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

[west_minist]

I think I can get a computer for that money.

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

[doubleurx]

Originally Posted by PDXTuning

There are tools I use a lot, and tools I use very little, and the hint is that the better software gets used much more often.

Jeff

This is teh truf for everthing!

I've heard complaints about the $20 cable and overpriced software. If it proves itself it will be more than worth the upgrade cost. I see this in different programs I use on a day to day basis, or skis that are just fat enough with the appropriate sidecut.

[Spiider]

I think that this new protection is actually directed against their own tuners.

Tuners are more than likely using the openport to reflash cars and to copy the ecutek maps/licences into cars without paying royalties back to ecutek.

Since they are an authorised ecutek reseller no customer would really question whether their licence was a copy or not, or care for that matter.

From a monetary loss point of view it makes a lot more sense than trying to lock out people who don't really care about ecutek and cobb anyway, and the majority of which would never have paid for these ridiculously priced reflashes anyway.

[chuckdez]

Well my only comments to this entire thread would be..

Cobb, ECUTek, and others only provide tools to tune cars. The tuner is what creates the maps. Not the tools. I don't recall anyone telling me about buying ecutek because you just hit a magic autotune button. It is not right to lock down the ECU to only be used by their particular tool. The car belongs to the owner.

You should provide an agreement stating the changes be made to their ECU other than map editing to be acknowledged by the customer.

[Spiider]

Thank god someone posted something else, I thought I broke this thread with my last post. I've never seen a sticky last that long on here without someone posting something.

No one has any comments about my thoughts in the last post?

[silentbob343]

http://www.righttorepair.org/Fact_Sheet.htm
I would like to add that it seems that ECUTEK has given out the tools to return the ECU to unlocked condition. I'm sure many tuners will revert the ECU back for free, i.e. PDX, if you really don't like the idea of a locked ECU.

[Ben-EcuTeK]

Final Information:

We (EcuTeK) have provided to our dealer network the capability to revert any ECU previously flashed with our software back to it's original calibration.

I have suggested to all our dealer network to consider doing it for free, but, as you all know how can I have 100% over this...

Since this "issue" has been solved by a mean that was requested by you (the end customer) I would like this post to be removed from the "Stiky" section.

Please contact me if you require special assistance or have any question concerning our products.

[WRX Harvey]

I am an ECUTek tuner in Colorado and will also help if anyone needs my help to revert their ecu, or make a badass map.

[Bishop]

Originally Posted by Ben-EcuTeK

Final Information:

We (EcuTeK) have provided to our dealer network the capability to revert any ECU previously flashed with our software back to it's original calibration.

I have suggested to all our dealer network to consider doing it for free, but, as you all know how can I have 100% over this...

Since this "issue" has been solved by a mean that was requested by you (the end customer) I would like this post to be removed from the "Stiky" section.

Please contact me if you require special assistance or have any question concerning our products.

thank you!!!

[JRSCCivic98]

Why remove it from a sticky? Because it's tarnishing your reputation? I vote to leave it for everyone to have a good read. It's nice to see how the general public (the end customer as you put it) push you to finally give people the means to unlock these ECUs. I seriously believe that if this thread hadn't been created people would still be running arround with locked ECUs. This thread needs to stay where it is... it's informative of an issue that happened. You don't see the mods unsticky FAQ or other important threads just because they've served their purpose do you?

[sube151]

Wow..what a read. Knowledge is power

[atech_rallyrs]

I fully agree. Having read through the entirety of this thread, I definitely feel that ECUtek does not have my personal best interests at heart; only its own private financial gain. Irrespective of what may have been done to correct the situation, customer trust is a precious thing, and the violation that has been made evident by this issue indicates a clear willingness to walk this slippery slope. As a software engineer and long-term rights advocate, I feel that ECUtek had far outreached its boundries by doing this in the first place, and am very glad that this was made a sticky so that I might not miss this thread. Irrespective of what the vendor may feel, being informed is first and foremost a customers right, and that is exactly what this sticky thread does; ensure that the customer is properly informed.

[Tgui]

Erase history? phhhhtt...

Only Chuck Norris could do that, and i'm pretty sure he wants to keep this sticky up.

[Rabidbyte]

EcuTEK you'll will never see a .10cent from me. Sorry, it's just a shame that what you once could do with a small flathead screwdriver, 1/2in wrench, and a timing gun, now you need a @#$!ing laptop and software. Viva OpenECU and all the PoBoyTuners out there. -RABID

[Ben-EcuTeK]

Originally Posted by Rabidbyte

EcuTEK you'll will never see a .10cent from me. Sorry, it's just a shame that what you once could do with a small flathead screwdriver, 1/2in wrench, and a timing gun, now you need a @#$!ing laptop and software. Viva OpenECU and all the PoBoyTuners out there. -RABID

Get on with life... you once had to get on your horse and travel for months before you could talk to someone else... but now you opened your computer and typed this post...

What was your intention when you bought a car without carburators?? Nobody forced you to do so!

Your post as nothing to do with EcuteK, technology is not always your enemy!

[Ben-EcuTeK]

Originally Posted by Tgui

Erase history? phhhhtt...

Only Chuck Norris could do that, and i'm pretty sure he wants to keep this sticky up.

The issue encountered by the original poster was in process of being solved before the post and the solution is now available at NO COST from any ecuTeK dealer accross the country.

The "problem" does not exist anymore, ence the demand to removed a thread that is not "needed", this information that is now irrelevant.

[silentbob343]

Originally Posted by Ben-EcuTeK

The issue encountered by the original poster was in process of being solved before the post and the solution is now available at NO COST from any ecuTeK dealer accross the country.

The "problem" does not exist anymore, ence the demand to removed a thread that is not "needed", this information that is now irrelevant.

wasting your breath ben, they won't let it go.

[Tgui]

Originally Posted by Ben-EcuTeK

The issue encountered by the original poster was in process of being solved before the post and the solution is now available at NO COST from any ecuTeK dealer accross the country.

The "problem" does not exist anymore, ence the demand to removed a thread that is not "needed", this information that is now irrelevant.

Think along the lines of the BBB. Questionable business practices were found. I find it it interesting that such a feature was even released. Leads me to believe that either this was a calculated step that backfired, or the result of inept product planning.

In either case its fair for current and future customers to be enlightened.

My only suggestion would be that the thread still exist, but under another title. Would a prepended "RESOLVED:" be amenable to you?

EcuTek burned itself. Good job!

This thread is much needed.

[Tgui]

Originally Posted by silentbob343

wasting your breath ben, they won't let it go.

Suppose it all wont be worth the trouble in a few months or so, maybe a year. Given that ECU tuning is now becoming in general a commodity that the open source community is working hard on, I hope EcuTek worries less about revenue from licensing and more about value of service they provide.

[hulkSTi]

i wonder if this is the smae issue i am having. ive taken my car in to the dealership twice to have my alarm adjusted and it will not allow them in to make a change. is this the same issue?

[LastResort]

Originally Posted by hulkSTi

i wonder if this is the smae issue i am having. ive taken my car in to the dealership twice to have my alarm adjusted and it will not allow them in to make a change. is this the same issue?

Possibly, but noboy here can help you without more information. Try contacting your tuner.

[Ben-EcuTeK]

Originally Posted by hulkSTi

i wonder if this is the smae issue i am having. ive taken my car in to the dealership twice to have my alarm adjusted and it will not allow them in to make a change. is this the same issue?

I did receive a call from your dealership this morning, they should contact you soon.

[DoctorNick]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Hey all,

THIS APPLIES TO ALL ECUTEK REFLASHES, NOT JUST 06 CARS.

On the 2.5 forum, I hope I can catch all the 06 owners. (and others, but only from a informational aspect.)

In October, I had a new 06 STi. At the time, Cobb had not produced the AP for the 06s, and I was doing a stage 4 green setup. PDXTuning sold me an EcuTEK license and did a dynotune.

After much later installing a blowthrough, an EWG, WI, a header, and other items, PDXTuning felt that economics of the situation was such that with all the dyno tuning and the street tuning that I wanted, I could either buy a Cobb AP, Street Tuner, etc or pay them hourly to reflash EcuTEK. They made a good case for the Cobb, since I love to tune my car, know how, and would continue to make changes. PDXTuning would take my money, but Tim felt I'd have fun doing some of it myself.

So, two weeks ago, I bought a Cobb AP for my 06 STI and we proceeded to load the car up on the dyno. The Cobb AP would not marry to the PCM and we were afraid that the AP or the PCM was malfunctioning. We tried GreggPDX's AP (first we had to unmarry it from his 06, etc), and it would not communicate with the PCM either. Afraid that the PCM was broken, we plugged in EcuTEK and tried writing back to a stock program. Worked like a charm. With the stock program in place, the AP would still not recognize the PCM. We had to put my EcuTEK program back on the PCM and unload the car from the dyno. A call to Christian at Cobb didnt give any quick solutions. The next day I stopped by the local dealership and tried to have them re-flash the PCM. Their SPSC or whatever it was called wouldnt recognize my PCM either. I left before they started to ask further questions. I got home, and then sent the PCM off for analysis. Here is the final conclusion:

EcuTEK altered the handshaking such that no other program could enter the ECU. Not the Cobb AP, not Subaru, no-one except EcuTEK.

Apparently at least 06s (and possibly others) have some of the communication protocol instructions in a re-writable part of the ECU. Tuners currently DO NOT have the ability to put this back to stock.


Fortunately PDXTuning has refunded my $$$, and Cobb was able to get on the PCM (at their shop) and re-write it completely to stock.

I work at a company that sells shoes, apparel, and sports equipment. If we sold a shoe that you couldnt take off, you wouldnt buy it. If we sold you a shoe that you couldnt take off, and didnt tell you about it prior to you wearing it... well... everyone would sue us, wouldnt they? And they would have every right.

I'm disturbed by having a company do this to my car. Im angry that I couldnt reverse it and that I had to ask for a refund for something that I couldnt give back.

Rumor is that this was done to combat OpenECU. I dont care. Folks are going to copy you. You have to out-innovate them to stay in business, not take your customers hostage. Welcome to the 21st century.

Full Disclosure: Cobb determined what had been done, and reported it to me. I have no first hand knowledge of the changes made. Cobb competes with EcuTEK (somewhat). In this matter, based on my experiences with my PCM, they backup what was told to me, and I have no reason to distrust Cobb.

Good luck,
Chris

Originally Posted by Ben-EcuTeK

The issue encountered by the original poster was in process of being solved before the post and the solution is now available at NO COST from any ecuTeK dealer accross the country.

The "problem" does not exist anymore, ence the demand to removed a thread that is not "needed", this information that is now irrelevant.

Hi Ben,
I am just joining this thread and wanted to ask you(being a representive for ECUtek), what was done to resolve this issue? I would like to unmarry my liesense and mess around with openecu but would still like the ability to bring my car to my tuner and have him give me my final tune. (This is considering my tuner is over 700 miles away from me and my car is heavly modified) Will this lockout feature you have installed on our ecus be able to be user deactivated? All I need to do is get my car running well enough off the ecu to be driveable, I would still want to use your product for my final tune.

[Jaxx]

n/m 1234

[Ben-EcuTeK]

Originally Posted by DoctorNick

Hi Ben,
I am just joining this thread and wanted to ask you(being a representive for ECUtek), what was done to resolve this issue? I would like to unmarry my liesense and mess around with openecu but would still like the ability to bring my car to my tuner and have him give me my final tune. (This is considering my tuner is over 700 miles away from me and my car is heavly modified) Will this lockout feature you have installed on our ecus be able to be user deactivated? All I need to do is get my car running well enough off the ecu to be driveable, I would still want to use your product for my final tune.

Hello Nick,

Well, you will still have to send your ECU to your tuner so he can reflash it back to OE configuration, the EcuTeK license will stay in the ECU and will not be erased, unless you reflash oevr it with Open ECU. This would be out of my hands from there. We do not offer the 100% license unmariyng process because of the high risk of ECU failure.

I will see if I can get more information and get back to you later.