Softronics Ate My Car
06-13-2018, 10:58 PM
#1
Softronics Ate My Car
Fair warning. Softronics destroyed my car. Absolutely dead in the head, can't be turned on to reset, doorstop dead after applying their custom tune. Bear this in mind before buying their product. I should have gone with Cobb, which always worked flawlessly on my other cars.
06-14-2018, 09:22 AM
#2
You are 100% sure it was the product and not an issue with state of battery charge or solid connection to the diagnostic bus for flashing? Dropping power mid-flash or losing the connection mid-flash will brick the ECU regardless the brand of product you're using to flash. I have a hard time believing they'd sell a product that they haven't tested and certified to flash properly and run.
06-14-2018, 11:57 AM
#3
Yes.
I’m sure. Full battery, on maintainer during flash. Dedicated new laptop. Only Softronics and Durametrics on it. Nothing disturbed during process. The flash completed, indicated success and ignition was turned off per instructions.
The battery indicates full charge. It’s lithium, so had it run down it would be dead, unable to ever return to full charge. Softronics fixated on that too. Unwilling to actually imagine their **** didn’t work. They were condescending too, just like you.
The battery indicates full charge. It’s lithium, so had it run down it would be dead, unable to ever return to full charge. Softronics fixated on that too. Unwilling to actually imagine their **** didn’t work. They were condescending too, just like you.
You are 100% sure it was the product and not an issue with state of battery charge or solid connection to the diagnostic bus for flashing? Dropping power mid-flash or losing the connection mid-flash will brick the ECU regardless the brand of product you're using to flash. I have a hard time believing they'd sell a product that they haven't tested and certified to flash properly and run.
06-14-2018, 02:34 PM
#5
I’m sure. Full battery, on maintainer during flash. Dedicated new laptop. Only Softronics and Durametrics on it. Nothing disturbed during process. The flash completed, indicated success and ignition was turned off per instructions.
The battery indicates full charge. It’s lithium, so had it run down it would be dead, unable to ever return to full charge. Softronics fixated on that too. Unwilling to actually imagine their **** didn’t work. They were condescending too, just like you.
The battery indicates full charge. It’s lithium, so had it run down it would be dead, unable to ever return to full charge. Softronics fixated on that too. Unwilling to actually imagine their **** didn’t work. They were condescending too, just like you.
It was not my intent to be or appear condescending. I was just trying to understand and suggest possible issues. Software development and vehicle calibration is my job. I've flashed thousands of software releases into hundreds of different vehicles over the past several years. 99% of the time the issue is related to power and connectivity. In regards to supporting Softronics it was simply my disbelief that anyone would release a product without testing it. It's so incredibly easy to test-flash a software they'd have to be idiots not to do it. I'm sure they lack the $500k worth of hardware-in-the-loop simulation tools we have as an OEM supplier, but you don't need any of that to power up an ECU on a desktop and test-flash the software build. I do suppose they'd have to think and go one step further to actually put that ECU into a car and confirm that it starts and runs.
Now, since you said it flashed successfully yet still won't start, another issue could be that they provided you with the incorrect software or calibration file. If you're flashing a 981 and they gave you a software file for a 986 or 987 or even a 991 it likely isn't going to work. Slight differences in engines and features means different software content and different memory addresses. If the software ROM data and calibration RAM data aren't matched up for memory addresses you'll get invalid values in various tables it either doesn't work at all or it works very far from ideal. In theory your ECU isn't bricked. If you have the OEM software and calibration file you can attempt to flash back and it should be recoverable.
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Blackaller031 (07-25-2020)
06-14-2018, 02:57 PM
#6
How
How does one flash a car that won’t power on? Remove the ECU and ship it, right? I know it can be made to work again. But not via OBDII cable. And not by tomorrow.
Its my only car at the moment, while I repair another. But much much more importantly, It’s central to a photo shoot I’d booked. Without it I lose the job and the client so it’s costing me money now and in future. And it’s costing me time to sort it. Time I’d otherwise be billing. It’s adding stress I don’t need. And Softronics have done nothing, other to say it’s the battery. Which it 100% wasn’t. I’ve bricked a camera running third party Flash. There too there was no help offered.
My guess is they didn't read the list of mods I sent, they just shipped a stock tune, creating a situation like a checksum error. I’m also guessing they don’t have a solution and don’t care. They got paid.
All around it should give anyone else looking at Softronics for upgrades every reason to go elsewhere.
Its my only car at the moment, while I repair another. But much much more importantly, It’s central to a photo shoot I’d booked. Without it I lose the job and the client so it’s costing me money now and in future. And it’s costing me time to sort it. Time I’d otherwise be billing. It’s adding stress I don’t need. And Softronics have done nothing, other to say it’s the battery. Which it 100% wasn’t. I’ve bricked a camera running third party Flash. There too there was no help offered.
My guess is they didn't read the list of mods I sent, they just shipped a stock tune, creating a situation like a checksum error. I’m also guessing they don’t have a solution and don’t care. They got paid.
All around it should give anyone else looking at Softronics for upgrades every reason to go elsewhere.
It was not my intent to be or appear condescending. I was just trying to understand and suggest possible issues. Software development and vehicle calibration is my job. I've flashed thousands of software releases into hundreds of different vehicles over the past several years. 99% of the time the issue is related to power and connectivity. In regards to supporting Softronics it was simply my disbelief that anyone would release a product without testing it. It's so incredibly easy to test-flash a software they'd have to be idiots not to do it. I'm sure they lack the $500k worth of hardware-in-the-loop simulation tools we have as an OEM supplier, but you don't need any of that to power up an ECU on a desktop and test-flash the software build. I do suppose they'd have to think and go one step further to actually put that ECU into a car and confirm that it starts and runs.
Now, since you said it flashed successfully yet still won't start, another issue could be that they provided you with the incorrect software or calibration file. If you're flashing a 981 and they gave you a software file for a 986 or 987 or even a 991 it likely isn't going to work. Slight differences in engines and features means different software content and different memory addresses. If the software ROM data and calibration RAM data aren't matched up for memory addresses you'll get invalid values in various tables it either doesn't work at all or it works very far from ideal. In theory your ECU isn't bricked. If you have the OEM software and calibration file you can attempt to flash back and it should be recoverable.
Now, since you said it flashed successfully yet still won't start, another issue could be that they provided you with the incorrect software or calibration file. If you're flashing a 981 and they gave you a software file for a 986 or 987 or even a 991 it likely isn't going to work. Slight differences in engines and features means different software content and different memory addresses. If the software ROM data and calibration RAM data aren't matched up for memory addresses you'll get invalid values in various tables it either doesn't work at all or it works very far from ideal. In theory your ECU isn't bricked. If you have the OEM software and calibration file you can attempt to flash back and it should be recoverable.
06-14-2018, 03:39 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Can a faulty ECU even cause a car to not "power on?" Not usual. Have you checked fuses and other power interrupting components?
EDIT: and by "ECU" I meant the engine's control unit (the item altered by the software in question) and not an "electronic control unit" in general.
EDIT: and by "ECU" I meant the engine's control unit (the item altered by the software in question) and not an "electronic control unit" in general.
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06-14-2018, 03:40 PM
#8
Probably a dumb question, but have you tried disconnecting the battery for 30+ seconds to reset the entire car? Accessory power and ignition are controlled by the body control module in most newer vehicles. The engine controller would just read the ignition status signal value off of whatever communication bus is in use. If the entire car won't power on that suggests an issue with the BCM not reading the battery voltage and then waking the vehicle communication bus. Usually, flashing any ECU in the car puts the entire communication bus into a diagnostic state. Perhaps the BCM didn't recover.
06-15-2018, 04:07 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
Softronics
have you talked to Scott personally about this? Your experience varied badly but I am 110% pleased with my Softronics flash with proviso that I had mine done by my Indy w/direct experience as I was not comfortable diy as a chicken s..t...
07-01-2018, 07:25 AM
#14
So here's the end to the story. About half an hour before Scooby 921 suggested it, I tried disconnecting the battery. That did fix it. And of course I didn't believe the car was toast, just unhappy and possibly in need of expensive repairs. Hyperbole is a neighbor of mine.
However. My CEL came back on. Scott at Softronics hadn't read my initial description of my car where I said I had CEL from the O2 sensors. So the flash wasn't set up for that. Again, he blamed me for not giving them correct information. Then (in the same email) admitted he hadn't seen the part in my email where I asked them to turn off the CEL. So back to the start again, this time the flash went as it should.
At no time did they really apologize for getting it wrong, for poor customer service, for blaming the customer for their problems or for not reading a single email thoroughly. They mis-read something in every single communication I sent. And I'm not a poor writer.
The car has the CEL off, which is all I wanted. I feel no extra HP whatsoever, and the throttle isn't as linear as I would prefer. The difference between this experience and my Cobb Accessport for my Focus ST was significant. I would not recommend Softronics to anyone. Ever. Though the middleman, Nello at Maxspeed, was a real decent person and an excellent resource. I'd purchase anything from him, and trust it was ok. Except Softronics.
I just made a short clip of the sound of my new NHP exhaust system. It'll be on Youtube somewhere. Sometime.
However. My CEL came back on. Scott at Softronics hadn't read my initial description of my car where I said I had CEL from the O2 sensors. So the flash wasn't set up for that. Again, he blamed me for not giving them correct information. Then (in the same email) admitted he hadn't seen the part in my email where I asked them to turn off the CEL. So back to the start again, this time the flash went as it should.
At no time did they really apologize for getting it wrong, for poor customer service, for blaming the customer for their problems or for not reading a single email thoroughly. They mis-read something in every single communication I sent. And I'm not a poor writer.
The car has the CEL off, which is all I wanted. I feel no extra HP whatsoever, and the throttle isn't as linear as I would prefer. The difference between this experience and my Cobb Accessport for my Focus ST was significant. I would not recommend Softronics to anyone. Ever. Though the middleman, Nello at Maxspeed, was a real decent person and an excellent resource. I'd purchase anything from him, and trust it was ok. Except Softronics.
I just made a short clip of the sound of my new NHP exhaust system. It'll be on Youtube somewhere. Sometime.
07-01-2018, 07:34 AM
#15
I'm not in the market for a tune for my 981 and don't plan to ever be in the market for a tune, so I don't have any real vested interest in this topic, but I will say to the OP, be careful what you post these days. Negative product reviews are a part of the internet marketplace and are very helpful to potential buyers, but posting untrue statements and hyperbole can be actionable. Your first couple of posts in this thread made it seem as if Softronics completely destroyed your car and you were lashing out at people who were honestly trying to help you resolve the issue. I'm glad you posted your update. Good luck to you.
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pkalhan (11-27-2022)