and more importantly, this teaches you patience. Forums like this is like an addiction. Temper the addiction and you'll do better in life.

But this is just me... Good luck with whatever mods you choose man.
I'm looking at doing my mods like this Jig enjoy the car as it is and make small visual mods and once happy with the look move on to the tune side of things. This way I'm happy and the wife is too as I'm not going to crazy gradually building the car up with my plans, that being said if I won lottery I'd go nuts!! >D

[DeanCorp]

I find visual mods a huge waste of money and waste of time. No performance gain = waste of money!

[G-rig]

I find visual mods a huge waste of money and waste of time. No performance gain = waste of money!

Yeah Ive never bothered with carbon bits or rice mods but don't mind doing the odd thing like those foot rests or better light bulbs etc.

People knock stereo improvements but at least it does something and you get a lot of use out of it.

Suspension and wheels could be considered visual mods but suspension should be functional first and I'd chose lightweight wheels over bling ones but good that everyone is different or it would be boring.

[HCGTI]

I find visual mods a huge waste of money and waste of time. No performance gain = waste of money!

HAHAHA
totally agree.
sleeper FTW!!
plus no one looks at my car, not even the cops. lol

[G-rig]

HAHAHA
totally agree.
sleeper FTW!!
plus no one looks at my car, not even the cops. lol

Have you upgraded the brakes yet to match the power ??

[Tensixty6]

What's the point in performance gains. Even in standard form the GTI is too potent for today's traffic filled roads. Too many cameras and radars, all waiting to take your license away.

[HCGTI]

Have you upgraded the brakes yet to match the power ??

nope.
haven't really touched it for a year now.
and now that interest rates on the up won't be for a while now..........

plus my missus doesn't want me spending money on the car anymore....:(

[MasterKevin]

DON"T DO IT ! Once you start you wont stop !!

[nath_mk6]

I find visual mods a huge waste of money and waste of time. No performance gain = waste of money!

Hey mate your opinion, welcome to it.

On that though whats the point in having a car that has 400awkw that only ever sees the street or odd track days, you cant use it and if you do there goes your license.

Its all about making the car yours, everyone has their own way of going about it and thats what makes communities like this one so good.

Imagine how boring this place would be if we all had the same tune, the same car etc etc

So before you go knocking others decisions think about it for a second.

O and there is a huge difference between tastefully done mods and putting flashy chrome and CF absolutely everywhere (aka Hyundai's) just look at Suga or 10Ds cars, very nicely done with visual mods, and then the power underneath to provide that extra thrill

[JohnA]

DON"T DO IT ! Once you start you wont stop !!

hehe

speaking from experience :)

i think i can stop. Besides, i think stage 3 will be too much for a FWD vehicle, so stage 2 should be enough with some suspension mods to top it off nicely

[AP]

I couldn't stop when I started!! Hahaha

[G-rig]

Hopefully Deancorp doesn't loose his license but I think it's only a matter of time with that weapon. Also he's got personalized plates so voids his whole argument haha.

Nothing wrong with making the car personalized to you, and I like some comfort mods/options as well as performance mods (wasted too much on the R32 on things that don't really make it much better than a stock one around town).

Agree that the stock gti is stil easy to speed in around town and swear it feels quicker than my Mk5 R32. Still looking forward to stage 1 as the upgrade is a no brainer compared to doing anything on a N/A.

Stage 1 or 2 is the logical place to stop as the jump to stage 3 although bonkers, is quite costly and can't put all the power down in a fwd.

[G-rig]

Apparently too soon isn't too soon, got the APR retune yesterday =D. Can really hear and feel the turbo now.

[DeanCorp]

Hopefully Deancorp doesn't loose his license but I think it's only a matter of time with that weapon. Also he's got personalized plates so voids his whole argument haha.


Actually G-Rig the Euro plates gave an extra 3kwatw. I don't think I will lose my license, but thanks for the support.

[G-rig]

Actually G-Rig the Euro plates gave an extra 3kwatw. I don't think I will lose my license, but thanks for the support.

Yeah, it would be a shame after the effort you've put into the car :).

I didn't realise that the plates were a hard performance mod not a cosmetic one LOL.

I still need to get some as the normal plates look crap in colour and with the euro holder.

[Bizi]

DON"T DO IT ! Once you start you wont stop !!


I couldn't stop when I started!! Hahaha

Don't stop til you get enough!

Then start over with something even more exotic... and keep everyone thinking, what can he do to top the last one?

:D

The next couple of months will be interesting considering what some people are doing to their VWs.

Just do what you can handle... no point turning into a modaholic.

[JohnA]

Apparently too soon isn't too soon, got the APR retune yesterday =D. Can really hear and feel the turbo now.

great news and happy to read you are happy with it.

I have decided on bluefin, but just holding off on some confirmation about this encrypted software on ECU's in mk6 cars.

[G-rig]

great news and happy to read you are happy with it.

I have decided on bluefin, but just holding off on some confirmation about this encrypted software on ECU's in mk6 cars.

Cheers mate, certainly a great improvement.

Are bluefin able to unlock the new MK6 yet? APR have the tool but mine didn't require it and worked fine from the direct port.

[MasterKevin]

Well the good thing for us is our ECUs same as UKs and not the US.

hence our plug and play still ;)

Lucky us over the Americans for ONCE lol lol

[G-rig]

Well the good thing for us is our ECUs same as UKs and not the US.

hence our plug and play still ;)

Lucky us over the Americans for ONCE lol lol

Yeah, although i still thought most new MK6 would require taking the ECU out, but the earlier ones weren't 'locked'.

Either way the car sounds and feels better :).

[JohnA]

Well the good thing for us is our ECUs same as UKs and not the US.

hence our plug and play still ;)

Lucky us over the Americans for ONCE lol lol


Kevin, i know you told me this via PM also, but this is from a UK tuner, this is why i am still concerned.

http://www.jkm.org.uk/performance/Misc/Misc_Performance_pictures/Superchips/BluefinInstructions/bluefin2010notice.gif

However talking to some bluefin tuners both here and the uk, they have had no issues as yet.
One of the on sellers here in Aus though has been very helpful. One of their tech guys will be in melbourne soon, so they will check mine to see if its locked or not.

[obiwan]

Hmmm, watching closely. Getting ready to pounce myself.

[obiwan]

G-rig, when the new version of APR Stage 1 comes out soon, do you get that at no charge?

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4826908

[G-rig]

Haven't read/heard about that myself yet, but dont see why not - APR offer free updates standard as far as i know (will have to check the site).

[JohnA]

Hmmm, watching closely. Getting ready to pounce myself.

hello obi, fancy seeing you here also :)

[MasterKevin]

hahaha either way im guessing whateva you tune you go with. You will be very happy :D

[G-rig]

Ps i had 1700km on the clock. That's A good run in.

[DeanCorp]

Ps i had 1700km on the clock. That's A good run in.

I heard APR tune needs more than 1700km on the clock for the car to be run in properly ;)

[G-rig]

I heard APR tune needs more than 1700km on the clock for the car to be run in properly ;)

It's run in at the factory and by the wharfies so don't worry Dean.

No 'Extreme' misfires or codes so I'm happy.

[obiwan]

I know John, I can't help myself, here I am in yet another forum.

[obiwan]

Oh oh. I accidently "pounced" this afternoon. Wish there wasn't so much traffic getting home, but I'll be off to trivia soon, lets see how quick I can there.

[G-rig]

Sounds good :D, let us know what you think too.

[JohnA]

Oh oh. I accidently "pounced" this afternoon. Wish there wasn't so much traffic getting home, but I'll be off to trivia soon, lets see how quick I can there.

did you go APR

[obiwan]

um, yeah, I did. Went to the APR head office/garage so to speak here in Brisbane. Got caught up in the moment. Was shown their Stage Three fitted out red GTI, a hot porsche, and a red audi s3. Was offered the free 6hr trial, but decided to just buy it and be done with it and got it installed then and there. Saved me from having to go back another time. So far I've only driven it to and from the pub for tonights trivia, but so far, loving it. Had me smiling all over again.

[JohnA]

great work and congrats.
looking forward to read your thoughts once you have had a good play with it :)

[JohnA]

well no bluefin for me.
Had Peter from superchips over today and unfortunately we get a missmatch error on the blufin controller. So i have the encrypted ECU

NOT HAPPY

[G-rig]

well no bluefin for me.
Had Peter from superchips over today and unfortunately we get a missmatch error on the blufin controller. So i have the encrypted ECU

NOT HAPPY

Assume you didn't have to pay then?

APR can do the encrypted ECU's, maybe give them a call..

[JohnA]

no didn't have to pay them.
They were a great help and offered to come and do it as this was my main concern. Did not want to order one, find it didn't work then send it back.
So great service from them.

I do know APR and others can do encrypted ECU's but it means removing the ecu and solder in the EMCS module.
I assume this would be easily found by dealers if something were to go wrong and required warranty work

[vanboy]

well no bluefin for me.
Had Peter from superchips over today and unfortunately we get a missmatch error on the blufin controller. So i have the encrypted ECU

NOT HAPPY

Do you know if all Aus delivered mk6's were encrypted, or is it based on build date?

[JohnA]

depends on build date. mine is december 09 build

[G-rig]

no didn't have to pay them.
They were a great help and offered to come and do it as this was my main concern. Did not want to order one, find it didn't work then send it back.
So great service from them.

That sounds pretty good, much easier/better than buying the handheld device then having to post it back to the UK (or wherever) if it doesn't work.. then wait for a refund etc.


depends on build date. mine is december 09 build

Mine is 12/09 build and didn't need anything special (OBX port as normal).

[vanboy]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm guessing it was phased in, so newer ones like my would probably be encrypted :(

Where are they based in Melbourne JohnA?

[JohnA]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm guessing it was phased in, so newer ones like my would probably be encrypted :(

Where are they based in Melbourne JohnA?

No one in Melbourne, i had the superchips rep from overseas come pay me a visit at home.
It was setup by a QLD based dealer that i was dealing through.

[vanboy]

Wow.. sounds like great service from them. Pity about the encryption. What are you plans now?

[JohnA]

Wow.. sounds like great service from them. Pity about the encryption. What are you plans now?

i'll just play the waiting game. I am sure within a year they will overcome the issue. If not car stays stock for warranty period

[G-rig]

Good luck waiting :)

I put mine back into stock mode the other day, lol.

[JohnA]

waiting will be hard, but i don't want to be pulling the ECU out to get a tune done.

[elisiX]

I'm 900km in and emailed Derek this morning about getting Stage I + Carbonio done.

Am waiting on pricing and if he looks after me, I might just go straight to Stage II.

Will most likely wait until 1500-2000km are on the car.

[G-rig]

waiting will be hard, but i don't want to be pulling the ECU out to get a tune done.

It's probably not a big deal, do you know if the dealer would even take out the ECU and check it in the event of a claim? May be worth getting some more info about it, ie if you can easily tell as they may use new screws etc?

Almost everyone with a GTI retunes it so don't think you'd have too many dramas but better to wait if you're not sure.


I'm 900km in and emailed Derek this morning about getting Stage I + Carbonio done.

Am waiting on pricing and if he looks after me, I might just go straight to Stage II.

Will most likely wait until 1500-2000km are on the car.

Do you think you'll get the full TBE or downpipe setup? I think the full exhaust is probably worth it if the price was right.

The airbox isn't technically required for stage 2, but recommended i think.

Still not sure if it's worth the cost for the extra ~10kW atw over the stage 1 tune, but would be more responsive and sound good, and Corey said it feels better than the numbers may suggest. Should be good for 170kw atw.

[JohnA]

not sure what extremes the dealer would go to for a warranty claim. Just not sure i want to take the risk on a 3 month old car

[elisiX]

The gain doesnt sound like too much on paper G.. but I imagine as you say the response, feel and sound make up for it.

Exhaust is expansive, and unless its discounted, I am not interested.

[G-rig]

I'm tempted to get an intake next, the new Carbonio's seem very great.

Although money may be spent putting it towards stage 2 first, then add the stage 2 intake pipe later as well.

[G-rig]

waiting will be hard, but i don't want to be pulling the ECU out to get a tune done.


not sure what extremes the dealer would go to for a warranty claim. Just not sure i want to take the risk on a 3 month old car

Did you call APR to find out how they do it? I checked with Guy and he confirmed that:

"there is no soldering, no module required for the newer MK6 GTI’s.

The ECU does have to be removed, but definitely is not modified in any way"

All the tuners have to pull the ecu, so could be waiting for an awful long time for a tune.

[iBoost]

I see APR have the end of financial year sale on.

I only picked up my GTI the other day but I'm tempted to get the APR tune done while it's on sale. It's only done 300 kms so far. Should I wait for 1500 or 2000 kms first or should I get the APR tune while it's on sale and run it in stock mode until run in?

I was intending to wait longer but I hear they only do sales at end of financial year and at Christmas.

G-rig - Did you say that the car sounded better after getting the APR tune done? I was thinking of going for just the tune right now and the Carbonio or other intake later on.

[bwen]

I see APR have the end of financial year sale on.

I only picked up my GTI the other day but I'm tempted to get the APR tune done while it's on sale. It's only done 300 kms so far. Should I wait for 1500 or 2000 kms first or should I get the APR tune while it's on sale and run it in stock mode until run in?

I was intending to wait longer but I hear they only do sales at end of financial year and at Christmas.

G-rig - Did you say that the car sounded better after getting the APR tune done? I was thinking of going for just the tune right now and the Carbonio or other intake later on.

I don't think you need to wait during that 'run in' period, modern day EFI cars are pretty good with their fuel management system so I don't think you would see any detrimental ware and tare on your engine though I think there would be quite a few people that would disagree. If you decide to get the APR tune now and an aftermarket intake in the future, APR will update your tune for free if I recall.

[G-rig]

I'd normally try and get 1000-1500km on it but up to you.. Not sure how it affects anything with the run in period as they are mostly run in at the factory anyway.

Sounds good, can hear the blow off kind of sound a lot more.

Not sure you need a new tune for airbox do you?

[iBoost]

Yeah probably safer to wait until it's fully run in in a month or two but it's tempting to go for it now and save a few dollars! Hmmm what to do?!?!?!

[chugga44]

Yeah probably safer to wait until it's fully run in in a month or two but it's tempting to go for it now and save a few dollars! Hmmm what to do?!?!?!
drive to brisbane and back and get your km's up.
i dont get the whole concept of a run in though...can anyone explain what is achieved by this so called run in?

[bwen]

I'd normally try and get 1000-1500km on it but up to you.. Not sure how it affects anything with the run in period as they are mostly run in at the factory anyway.

Sounds good, can hear the blow off kind of sound a lot more.

Not sure you need a new tune for airbox do you?
I don't know :S I just assumed you did lol


Yeah probably safer to wait until it's fully run in in a month or two but it's tempting to go for it now and save a few dollars! Hmmm what to do?!?!?!
Get the tune now, and run the stock map if you're worried until it's run in then switch back to tuned :)

[iBoost]

Yeah I suppose running the stock map for the first 1500 kms would be alright. I'm not that keen on the ECU being removed but it doesn't sound like anyone has a solution for that anytime soon...

[G-rig]

I don't know :S I just assumed you did lol

You may do, i don't know haha. Not doing too many mods too quickly and airbox isn't at the top of the list.



Get the tune now, and run the stock map if you're worried until it's run in then switch back to tuned :)

That's a great idea if you're worried. I think would be good to to 1000 then good to go. All the run in theorys are fairly objective and they are run in at the factory, although plenty of threads on it not sure how much difference it makes. As long as you are varying the revs (while avoiding redlining too much for the first 1500km) and allow the engine water & oil temps to warm up can't go too far wrong.

[iBoost]

Yeah all good points guys.

G-Rig - How many kms did you have on your GTI by the time you did your APR upgrade?

Are you running it in Stage 1 mode all the time now or stock sometimes as well? I'm guessing once you get it you never go back, am I right?

EDIT: Also, I emailed Derek from European Autotech and he said that the ECU does not need to be removed. I was under the impression that the later build Mark VIs had to have the ECU removed...

[G-rig]

G-Rig - How many kms did you have on your GTI by the time you did your APR upgrade?

Hi mate, had approximately 1700km on the clock. I put most of that on driving from ACT back up to here, so that was my run in. Still varied the revs quite a bit and included some urban driving. Not sure how much difference it makes these days


Are you running it in Stage 1 mode all the time now or stock sometimes as well? I'm guessing once you get it you never go back, am I right?

No point going back to stock unless you're going for a service at the dealers or warranty work.

[iBoost]

Thanks for the info mate. I think I remember reading that your ECU did not have to removed as yours was an '09 build, although I thought I saw JohnA say that he couldn't get Bluefin without it being removed.

So I'm not sure if APR has somehow overcome this issue now as I've been told that the ECU will not need to be removed. However mine is a 2010 build so hopefully this is the case. Can anyone shed any more light on this?

[G-rig]

Hi mate that's correct, mine didn't have to be removed. I'm not sure if it's the build date or something else that determines it but you could go around there and see if it needs to be.