ECU TSB Update

4 credits per VIN

 

I was under the impression that if you wanted to flash someone else's truck then you had to go through the whole pro tuner software license system and have an LLC, get the training, and all that jazz. Is that not the case? I'd like to be able to just purchase credits and flash tunes for people without the whole necessity of owning a business...

 

Pro users are the only ones who can purchase credits now. Anyone who has extra credits leftover from the previous policy can still use theirs, until they're out

 

Ah, gotcha.

 

The Credits are for Unlocking VINs to allow them to be flashed. It takes four Credits per VIN.

Once Unlocked, that Taco can be freely flashed any number of times.

 

How much is pro status? I don’t plan on flashing a bunch for money just a few friends here and there.

I went through all the training with Cobb tuning and EFI logic’s to get access tuner software for my subaru

 

$1,250 is required for the pro upgrade.

 

Plus $68-100/per ECU for credits, cost depends on how many credits you buy at once. To get the cheapest credits you have to buy enough to tune 25 trucks at once. And then you need whatever tune packs you want/need for each truck. Tune packs cost $30-300 per ECU, again, depends on what tune packs you buy. Also, many tuners are moving to VIN locked tunes now, so expect per truck tune packs, not per ECU tune packs, to change the game.

 

That's a lot of tuning.

What's the skinny on your last statement about VIN locked tunes? Or maybe I don't have a need to know...and that is OK too.

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A new option in the vF Software that allows a tune file to only be flashed to a specific VIN.

 

Makes sense. Thank you.

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From a business standpoint, it's a very good move since not everyone out there can be considered trustworthy and the previous method of selling/distributing tunes relied completely on the honor system. For example, you buy the tunes from me/YotaWerx for a 2017 Tacoma customer of yours. From then on, I'm completely trusting that you'll be honest and pay me as agreed for each subsequent 04B04 2016-17 truck that you tune with those same tune files.

With VIN-lock, this isn't a factor.

 

You're welcome!

 

Ok never mind then. Buddies you on your own

 

Hahaha! When vF first started, it was a much easier pill to swallow. To get going now, it is a large investment and hard to carve out a client base.

 

Lol

 

Many of the Pro Tuners will do 25 trucks in a month or 2. At least I do. Then I also have a $700 Schumacher DSR power supply specific to ECU tuning that allows me to set exact voltage I want for the ECU tuning process. This is key to minimize risk of voltage drop which can brick ECU’s. There is risk in this game, and after you’ve flashed a few hundred trucks you’ve likely had some close calls and bad days you don’t ever want to repeat.

The biggest risk to a bricked ECU are these TSB flashes with Toyota software. VF is actually easier to recover if something goes wrong. If you have an error during a TSB, and don’t have the option to retry, you have a very expensive bad day on your hands. Better have a bench flash kit and know how to use it. People watch the tuners flash trucks and think it’s easy, but the more you do, the more likely you are to have a problem, and the more careful and educated you become. I started tuning with just a laptop in parking lots, now I have a whole cart of crap I use for it to minimize risk and only tune from home or a shop if TSB’s are involved. I’ll update tunes with vF remotely but full TSB and tunes are done in a controlled environment with a refined, regimented process.

it’s in many ways an odds game. 9 out of 10 times there is never an issue. Not much risk if you’re updating and tuning 3-4 trucks total, or just your truck. But now you tune 100 trucks, you could have 9-10 problems. Even Mat/vF says sometimes bad things just happen, even if you follow all the best practices. Having $ set aside, and even Insurance, for these bad days is critical if you do this a lot.

 

Great advice and info Barrett.
I appreciate you!
People do not realize how much time, money and risk is involved in becoming a "tuner".