ECU Check
ECU Check is a platform designed for technicians to analyse the status of a vehicle’s engine ECU calibration.
Many cars have had their engine mapping altered, to boost performance, delete problematic systems such as Adblue, EGR, DPF, or a combination of them all, along with related fault codes. This makes the diagnosis and repair of such vehicles much more difficult than if the ECU calibration is in its original state.
With ECU Check, you can quickly and efficiently verify what has been altered and, if necessary, obtain an original calibration file.
USED CAR SALES
Ensure that vehicles you're selling are in a standard condition, with no hidden surprises for your customers
VEHICLE SERVICING AND REPAIRS
Avoid chasing problems that are strangely undiagnosable
WARRANTY ASSESSMENT AND CLAIMS
Analyse and assess warranty claims based on ECU condition
Attempting to diagnose an untraceable fault due to ECU calibration changes is not only immensely frustrating, it can also be a considerable drain on resources. In such a condition, you may be trying to fix an unfixable car.
A vehicle that has been electronically altered – for tuning, emissions-system deletion, and fault code removal – needs to be put back to standard before it can be properly repaired. Using our service, you can ascertain what modifications have been made, and then reprogram the ECU back to stock.
The process eradicates confusion and saves hours of misdiagnosis.
ECU Check doesn’t just save you valuable time when carrying out vehicle diagnosis (and we all know that time is money), it can also save you from having to deal with considerable problems and unhappy – or potentially litigious – customers.
Consider these circumstances: you take car in part exchange and sell it on. The car drives and operates as it should, but a month later the customer returns with it having some serious faults in the Adblue system, which hadn’t been flagged as problematic whilst in your possession.
They want their money back, because you have, albeit unwittingly, sold a car not as described and with hidden modifications that have a serious implication on its continued service life. It has been modified – poorly – by one of the growing number of inexperienced and untrained “ECU Tuners” who have little or no knowledge of the changes they are making.
In the engine remapping world this kind of operator is known as a “Flash and Dash” or “Driveway Tuner” – one who operates solely on a mobile basis, modifying cars cheaply with little to no comeback if the data they have reprogrammed is wholly unsuitable, and likely to cause issues with the vehicle in future.
This kind of situation is entirely avoidable when you use ECU Check. Cars that you accept as trade-in, or that you wish to acquire as part of your stock, can be examined prior to any negotiations. It gives you the knowledge to ensure you are only accepting unmodified vehicles, or ones that are at least a known quantity to bring back to standard – with the equivalent assessment of their value.
Read, Analyse, Repair
The ECU Check service comprises of a tool to read the engine ECU, and the website which analyses the resultant file, providing a stock replacement should you need it.
We can tell you if the ECU calibration is standard or modified, and what changes have been made.
We can then also supply an original file to reprogram the ECU, bringing it back to stock condition, so that any faults can be correctly and fully rectified.
The Process
In order to analyse the calibration contained within a car’s ECU, it first needs to be read out with a tool most commonly used in the vehicle remapping industry. The file is obtained either via OBD, or by removing the ECU and connecting directly to it (known as bench or Service Mode).
Once the file has been read and saved, it is then uploaded and compared to the tens of thousands of stock files within our database.
When a match is found, we analyse the file and give you the information you need: whether any modifications have been made, and what they are.
Finally, a stock file is made available for you to program back into the vehicle should you require it.
ECU Check has been in development for over three years, and is completely automated. Response times are instant, with file analysis and reporting available immediately.
We have an ever increasing database of stock files which are used for comparison – no other service like this exists.
How Our System Works
We operate a subscription service, the level of which depends on whether you purchase a tool outright or include it in your monthly payments on a loan basis.
Any number of file uploads and analysis is included in the subscription. The supply of original files is then paid for on a credit token basis, supplied in bundles of 5, 10, 25, and 50.
Also included is a VRM vehicle lookup, which provides information about ECU location, ECU type, file read protocol, and whether the ECU can be read through OBD or needs to be done on the bench.
The Hardware
We provide the Alientech KESS3 to our ECU Check dealers.
This is the latest technology in ECU programming and is capable of reading a vast array of engine control units in cars, trucks, bikes, boats, and HGVs.
We supply the tool with standard car protocols, and the subscription to Alientech to keep these up to date is included in your monthly payment.
The tool is linked to our master unit which decodes the files that you read and send to us for analysis, and we offer support and free training once you have signed up.
