A91 & Recent 2021 Impossible to Tune / ECU manufactured after 2020/6 is locked? [WARNING: NO POLITICS]

XtremeMaC

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Had not given this a thought before, but I suppose tuners pay royalties to the actual code breakers, right. So, they'll all get rich :)
 

Spiguyver

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I had a thought for all the tuner companies out there. In the industry I'm in, we often times have to reach out to the OEM and negotiate to purchase their source code. Some of the bigger companies, depending on what the source code is part of, like the Boeing 737 MAX or something along those lines, charge a crazy amount for that data. Has anyone in this industry reached out directly to Bosch to see if they can work with them to purchase the data to be able to crack the ECU? I've got to imagine that the application is bigger than just the Supra, with BMW and other platforms also using the Bosch ECU's as applicable. Could be expensive, but give someone a big corner to the market!
 

XtremeMaC

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I highly doubt that a company as big as Bosch would do anything of the sort.
I know that OEM's purchase other OEM's vehicles and fiddle around with all aspects of the car including ECU to figure out how it behaves, etc. but I highly doubt that Bosch would venture in such a business as I'm sure they'd get sued by the OEM...
Don't know how tuners get away, perhaps there is a clause that exempts them or they don't care, but if Bosch does it, there'll be a knock on the door..
Also, the ECU is from Bosch so they wouldn't need to crack it :D
 

legacy_etu

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I highly doubt Bosch would even entertain this idea. Even if they did I would wager they wouldn’t want to risk pissing off all the OEM manufacturers (toyot, bmw, etc) by selling “access” basically to ”their” ecu’s. Hell, I bet Bosch uses their encryption, un crackability to help sell their product to OEM‘s as a method for them to reduce warrantee costs. Keep all those pesky modder’s at bay.
 

Spiguyver

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It may be something that Bosch would not entertain, but then again, for the right price almost anything is possible. I deal with these sort of situations with even bigger companies than Bosch and it can be done. I was just curious if anyone has even reached out to see if it’s a conversation that can even be started. My initial thought is that the cost of that source data would be higher than anyone would be willing to pay. And it wouldn’t be Bosch handing over the keys, there would still be plenty of engineering time sifting through the data to see where hooks engages to be able to figure out the solution. Regardless, simply reaching out and asking a question costs nothing!
 

delita1

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Any updates on this from anyone? I've still never checked for sure but my ECU date is 6/21/20 so assuming in the same boat. Feels like it's been a lifetime already waiting for someone to crack the code!
 

delita1

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Anyone know with certainty catted downpipes that won't cause any error messages? Would like to get my exhaust/downpipe installed and then keep waiting for the ECU unlock and do that after the fact - but also don't want to drive around with error codes.
 

VA90

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Anyone know with certainty catted downpipes that won't cause any error messages? Would like to get my exhaust/downpipe installed and then keep waiting for the ECU unlock and do that after the fact - but also don't want to drive around with error codes.
Active Autowerke promises no check engine light, but the lawyer in me is not sure if that is exactly the same as "no error messages".:D I am personally holding off on downpipe and all other performance mods until an ECU unlock is available. I know the OEM ECU can adjust somewhat for an aftermarket downpipe, but would prefer to do ECU, DP, etc. in one fell swoop.
 

MKV2021

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Active Autowerke promises no check engine light, but the lawyer in me is not sure if that is exactly the same as "no error messages".:D I am personally holding off on downpipe and all other performance mods until an ECU unlock is available. I know the OEM ECU can adjust somewhat for an aftermarket downpipe, but would prefer to do ECU, DP, etc. in one fell swoop.
Same here. I like how the car performs and sounds, and I'm not one to change just for the sake of change. But I would like more exhaust volume without a CEL staring me in the face constantly and without spending 2-3k in the process.
 

Nexus90

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I'm certain he is a member here but I just finished watching a week old post on YouTube by thic whips where he explains how his tuning process is going and who is currently doing it with. He also mentions that once you unlock you can't switch tuners without relocking and unlocking again with the new tuner, so know what tuner you want to use before you pick one. If there is any interest in tuning a locked ecu I guess it's worth a look.
 

delita1

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Same here. I like how the car performs and sounds, and I'm not one to change just for the sake of change. But I would like more exhaust volume without a CEL staring me in the face constantly and without spending 2-3k in the process.
Yeah super annoying pulling my ECU to see the date is 6/21/20 which is literally the exact day the changes took effect from what I've been told. BTW, I don't even have a Supra, I have a Z4 M40i but ZERO PEOPLE talk about modding on the G29 BMW forums. Funny shit. I just want my shit TUNED!
 

ThicWhips

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I'm certain he is a member here but I just finished watching a week old post on YouTube by thic whips where he explains how his tuning process is going and who is currently doing it with. He also mentions that once you unlock you can't switch tuners without relocking and unlocking again with the new tuner, so know what tuner you want to use before you pick one. If there is any interest in tuning a locked ecu I guess it's worth a look.
Close.. If you are unlocked with Bootmod3, you basically have two options right now without RE-UNLOCKING. BM3 or MHD. For whatever reason, this unlock only works with those two tuning companies.

When I inquired to go ecutek, I was told I need to RE-Lock and RE-UNLOCK for ecutek specifically. To do this, the ecu would need to be sent out (I do not have a local unlock service for ecutek) There are obvious risks there, shipping, etc..

In short, I have Jeff Payn tuning my car via BM3 platform. He typically tunes on ecutek, but can use BM3 as well. Had I known this in the beginning, I wouldn't have even entertained ecutek. I also really like having my maps cloud based. Anywhere I go, I can access them. Ecutek requires a usb dongle (Correct me if Im wrong) BM3 will have rolling anti-lag, ethanol analyzing and map switch on the fly soon, I have always enjoyed their platform so I will stay loyal.

I will say, their OTS maps for the supra were awful.. But, I helped them iron those out with a month long datalog festival, lol. Tuning is such a touchy subject in this community, there are incredibly strong opinions and everyone's guy is "the best". Just do your research and go with whomever fits what you are looking for. Botti is great, f80 paul is great and Payn is great. Those are the guys I trust right now.

Hope this helps.
 

bigcat

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Yeah super annoying pulling my ECU to see the date is 6/21/20 which is literally the exact day the changes took effect from what I've been told. BTW, I don't even have a Supra, I have a Z4 M40i but ZERO PEOPLE talk about modding on the G29 BMW forums. Funny shit. I just want my shit TUNED!
All the vehicles with new Bosch DME/ECU are victims, not just Toyota and BMW, Mercedes, Audi...all of them!
 

delita1

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All the vehicles with new Bosch DME/ECU are victims, not just Toyota and BMW, Mercedes, Audi...all of them!
So is it a waste of my time to send it to a tuner to see if it's possible or not? I've heard from a couple of tuners no, and a couple others "maybe", asking me to send the ECU so they can find out.
 
 
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