[sjanda35]

I'm getting my car tuned from DME Tunes of Texas and with the 2020, they're saying my ecu needs to be taken out & shipped to them. Does anyone know exactly how to do it for the 2020? Any tips too would be appreciated. Thanks

[Bandoul]

What is the production date of your vehicle? Your vehicle may not be OBD locked.

[23109VC]

Are you concerned about warranty issues?

I have a 2018 and the idea of tuning mine would be phenomenal - it would probably get me up to your OEM power levels , but I'm worried about warranty issues.

My car is a CPO and has an extended warranty that runs for four more years - if I put on a tune and something goes haywire... and they detect that software was modified I would assume a big ticket item like engine replacement would get denied.

Major engine work on this car would probably be 25 grand or more at the dealer even an independent you've got to be looking at 10 or 15 grand.... either way I don't know if I can say that the extra power levels to me would be worth it the car is already fast as shit stock and mines only a 2018.

I sometimes find myself asking myself how much more power do I really need.... and then an hour later I find myself looking up tunes on the Internet...

[Bandoul]

Originally Posted by sjanda35

I'm getting my car tuned from DME Tunes of Texas and with the 2020, they're saying my ecu needs to be taken out & shipped to them. Does anyone know exactly how to do it for the 2020? Any tips too would be appreciated. Thanks

Here you go. WARNING! You should disconnect the battery before you do anything and take pictures after removing the covers in case you forget what plugs in where. Once you disconnect the wiring harnesses on both sides and push them aside, you will be able to pull the ECUs straight up. Below photos are for 2020 M550i as you mention in your original post title.

[sjanda35]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

Are you concerned about warranty issues?

I have a 2018 and the idea of tuning mine would be phenomenal - it would probably get me up to your OEM power levels , but I'm worried about warranty issues.

My car is a CPO and has an extended warranty that runs for four more years - if I put on a tune and something goes haywire... and they detect that software was modified I would assume a big ticket item like engine replacement would get denied.

Major engine work on this car would probably be 25 grand or more at the dealer even an independent you've got to be looking at 10 or 15 grand.... either way I don't know if I can say that the extra power levels to me would be worth it the car is already fast as shit stock and mines only a 2018.

I sometimes find myself asking myself how much more power do I really need.... and then an hour later I find myself looking up tunes on the Internet...

I want as much power as I can get lol. I was planning on an M5 then thought about how I could get a used M550i with low miles for almost half the price. And that's exactly what I did. With warranties, I'm basically just hoping nothing goes wrong. I had a 535i with no problems before this car. Completely different car, but I feel that BMW has fixed up some of their quality control issues.

[sjanda35]

Originally Posted by Bandoul

Here you go. WARNING! You should disconnect the battery before you do anything and take pictures after removing the covers in case you forget what plugs in where. Once you disconnect the wiring harnesses on both sides and push them aside, you will be able to pull the ECUs straight up. Below photos are for 2020 M550i as you mention in your original post title.

Thanks! This helps so much. Another question. Do you know if I have to send in both ecu's? Or is it a certain one?

[Bandoul]

Originally Posted by sjanda35

Thanks! This helps so much. Another question. Do you know if I have to send in both ecu's? Or is it a certain one?

You need to send both. If 1 ECU is OBD locked, then so is the other. Did you figure out your production date? Do you know what Shipment I-Step the car came with from factory?

[sjanda35]

Originally Posted by Bandoul

You need to send both. If 1 ECU is OBD locked, then so is the other. Did you figure out your production date? Do you know what Shipment I-Step the car came with from factory?

I believe the production date is 07/2019. No idea about shipment.

[choppedliver]

Originally Posted by sjanda35

I want as much power as I can get lol. I was planning on an M5 then thought about how I could get a used M550i with low miles for almost half the price. And that's exactly what I did. With warranties, I'm basically just hoping nothing goes wrong. I had a 535i with no problems before this car. Completely different car, but I feel that BMW has fixed up some of their quality control issues.

Same here. I have a June 2020 so no idea if its locked but won't be tuning for a few years.

I will likely go stage 2 and then depending on rod bending issues decide at the time. Given the TU3 has forged rods (Not sure if same as M5) I assume similar limits. Keep the torque to 750nm as long as possible to avoid bending.

[B58xxx]

how do you know if your ECU has to be femto unlocked? im looking into getting a 2020 M550 but i know about the pre and post june but my problem is if im correct all the tags where the production date would be all now say MY2020 or am i wrong ive been looking around and all the ones ive found so far say my2020 so its hard to if know those were made before june of 2020 i have asked around and got nowhere so i was hoping someone here would know

[Bandoul]

Originally Posted by B58xxx

how do you know if your ECU has to be femto unlocked? im looking into getting a 2020 M550 but i know about the pre and post june but my problem is if im correct all the tags where the production date would be all now say MY2020 or am i wrong ive been looking around and all the ones ive found so far say my2020 so its hard to if know those were made before june of 2020 i have asked around and got nowhere so i was hoping someone here would know

In ISTA+ you can lookup the production date of the DME ECU. Mine is FEB 2020 and had to be bench unlocked.

[walterm321]

I have no idea of the process but how about buying new ECUs and having the tune put in those? I'd assume it can be done. You'd obviously be paying more but it should work...

[Bandoul]

Originally Posted by walterm321

I have no idea of the process but how about buying new ECUs and having the tune put in those? I'd assume it can be done. You'd obviously be paying more but it should work...

You can't apply a map to an encrypted ECU without breaking the encryption first (bench unlock). Your tuner will tell you that. By the way, if you don't want the dreaded "Suspicion of Engine Tuning detected" flag permanently set and communicated to Germany, make sure you use spare ECUs.

[B58xxx]

Originally Posted by Bandoul

In ISTA+ you can lookup the production date of the DME ECU. Mine is FEB 2020 and had to be bench unlocked.

ive never heard of ISTA+ can it only be downloaded on computer or is phone possible as well?

[B58xxx]

Originally Posted by Bandoul

In ISTA+ you can lookup the production date of the DME ECU. Mine is FEB 2020 and had to be bench unlocked.

also can this be done before purchasing the vehicle?

[Bandoul]

Originally Posted by B58xxx

ive never heard of ISTA+ can it only be downloaded on computer or is phone possible as well?

ISTA+ is the diagnostics software BMW dealerships use to troubleshoot and fix BMWs. That said, yes it can be downloaded but it requires many steps to have it function on a laptop. I have a dedicated laptop for this.

[Bandoul]

Originally Posted by B58xxx

also can this be done before purchasing the vehicle?

Yes, at the dealership or any BMW repair shop that uses ISTA+ but most of them would want a diagnostics fee to hookup and tell you what you want to know.

[B58xxx]

I’ll call and ask thanks

[WretchedRefuse]

Originally Posted by Bandoul

You can't apply a map to an encrypted ECU without breaking the encryption first (bench unlock). Your tuner will tell you that. By the way, if you don't want the dreaded "Suspicion of Engine Tuning detected" flag permanently set and communicated to Germany, make sure you use spare ECUs.

The Mission Tuning M-Link is capable of doing a bench unlock, and they claim that you can use it in a way to mask the "Suspicion of Tuning" flag, provided that the car has never been tuned in the past. There are threads here where you can read up on that product.

[Torettoshifts]

What’s the performance update ?