All slots have been filled.

You must be willing to travel to South Kansas City (Overland Park to be specific).

It is really 100% free, but there is a catch!
I will need approx 1.5 hours of your time, along with some driving/testing. I will load the tune on your vehicle with pre production hardware, meaning you cannot take a tuner with you. However, the tune itself will remain on your vehicle! You can bring the car back at anytime to return the PCM back to the stock tune.

Is that it? Really?
Well, there is one more thing. You must review the tune here on TMS.

Will you dyno tune my car?
Sure! That can be arranged over PM.

Why are you doing this? Are you starting your own hardware tuning company?
For now its just for fun. I dont know what the future holds

If your interested PM me please. You must be a member of this forum with more than 10 posts.

Thanks!
-Matt

 

Good luck finding someone who is willing to leave a tune on a car with no way to remove it themself, or having to drive to you any time it needs a tweak, or they need to bring their car in for service and need to return to stock. I doubt you'll get mnay volunteers (I sure wouldn't). Imagine the cost for them if you "won the lottery" and couldn't be found to return their car to stock.....

 

Valid points. I fixed your spelling errors

I've already got a good chunk of the cars I needed covered.

If I did win the lottery (which I hope I will one day!). Any Ford dealership can return the car back to stock using a VCM and IDS (~$100, or I can connect you with someone to get this done for free in South OP).

If you really think about it. You load a tune on a car, then the tuner sits in the trunk and is a waste of a premium hardware.

On the other side of the coin, I'm just doing some testing. The future holds strong for a more affordable tuner that's not just a waste of money on *bells and whistles*.

And.. Well.. It's FREE

 

No disrespect, but even if it's free, I'm not sure someone would volunteer to have someone they don't know (I assume you are just starting out?) load a tune on their car and void their warranty? For "fun"? I wish you the best.... Perhaps some brave soul will do this...

 

None taken!

I'm not just starting out. My tour of tuning cars started a few years ago at a company called BamaChips. I worked with Doug in creating some of the most well known tunes around. (Before he sold the company to American Muscle)

Since leaving BamaChips I left to get a degree in Computer Engineering, and was hired on by a major car company to work on ECM/ECU/PCM's and inter-car networking. So I know just a little more than your average tuner

I've only gotten a few contacts off the forums (at no surprise), but i have filled my other spots through craigslist. My goodness at the amount of diesel guys that emailed me, most were even willing to pay. (stunned)

Like the work I did building a converter for the 13/14 cluster, and an a method of communicating with your car (radio specifically) through the tablet. I want to bring something more affordable to the market. I personally thing ~$400 is a little much for something you will rarely use. Especially when dealers are selling them at 45-50% GPM on hardware alone.

What if you could get a $200 dollar tuner that does the exact same thing, same quality of tunes, could work on multiple Ford vehicles, and community driven?

I really wish I could release it as open source, but the lawsuits I'm sure would never end

More feedback welcome! Both positive and negative.

 

Well, I'd pass. It's not really free. As pointed out, flashing the vehicle back to stock for a repair (even though Ford can tell it's been flashed now with the current ECM's used) if Ford requires the stock tune to do a warranty repair, one hundred bucks a pop from them will add up. Besides, when this happens, your tune is lost.

A better way would be for your custom tune to be loadable on a tuner. I purchased an unmarried used tuner for $150.00, and have several tunes on it; he custom ones are the ones I use, primarily a 91 and 93 octane tune. For me, I'd have to be able to control the tune I have installed at any time.

Good luck though, hope it works out for you.

 

Very valid points!

One issues with your post though. The myth that Ford can detect when an aftermarket tune has been loaded is false. The only thing a Ford (corporate) technician can see is how many requests the ECU has has to download/upload a tune. They cannot tell that an aftermarket tune was loaded, rather the ECU had interaction with a Diagnostic Device (tuner or VCM).

I'm working on tuning hardware now. I'm hoping first part of next year I will be at a point I can mass produce.

-Matt

 

I would say stick with the software engineering All Ford has to do is see the number of software reloads and deny the warranty repair. Then YOU can take them to court and answer THEIR question about how many times the ECU was reloaded.

 

I take it you implying I don't know what I'm talking about

See the attached TSB for diagnosing the #8 issue. tsb11-07-07.pdf

And I quote (from the FORD TSB attached - Service Guidelines - Second Paragraph) "Unauthorized calibration modifications may or may not be detectable using standard tools Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS), Portable Diagnostic Software (PDS), NGS+ VCM."

Two points.

1. If there is a tune in the car when you take it to the dealer. Connecting IDS will NOT tell the technician there is a tune loaded in the car. It WILL want to perform an PMI (Programmable module installation) on the ECU.

2. If you blow your car up cuz of the tune. You flash it back to stock, still, the technician can NOT tell the car was ever tuned. Only that you have a P1000 code and the ECU has been reset. (See flowchart in TSB). I don't condone this at all, if you blow it up because of tune (probably from an ignorant tuner). Man up and pay to fix it.

Now there is a flipside to that coin.

If Ford corp sends out a ECU technician. He can pull the mem of the ECU (where the tune is stored) and will see the changes. This used to be rare, but since the issues with the #8, it has become a little more frequent. I think this point deserves a separate post.

Next?

 

I have read the TSB. Actually, what I was saying is that FORD can refuse the warranty claim, based on their data that the ECU has been reflashed - and they have no service record. Then, the owner can take them to court. Then FORD's lawyers will do a deposition and ask, under oath, if the owner has reflashed the ECU with a non stock tune? You don't want to lie under oath - especially when they are well aware of the relationship between changing engine parameters and engine failures. So, I think your last point is correct. You change it, you fix it.

 

If you blow an engine and there is a warranty issue with it, I can pretty much guarantee Ford will send their man to check the ECU. Too much money in it for them not to.

 

Yea, like I said it used to be rare. But has gained more momentum by leadership, in some remote dealerships, techs would perform a remote session (teamviewer) and inspect the ECU remotely.

-Matt

 

Well, good luck in trying to tell a tech you were loading/unloading anything other than a "stock" tune. These guys are not stupid! My pockets are not deep enough to fight Ford on this one.

Next?

 

Then don't. No one said you had too.

Lets say for instance, you lost your tuner. You could take your car in to a dealer, request that they check for ECU updates, IDS would in turn perform a module update. No one would ever know the difference. (Again, I don't condone this type of behavior, I'm just proving a point.)

 

Your stand for providing a free tune, and then stating that a Ford tech/rep could not "prove" anything in the way of a performance tune was loaded simply does not hold any water, and should a person have to flash back to stock, they cant very easily with your arrangement. This is the flaw in your offering. Having a tuner with a stock load stored is the best method IMO to ever needing that requirement. I keep the tuner with me at all times, as I drive my Mustang daily. And yes, if I lose it, then it's my fault, and I pay Ford to flash it back to stock. I take that responsibility. But with my method, I control the tune I run, and I control when I wish/need to flash it back.

Again, I wish you the best. You'll no doubt get some takers; I hope at the very least you explain what they are possibly up against with the free tune, and the unavailability to control if or when they need to flash it back to stock at a moments notice, and at a price that they will have to pay. That would be a fair business practice.

 

A ford dealer technician can not tell that a tune is installed. Period. Read the TSB attached earlier in this thread for proof. If you believe different, where are your facts? I know IDS software like the back of my hand, and it can NOT dump any ECU memory through standard (dealer) tech level usage. EDIT: Let me make clear, as of IDS version 87.01a this ability does not exists.

Now, a Ford Corp technician, can tell a tune has been installed. There is no denying that. They have tools that can use a VCM to dump memory. (Specifically use J2534 through a VCM).

I did fill all the slots, everyone except the 13/14 is out of warranty so it really doesn't matter to them.

My goal here is to provide a good budget tuner to the community.

-Matt

 

That's fair.

I think the only issue I see, is the issue of trust.... this is based on reputation, word of mouth, etc. You "could" be one of the best tuners out there. But the question is, would someone "trust" you with their car, that you would provide a high quality tune, that could potentially void their warranty even if they were able to go back to stock (on their own accord, mind you...).

Perhaps once a name and reputation is built, it might come easier.

 

I agree completely.

Heres an idea I had on the subject of building reputation.

In my "line of work", I have had the opportunity to look at a-lot of 11/12 5.0's that had the #8 issue. Specifically I got to look at the calibrations (the owners didn't return the car to stock calibration). I was thinking about posting up on this issue, and what exactly in the tune caused the failure. But I am not so sure how other companies would react to me, being so forthcoming with information. (Side note, I'm not tied to any non-disclosures with anyone). I have seen a good amount of posts on this subject recently, which are mostly filled with garbage and hearsay. I figured I could help set the record straight.

Whats your guys opinion?

 

The only fault I see in this is the unavailability of being able to control the tune that's installed in MY vehicle at any time, other than a drive back to you (assuming you flash it back for free) and your availability, and not having to pay Ford to flash it back to stock if need be.

Fpr some, this may not be an issue; for me, I want control of my vehicles tune, at any time, and any situation.

 

Agreed. This is just for testing tuning hardware on different ECU types. All of the slots I needed have been filled, and they owners have agreed to post up on TMS. I didn't imply it be a permanent thing unless it wanted to be kept.

End of Q1 2014 I will be able to produce actual hardware for sale. It will be less than $300, and will offer exactly the same gains as other tuners/tunes out there.

I'm 100% certain that once hardware goes on the market its going to stir a major uproar within the current offerings.

So now the question becomes.

What do you guys want to see? I want this project to be community driven.

-Matt