Just got off the phone with my mechanic, who's been going through the same thing with a Maserati and he found out that it is the tune that's causing the issue and, because of the new regulations, the only way to fix this is to go to the dealer, get it flashed back to factory default, do the drive cycle thing, then get it re-inspected. Then get the tune re-applied, if you still feel the urge.......this really, really sucks!!!! Do you guys have any additional info or thoughts?

 

Can ETG fix the tune?

 

Yeah, that's my next step. Since this is new regulation, it blindsided a lot of folks....I'll keep you posted.

 

Web search on
obd evin
and you'll see that fighting vehicle fraud comes up quite a bit (plus what/how they go about it).

Sadly it looks like the tune is the problem.

You can read the VIN (eVIN) using such as an elm327 if you wish and then compare with the physical one.

The VIN is not normally changed with an engine swap (*) (but the engine number would be as it's stamped on it).

(*) because it's in module(s) and they're only sometimes swapped as well - and they would then disagree with the physical VIN and can trigger fraud alerts

 

Jesus I typed a big long explanation and evidently I was on this page to long and lost it. the short version is the vin contained in your Engine control module not the engine number does not match the vin on the door and dash. Since you have a tune I would suspect they may be using a generic vin. Contact them

 

This is squarely on your tune manufacturer. I would think they would want to fix as this will be cropping up more and more. Spending some developer time fixing this and sending out to existing customers will be less of a hassle that all the calls and bad will they will get. Their disclaimer probably says otherwise, so legally tey are probably off the hook, but this is more of a good business move. I'll bet the fix fro this is pretty trivial from a software perspective.

 

Oh, also elm327 emulators in the app store for your smartphone and a bluetooth OBD dongle. Very old modem like command line instructions. You may be able to confirm and change value, but this can be dangerous if wrong codes are sent. Use only as last resort.

 

You can't change it without an OE-type tool (which an elm isn't).

 

Ok, here's the final verdict. I went to my dealership and he "injected" my VIN number into the ECU. According to him, they did not flash me back to factory default. I drove for approximately 200 miles, maybe slightly more, for the drive cycle, then the car passed inspection. Now do I still have a tune? Again, according to the dealer, there's no way to tell except to dyno the car. My "butt dyno" honestly has noticed no change......fast as ever. My next step is to talk to Jags at ETG tuning and see what can be done about this issue, which will crop up for anyone that has a tune. Thanks everyone for the help. As always with this forum, top notch help from a group of classy guys!!! I'll keep you guys posted.

 

Knowing Jags, my guess is he will do one of two things. 1. Reflash your car (if you still want the tune); or 2. work up a fix for the software to eliminate the issue. Please keep us posted. By the way, glad you passed the inspection.

 

Thanks buddy. I should hear from him by tomorrow. Jags is pretty good at getting back to you in a reasonable amount of time.

 

I've been on the fence about getting a tune.... this seals it. Think I'm gonna do some exhaust mods and be done with it.

 

If they can make a tune then they can easily arrange to copy over your VIN.

But... the I/M people are planning more intelligent ways to tell fakes (*) and a tune looks like a fake (I suppose it actually is a fake) so this is just the first time we've hit this hassle and not likely to be the last.

Some tuners provide a way to switch between tune & stock as often as you wish, which would be a workaround.

(*) web search if you want to read their presentations etc