The DIY approach has nothing to do with any potential shortfalls with components though, most issues expressed like what you listed would have and could have come from a bespoke remap too. I know of plenty personal examples where APR tuned TDI cars have been put under undue stress and resulted in issues but it turned out this was more of the fault of the cars "weak" components that a remap just exagerrated.
I've spoken to Michael quite a bit over the past few days so im more clued up on it as it's fresh in my mind. Whether you go into a
shop to get the ECU map done by superchips or get the "file" downloaded from them to your bluefin it's the same tune, same results. The DIY method they have developed is purely convenience based (and it's super friggin easy to do, my mates sister without any prior car knowledge was able to do it on her Polo by just following the instructions and waiting for the file). It's literally stick in car, copy tune to bluefin, plug in PC, upload it, wait a bit, get a file back, put the file on the bluefin then reconnect the bluefin to the car start her up and on you go with a tune, it's brilliant from what i've experienced.
Just a shame newer 1.8/2.0L engines have different ECU security so they having trouble getting them working for the bluefin currently but the
shop map is still available. Being able to reset to stock with the device is another major plus.
At the end of the day, the figures they quote are "Best possible". For example with m car, the car they had the dyno was already putting out 195BHP STOCK if you look at the file they have uploaded:
http://www.superchips.co.uk/curves/18tsi180CJSA.pdf so that's a "best case" scenario as also Michael explained.
Do what you prefer, but from "passenger" experience for many 1000's of miles in people i know who have them, they are bloody brilliant, work very well as advertised and come with a plethora of research behind them.
EDIT
Oh OP you have a 14 plate? That's not "new" then is it
. Haha in any case ignore my PSA about it not working on your ECU, the bluefin will work for your car perfectly fine, just not for me on my post April 2015 car currently.