Mazda Reflashed my ECU, Now I Am Not Getting a Black Tailpipe!

M3_Zoom said:
I second that turbofever! I just made another post and again I mean no harm, but others really need to do there homework before threads get out of control and become something they should not be. (drinks)

camrycev6 if you need any service completed the folks at Gaithersburg Mazda in Gaithersburg, MD are fantastic. Just ask for Kevin or Roy and they are a Mazdaspeed dealer. (rockon)

Thanks M3 Zoom. Gaithersburg is a little out of the way for me. I am going to try the one in Ellicott City (the closest) and see how they do. If I don't like them, I will consider going to Gaithersburg.

On another note, I am so glad to finally see this topic closed. No reflash for my MS3.
 
camrycev6 said:
Thanks M3 Zoom. Gaithersburg is a little out of the way for me. I am going to try the one in Ellicott City (the closest) and see how they do. If I don't like them, I will consider going to Gaithersburg.

On another note, I am so glad to finally see this topic closed. No reflash for my MS3.


camrycev6 anytime! I'm here for everyone and I would hope all that subscribe to this forum feel the same way. If anything comes up on the car, rest assure you will hear from me.

(2thumbs)
 
turbofever said:
The reflash has nothing to do with a CAI, or a black tail pipe.

If your car throws a p2006 code, and they replace the swirl shutter valve actuator, there is a reprogram to go with it. Its that simple guys. There is no reflash unless you get that actuator replaced.
Had the issue and they replaced the valve itself. There wasn't any re-flash along with it, just clearing the codes. The soot absolutely is from running rich (too many bike exhausts over the years) - other than a re-flash from a tuner, is there any other tip out there?
 
Response from Thread Starter

I love how several people have given me a back handed insult by insinuating that:

1) my dealer (Jeff Haas Mazda in Houston Texas) must be lying

2) it is my imagination that the tailpipe is staying cleaner than it did

I can only go by my results. Just because your local dealer says it doesnt exist, doesnt mean anything.

I experienced this mob mentality for 5 years on the Miata.net forum. I am just trying to share some info with you guys. YMMV.

(rant) (rant) (rant) (rant) (rant) (rant)
 
I just spoke with Brian Brey (sp?) at Jeff Haas Mazda (service dept.) in Houston about any reflashes for the MS3. He said there weren't any. I asked him to please double check. He did... No upgrades / reflash for the MS3. Period.

No one is attacking you alien...but clearly (and especially now), how would you expect us to believe this when all the evidence points to the contrary?
 
MAN this thread is still alive.....................
*bush speaking* NO NEW FLASHES ...... NO NEW FLASHES........... :D (cheers)
 
I just had the first opportunity to talk to a dealership that theoretically did one. They said they didn't know anything about it. That pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin on the issue for me.
 
camrycev6 said:
I just had the first opportunity to talk to a dealership that theoretically did one. They said they didn't know anything about it. That pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin on the issue for me.

camrycev6, I'm just going to let it be. We have one of the best resources available to us and for anyone else reading, Gaithersburg Mazda in Gaithersburg, MD has a service mechanic that races for Mazda. Also he is one of the 10 man team that tests there cars and Mazdaspeed products before production. If they say NO, it's NO!

Now, I cannot be any clearer than this, yes there is a re-flash but it's ONLY for those who through a Cel because of there Rich/Lean issue and it mainly pertains to those out West and Northwest region. IT IN NO WAY FASHION OR FORM INCREASES PERFORMANCE. Sure those that have had it completed may experience better drivability across the band, but youre in a totally different climate/elevation as well than those of us on the East Coast. Ask anyone who travels or has traveled with a drag car. You must adjust your A/F ratio just about everywhere you go either by computer, fuel pressure regulator, carb jets bla bla bla there are many different ways. When cars are factory produced they attempt with a 99.9% assurance to build the car to perform the same no matter where you live and of course no single person is perfect which would warrant a re-flash for those who through a Cel etc. etc.

I think the topic is out of control because the question is, is there a re-flash for MS3 owners? Yes to reset your Cel if you experience the Rich/Lean problem but again IN NO WAY FASHION OR FORM IS IT A INCREASED PERFORMANCE RE-FLASH. The black soot on your exhaust is normal and is a completely different topic...these cars are set up to run rich for a few reasons and I personally prefer it that way. Without a doubt if our cars did not run rich, the exhaust stayed sparkling clean and everyone was tripping Cels for being lean then everyone would be complaining to Mazda for not giving us enough fuel to run these beasts...

Case dismissed..........(drive2)
 
Well... I believe the original poster...

It wouldn't be the first time that I've had different stories from different dealerships. And I have no reason to believe the OP is lieing... I mean... why lie about something like that? So I do believe HIS car was reflashed at whatever dealership he went to and that he may be experiencing better driveability and a cleaner tailpipe as a result.

I do also believe that since it wasn't a TSB... that many dealer techs would probably not spend too much (if any) time looking into this to confirm it... very few I've ever run into that really care enough to go above and beyond like that. If it meant them having to do any extra work or spend any extra time that they weren't getting paid for... they won't even bother.

"what? It's not a TSB, but is in some email bulletin from Mazda you say? Nope, never heard of it... oh yeah I'll have a look for you... nope... couldn't find it". When you know damn well they probably never even looked.

Ah well...
 
Yeh they told me the swirl valve too.... Going to get it done on the 11th WEDS... We'll see how it does, they told me NO REFLASH. Its a speed dealer so I dunno
 
Hey, I'm just saying... what reason do these poeple have to lie? Instead of questioning their honesty, I'd rather question just what it was that these dealerships really did to their car? If it's not what they said it was, it seems SOMETHING was done to their cars...
 
M3_Zoom said:
Nice signature!!! Anyhow, again I'm with you. I could care less about the soot myself but if there is a re-flash and it overall makes the car run better (which some are claiming) across the entire band then like most, I want it. But if there is no such animal, I think others like a few of us are doing need to do there homework before they start passing bad word. I mean no harm to anyone but at my age and experience with cars there is no need to read BS, just tell it how it is.

(drinks)
yeah thanks...well regardles of what everybody says or thinks, there is 2 mazdaspeed 3 out here in vegas that both had it done, i am one the other is on this board...Now wether they took it back and did nothing the car came out feeling better and lost teh major boost spike in 3rd and 4th, it is way smoother...As for research and cars i did mine, got many efi tuning certificates, and just sold my dyno shop only cause it was profitable..so i am good with filtering out the bs
 
$inCitySpeed3 said:
yeah thanks...well regardles of what everybody says or thinks, there is 2 mazdaspeed 3 out here in vegas that both had it done, i am one the other is on this board...Now wether they took it back and did nothing the car came out feeling better and lost teh major boost spike in 3rd and 4th, it is way smoother...As for research and cars i did mine, got many efi tuning certificates, and just sold my dyno shop only cause it was profitable..so i am good with filtering out the bs


$inCitySpeed3, what was the reason you took your car in? Did you through a Cel or ? What does your service paperwork from the dealer that performed the work say? That would be the best help for us here on the East Coast. What we on the East Coast are being told is, YES there is a re-flash but only for the folks out West etc. Apparently you are experiencing more driveability problems then us. I personally would love to have the information on the service paperwork because Gaithersburg, Mazda told me if I had that information they could link it to what exactly the re-flash does down to fine details. Sure, I agree with anyone out West that said they have had it done but the problem is most are misunderstanding what the re-flash is for. It is to fix a driveability problem that allows the car to run better across the band etc etc. Whether that is the boost spike you were having or a common rich/lean problem, I cannot say because I'm not the one with the code information. From what I have read on this forum and others is most are misunderstanding it to be boost in power/performance re-flash not a fix to a driveability problem.
 
For the record...

I'm also one who had the reflash done, as I documented earlier. Cedric wrote on my invoice something to the order of "Customer found car is running rich, check for updates to ECU." I remember that it was this way, because I was joking w/ Cedric that he spelled rich "ritch", so it stuck in my head. At any rate, he said that initally, he was unable to find a report of an update for my car, but when he looked it up, there was one available. That was all I needed to hear, because Cedric explained to me that it should help with the problem. No more was talked about it (like you guys are elaborating to the Nth degree on here), and the car now gets far better gas mileage, far less soot around the exhaust, and ZERO soot and dirt on the back hatch area, as was common when before the flash.

I also remember that the car would create a hell of a smoke-screen behind me during full-throttle WFO acceleration runs, especially when doing it from a relatively low RPM in a higher gear. Now, I see more of a steamy, soft haze as I do the same WFO run.

No more information for me was necessary, Cedric dutifully tackled this issue, while changing my oil for me, and the car's run better ever since.

To those of you who are saying that this isn't true, that there is no reflash available, I don't know what to say other then I doubt your service center's ability to research for the correct information. When I was a Service Writer, when there was an issue like this that came up, I'd research quite a while before saying "no", but others in my crew would simply go "nope, can't do it", without finding out. So, it depends on who you deal with.
 
camrycev6 said:
I just spoke with Brian Brey (sp?) at Jeff Haas Mazda (service dept.) in Houston about any reflashes for the MS3. He said there weren't any. I asked him to please double check. He did... No upgrades / reflash for the MS3. Period.

No one is attacking you alien...but clearly (and especially now), how would you expect us to believe this when all the evidence points to the contrary?

Because it clearly states on my workorder that a reflash was performed. Also consider that at most dealerships the left hand doesnt know what the right one is doing and most of the time the person on the phone just wants to get you to go away. I worked at a dealership years ago in high school and you can take that to the bank.

How else can you explain the lack of soot? Use some common sense, my friend......(scratch)
 
One Other Thing....

This whole situation reminds me of a time when I took my then new 1999 Honda Prelude for a recall that I had been mailed a letter for. I went to the local Honda dealership and the recall didnt show up in their computers.

If they couldnt find a recall, then who is to say that the Mazda dealership couldnt overlook an obscure tech note. Plus, since the car is so new and it seems to be an isolated incident, maybe only the most diligent service writers have found it.

BTW, if you guys would like me to, I can scan the paperwork and post it.

I worked on aircraft in the Air Force for almost 8 years and have an extensive car background as well. One of the things you learn over the years is to notice things like soot buildup, etc. as a measurement of engine performance over time. Consider it the same as monitoring gas mileage or oil leaks. Most of you NOTICE these things.

As far as I am concerned, this thread can be locked. I dont blame you guys for not believing since there is no physical proof for you. I am an empirical guy myself and would have a hard time buying it I guess. I wish I could give you a revision number or something. Oh well.

That being said, enjoy your cars. I know I am, and I am really looking forward to getting my CP-E intake I just ordered.

Wanna know why I picked CP-E over Mazdaspeed? Because they have the technical docs to prove that the intake will work with other parts down the road. I just couldnt take the risk of the MS intake fouling up the fuel trims when I put on an exhaust, intercooler, etc.
 
alien1979 said:
This whole situation reminds me of a time when I took my then new 1999 Honda Prelude for a recall that I had been mailed a letter for. I went to the local Honda dealership and the recall didnt show up in their computers.

If they couldnt find a recall, then who is to say that the Mazda dealership couldnt overlook an obscure tech note. Plus, since the car is so new and it seems to be an isolated incident, maybe only the most diligent service writers have found it.

BTW, if you guys would like me to, I can scan the paperwork and post it.

I worked on aircraft in the Air Force for almost 8 years and have an extensive car background as well. One of the things you learn over the years is to notice things like soot buildup, etc. as a measurement of engine performance over time. Consider it the same as monitoring gas mileage or oil leaks. Most of you NOTICE these things.

As far as I am concerned, this thread can be locked. I dont blame you guys for not believing since there is no physical proof for you. I am an empirical guy myself and would have a hard time buying it I guess. I wish I could give you a revision number or something. Oh well.

That being said, enjoy your cars. I know I am, and I am really looking forward to getting my CP-E intake I just ordered.

Wanna know why I picked CP-E over Mazdaspeed? Because they have the technical docs to prove that the intake will work with other parts down the road. I just couldnt take the risk of the MS intake fouling up the fuel trims when I put on an exhaust, intercooler, etc.


Alien 1979, if you could scan and post your document or PM me with it, that would be great. You sort of answered the question of, if there is no proof then how are we to know etc. A few of us have made several phone calls and some of the calls were to the dealers that have completed the re-flash and they still said no. Although my dealer will complete the re-flash for me, again the only one they have found is the one that corrects a driveability problem for the folks out West. If you could post it, I can take that with the reference information on it to my dealer here on the East Coast and compare to see if it's the same re-flash. Regardless, I will definitely post all the details etc. to allow anyone no matter what there location is to get the re-flash and then maybe we can modify this post to "We have a re-flash, these are the details so go have it completed at our local Mazdaspeed dealer."
 
Jeff Haas cropped.webp

I cropped the section of the work order that pertained to the fix. Notice that it states that it was reflashed and this was also what Darrell the service writer told me when he called to tell me the car was ready. He specifically said that they found an update and reflashed the ECU.
 
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