ECU module programming guide using FDRS

[Snakebitten]

I feel like we are hi-jacking this already long thread with issues not directly related to its purpose.

Better than 7 thousand posts in this thread and it's hijack free.

Technically, this conversation is exactly related to this thread. But repetitive, admittedly.

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[ronaldfreemanjr]

It was $490 or $495 - never saw it @ $300.

I paid $495.00 in March

 

[Mwathey515]

I will once I get it back to ACM without sub. That was my first try at updating. Rushed it and saw the words but didn't read the words.

I'll simply skip it again this Mon when I update again

 

[Bdubbs1198]

Hi, a friend on the fire department has a vcx nano that I can borrow. I have the APIM stuck issue that @Jesse-Infotainment has been trying to help me with. If I get this, can I update other modules at least? I have a June 21 build and am stuck on 1.7 build. Are there module updates to avoid like CCM with the Nano? Thanks.

 

[speedracercjr]

Hi, a friend on the fire department has a vcx nano that I can borrow. I have the APIM stuck issue that @Jesse-Infotainment has been trying to help me with. If I get this, can I update other modules at least? I have a June 21 build and am stuck on 1.7 build. Are there module updates to avoid like CCM with the Nano? Thanks.

CCM is the only one to avoid, but you really need to avoid network scans as well. They have been known to corrupt data sent back to the mothership.

 

[antho]

Anyone know what the BCM update is? Seems like it has popped up within the last week? Assuming the tailgate button but I didn’t have it a week or so ago. Kinda weird but not the weirdest thing I’ve seen.

 

[tbinmd]

I paid $495.00 in March

And I paid $495.00 June 1st.

 

[abd79]

And I paid $495.00 June 1st.

And because I’m in Canada I paid $700 in March….

 

[dolsen]

This question isn't F-150 related, but still FDRS related:

Is there any reason to believe the actual process of updating the modules in my wife's 2020 Explorer ST is any different than that of the F-150? Obviously the nuance of potential issues with updating certain modules would be different, but I imagine the process is exactly the same.

I plan to tackle both of my vehicles next weekend, and just want to make sure I am prepared. It may be an easy task, but that "fear of the unknown" is real.

 

[Jesse-Infotainment]

Anyone know what the BCM update is? Seems like it has popped up within the last week? Assuming the tailgate button but I didn’t have it a week or so ago. Kinda weird but not the weirdest thing I’ve seen.

Yes. It is for the unintended release.

If you have power release only it requires the BCM update PLus a wiring update.

If you have power open and power close then there is no change

 

[RickBullotta]

^^^^

That's THE reason for the vast majority of dealership failures. In my opinion, of course. And based on the countless examples of trucks that were successfully updated by the owner after the dealerships failed.

It's not a conspiracy
It's not magic
It's not even a mystery

It's either arrogance or incredible lack of focus. Or both.

I don't enjoy bashing the dealerships. But they beg for it. This is NOT a training issue, unless you include telling the technician to "follow the directions" as training.

Or perhaps the technician isn't being paid fairly for the *actual* amount of time these processes take, so they're forced to attempt shortcuts.

 

[dolsen]

Or perhaps the technician isn't being paid fairly for the *actual* amount of time these processes take, so they're forced to attempt shortcuts.

Eh this is possible, but it all washes out in the end.

I used to work for a local repair shop (biggest one in Lou, KY for decades) and when replacing shocks and struts on MOST vehicles, there were several hours of labor called for by "Mitchell On Demand", usually 3-4 hours for fronts and 2-3 hours for rears. Most techs that were even halfway decent at their jobs could perform the repairs in about 50% of the time that was recommended for labor hours (we billed off of recommended hours, not actual hours worked). Most techs would make a killing off of any shock/strut jobs. I was never a fan of that system, but that's just the way it worked.

My point is, sometimes (read: often) these techs bill way more hours then they actually work. And this isn't some attempt by the techs for "time-theft" either, it is just the way the system is setup.

What a smart/efficient tech would do, is launch these updates, and then go work on something else, but I have learned in my 34 years on this planet, that critical thinking skills aren't very common. There's no need to sit and wait on these updates if they're hours long, that is just a waste of time, and these techs could be double booking hours by working on two things at once, win-win

 

[RickBullotta]

Eh this is possible, but it all washes out in the end.

I used to work for a local repair shop (biggest one in Lou, KY for decades) and when replacing shocks and struts on MOST vehicles, there were several hours of labor called for by "Mitchell On Demand", usually 3-4 hours for fronts and 2-3 hours for rears. Most techs that were even halfway decent at their jobs could perform the repairs in about 50% of the time that was recommended for labor hours (we billed off of recommended hours, not actual hours worked). Most techs would make a killing off of any shock/strut jobs. I was never a fan of that system, but that's just the way it worked.

My point is, sometimes (read: often) these techs bill way more hours then they actually work. And this isn't some attempt by the techs for "time-theft" either, it is just the way the system is setup.

What a smart/efficient tech would do, is launch these updates, and then go work on something else, but I have learned in my 34 years on this planet, that critical thinking skills aren't very common. There's no need to sit and wait on these updates if they're hours long, that is just a waste of time, and these techs could be double booking hours by working on two things at once, win-win

...except if it ties up your only laptop and cable...

And as you know, every vehicle is typically "checked in" using FDRS, and many/most diagnostic procedures require it. As I understand it, the allowance for this type of work is typically below that actual time required, and there's basically no way to be more "efficient". It's worth looking into.

 

[dolsen]

...except if it ties up your only laptop and cable...

And as you know, every vehicle is typically "checked in" using FDRS, and many/most diagnostic procedures require it. As I understand it, the allowance for this type of work is typically below that actual time required, and there's basically no way to be more "efficient". It's worth looking into.

That's a pretty narrow way of thinking, to believe that most or all diagnostics and repair require a laptop. I understand this isn't 2013 anymore (when I last worked at a repair shop) but I don't believe laptop usage has become that common for diag/repair (I know it hasn't because I keep up with some of this stuff and the people I used to work with).

aside from warranty work, most cars that go in for repairs are older vehicles, and even if that weren't the case, what is the need for a laptop for changing brakes or suspension components, or fixing a headliner?

To me that just sounds like an excuse

 

[JEB]

Hi, a friend on the fire department has a vcx nano that I can borrow. I have the APIM stuck issue that @Jesse-Infotainment has been trying to help me with. If I get this, can I update other modules at least? I have a June 21 build and am stuck on 1.7 build. Are there module updates to avoid like CCM with the Nano? Thanks.

It’s up to you, but personally I think this is a bad idea. Rather than repeat at length the reasons why, see the discussions surrounding Posts 2524, 3296 and 7085. The chaining of updates makes avoiding modules the Nano can’t handle, like the CCM, impractical.

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