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Old 02-05-2012, 11:18 PM   #1
Kansei
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1997 Legacy 2.0 GT
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Default ECU locked to non existent AP

bought my car two years ago and i was looking to retune it. well i had my friend start working on it and its locked...

the ECU says "KINGPIN" in big gold letters on it and i looked into that and its apparently a guy that tunes using AP's and doesnt sell them... just tunes and lets you go.

so what do i do now? i cant tune it. i cant datalog. i cant do ****!?
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Old 02-06-2012, 09:10 AM   #2
jnmarshall
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kansei View Post
bought my car two years ago and i was looking to retune it. well i had my friend start working on it and its locked...

the ECU says "KINGPIN" in big gold letters on it and i looked into that and its apparently a guy that tunes using AP's and doesnt sell them... just tunes and lets you go.

so what do i do now? i cant tune it. i cant datalog. i cant do ****!?
If it's an AP tune I understand there are two options (actually 3 if you want to buy a new ECU). I've only had personal experience with one of these. First option is to send your ECU to Cobb and they will unlock it and return it to stock. I've done this and the process will take about a week with shipping times.
Second option is to buy an AP I've heard there is a way to marry it and then revert to stock. I think it's kind of the process expected if you lose or break your AP. I've never tried this.

Couple of other suggestions, contact Kingpin. Check with some local tuners, they may charge a small fee. Or contact Cobb, their support and service is the best!
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Old 02-06-2012, 09:12 AM   #3
SpongeBobSquarePants
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+1 above post says it all
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Old 02-07-2012, 08:20 AM   #4
Kansei
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i'll try some of that but i dont have 500$ or another vehicle so i hope someone local can fix it... i'm also in a bum**** of a town so its not easy to find a tuner... i was lucky to have a friend that wanted to do it...
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Old 02-07-2012, 08:49 AM   #5
jnmarshall
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I'm not sure if a dealer can flash over it, you might want to check. I've heard yes and I've heard no. If they can you would probably have to pay a couple of $$$. When this happened with my son's car the dealer estimate was between $500-$800 worse case was an ECU replacement.
You could also look for a used ECU from a junk yard or for sale forums here. Then you can send that one in for unlocking. Or maybe consider enterprise for a weekly rate rental.
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Old 02-07-2012, 08:17 PM   #6
Kansei
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ouch....

but i looked into him. there have been multiple threads here bashing this company. they are apparently out of business and have lawsuits against them for stealing parts off of customers cars and selling them to other customers. amongst other things..

hopefully i can get this solved easily...
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Old 02-08-2012, 04:55 PM   #7
Cobb Tuning
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A V2 AP can overwrite an previous AccessPORT installation. So you could find another V2 AP to flash the car, then uninstall it to revert your ECU to stock. Or, you could send the ECU to us to revert the ECU to stock. There will be some downtime and a small fee, but give us a call at 866-922-3059 and we'll get you taken care of!

Ian
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Old 02-08-2012, 08:10 PM   #8
Kansei
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well now i'm not sure if its an accessport or not because i hear that the guys at Kingpin tuning used ecutek... so i dont even know what to do...

but i will give you guys a call just so i can know if there are any ways to tell.
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Old 05-21-2012, 01:33 AM   #9
Opie4687
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Just tried to tune mine tonight and got the same problem. My tuner said either corrupt COBB file or Ecu Tek tune but couldn't decipher which one it was..

Anyone know a way of telling which one it is?

Also is there any laws about selling a used vehicle with a locked ECU?
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Old 05-21-2012, 08:57 AM   #10
Cobb Tuning
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie4687 View Post
Just tried to tune mine tonight and got the same problem. My tuner said either corrupt COBB file or Ecu Tek tune but couldn't decipher which one it was..

Anyone know a way of telling which one it is?

Also is there any laws about selling a used vehicle with a locked ECU?
What error message is the tuner seeing?

The AccessPORT v2 can overwrite any previous AccessPORT install (regardless of version). A corrupted AccessPORT install would be highly irregular in and of itself and one that caused no driveability issues, etc. would be unlikely. The AccessPORT v2 can overwrite some Ecutek installs. I would suggest updating the firmware on the AccessPORT - you may have an old version, especially if it is a used unit.

Bill
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Old 05-21-2012, 10:46 AM   #11
Opie4687
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cobb Tuning View Post
What error message is the tuner seeing?

The AccessPORT v2 can overwrite any previous AccessPORT install (regardless of version). A corrupted AccessPORT install would be highly irregular in and of itself and one that caused no driveability issues, etc. would be unlikely. The AccessPORT v2 can overwrite some Ecutek installs. I would suggest updating the firmware on the AccessPORT - you may have an old version, especially if it is a used unit.

Bill
We were actually doing an open source with no Cobb just trying to re-tune for the elevation change from Rapid City SD to Crestview FL. He didn't give me an exact code, just told me that it was locked and had no way of altering any of my numbers. Although he could tell I was running lean under boost.
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Old 05-21-2012, 04:04 PM   #12
quoiasdaddy
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Just send the ECU to Cobb and they can revert to stock. At least that's what I did when I had ECU problems.
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Old 05-21-2012, 06:22 PM   #13
Opie4687
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Quote:
Originally Posted by quoiasdaddy View Post
Just send the ECU to Cobb and they can revert to stock. At least that's what I did when I had ECU problems.
I just cant be without my car for that long its my only vehicle atm, and if its an Ecu-Tek tune I wouldn't want to waste their time not being able to unlock it either...
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Old 05-22-2012, 06:11 AM   #14
Cobb Tuning
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie4687 View Post
We were actually doing an open source with no Cobb just trying to re-tune for the elevation change from Rapid City SD to Crestview FL. He didn't give me an exact code, just told me that it was locked and had no way of altering any of my numbers. Although he could tell I was running lean under boost.
If you can find someone with an AccessPORT v2, they can uninstall it from their car, install it on your car and then uninstall it, you'll end up with the stock ROM on the ECU (and your ECU unlocked) if there was a previous AccessPORT install on there. The AccessPORT v2 can also overwrite some Ecutek installs, although there's no guarantee that this will always work.

Bill
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Old 05-22-2012, 10:57 AM   #15
Opie4687
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Sounds good thanks. Now to find a v2 AP...
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Old 05-26-2012, 09:34 PM   #16
Opie4687
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Obsidian Black

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Found one, flashed just fine, unmarried and running as sluggish as I've ever felt so hopefully can get the tune done on her soon. Thanks for everyone's help especially COBB guys for the v2 overwrite suggestion.
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