ECU Password Protection

[wlfpac]

Originally posted by Bill Sherwood
It would make more sense for the owners of cars that have locked computers to sell them with a more generic map, rather than the one they're trying to protect.
And tell the buyer that.
Either that, or add a token amount of money to the sale to hand the unlocking code over.

Sorry but i think that's a pretty stupid idea. Why should i have to pay extra for the ability to have the car retuned? I paid a premium on the car in the first place because it came with a number of modifications. I don't see why I should have to pay even more just to be able to have it retuned if I decide to make any more modifications, or - as is the case presently - just to use diagnostic tools to trace a problem.



Now for the results of all this. (Long post ahead)

I called the workshop last week and explained the situation. Obviously someone had been speaking to them about this, as the guy knew exactly which car it was before i had even told him what KIND of car it was. He proceeded to bag the previous owner (which I thought was quite amusing) and told me i would need to send it up to them to try a few passwords, as they obviously weren't interested in simply handing out their ECU passwords to just anyone over the phone.

I mailed the ecu to Sockz in Brisbane last Wednesday, and called the workshop to let them know he would be in on Thursday or Friday afternoon. The guy then started giving me a schpiel about how they lock the ecus because they contain the workshop's intellectual property. Once again, someone has obviously been speaking to them, as everything he mentioned seemed to have been taken from this thread.

Anyway, old Sockz took the ecu in on Friday and received the same intellectual property schpiel that I had heard over the phone. The guy was rather rude to Sockz and at one point pretty much told him to piss off. in the end, the ecu was left at the workshop for them to work their "magic".

Sockz then called the workshop on Saturday morning to see if the job had been done, and was told it had been completed but he would need to wait til Monday as they were closing up shop. once again, they were fairly rude to good old Sockz.

On Monday, Sockz went in and collected the ecu. It was a matter of walking in, being recognised, having the ecu handed to him, and walking out again. This time little or nothing was said at all.

I received the ecu in the mail yesterday morning and I am organising someone to come out again to take a look now that the ecu has been unlocked.

Big thanks to Sockz for his help in this matter.

Now I said i would not name the workshop until this issue had been sorted. The service seems to have been performed, but their attitude in the whole matter has left a foul taste in my mouth regarding these people. At this stage, I will just say that the workshop is on the southside of brisbane, but if anyone would like to know exactly which workshop it is, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to let you know.



Now to get the real problem sorted......