[s-cars] Dead ECU -> upgrade opportunity?

[Kris Pruden]

Hi All,

I'm trying to find a silver lining in a very dark cloud.  My '95 S6
had a water leak that seems to have done in the ECU.  My mechanic
suggests that it might recover once it has dried out, but I have my
doubts.  He quotes $1600 for a replacement.  That sucks, but I got to
thinking that this might be an "opportunity" to upgrade to an
aftermarket ECU (the MTM and IA seem to be popular choices).  However,
from what I've been able to determine by reading this list, it seems
that the upgrade process involves sending in a working ECU for
reprogramming.  Is this the case?  If so, I guess it's not the
opportunity I hoped for, in which case does anyone know of a source
for a replacement ECU at a better price than $1600?

Thanks,

Kris