AHhh you're killing me. shut up already. :/
My TDI is not stock. I have larger injector nozzles, re-mapped EDU, and muffler delete now, and a turbo intake pipe ready to go on soon. But honestly I'll probably never buy a larger inter-cooler for this car. It's just not worth it. Unless I find a good deal on a used one.
I am, however, generally of the opinion that all pipe work on a turbocharged car is worthy of an upgrade... intake to turbo, intercooler & piping, full exhaust. I did this on my last car (turbo eclipse) and it RIPPED, and I got well over EPA #s while driving like a maniac. As in est. 260 WHP in a 2700 lb hatchback. Can't believe I never killed myself, actually... On this car I sent out my stock intercooler and had larger inlet/outlet pipes welded on in place of the originals; supposedly reduced 1.5 psi pressure drop or so. Anything that can make the turbo breathe easier will decrease pumping losses, = more power under every condition except no load. But I think what Tas was referring to is the fact that at cruising load (nearly all my driving), the engine doesn't flow enough air or make enough power for an intercooler replacement to even be noticeable. There isn't much pressure drop when your flow rate is low. It would still benefit someone racing around all the time (due to reduced heatsoak), but my IAT's are already low.
Anyway, I'll probably order these for my tdi eventually:
Upgraded Intercooler Pipes (A4-ALH) [icpipeseta4] - TDI Parts - TDIParts.com
A little more affordable, and plus the stock pipes are like drinking straws.