Bought car with ecutek tune...what now?
 

I bought a 14 firestorm monogram frs in june..used 1600miles, but a cpo car. The trans was trashed (6mt). Dealer replaced, no issues. Noticed soon after the car rev matched durring downshifts, thought it was normal lol. Now being better informed, the car definitely has a ecutek tune, not the racerom. Now to my question wid dem tax dollaz I want a OFT. Will the oft see the ecutek rom as my stock rom, can i even use the oft (ive been told ecutek locks the rom), does oft support auto blip rev matching and all the other goodies that ecutek has and how do the compare. Sorry for the shitty sentence structure..im on my phone.

If there's an EcuTek license on there, you'd be wasting a ton of money and time going with anything but. You can just get the cable/dongle for way less than the other options (we do them for 329) and then you'll use that license and have the full features of ProECU and make your own tune. You can even import the OFT tunes or open source tunes if you want a base file.

How do i know if its licensed w/o spending 329 dollhairs?

OFT currently supports no-lift shift and launch control. No auto-blip or flex-fuel support at this time. If you want an OFT, the best thing would be to visit any Ecutek dealer and ask them to flash the ECU back to stock. At which point the OFT can be installed as normal.

If you keep your Ecutek flash there, you can still use the OFT on-board datalogging, digital gauge displays, tuner alerts, etc,. But you will not be able to use the read/write functionality. Also worth mentioning that with the Ecutek tune installed, the dealership will not be able to update ECU software.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask or email us at sales@openflashperformance.com :)

Cheers
shiv

Thanks, as much as i like the oft, i guess im stuck with the ecutek. :mad:

if you have the ecutek features it will have licence embedded in ecu firmware.
ecu will be locked to all but ecutek system
you can still log just unable to read\write uless done by ecutek system ie you buy cable or by ecutek tuner.

look at it another way you got a free ecutek licience worth $400 :D

Yea but if i get caught with the tune at the dealer my 100k warranty is gone. Main reason i wanted the oft. Plus i dont know of any ecutek dealers in nc

Not sure how you worked that out, how is OFT any different to ECUtek in that regard? A tune is a tune.

Oft easy to flash back stock

Because when you flash with Ecutek, the ECU is usually locked and prohibits flashing with any other device (even the factory diagnostic tool). At that point onwards, only an Ecutek cable can flash the ECU. I suspect this is primarily to prevent the Ecutek license from being lost in case the dealer overwrites the ECU during a software update. With the OFT, there is no software license so as long as you flash your ECU back to stock before dealer visits, any software update by the dealership just involves you erasing your OFT and reinstalling it.

Ok what everone is saying is correct in a way

Your in a bit of a bind because with no ecutek dealer near by to flash you back a stock ecutek rom, your ging to need to buy a ecutek cable for about $400 and do it your self.

If you spending that then you may as well stay with ecutek, unless you can get to an ecutek tuner and they can flash it to stock for you.

With an ecutek stock rom in the car its unlikely dealer would pick anything as its a srock rom but has ecutek licience info in it. But average dealer does not have facilities to pull roms and analyse they just reflash.

I can pick ecutek stock rom by comparing it to real stock rom with hex editor.

With your current ecutek tuned rom the dealer cannot flash and may notice the auto blip features or map switching ect. or they may assume ecu is stuffed. depends if they are trying to wezzel out of expensive warantee work.

To switch to oft and be able to flash a completly stock rom, your still going to need to get a stock ecutek rom flashed somehow as oft or anything other than ecutek cannot flash your car till that is done.

not sure if you could complain to the car dealer you bought car from or maybe talked to previois owner thay may even have an ecutek cable.

i understand why ecutek lock ecu but it does suck in your situation.

Nah, dealer is a pos. They hate me lol

No easier or harder than ECUtek.

If you flash a stock ROM with EcuTek, the ECU will no longer be locked and the dealer will be able to flash updates, etc. You will also be able to flash other tunes from other solutions as well.

It would seem your car is already tuned, why not stay with the tune/setup it has, since the bulk of the tuning investment is already done?

You will need an EcuTek cable kit (Cable and Dongle) to flash back to stock and/or data log and tune further. You could visit a local EcuTek dealer to check it out/flash it, buy an EcuTek cable kit, or even borrow someone's kit. The kits can be shared. The cable kit includes the cable, dongle, and advanced software for flashing, advanced data logging and graphing, and tuning. See here: http://www.brz-parts.com/cms-ecu-cab.html

- Bob

Hi Bob-- If an Ecutek'd licensed ECU had it software updated by the dealership, the license would be overwritten/lost correct? This would require that the user show proof of dealership work to their tuner. The tuner would then send them another license and get reimbursed by Ecutek. Having been an Ecutek tuner myself for so many years, this is how I remember it. Perhaps the process has changed?

You only need to a cable. There's no trip to an EcuTek tuner involved. Anyone with EcuTek has the stock ROM to flash back in and make that trip if they want to. Once the stock file is back on anything can be used to flash the ECU. Your wording seems to incorrectly convey that the ECU is permanently locked. You left out the important part.

This is no more complicated then sending a cell phone picture of a receipt. It is a completely painless and easy process that takes us all of two minutes to do and is turned around within a business day. I'm not sure why you had such a tough time with it but we have done it dozens of times without any issues.

Also lets not forget the countless people whose tunes we updated when we had the new revision before the local Subaru dealer. Unless there updating the firmware on a component aside from the main engine controller (i.e. ABS module which isn't locked anyway), there is no need to go to the dealer to get an ECU update when you use EcuTek.

Lets not forget i have no receipt or documentation. The car was purchased with no info from the previous owner. The dealership got the car from another dealer in sanford, nc.

Is the car warrantied still? Tell the dealer the car is doing weird things when you downshift and maybe theyll replace your ECU for you and you'll be back to stock.


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Maybe, i havent had a good experience with the dealer. Ill give the service manager a call tomorrow.

i am sure each ecutek licience number is unique so if yu get a cable or take it to ecutek tuner you can read the ecutek licience info from your ecu so you wont need doco.

By "CPO" do you mean certified Pre-owned?
Did you buy it from the Scion dealer?

If so, then you shoudl take it back and complain profusely that they gave you a car with a non-factory tune on it.
If you can get them to admit it was their mistake, then they would have to fix it. And would probably extend your warranty instead of putting it in your record as a negative thing if they were to discover it later.

Yea it was a scion dealer, why would i complain. I was going to buy an oft, but already having the ecutek tune makes me go a different route..same end to a means

Because in your OP you stated you wanted an OFT. You can't put thenOFT on an ECUTek locked tune, so we have you the advice to complain to the dealer that you've got some funky ECU mods that they should remove by reflashing or replacing the ECU.

If, on the other hand, you actually want to keep ECUTek, then just buy the cable/dongle and a tune as the ECUTek tuners suggest. I thought you needed the dongle associated to the license on the car, I guess not.


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Glad you mentioned that. With an EcuTek cable, you can connect and grab the license info from the ECU. Take a photo or screen capture. No visit to an EcuTek dealer needed. That would be the documentation you need to replace the license if lost.

They are independent of each other. The dongle is just the software license for the laptop/computer enabling ProECU to run. You can key tunes to a specific dongle ID so they can't be shared and viewed by another dongle, but the license for the ECU just allows it to be flashed & logged by any laptop running ProECU.

Mike do you know if there are instructions on how to flash back to factory setting?

If you were closer to me I would help you out but I am up north in CT.

How about we put out a call to all twin owners in the OP's area and see if we can't help him out. Find the right file to reload and send him on his way.
I'm in Savannah, a little far, by if needed I'll grab the cable and my laptop and go on up. I'm sure there is someone closer though.
Let's help a guy out.


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I'd be annoyed with the previous owner for not mentioning the tune and the dealer for either not saying anything, or worse, not figuring it out. The previous owner thrashed the transmission, what else did he not give a shit about? I'd find a way to get the dealer to take ownership of that engine.

No willing to help the OP out? I'm out for now, going to 12 hr shifts for the foreseeable future.
Any chance of finding the original owner to see if he still has the cable.



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Now a few other tidbits. The auto FRS/BRZ does rev match on down shift. I mention this as I did not see what you had MT or AT. if MT then rev matching is possible, but I believe there is a sequence that has to be followed for rev match to occur. The other bit is to pull the cruise control stalk towards you. If the needle goes to the one on the tach, and then move the stalk up. If the needle moves up, as many as four maps, then you definitely have an ECUTEK tune.


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That depends on wether the tune has racerom features or not. My ecutek doent have multiple maps

THIS^

Dealers will deny any engine warranty work for anyone who has their car tuned because it is not OEM. So are they going to cover your warranty work because they sold you a car that was tuned? They certified it. My fear is that you will go to have warranty work done and they will accuse you of tuning the car, and will deny your claim.

The trashed transmission could also be a negative sign of the previous owner.

I said could for a reason. I need a new tranny thanks to bad synchros and I do not thrash my car. I drive spiritedly but im not chirping tires between shifts as I race down the track.

Look, if you're already planning to get a tune there's no point to get a new ECU and go with OFT. Should you have an issue you need to have warranty work performed, (at a dealer you say hates you already ... srs?) they will be able to see that you've flashed the ECU, the ECU has a counter for that.

so might as well stick with ECUTEK and find a good tuner, one of the best is just a short drive down to florida once you decide to go boosted.

Ecutek has a flash counter in its software, as yet no one has found one in ECU itself

If you have found this counter please enlighten me as to its locatiion.

Carnt find it in Techstream, and it appears dealers cannot either as i have worked with guys with bricked ecu and dealers suspected tune but unable to prove.

He doesnt need a new ecu, any ecuteck tuner can flash it back to stock for him, or he can if he bought an ecutek cable. His ecutek licience is embedded in his ecu. Once back to stock he can then flash with any other flashing system.

Although i agree why blow an ecutek licience its worth $350 , and some ecutek tuners will do a flash and go tune for about $350 in usa or if he buys cable kit he can flash himself.

OP you're going around in circles with this thread.

If it really has an ecutek tune then get a dongle..
 

You made out like a bandit if it already has an ecutek tune.

Kinda funny, the guy who had the car may be one of those guys who sold their cable on ebay without a license without realizing he needed to unflash the car first...lol.

If so, buy yourself a dongle and pull the flash off. Worst case, then you have a cable WITH license that you can sell to someone else, but if you're eventually going FI you'd be better off with ecutek anyways and flex fuel, that's the only option right now.

Jaden

The license is non-transferable I thought? Once in the car, it stays with the car, no? Otherwise I think we'd see more licenses being sold secondhand versus just cables/dongles.

Yeah, he's wrong. There's no need to un-flash a car at all. The license is ECU specific and has no bearing on dongle or cable.

well...
 

Then that's just one more reason I'm glad I didn't go with Ecutek...

Jaden