3.3TT Wagner Intercooler Installed

[ecko04]

I'm starting a new Wager IC thread since I received mine today and installed it.

I'm going to get straight to it.

Cons

1. One side of the IC was missing M6 rivnuts and the one threat that had the rivnut was cross threaded.
2. The instructions were trash! I mean, I know it's a German company but c'mon
3. Prepare to loose some transmission fluid from the transmission cooler in order to reposition the metal nuts. But it's better to loose some fluid than to pull too hard on the cooler and potentially damage it.
4. While yes, the IC is technically bolt on, be prepared to spend at least 3-4 hours installing (it took me about 6 hours and 3 trips to Home Depot).
5. The IC was clearly never tested on a USDM Stinger. The lower IC air baffle cannot be used, at least without designing a bracket, on the USDM Stinger.

Other markets have a front crossbar that extends downwards (area in red) which is where the lower IC air baffle would attach.

Pros

1. The IC itself is well designed and the end tanks appear to be solidly made
2. The IC clamps, while worm clamps, are not cheap and do not deform easily
3. The IC is massive, but air seems to flow fine through to the radiator and transmission cooler

Tips

1. You need a metric rivnut tool. Stateside it's easy to find standard rivnut tools. You can get by with the standard tool if instead of using the M5 rivnuts that come with the intercooler, you use 10-24, which is the equivalent of M5, just standard and therefore easier to find.
2. Anticipate that at least one of the M6 rivnuts will not be secured in place, or it will be cross threaded, therefore making it impossible to tighten. You will likely have to drill out this rivet and replace it. The closest standard equivalent to M6 is 1/4.
3. If you are replacing any of the hardware with standard, try to use stainless hex cap screws so they match and don't forget the appropriate sized washer.
4. The intercooler hoses look identical but they are different. You'll know if you have them on the wrong side, since sadly, they do not come labeled.
5. Having an angle grinder available makes removing cross threaded rivnuts quick and easy.
6. You do not need to remove the entire underbody panel. Loosening each side provides enough clearance to remove the intercooler clamps.
7. You do not need to jack the front end of the car.

A mistake was made by some who believed that simply being made by Wagner meant an excellent product without so much as seeing the IC mounted to a USDM Stinger says a lot about misguided brand loyalty. I do believe the IC is good but @ $1100USD, a lower baffle that cannot be used, and shoddy instructions, I believe the luster of Wagner faded.

Additionally, since it was mentioned in the previous thread, it's worth mentioning that the instructions that come with the IC include instructions for the Wagner charge pipe. So that is clearly in the making but i'm not going for it since I believe it was by the luck of the draw that the IC mated up without issue.

However, it does make us wonder if they also have intentions of selling the air snorkels that were in one of their published photos for the product, and led many to believe would be included in the package, but weren’t. Yet their decision was once again blindly accepted by some as Wagner knowing what they’re doing.

I digress. Unless Wagner is doing some R&D, or at least test fitting, in all markets in which they sell their products, i'd be weary.

 

[NICK_KHAR]

Damn that thing looks unnecessarily big

 

[turboAWD]

Thanks for being the guinea pig.

From the sounds of it, Wagner should get in touch with you and fix all issues you uncovered ASAP and give you a partial refund, if they hope to actually sell any more.. After all, they are positioning themselves as a "premium german" product - seems like they barely met the knock-off chinese standard.

 

[soulevo8]

Great work and a great write up. Excellent information.

 

[Metalmania82]

Sounds like $1100 is most definitely NOT justified for this thing. Glad you found this for everyone but sucks you had to be the victim.

 

[ecko04]

Sounds like $1100 is most definitely NOT justified for this thing. Glad you found this for everyone but sucks you had to be the victim.

What really grinds my gears is the misinformation about this IC as being a direct swap, no modifications, etc. Vendors were stating this and hadn't even touched one based on information from Wagner instead of remaining objective, which just infuriates me. Folks making purchasing decisions based on incorrect information.

Now, the IC itself is well built, the end tanks are solid, the silicone hoses are good, and the worm clamps are great. $1100 though, given the issues I experienced, i'm sure there are others out there that can give the Wagner a run for their money and perhaps those others will provide parts that were actually tested on a USDM Stinger.

 

[xot1]

Oh sucks to hear that there are fitment issues on the USDM cars...
On the Korean models (and probably the european models too), the fitment is absolutely perfect and it takes less than an hour to install.
We did the install without even looking at the manual.

 

[STINGER]

Did you happen to weigh both the stock intercooler and wagner for comparison?

I also remember having a chat with Wagner on facebook in Dec or maybe Jan and they did say that they are working on a chargepipe, not sure why they haven't released it though.

 

[xot1]

Soon

 

[ecko04]

Oh sucks to hear that there are fitment issues on the USDM cars...
On the Korean models (and probably the european models too), the fitment is absolutely perfect and it takes less than an hour to install.
We did the install without even looking at the manual.

I’ve had my bumper off in less than 5 mins. I thought for sure I’d have the old one off and the new one on in 90 mins. Boy was I wrong.

I figured the manual would at least be useful for understanding where the lower baffle attached. Like you said though clearly the Korean and EU models are were it was designed. Even a little asterisk staying as much to at least give a clue that certain aspects will differ for the USDM would've been immensely useful.

I have a doctorate, pretty handy and worked for a bit in the automotive industry and I was sitting there staring like where TF does this baffle attach? I hadn’t even had a beer at the time, nor did I afterwards.

 

[ecko04]

Did you happen to weigh both the stock intercooler and wagner for comparison?

No. I’m not a stickler for weight savings.

But, put it like this, the stock intercooler you can pickup with 1 hand and not worry that you’d mistakenly drop it. It’s unbelievably light. You’re not doing that with the Wagner, it’s a beefy unit.

Also, UPS billed the Wagner as 50 lbs (including the packaging, which is rather minimal in terms of weight). It’s probably close to that weight.

 

[robz32]

Great review and information.

Thank you.

 

[ecko04]

Got a call from Wagner today just calling about impressions and feedback on the IC.

I greatly appreciated the call, and while I forgot the name of the gentleman I was speaking with, I could tell he was attentively listening and taking notes. He apologized for the inconvenience during the install and did say that Wagner hopes to do some R&D stateside to prevent issues where UK and Korean vehicles are primarily used for development, but the USDM vehicles may have differences. I made sure I told him that the inconveniences were minor and didn’t prevent me from installing g the product or did it hinder the end result.

We spoke about everything from the instructions, to silicone couplers, fitment, installation, time, value, and effectiveness. The call lasted nearly 30 minutes.

At the end of the call he found this thread and was walking through some of the issues I pointed out.

I could still Wagner is gathering customer feedback and impressions to improve their product, and that’s a good sign.

 

[turboAWD]

Cool. I sent them a message on facebook last week with a link to this thread, hoping they'd do a "v1.1" or something.. Because it sounds like it's a great part, just a little rough around the edges..

 

[cncBilly]

Any updates on this?

 

[Dominicstg2]

Oh sucks to hear that there are fitment issues on the USDM cars...
On the Korean models (and probably the european models too), the fitment is absolutely perfect and it takes less than an hour to install.
We did the install without even looking at the manual.

Hey bro I'm looking at installing this on australian stinger it will fit without issues right?

 

[Przemek]

Any review of the Wagner IC? How is the car performing, especially while cruising at low speeds?
I've ordered Mishimoto, but given the newest information about its weight, increasing temp while cruising and the need to trim some parts in the EU version, I am leaning towards Wagner