OVTune Tacoma 3.5L Auto - Transmission / Engine - ECU Reflash

Well i uploaded the 87 octane tune the other day and stopped for gas last night thinking "sweet, I can run regular now." So i filled up from empty with regular and just as I was putting my cap back on I noticed that it was 85 octane. So of course a facepalm for a second and think about what I'm going to do.

Well I was running around like crazy and didn't have time to run home to flash to stock so I went for it. I'm happy to report that the engine runs fine with no detectable misfires or stumbles (at least that I can notice, techstream may say differently).

Granted I will be using mid-grade going forward (88 octane around here) even though I think the elevation (~5,000ft) negates some of the effects of using lower octane I don't want to risk it.

 

Yup! Or worse if OVTune were to shut down, go out of biz, or just flat out ignore you!

 

OVTune seems like a great guy...I mean this! However, six months from now his priority will no longer be the Tacoma. It will be something new and he may be catering to those customers 24/7 much like he is doing for Tacoma owners right now. Do you really think it would be reasonable to expect him to continually bench flash your ECU for free? Even if it were for free, once he gets a ton of orders in on his next project, do you think your bench re-flash will be his priority? Do you realize your truck cannot be started while the ECU is in transit (or sitting on his shelf while he tends to his latest project customers)? Do you realize if your ECU is lost or sits on the shelf for an extended period that your truck has turned into a pile of metal parts? It isn't like a tire that can be easily or inexpensively replaced.

 

Please do not speak for us or what our development plans are, as what you are saying is not only wrong but putting irrational fear in peoples heads.

I have been tuning Mazdas for several years and I still bench flash them to this day, even though it's not my "main priority"

if anything like this were to happen we would release out all of our files for everyone.

 

I was not speaking to you or sharing your development plans. I was voicing my opinion with EVERYONE based upon previous experience. Please don't attempt to mute or censor my comments! Sorry I struck a nerve! I wasn't trying to be negative towards you. As I first stated, you seem (seemed?) like a great guy and have delivered excellent customer service.

 

I am not muting or attempting to.

" however, in six months from now his priority will no longer be the tacoma"

How do you know this is? That statement is completely false

 

+1, I dont see how thats "voicing my opinion".

 

You are absolutely correct. I should have stated, "'may' no longer be the Tacoma." I went back and edited my original comment. Thanks for pointing this out.

 

Why is everyone hung up on the bench flashing? This tuning is literally idiot-proof on your computer.

I've tuned 2 other vehicles using different methods and this is by far the easiest.
Example 1 - Bullydog tuner for a Tundra. Had to hook up a battery charger to the truck, plug the BD tuner in to the computer, upload files. Plug BD in to the truck and navigate using 2 buttons to select options. Process took over an hour each time I wanted to change something.

Example 2 - E46 BMW tuning - I pulled an auto trans and put in a manual trans. I had to remote in to a server in Romania to access BMWs factory software while plugged in to the car. Had to edit text files in German for every computer module in the car to remove the automatic transmission programming. Not only was this nerve wracking it was just a pain in the ass.

Now - OVT. After doing the initial read - maybe 30 min between downloading, setting up my computer, and reading files. Now that I have received new files from Mat the reflash process takes 5 min. Plug in, open the software, select, write, unplug. BOOM

 

why don't you watch OV activity on Facebook. you'll see he updates stuff all the time. he's a developer who tunes and tweaks his work over time... it's on the net for you to see. assumptions...

 

So how does this work? If I buy the full $765 kit. Could I flash multiple Tacomas? Or is it somehow licensed to my particular vehicle?

 

lol

 

I am certainly not trying to create a pissing match with anyone. I am simply sharing my experience with another company similar to OVTune who reflashed the ECU in my Hummer H3 for $235. Then every time the dealer updated the software (without ever telling me I might add), I lost my tune and had to send it back to be reflashed. Doesn't seem like much of a problem but they suddenly lost interest in reflashing it a third time and kept it for two weeks while my Hummer sat in the garage unable to be driven.

I will state on the record that based upon what I have followed, OVTune's communication, customer service and product seems heads above that I received for my Hummer. In fact, they are not even close. However, I don't believe it is unreasonable to share my experience with others. I am not implying in anyway that this will be the case with OVTune!

 

See this post

 

Sounds pretty negative from where I'm sitting. He's delivered exactly what he's said, and has done more than his share with trying
to answer every question in the other thread. So far he's been bombarded with orders, and questions, and deserves the benefit of
the doubt. In six months a lot of things can happen. I don't see the desire for drivability improvements to decline, and that is what's
steering the ship.

 

To give you an example of what I did for a market / community that asked for me to do something that was ultimately not a profitable venture for me. (actually lost money in the process).

I spent a few months developing stuff for the mazdaspeed / mazda proteges EEPROM ecu. After it all most people didn't want it, nor want to purchase it. So then I just released everything I did out so that the community can do whatever with it, then I moved on.

I'm not perfect. No business is. But I do whatever I am able to.

 

Dude, don't even waste your time.
I am 100% positive your actual customers will set this straight.
I am not a customer, but the guy is going off on a TW tangent and everyone can pick it up but him.

 

Can you kindly explain to me the difference between a bench flash verses purchasing the tune itself? Please don’t just say the price

 

Details of bench tuning is post #82.

Purchasing the tune - you will receive an OBDII connector and then tune files by email

 

OV has a stellar product and is doubling down on the Tacomas (on all platforms) and it also shares platforms with Lexus and other Toyota (like Camry) platforms so this ECU is here to stay and the demand will continue to be high. Mat's a smart guy, he knows this - Taco owners are rabid with their mods and this is one of the best things anyone can do for their truck's performance - and knows the demand thus far is only the tipping point. Putting fear in people's minds is not helpful when we have a guy who has put his life on hold, developed an incredible product (in wicked short time). Yes, any new product has stumbling blocks to overcome early on to refine the process, meet demand, etc., This happens with anything, and even moreso on something as technical as this.

He's in this for the long haul - and his pricing reflects this ongoing commitment. You're paying for a relationship and a "subscription" of sorts to support mods, new calibration versions, etc.,