Flash....

[Leadfoot]

Well, looks like I'll be jumping on the wagon & gettin' the flash tomorrow. I'm headed to Faulkner Mazda (where I bought the beast)...I'll not only post up how I feel the improvement is, but also on their service.

Some History:
*My car is stock, purchased on January 30 (deposit on it Oct. 5, 2002).
*I currently have just over 19,000 miles (too many, I know).
*I've been to the service guys twice already:
-first to get the 15,000 mile service (tire rotation, oil change, full check up, Subwoofer replacement)
-second time ~ 1 week later for them to actually rotate the f'ing tires, fix the brake vibration & replace the sub (obviously not done first time...took over 4 hours).

This time around I called Scott Duretz directly (service mngr)...plan to finally get brakes fixed (now thier making a dragging noise, but not all the time) & get my free oil change that they owe me & have them do the flash. Reviews to come...

 

[Leadfoot]

Report Card Time:
Faulkner Mazda Service Center -
Well, Kudo's to Paul @ Faulkner for not only getting the job done right, but also in quick time. His group was working with a 1.5 hour delay from a power outage, and still managed to change my oil, check brakes, and perform flash in one & a half hours! They did a great job, and I'm very happy. Also, I got my Mazda "full circle" report card, which I never got the first two times. I must say that thier service was first rate this time, and I feel that this is how every dealer service experience should be.
Overall Grade: A
Day 0 Flash -
Well, the big plus here is NO MORE HESITATION!!! Before, my car was very bad with hesitation, and now it's gone. I don't notice any power gains (I think Paul mentioned something about an "extra 50 horses", but not sure if I heard him right...I don't think this is the case), but do notice that the turbo spools smoother and the power delivery is right on with it. It starts around 2k RPMs as the turbo starts to spool up, and at 3500 you feel the surge as it goes to full boost, but the acceleration is very linear. Pre-flash, it would spool & I would get some juice at 4k, then nothing till over 5k. Much nicer having that power come on earlier!!
Overall Grade: A

I'll keep this updated routinely to see note if there is/is not any changes to the performance. Also, anyone feel free to chime in if they have similar/different experiences.

 

[doggman]

that's prety sweet aboutthe flash and what it does for the car. acouple of q's, how much did the flash caust and what exactly does it do.
man you really drive yor car!! that's how it should be!!(rockon)
thanks
-dave

 

[doggman]

Also does the flash void warrenty?
thanks again
-dave

 

[Eric-BlackMSP]

Its Free and no it does not void the warranty, it is from the dealership.

 

[doggman]

So i can go to the dealership tomorrow and they will put it on my msp for me in like "X" amount of hours?!!!

 

[Leadfoot]

yeah...just tell them that you have hesitation, and that you need the flash. By now they should know what you're talking about.

 

[doggman]

ya as you said im jumping on the bandwagon and im flashing my car tomorow!!! from what you said im vary happy and i cant wait to se what it is like and the improvments i hope to find!!!!! the guy at the dealership said that it leans out the idle but he didnt say anything else about better spool up or anything tho. i guess that's just something that happens when the idle is leaned out?
well if you have anymore info about the flash and what is does could you please let me know because i have herd that in donig the flash you cant run highier boost?
thanks
-dave

 

[Dexter]

I am selling PREFLASHED MAZDA ECUS for $300
paypal to readthefuckingsticky@msprotege.com

 

[shackmgr6073]

(lol) (rofl) You got here first!!

 

[Leadfoot]

ya as you said im jumping on the bandwagon and im flashing my car tomorow!!! from what you said im vary happy and i cant wait to se what it is like and the improvments i hope to find!!!!! the guy at the dealership said that it leans out the idle but he didnt say anything else about better spool up or anything tho. i guess that's just something that happens when the idle is leaned out?
well if you have anymore info about the flash and what is does could you please let me know because i have herd that in donig the flash you cant run highier boost?
thanks
-dave

Doggman..here's my take on the higher boost issue. I plan on running upwards of 12-14 psi, but I figure that anything worth doing is worth doing right. Therefore, when the time comes for me to up the boost, I plan on getting a stand-alone to manage the A/F ratio and timing maps, and the proper mods to support the increased boost (FMIC, CAI, etc..). This way, no matter what the flash has done, the car will behave properly when TUNED at higher boost levels due to proper engine management. From what I have read, some people run into detonation problems when boosting above 10 psi after the flash, and this is probably due to the advanced timing. I personally won't be boosting above 9 psi until I have the proper goods, but this is just my $.02

Whatever you decide, just keep in mind what many others on the board have said...that you shouldn't plan on doing any heavy modifications unless your ready to pay for the worst and you are an experienced tuner (or know one...and not just someone who's put a cat-back on either). When modding, especially when going in blind, you run a big risk of ruining or drastically shortening the life of your engine. Good luck!

 

[doggman]

hey i'll take your $.02 anytime man (rockon). ya sae here, i dont pln on boosting over 9psi without the proper aids in doing so, ie: fmic, cai, stnd alone, or even new sparks.
thanks
-dave (rockon)

 

[doggman]

i got flashed today!!! i was happy with the results. it seemed to smooth out the spooling time greatly. car reaches max psi vary smoothly now. i dont seem to notice a power gain but im happy with the results. about the hesitation, i dont really kno exactly what the "hesitation" everybody is talkin about but wht i do kno is that accelerrating is much more smooth.if the hesitation is what im thinking it is then it is better(is hesitation when you are crzin in like 4th gear and then you go w.o.t then you get that little pause(i.e hesatation?). if that is what it is then the flash deff. helped.
all in all im glad i did it!
-dave