Hi everyone, I purchased the S7 tune for my GS460 and when trying to write the tune to the ECU via the OBD port, there was an “Error writing ECU” code thrown. I tried multiple times to no avail. I removed the plug and tried again this time jumped to another car as I thought that would be an issue to maintain consistent voltage. At this point the car is lit up like a Christmas tree and doesnt start which I assume had to do with the failed write to the ECU. I tried to reset the vehicle by draining the battery for a couple minutes and retrying but to no avail. The car will not start in its normal foot on brake and button press and I am very worried I have caused something to malfunction which is critical. I am lost and know that towing it to the dealership in its current state can be a very expensive endeavour. Any help is very much appreciated.

 

The dealer shouldn't charge more then an hours worth of labour to reload the ecu software. Im not sure if you are able to do that with techstream software. Maybe someone who is more familiar with the software will chime in

Have you tried to call S7 tech to see if they can help?

 

Hi there, thanks for replying. I have contacted the guy that runs S7 and he has been quite communicative but I figure I would ask a broader userbase to see if anyone else has encountered something similar. I usually contract things like this out as I dont like messing with these delicate systems for fear of messing something up but in this case that was not an option. I contacted the dealer and they said they would have to do "diagnostics" and if the ECU needed replacing it would be north of 1k although I do not think that is necessary. I am wondering if me trying to rewrite the tuned file is futile at this point or if its worth a shot after hooking the vehicle up to a battery tender as opposed to jumping it to another car. Thanks again!

 

More likely you didnt harm the ecu at all and just wiped out the program. Go to the dealer, and just go over to the mechanics bay and ask to speak to a tech, and explain the situation.

If it were my car I would try reloading the software and make sure it finishes, if you're not successful go the dealer route.

 

I am still in contact with the vendor. I also talked to my local Lexus dealer and they said that they could hook it up to a techstream and figure it out but he said it sounded like the ECU was fried with labor and parts costing north of 2k combined. I found a local ECU shop with good reviews that seems to be quite reputable and may opt for that instead. In any case, it is sounding like I am going to have to drop so money to get her working again.

 

Did you try downloading the tuning software again? Does the software come with a special controller, with a one time programming?

I highly doubt the ecu is fried from a botched download of files. But it is possible! Take it to the dealer, let them scan the ecu, if they say the ecu is bad you can park the car at there parking lot. While there remove the ecu, send it off to a company called SIA electronics, they charge $115 for repair. Many of the GS300 guys use them for ecu repairs. There on ebay, and I hear they have a fast turn around. Once the ecu is shipped back, hopefully the old software is still good and that the car runs, but if it doesnt your in the parking lot of the dealer and pay for a programming

 

I would avoid the dealership and ECU shop for now. If you are still in contact with Sector7 he should be able to just resend the tune and you can try to install it again. This is why plugging the car into a charger while installing the tune is recommended. Good luck, I've had zero issues with mine for almost a year.