i'll try to make this as simple as possible...

1) after RENNtech pulley and K&N air filter install, i had ECU tune done by SI
2) did dyno
3) after doing cooling upgrade, i went with PowerChip tune because they offered significantly more gains compared to SI's tune
4) did dyno
5) was unhappy with results and took the file out and put my old SI file back in
6) after headers install, went to dyno shop with SI
7) did dyno with current setup
8) SI took out ECU from my car and noticed it was locked and was not a stock file, but detuned instead
9) SI put stock file on my car
10) did dyno now with stock E55 file
11) the result -> stock tune performed better and PowerChip put detuned file on my car

all of this happened without my knowledge until this past weekend.
FYI, to be aware for those of you who has tuner A's software on your car and then decides to go with tuner B's software...
imagine what would've happened if i had to take it to the dealership for service and/or warranty repair work and the dealership couldn't read my ECU...
i learned the lesson the hard way...

 

I've heard of Powerchip doing strange stuff with customer's ECUs but never heard about locking it...... very interesting. Your gains after the SI tune are truly very impressive I have a couple of questions for you though:

1) Did you ever have a RennTech tune?
2) Was the SI tune a custom tune or a standard file?
3) Is the new SI file much better than the old SI file or just much better than the Powerchip file?

 

thanks for telling us this, MJ!

the more and more I see about car tuning and the industry, it's really hard to find people you can trust.

 

1) no, i never had RENNtech tune
2) yes, it was custom tune
3) yes, the custom file was better than the old SI file and much better than old PowerChip file

 

I read and LOLed. some competitor hater **** going on with tuner "B"

 

i tried to stay low on this topic.... until 2 days ago...
i was quite disappointed with their professionalism and had to say it out loud so there is no other MBworld member going thru what i went thru...

 

Wait, so you payed $ to Powerchip, who gave you a detuned file? Why would they do that?

 

no, i eventually got a refund and then they took their file out and put stock file back on but instead but detuned file without my consent...

 

I had SI (Jessie Dakkus) tune my car before I switched over to PC and I can tell you there is some serious animosity between them. They both play this game of cat and mouse. SI locks the codes and PC would unlock it and vice-versa.

 

Sorry bro to hear your story but I have nothing but great luck with PC. From my E55 to my CL65 to my M6 to my 997TT. Of course I deal with them direct so it depends on who your retailer was.

Oh yeah, back in 2004 I paid some guy 1k with a laptop at F1 motorsports to tune my E55- his name was Jesse and the gains were minimal as my dynos at Evosport later proved.

 

SI did not lock my ECU when PC read the file...
it was the other way around...

 

well, the whole purpose of the thread was to deliver the message that a tuner should not lock customer's ECU (without notifying customers) so no one else can read it...

 

Wow! Sorry to hear mj...

I did not know that it is possible to lock an ecu, I assume you did not have to buy another ecu, right? Did they unlock it?

 

Yes my question too, how do you lock an ecu?

 

thx aleks...
u can lock it and u need passcode to unlock it...
nah, SI managed to solve the issue without much issue...
i dunno "how" it can be locked since i'm not a tuner...

 

OK, I know you are keeping this simple but...you are running around with those mods with a stock ECU now or am I missing the assumed step 12?

 

well, step 12 is not related to this thread and it's posted on my thread...
quick answer is that i'm now running custom tuned file...

 

Gotcha...I figured you had to have something but...ummm...you know, it's Monday and stuff.

 

i understand...

 

As an admin, I was just sent this thread.

I think it is important to clarify a few things, as it seems there is way too much misinformation and as FrankW stated "hating" going on.

1. As I understand it, MJ55 had a VRP tune, not a Powerchip tune, correct? This is important to clarify, as it was not purchased from Powerchip, and you were not nor ever where Powerchip's customer?

* as an aside, bypassing your dealer and going to the manufacturer is never a good idea, it takes a critical 3rd party out of the picture and allows for misunderstanding and miscommunication.

2. Was the ECU locked or not locked? If it was "easy for SI to get around it" then it must not have been locked in reality? I have been in this business for 15 years or so and am pretty bright, so it is possible, but I think you are missing something. I mean, if it is LOCKED - then it is not accessible. If it isn't LOCKED, then it is accessible. It sounds like it was accessible by SI.

3. As a third party that was involved with PC when Jesse was an employee, I will tell you 100% that Jess stole tunes from Powerchip, sold evosport IP and Powerchip IP that he stole. It is a shame that our justice system and the consumers allow people to get away with this (this is why I don't practice Law, I could not deal with the injustice that our justice system allows).

4. When posting things like this, PLEASE make sure that you have 100% actual fact. What you are posting is hearsay - "he said, she said" and does not tell anyone here anything factual except for your opinion which is clearly biased toward SI. My bias is toward Powerchip if you could not tell. However, when posting opinion as fact, it misleads all the users. Best to preface with "in my opinion...." (just some friendly advice as posting in the way you did leaves you open to libel per say litigation).

There is a reason that so many people are happy with Powerchip. There is a reason that so many high end tuners resell or use Powerchip for their software solution. I think that is pretty important to remember.



Thanks
Brad

 

MJ, you got sold a bill of goods from SI 522 rwhp is what stage 4-5 E55's make. Powerchip > SI.... You really have done the forum a disservice w/this disinformation, go search the archives on the tuners involved in your post.

 

uh...Powerchip is the same location as FD formerly VRP of SoCal. tunes are all done by Powerchip regardless. If you really want to clarify instead of mixing it up more.

people have been happy with SI as well as PC AND people have been pissed off by SI as well as PC.

AND we have already seen different results with both tuner on the same car. The "he stole my ****...I didn't" is already out of the window.

as the ADMIN I don't see how you should get yourself involved in this when MJ did not say anything about Evosport.

 

according to MJ...he's done all his dyno at the same shop in Signal Hills using dynojet for a more consistent results. The shop does not belong to SI nor affiliates with SI. How the hell can SI sold him a bill of goods while having MJ watching it happen the entire time? dude, get the fact straight.

 

money went to VRP but tune was done by PowerChip
if it was tuned by PowerChip regardless of which file they used to flash my car, doesn't that make me a PowerChip customer???


it was LOCKED... like it couldn't read anything at all from my ECU...
SI did something so it can be read/flashed again... took him like 15min or so... maybe he knows a way around it that u don't know?


this is irrelevant from this thread, don't u think?


what more of a fact do i need to provide when i say my ECU was LOCKED
and i dynos to prove SI tune #s and PC tune #s
even if i post pics of actual dynos, u'll think they are the other way around, right?


plese read the title of this thread one more time...
that is my whole point of this thread...
y do ppl start talking s**t when "SI" is mentioned???

 

I don't care who dyno'd his car, I saw it run dead even w/335i J3 only mods he's added are SI tune shorty headers. NO way, NO how, was it making 480 RWHP then, now 522 RWHP LOL... you realize these gains are absolutely impossible on Stg 2 E55??