Do NOT purchase an EcuTEK license for your 06 without reading this...

[amelnikov]

Wow, just came across this and what a read it is! I'm glad that I moved away from Ecutek years ago. Had this happen to me, rest assured this would have ended up in court. I'm glad it's all resolved now but it's still illegal. Much bigger companies have gone down for locking out their competitors, especially for doing it without mentioning this to the end user.

Alex...

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[lester]

Originally Posted by Dyno Flash

Yes I do

I also unlock all Ecutek ecus - (even ones flashed by another Ecutek dealer) FREE of charge

In three years and a LOT of ecus tuned with Ecutek I have had only 1 or 2 people asking to have Ecutek removed

on the other hand - I remove other tuning products (no names) almost every week and install Ecutek

The bottom line is that Ecutek is a great product and the best way to flash a Subaru ecu that is why I highly recomend it

EcuTeK does it's job of tuning superbly. The only quarrel i have with EcuTeK is the lockout.

I was faced with this problem when I relocated to an area where the nearest EcuTeK dealer is a great deal away. Now I need a tune and I am dealing a great inconvenience.

The map not being able to be read is not the biggest problem. The fact that other software cannot overwrite the current EcuTeK reflashed map is my main concern.

[P_Diddy81_99]

Originally Posted by lester

I was faced with this problem when I relocated to an area where the nearest EcuTeK dealer is a great deal away. Now I need a tune and I am dealing a great inconvenience.

Oh Im in same boat but Im in Guam now and trying to to a turbo upgrade

[06STi]

So with my tuner problems. And a new motor because... Here is what I have posted over on the ecutek forum

Can you please provide me with what legal right you have to the ownership of my ecu? And why I was locked out? This was not explained to me upon buying your product. Also can you show me anything I might have signed releasing my rights to have you lock me out of my ecu?

Do I expect a response? not yet. But we are researching a legal ave on this topic right now.

[06STi]

I'd also like to think. Since their tuners are a rep for ecutek and trained by them. I think one can expect ecutek to help pay for my new motor.

[krazy]

If an ecu that has the ecutek license can be read and reflashed by openECU, does that mean it could very well be used with an accessPort as well?

Meaning, the ecutek reflash was BEFORE this lock out probably....

If so, then yay

[djtragik951]

damm im also having the same problem with the lock. i bought my 02 wrx 6 months ago, i didnt now it had the ecutek untill i tried doing an opensource reflash. i just install a **** load of mods too.

[ROC pit-bull]

Originally Posted by Freon

I'm still wondering why anyone would go with Ecutek, period. Cobb is a better solution, does more, resellable, and the Openecu stuff does everything Ecutek does cheaper.

There are vendors who have their own maps, or create maps specialy for your paticular build

[mikeis300]

i have never understood why people buy the ecutech. its doesnt seem to have any advantage over the cobb and really if you look at what you can do with a openECU & a Utech combo they both fall short.

[mechguy]

Sorry for your troubles. My old mechanic and his guys loaded me up with the ECUTEK about a year ago. I don't think it's the EasyECU, but it doesn't matter. All the ECUTEK products are great. The car had a huge difference in HP when we did the Dyno. It already had the turbo back exhaust, up-pipe, down pipe etc. It was running the car for 4 years without the proper mapping of the computer.

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[Daluv]

Well, the gains you are seeing are the results of a great TUNER. All tuning software are more less equal as far as I know.

[Karl S.]

^^^ mechguy, you are correct, most tuning software will do exactly the same thing. It may not offer all of the options of the other one, but all in all, it will do the most important things, (fuel, timing..etc)
It is the tuner and his knowledge of the particular software, his knowledge in tuning and your car that makes the big difference.
One of the reason people used to, and still do buy EcuTeK is that they were the first with Subaru tuning software, (one that actually worked – as a piggy back for a ECU tuning is a patch not worth talking about here) remember most people even these days do not tune their car, they pay someone to do it. And if that person spent lots of money getting a certain “software licenses” he will use that software so he gets his money back. – tho I hate EcuTeK for their ECU locking policy and all the crap that they have pulled over the years, it was the better, if not best solutions at that time, unless you went with a stand-alone ECU. There was no OpenEcu movement then, remember this goes back to the early 2000’s.

Yes, now that it is 6-8 years later there are different software packages available, from commercial versions $$$ like COBB, to free like openECU...etc. They do most of the things the same way, but each has its “own take” on certain features and functions.

The biggest thing was getting into the ECU and being able to read it (dump-it) and write back to it, and also ID/find the maps...etc. Now that has been done, all the rest is relatively easy.

If you know how to tune yourself, the openECU thing is the cheapest way (about $100 for a cable plus $ WB sensor) and it works fairly well – but you are at the mercy of the open source community, it's pace on fixes/updates ...etc.

Then there are software packages in the $150 range, plus the cable + WB, that are a bit better, (and the support is great – pay for software = better support) < just my experience with this particular software.

then there is the COBB's of the world...

just my 2 cents...

[Dutch Devotion]

Just my Dutch experiency (didn't bother reading 15 pages)
Had my ecuTEk license installed 3years ago, but only went tuning as in mounting hardware last year.

I scored a VF41, had it mounted by a tuning company who was using an open source tuning programm. And hell no, they couldn't get in the PCM to finetune my car. First reaction was "who the f*ck do those ecutek b*stards think they are blokking MY ECU ?"

I contacted them and it seems that ecuTEK had a problem in one of the russian states (latvia or something) when a guy just started selling their programm to whoever who payed more than a chocolate bar and a blowjob.
Since then they blocked their programm by introducing a new handshake protocol.

I only pay per hour to have my car finetuned to new mods. That's like 200$ a time. Will go back next week to hit 350hp (crank hp)
I think that next year, when I will have my new 9000rpm redline 2.15l closed deck installed, I will definately say goodbey (have to say goodby) to my MAF so will install a stand alone ECU as well !

In the meantime I understand and agree on the ecutek Head Office guys, but still think they are asses
(no offence to professional tuners using ecutek as their tool)

E

[vanosgol]

Hello i just read your coments about ecutek, i have the same problem but the thing is i bougth the car used and it has serious modifictations, turbo upgrqade, front intercooler, 3,5 exhaust etc.. i can not reflash the ecu because it has ecutek maping, i can not find the way to get it out of my computer, i called ecutek and they said i need to contact the colsest dealer, as you may understand, there is no ecutek dealer in my country, i need to have my car ecu back to original so i can do my own tunning with tactrix cable, we do reflashes here but can not manage to put in a new maping for my ecu..... what can i do about this, i need help asap........ what would you recomend...

[vanosgol]

What can i do to get rid of my ecutek, how can i do reflashes my self with the ecutek, do i have to buy a program or something??????

[AwdBoostCreep]

buy a used ECU that hasn't been reflashed.

[dexterous]

Originally Posted by vanosgol

Hello i just read your coments about ecutek, i have the same problem but the thing is i bougth the car used and it has serious modifictations, turbo upgrqade, front intercooler, 3,5 exhaust etc.. i can not reflash the ecu because it has ecutek maping, i can not find the way to get it out of my computer, i called ecutek and they said i need to contact the colsest dealer, as you may understand, there is no ecutek dealer in my country, i need to have my car ecu back to original so i can do my own tunning with tactrix cable, we do reflashes here but can not manage to put in a new maping for my ecu..... what can i do about this, i need help asap........ what would you recomend...

Can you send the ECu back to ecutek and have them revert it to stock? I have heard that COBB Tuning can revert the ECUs back to stock, maybe they could do this service for you.

[dexterous]

Originally Posted by AwdBoostCreep

buy a used ECU that hasn't been reflashed.

Thats not easty to do on 05+ 32bit ECU cars because of the immobilizer.

[06STi]

All you need a someone with a easyECU and a stock rom file. Flash it over and your done.

Use Cobb or open soruce.

[dexterous]

The issue here is that EcuTEK modifies the handshake between the reflash system and the ECU so that the reflashing tool (cobb, RomRaider or whatever) cant tell that its plugged into the ECU.

[Turborider]

Originally Posted by dexterous

Thats not easty to do on 05+ 32bit ECU cars because of the immobilizer.

Pretty sure the 05 USDM wrx is a 16bit ecu. 06+ are 32 bit. So if it is a usdm wrx he should be able to swap out ecus with no worries about the immobilizer.

[Vicious LSD]

this thread is stating not to buy ecutek for your 06 but I'm assuming that it affects 02-05 as well with the lock out?

[06STi]

Originally Posted by dexterous

The issue here is that EcuTEK modifies the handshake between the reflash system and the ECU so that the reflashing tool (cobb, RomRaider or whatever) cant tell that its plugged into the ECU.

I have run both cobb and romraider after unflashing my ecutek with the deltadash easyecu program.

Not even looked back.. Hell I even flashed back to ecutek and then reflashed back to romraider after just to test.. No problems..

[Vicious LSD]

can you send me with deltadash easyecu program? I would like to get rid of this ecutek

[bluetaxi]

So can a deltadash easyecu program reflash a JDM STI 16bit ECU that w/ ECUTEK in it....??

TQ