ECU locked!!

[sparkyc]

Went to tcs to get the car mapped today and along with a couple of other probs they found that the ecu is locked and there fore cannot be mapped!!! custom code put a stage one map on for me and have locked it which i think is well out of order. its my car surley i can take it to who i want and do what i like to it!! no mention of locking the ecu was made to me when getting it mapped, are they even allowed to do this!?

 

[truCido]

any decent remapping place would be able flash that off...

 

[carlossus]

The ECU wont be locked for writing, only from reading. You can still flash over the CC with the right tools. Not sure why TCS can't do it.

Best bet is to get CC to flash back to stock for you first.

 

[sparkyc]

they said they would have to put a new chip in and map onto that? cant flash it as doing a custom map not just a generic software???

 

[truCido]

Doesn't matter, they should be able to flash it back to stock and then go from there

 

[carlossus]

Go somewhere else, they're talking nonsense.

 

[Seatmann]

Sounds right enough, some need a chip like mine and some don't, you can find out through the ecu number. I couldn't get a map either so went the bigger injector route for now. I need to get a spare ecu first to try a new chip as there's a risk of it being fried.

 

[truCido]

You've got a TDI its a completely different setup to the 1.8T's

 

[Seatmann]

You've got a TDI its a completely different setup to the 1.8T's

I know but some of the 1.8t's are the same, get the number off the ecu, either on the sticker or using vagcom or similar and ask the tuning companies. The same issue was on another forum and the ecu did need a chip too, it doesn't matter wether it's a tdi or petrol, it's the ecu itself. A lot of the tdi ones don't need a chip either but some do, it's mostly the older ones from 2000-2002 that need it but not all of them and that includes some of the cupras.

 

[ibizacupra]

they said they would have to put a new chip in and map onto that? cant flash it as doing a custom map not just a generic software???

new chip not required.
with the right/decent flash tools and experience it can be over written

 

[ibizacupra]

I know but some of the 1.8t's are the same, get the number off the ecu, either on the sticker or using vagcom or similar and ask the tuning companies. The same issue was on another forum and the ecu did need a chip too, it doesn't matter wether it's a tdi or petrol, it's the ecu itself. A lot of the tdi ones don't need a chip either but some do, it's mostly the older ones from 2000-2002 that need it but not all of them and that includes some of the cupras.

the car in question, it is irrelevant

very early 1.8t were not flashable and would need physical chips.. circa 1997/8 cars

 

[Seatmann]

the car in question, it is irrelevant

very early 1.8t were not flashable and would need physical chips.. circa 1997/8 cars

Yeh and some of the newer ones too, I'm not just rattling off for the sake of it, some of them are not mappable without a chip and that goes for any of them up to around 2002. Get the ecu number and find out, it's the only way. Ask revo themselves or any of the other map suppliers, most tuning companies get the maps from somewhere else but most can usually tell you by the ecu number.

 

[carlossus]

Any company that tells you they have to open your (post 2000) ECU and add a chip are not people you should give money to.

 

[Seatmann]

Any company that tells you they have to open your (post 2000) ECU and add a chip are not people you should give money to.

You'll be lucky if you can find many companies over here who are willing to try, it's a risky process that uses a fancy piece of kit to do it, the machine is a fairly expensive thing to get in the first place and you need the know how on top of that. It isn't something that can be done with a soldering iron as you have to heat all the pins up at the same time without burning anything else or causing any other damage. Very easy to make a hash of it but it's post 2002 not 2000. If you think the company is wrong then get the ecu number and go check it out yourself, the info is around. It's a fairly small percentage but that's the luck of the draw.

 

[carlossus]

What we have here is a demonstration of the Dunning–Kruger effect.

 

[andycupra]

well... its been mapped once already....

Go somewhere else, as if this stumps them id have concerns about their ability to put am'custom' map on my car.

 

[Seatmann]

well... its been mapped once already....

Go somewhere else, as if this stumps them id have concerns about their ability to put am'custom' map on my car.

Well that's different then, if it's already been mapped before then the chip aint an issue and the tuner is indeed a tit.

 

[andycupra]

Well that's different then, if it's already been mapped before then the chip aint an issue and the tuner is indeed a tit.

very first post makes it quite clear that its already been mapped by custom code..

So the ECU 'issue' has never been an issue.

 

[Seatmann]

very first post makes it quite clear that its already been mapped by custom code..

So the ECU 'issue' has never been an issue.

Lol my bad, I totally missed that bit, I'll go and stand in the corner and hide my face in shame

 

[Mo Arif]

It can be over-written in boot mode