How To Reflash Your ECU

Mighty Mods take you behind the scenes to show you the process of getting an ECU reflash. This episode we're working on the Mighty Mods MK4 VW GTI because Marty noticed it was the slowest turbo car in our garage.
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Also something to note around Mighty Car Mods: we are normal guys and are not trained mechanics. We like to make interesting car mods and show you how we've gone about it, but we can't promise that anything we show you will work for your particular car, or that you won't harm yourself, someone else, your car or your warranty doing it. Please be safe, be responsible and unless you know what you're doing, do not fool around with very serious machinery just because you've seen us make it look so easy. Talk to a qualified mechanic if you are in any doubt.
This video is intended as Entertainment only.

[@mikebrodeur12]

How to reflash your ecu: Step 1. Pay someone else to do it.

[@MultiMilTown]

exactly

[@workshopguy8753]

+M Bro and still have no idea who.

[@johnmarksjr2051]

M Bro I feel ya.i have a 150iq and don't wanna touch it or basically spend 60hrs studying and still have to buy hardware to do it.i gotta Lotta things time aint1.if you've done yours what kinda experience, $,most of all where if they done well.

[@GamingAmbienceLive]

only tools do it themselves, people with money have someone else do it supporting the work and experience they have

[@TheA53ford]

If you look it's kinda worth it since most computers to do it yourself cost over $500 bucks USD and in my case for my car I have to rip both my seat, carpet, and center console just to get to my ECU. (And that's unless you don't do a OBD plug in set up.)

[@FIFA12UTxX]

'Our friend bought a farm' hahahaahahahaha brilliant!

[@MIZKable]

+SamDoesStuff my friend also seems to buy a "farm" every friday night

[@thestunner711]

aka mexico

[@WheepyMAW]

So in fact, the answer to the title "How To Reflash Your ECU" is "Go to your local ECU Tuner". Thanks a lot buddy =P

[@nick2131]

Michael Wheepy Crousaz Of course man, and not just any local ECU tuner. ECU tunes can pose HUGE issues to your engine's reliability, I doubt any average tuner is capable enough to even understand the program they install into your car. You must go to a professional race engineer, or put your engine life at stake.

[@gerrywu6288]

+Charles Lin True

[@JasonGuerard]

Yeah, waste of video.

[@MarijnKonings]

+Charles Lin Thats why you do it yourself.

[@SomeoneElse20]

Damn 11 years later watching this is nostalgia at its finest

[@waelcartech]

Am Watching this in 2017 ! 8 years after this episode was aired !

[@Axel_sms]

same

[@alimakarov9113]

same

[@ARM_DM]

00:46 The banana theory was hilarious

[@MBWchannel]

It helps explain it to dumb people.

[@Silverhand290]

i.e. most humans

[@Rosindew]

"long driveway" lmao

[@Moonathorax]

Just started watching your latest series... Hungry for more, felt i needed to start at series 1 and see the development of this awesome programme. Mooty (Moog + Marty), you are brilliant. Love the banana analogy. Thank you for your entertainment, advice and education.

[@Maikool180sx]

wow that banana and tape description of a reflash was brilliant

[@Airman..]

"How To Reflash Your ECU" FLUSH MY ASS TITLE its a workshop commercial

[@limewirez]

very nice, keep it up! I have a stock GTI-r running on increased boost. Goes hard at 15psi

[@mightycarmods]

Gain on NA cars are minimal. It can vary but mostly around 10%. Turbo's can get over 30% gains.

[@phatcuntaye4749]

"Farm with a long driveway"

[@upsidedown4155]

Just noticed, moog is a alien, he aint aged, sorry Marty

[@oldmaninthewoods1696]

To un-peel, means to put the peeling back on.........

[@FrenchValleyAirport]

the good old days before haltech

[@mightycarmods]

No its an Autometre cobalt blue. We have a video on boost gauge installs if you want to do it yourself. Just click on our username for a list of all our videos.

[@sexyjf102]

I like the median lines in your "friends" driveway

[@lMod4Fun]

Yes, it won't do as much, but it depends on how aggressively its tuned from the factory, what kind of fuel it runs from the factory, etc. Timing, injector duty cycle, and choice of octane fuel are of a few parameters that can be tweaked in a way that the customer would find it ideal. On civics, it is even common to set VTEC to engage at low RPMs such as 2,000 to get a little more low end torque out of those little K20s.

[@idus]

Now we need one on how to flash your ECU yourself. Ostrich 2.0 rom emulator and the right TunerPro program to do it yourself. + a lot of forum reading to get it right :]

[@BoobyMcDoogle]

That banana metaphor was bizarre, but it totally makes sense.

[@rkjpsn]

I have a hondata flashpro sitting right next to me. Worth every penny.

[@SamnissArandeen]

Ooh, Marty went to the States? He should have done an episode of Mighty Car Mods while he was there. I'd love to see the US Special.

[@JustLetMeComment80]

You can do this to any car. ECU reflashing, however, works best after installing other performance modifications. The ECU reflash makes the car's computer retune the engine to allow all the modifications work together better.

[@LordRhyme]

these guyz know what they are doin for sure!

[@eddiechavira169]

finally a new video i cant get enough of this stuff.

[@ritter_cracker]

The TT has a K03S turbo, the AGU engine in the golf has a regular K03, which will get very hot when delivering boost over about 1 Bar on these engines. When boosting this much on these cars, i would recommend changing the turbo to the K03S which will better witdhstand the load. I work at a VW workshop and has seen my share of broken K03's and 1.8T engines that has had to be replaced because of overheated oil. :)

[@TheKiefmike]

You can, buy you wont see as much gain in power as with turbo cars. Reprograming the ecu on naturally aspirated cars are usually done after exhaust/intake header/cams etc to optimize the the upgrades you already have.

[@Lefurious13]

I am just here to bring you nostalgia

[@sneakeypete]

Its a premade, one size fits all sort of tune that's applied to the stock computer. Someones already made it before so it doesn't overdo anything, and then packaged it up so that it could be put onto others

[@nickos88gt]

hahahah loved the bit about your mates "driveway". great videos guys keep it up!

[@petterz13]

@The1Guitar Yes you could, the result would be that your engine revs higher and you will get a few hp but it will increase fuel consumption as well. You could also change the intake and exhaust and combined with a remap you could add aprox 50 hp.

[@alimohammed-kh9qj]

REMAKE THIS VIDEO!!

[@DKTAz00]

hehe, why tho? It's basicly this, Step 1: Take your car to a tuner, the end.

[@mightycarmods]

@princy3010 Ever seen a dyno without putting a wideband in the exhaust? Neither have we.

[@chrisb4131]

There is truly nothing more fun that unrestricting your banana.

[@ksearles85]

If there is a tune available ... you can increase your fuel efficiency .. adjust air fuel ratio and do things like raise your red line ... same sorta crap you can do with FI cars.

[@MrDj0465]

So, leaving the Negative cable off the battery does reset ECU, but better fuel consumption or burn less fuel remains to be seen. But what if you don't have a mass air flow sensor? Would it help to change A/F sensor?

[@mrcoogs86]

From what I've read you can re-flash a NA engine but the gains are far smaller than that of boost assisted engines. If you get a couple of % of an NA engine over stock purely by a re-flash you've done well whereas 25% increases on boosted engines in often achievable.

[@Lars-vc2kv]

I'm a big VAG fan and that banana theory is so true! Moog should make a video of it! ^^, it awesome, love it!

[@evgenyru]

at last new episide of mm!!! Keep it up guys!!!

[@OutcastAngelV]

"A friend of ours just bought a farm, with a really really long drive way" hahahaha!

[@fireballzofhell]

Banana analogy is the best

[@worldwidefreeride92]

Bruh, 14 years have flown by

[@Leonardokite]

You unpealed that banana?!?!? Really, you put the peal back!!!!?!?! So interesting.

[@aeronfranco8996]

l

[@195mkr]

@kittymeowbarkify No u dont need. ECUs in car already have EPROMs (can be reflashed wqith OBD2 no opening of ecu needed) or a PROM ( in this case u need to replace the chip inside usualy older cars).

[@jasonjoncas5998]

Sorry the General mistake ad that came on before your blog i had to make a comment . Ford did the the forementioned claims with one truck not three

[@fsca72]

this is why i like carburetors all the power is at your own control

[@jomomma4444]

You can DIY, with programs on the Mototrnic such as NefMotos Bin flasher and using Tunerpro to tune it in realtime. America seems to be the only country where people who modify a base map from the factory think they created it an charge outrageous pricing for so called development when it generally takes a few hours if you understand, and a few days if your starting out. You need a wideband O2 to monitor your air/fuel mixture old school way was do it on an open road,people do it on a dyno now.

[@ianrichani3747]

I was exactly 4years and 3 months. When this video came out

[@half_r_mk5]

you guys are funny awesome!! i love that banana part!! good way to metaphorically explain VW's MK4 GTI power!! The MK4 was really the slowest VW made...

[@XenoRacing]

@ilikethings5 forced induction is the best way to go, since they are small bore they lack toque.. the easiest way to get torque is a turbo and its also alot cheaper to buy a used turbo than to completely build up the motor.

[@magla3oon]

but iv talked to some professionals.. and they said that increasing the boost by upgrading the ECU and installing some sort of forced induction can put alot more wear on parts in the engine and parts not in the engine... which means you will have to replace them more often or install parts that can handle the extra power... so they recomended not upping the power if you are not gonna replace miscellaneous parts.. (flywheel, air filters, gaskets, etc...)

[@Skatertrick313]

"our friends driveway" haha I'll use that next time I get pulled over

[@Qdog801]

Hi guys. Love your show. I know how much you don't love golf gti's but i have a mkv 2008 pirelli. Its a pretty nice car stock 169kw from the factory. I'd love to see you guys do an episode on one of these to find out what you think! Cheers boys

[@serginietor]

definitely, although not as much as a turbo car, but you can run a richer mix, it might add about 20-35 hp

[@Evlum]

i paid my first Stage 1 Unitronic 650 bucks.. another 170 for Stage 2... and i dont regret it ;)

[@windboosterowen8570]

do you know electronic throttle controller? it can not only accelerate throttle response but also slow down throttle response of your car. It can provide you with racing car driving experience and also save fuel if you choose the economy mode. It is different from ECU tuning, it does no harm to your car .

[@larsthomsen5734]

I know this is an old video. but you can easily get 150 kw or 200 hp with a chiptuning on stock engine. you can however get more than that if you do a frontmounted intercooler and 3" downpipe and 2.5" straight exhaust. :)

[@swcnut]

Great episode guys, keep up the good work

[@EyebrowsMahoney]

@kittymeowbarkify, Depends on the vehicle. Some have readily accessible EEPROM, others have EEPROM which is locked, and requires a piggyback ECU or Standalone Engine management.

[@TourettesGuyAdox]

Step 1. Grab your laptop, hardware and software that everyone has laying around in their garage. Step 2. Hook it all up, press some keys on the computer and say "abra-cadabra."

[@Bodom6Clown]

Now switch that bov for a diverter. wont sound as sexy but will help the turbo much more.

[@Alientraveler003]

Of course we love this ...

[@skitcy]

awesome stuff guys! make a dvd and ill buy it

[@lynel1985]

that edge dyno place featured in another youtube vid a while back. Had them in there drift 180sx doing skids and douhnuts in the middle of traffic. Hope you dont leave your golf there...

[@CubanPaintballer]

not really because its not just the engine in those cars, it also ties with the suspension, body and so on.

[@dedasdude]

you guys are amazing. why did you stop making videos :(

[@oVoKINGspade]

A good flash or a mk4 will run you between 399 and 599. That's just stage 1-2+ then you have big turbo files that cost alot more, not to mention bolt on for our cars are not cheap but you can find them cheap from eBay and amazon but the quality leaves something to be desired. I have a 2004.5 gli and a stage 2 flash takes u from 180hp - 235hp, good gains. Over an na flash. You gotta pay to play;)

[@slickstrings]

good work boys! keep it up

[@dubbinham]

good analogy with the banana hahahahaha

[@hansuirab]

it's helpful my jetta is outdated need to be reflash good video thnx.

[@MrPaddy1000111]

I know it from trying it... you don't get as much of a gain from a Naturally aspirated engine as you would from a turbo, you may get around a 10% bhp increase... with a turbo you make a gain of up to 30% on BHP and another 20% ish on Torque depending on the tuning pack and the engine, if I'm honest if your engine is a non-turbo its allot to spend on a small increase in power, save your money and get a turbo ;)

[@Kanekals]

It was a good analogy tbh

[@dazcarbon8151]

u can fit a bleed off valve to these mk4 golfs n run 12 psi stock but u need to replace engine mounts

[@matdddd]

That DMC T shirt is funny.

[@hax0r117]

That's so true. I liked the older cars from the 80's and 90's when BMW made sports cars and ///M stood for Motorsport. Now, they build expensive luxury cars with tons of driving aids, and ///M stands for Marketing. It's too bad. E30 and E36 ftw.

[@mataiterapreha]

Man that boost fucks off in a hurry. Bigger turb needed

[@BensonWickentire]

HAHA. The banana was genius!!

[@Ineedagoodscreenname]

@kittymeowbarkify i know on the a4 turbo you could send it in to a company and they reflashed it so you can change setting all from the column.

[@fastestludeever]

@3G4life1990 youll have to a get a full stand alone EMS, like getthe AEM standalone.. that should fix the problem

[@Skatertrick313]

haha"our friends driveway" haha I'll use that next time I get pulled over

[@KaiserKujo]

I think Peak Performance is at North Parramatta just behind victoria road....

[@TWS001]

2:56

[@MikeH303]

I take it thats the K03 Turbo in it? which only peaks at 8.7 PSI With that stage 1 Revo it'll spike it up to somewhere near 13-15 PSI? Thats what your boost gauge was saying.

[@RXHardstyle]

hahhhahahhh love the noise Moog makes when he eats the banana hahaha

[@corolladz]

a lot of OBD2 ECU's are flashable with the correct programs and interface

[@richiebitch03]

and the funny thing is.. our mate with the really really really long driveway that we did our test on...hes actually got road markings on them ive noticed in that video...hes a weird dude...hahaha

[@ToMsK87]

@davidabl3 Depends on where you get it, what car you have (or more specifically what engine you have). In the UK a car like the Mk4 golf GTi costs around £350 to remap with a REVO map

[@kittymeowbarkify]

ok. thank you. i was asking cause i have a 92 plymouth laser and i wanted to be able to be able to connect the v3 dsm link. i now have my info so thank you :-)

[@lMod4Fun]

Yeah, these 1.8T's are very slow from the factory, only running about 0.5 bar or 7 psi of boost on a very small Borg Warner K03 turbo. A reflash (cranking the boost up to around 1.1 bar) with no supporting mods can yield as much as a 45hp or 33kw gain. It even boosts your fuel economy by making the car run just a little more lean, and more efficiently.

[@youmakeitwhatitis]

This was uploaded in 2009, but it looks like it was made with a 1980s camera.

[@lowforce1]

Aussie spec cars are a little bit strange. On 6:37 you can clearly see that this Golf has a cable driven throttle body. Euro MK4s (and all of the VAG cars from this generation) with throttle cable cannot have their ECU reflashed via the OBD port, they are not even OBD2 Compatible. This could be done to newer MK4s MY2000+ (Drive By Wire/OBD2) On DBC cars you have to remove the ECU and either have the new chip with new settings soldered on, or reflash it with some special equipment via its connection pins to the PCB.

[@mi16t]

Anyone notice the wheels and engine jutter at about 6:30 when they let off the throttle. Time for bushings, balljoints, and engine mount refresh....

[@ronitsingh415]

Could you please document the complete ECU flashing steps & their significance using UDS tool, what kind of services we will use for this & purpose of those services ? .Need this answer in steps with explanation

[@AWitlessIdiot]

when he chomped on the banana... he moaned!!! lol

[@Pitmaster4Lyfe]

Love the entertainment, no worries mate!

[@aterack833]

my friend with a really long driveway has no road markings and you can get up to around 200kmh, but it's bumpy from when he plows it in the winter, too many hills

[@R32Danny]

my jetta came with 180HP because 02 and newer got added power :), 01 and older had 150HP

[@Shawn_Magara]

Haha recently a friend of ours bought a farm with a really really really long driveway so we can do test runs!

[@chileo1]

that is a nice two lane driveway