Getting weird replies from ProTuningFreaks about my DME version

[Thraxbert]

Will try to keep this brief and bulletpointed to see if anyone can shed some light on what's going on. I am attempting to switch to Ecutek from BM3, and am trying to flash back to stock + relock the DME so I can sell my license and do the switch. When attempting to return the stock, the BM3 app tells me that my DME software is newer than the stock tune I am trying to flash.

I emailed ProTuningFreaks for help, but they said that my car has been updated, saying:

You have a locked bootloader. Your vehicle has the latest BMW software update that has changed what was used to unlock the DME over the OBD port. This has locked out all flash tools out there regardless of brand and no one including us has a solution for it yet.

There's just one problem with that statement: my vehicle has never been to a dealer since January of 2020, nor to any shop that is capable of updating the DME. The only software updates I've ever applied were Bootmod3 initial setup + new tunes. In fact, I unlocked my car right over OBD and flashed Bootmod3 in the same sitting! I've never had to do a bench unlock, and my car is currently tuned.

The timeline:

1. I have a June of 2019 DME. June of 2019, not 2020.

2. I was able to unlock this DME and flash Bootmod3 right over OBD. I never had to remove the ECU from the car.

3. I flashed Bootmod 3 for the first time in February of 2021 -- their Stage 2 OTS tune. The unlock occurred at the same time.

3a. When I flashed BM3 for the first time, these were the software versions present on the vehicle:

4. The next time I flashed any sort of software was their switch to Multi-Map in November of 2021. I've been running that map ever since.

4a. After updating to multi-map, sometime over the last year, my software versions are now this:

5. ProTuningFreaks says this software is so new they can't work with it. Of course that's impossible, because the car is tuned right now on Bootmod3. I unlocked and flashed it with their own software over a year ago!

5. How did my software versions change if I've never taken the car to Toyota, BMW, or any other service shop capable of updating the DME? ProTuningFreaks says their software can't change these versions, but that's literally the only software I've ever flashed to the car. Are there OTA updates for the Supra? I've never heard of it, but it's WWAN-connected so not impossible.

Wtf is going on?

There's no way this software was updated except through their OTS multi-map tunes. They claim the DME software isn't updated by the tunes, but BM3 is the only software I've ever flashed. I'm 100% positive that their software updated my DME, even if they say it "doesn't."

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[zrk]

OTA updates change some "patch" versions. Map updates, etc.

 

[Thraxbert]

Aaaand here's confirmation of what I expected, from their support:

I just talked to the development team here and here is what happened in chronological order.

1. You activated your license with a certain set of software details that did not require a bench unlock.
2. You flashed your maps without any issues.
3. Once the customROM was released (map switching, anti-lag, flex-fuel), your ID’s got upgraded. CustomROM was done based on software details that require a bench unlock, as those were the latest software at that time.
4. You can still flash your OTS maps without any issues.
5. To flash the STOCK RELOCK tune, we would need to update your stock tune details to the latest software.
6. I am not sure what the purpose of your stock tune flash is, but in order to not need a bench unlock, we suggest that you just flash the stock tune(customROM) version.

 

[Thraxbert]

And, to top it off, their multi-map files have permanently taken away my ability to lock and unlock the ECU over OBD.

As of now, I cannot transfer or sell my bm3 license anymore without paying for a bench unlock.

 

[razorlab]

Ouch

 

[Thraxbert]

Okay, to the end the saga:

I have a freak car: an xx.110.xx DME running xx.130.xx software, thanks to the bullshit from ProTuningFreaks. Marin tells me there are less than 150 of these cars running around. I'm now on Ecutek and not looking back.

Moral of the story: if you have a Supra that can be unlocked over OBD, never run BM3 and never update to their multi-map software. You will lose unlock capabilities, and you will lose the ability to return to stock and sell your license.

 

[Carl - Driveway Labs]

Will try to keep this brief and bulletpointed to see if anyone can shed some light on what's going on. I am attempting to switch to Ecutek from BM3, and am trying to flash back to stock + relock the DME so I can sell my license and do the switch. When attempting to return the stock, the BM3 app tells me that my DME software is newer than the stock tune I am trying to flash.

I emailed ProTuningFreaks for help, but they said that my car has been updated, saying:



There's just one problem with that statement: my vehicle has never been to a dealer since January of 2020, nor to any shop that is capable of updating the DME. The only software updates I've ever applied were Bootmod3 initial setup + new tunes. In fact, I unlocked my car right over OBD and flashed Bootmod3 in the same sitting! I've never had to do a bench unlock, and my car is currently tuned.

The timeline:

1. I have a June of 2019 DME. June of 2019, not 2020.

2. I was able to unlock this DME and flash Bootmod3 right over OBD. I never had to remove the ECU from the car.

3. I flashed Bootmod 3 for the first time in February of 2021 -- their Stage 2 OTS tune. The unlock occurred at the same time.

3a. When I flashed BM3 for the first time, these were the software versions present on the vehicle:

4. The next time I flashed any sort of software was their switch to Multi-Map in November of 2021. I've been running that map ever since.

4a. After updating to multi-map, sometime over the last year, my software versions are now this:

5. ProTuningFreaks says this software is so new they can't work with it. Of course that's impossible, because the car is tuned right now on Bootmod3. I unlocked and flashed it with their own software over a year ago!

5. How did my software versions change if I've never taken the car to Toyota, BMW, or any other service shop capable of updating the DME? ProTuningFreaks says their software can't change these versions, but that's literally the only software I've ever flashed to the car. Are there OTA updates for the Supra? I've never heard of it, but it's WWAN-connected so not impossible.

Wtf is going on?

There's no way this software was updated except through their OTS multi-map tunes. They claim the DME software isn't updated by the tunes, but BM3 is the only software I've ever flashed. I'm 100% positive that their software updated my DME, even if they say it "doesn't."

Interesting because there are rumors that ecutek does an encrypted locked if you uninstall to block other tuning platforms

when working on some previously ecutek tuned R35 gtr's, friends of mine saw "artifacts" of code left behind by ecutek that caused engine code faults but no physical manifestations.

 

[zrk]

Interesting because there are rumors that ecutek does an encrypted locked if you uninstall to block other tuning platforms

when working on some previously ecutek tuned R35 gtr's, friends of mine saw "artifacts" of code left behind by ecutek that caused engine code faults but no physical manifestations.

More like no one at Ecutek gave a fuck to test honestly. Choose your favorite razor. Hanlon’s or Occam’s.

 

[Carl - Driveway Labs]

More like no one at Ecutek gave a fuck to test honestly. Choose your favorite razor. Hanlon’s or Occam’s.

that honestly makes more sense but I just thought it interesting the correlation to rumint and this post

 

[zrk]

that honestly makes more sense but I just thought it interesting the correlation to rumint and this post

hahah. Yeah. Who knows for sure though?

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