Flashing the ECU

[im2bad4ya]

I went to a Mazda dealer to find out about the driving cycle and at what point the ECU reads and stores the info on the catalytic and oxygen systems, hoping they could give me info on when they might kick in. Anyway, the dealer told me it was probably due to the fact that there were new ECU versions and that I needed to flash the ECU to their latest version. (Of course this is complete BS, the systems will be ready when I do a combo of highway and city driving and I just have to wait for those systems to be 'ready' having nothing to do with updating anything). When I asked him about the ECU flash, he said that they do it for $110.

Is this guy trying to grab me? I thought the ECU flash for MSPs were free for life??

 

[hornsfan10609]

The flash used to be free but that was 10 years ago. I would save the $110 and spend it on an SSAFC. I wouldnt own an MSP without some sort of tune on it.

 

[BOOSTR]

The MSP warranty was 4years or 50,000 miles, whichever came first. Within those parameters the flash was performed at no cost to you as a warranty item. It was never something available for life. With the right mods you don't need a piggy-back system or DSM AFC that the PCM will learn around anyway. And to me spending $1K plus on a standalone, which is the only proven way to overide the PCM is ludicrous.

 

[im2bad4ya]

I had no intentions of flashing the ECU, free of charge or not. Just wanted to know if they guy was trying to screw me over. But an SSAFC is definitely something I'm getting, once I get new motor mounts and a wideband A/F gauge.