REVIEW: VF-Engineering HEX FLASH OBDII Port Flashing

[Gatchaman12]

Hello there!

I was given the opportunity to get the HEX Tuning CS "Competition Sport" Performance and Features file put on my 2015 F82 M4 from VF-Engineering today. But what makes my experience so different from the 100’s of vehicles already tuned by them, is that this was the first time they offered OBDII Port Flashing with the new HEX Flash Cable. I was never a fan of the whole ECU cracking open thing to load on software and have been patiently waiting for this day to come. I would pop on the forums once every month just to see if this had been released.

Once I heard that the ability to tune F-series BMW vehicles through the OBD port had been released, I immediately contacted VF. I came in telling Gary that I was looking for just a very mild performance improvement but more than anything I was excited for the GTS features. The burbles, etc…He recommended the CS "Competition Sport" performance and features File tune. I could not agree more as it was a mix of both worlds.

He let me know that he was offering a spot for a bimmerpost member to come in to their shop for a few hours and check out the software/how it works by installing on my F82 M4. Also to run Dynos on my car which will be coming soon by VF. First of all, let me preface this by saying this is my first time I have ever met Gary. I have been a fan of VF-Engineering since the E46 M3 days when I came to them for a possible supercharger. There work speaks for themselves and I have heard nothing but positives from the BMW/Car community in general.

The whole experience was great. From the warehouse/shop they are situated in, the positive attitude of all the workers (especially Gary and Abe), and the cleanliness speaks volumes. They went above and beyond to make sure I was well informed and taken care of as I waited for the tune to go on my car. I am not a crazy savvy tuner, I am an everyday driver of an M4 who just wanted some more features and a bit of power. They broke down every single detail imaginable on the tune, how it works, why it is the way it is, etc..I even spoke to the software engineer there.

The process which they created and will be showing in a video soon to come/I will attach below once posted was SEAMLESS. Flashing takes MINUTES (less than 10). My car is BONE STOCK aside from an exhaust. To be able to go back to stock with the file they have provided me at any time I want and then change back to the CS tune (or any other tune for that mater that they would provide you in purchase from VF) is mind blowing. Most of all it is convenient and how it should have been done from the start IMO.

I had an hour and a half drive back home from their warehouse and the car did not give me ANY hiccups. Performed as expected and is a joy to drive. I am smiling ear to ear with these new GTS features and power improvements. Perhaps I will upgrade to stage 1 soon, and the benefit of this whole experience/item thing is that I don’t have to go to a warehouse or any shop to make that happen. I just need a simple email of the file for stage 1 from VF and I myself can have that loaded onto my car within minutes! It is so simple and the instructions they have provided are crystal clear.

Just like all of you I was skeptical when this was first announced from a number of forum sponsors all at once, but VF has made any worries I had go away. I HIGHLY recommend VF-Engineering and their amazing software if you are looking for an OBD software Flash company. From the multiple impeccable software/tune options to the quality of the premiums HEX Flash Cable included, it all just felt correct and very much OEM which is huge for me.

It really is as simple as what they say. Directions = “F-series BMW owners can now purchase our HEX Flash User Device, download the HEX Flash Program to your Windows based PC or tablet, and program the ECU with any of our performance stage levels while retaining the ability to flash the ECU back to stock at any point in time.”

Dyno results attached before which was stock with exhaust and after with CS file. Video to come from them for the entire installation process. I will be going back in a week or two perhaps to Dyno Stage 1 depending on what my next car modification will be.

As far as power results/features, everything is still the same from their original HEX Tuning Method so if you really need to see Dyno results right now more information can be found here in the master thread = http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1258574

Let me know if you have any other questions I would be happy to answer!

EDIT: I had the CS "Competition Sport" File not the ZCP.

TL/DR = OBD FLASHING IS HERE! HEX TUNE IS AMAZING! THANK YOU VF ENGINEERING FOR FINALLY BRINGING THIS OUT TO PUBLIC!

Dyno results before which was stock with exhaust and after with CS file:

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

nice excited to see videos

[azn_fcuk]

Thanks for your review!
This surely helps in deciding on which product to pick from!

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by Gatchaman12

Hello there!

I was given the opportunity to get the HEX Tuning ZCP Performance and Features file put on my 2015 F82 M4 from VF-Engineering today. But what makes my experience so different from the 100’s of vehicles already tuned by them, is that this was the first time they offered OBDII Port Flashing with the new HEX Flash Cable. I was never a fan of the whole ECU cracking open thing to load on software and have been patiently waiting for this day to come. I would pop on the forums once every month just to see if this had been released.

Once I heard that the ability to tune F-series BMW vehicles through the OBD port had been released, I immediately contacted VF. I came in telling Gary that I was looking for just a very mild performance improvement but more than anything I was excited for the GTS features. The burbles, etc…He recommended the ZCP performance and features File tune. I could not agree more as it was a mix of both worlds.

He let me know that he was offering a spot for a bimmerpost member to come in to their shop for a few hours and check out the software/how it works by installing on my F82 M4. Also to run Dynos on my car which will be coming soon by VF. First of all, let me preface this by saying this is my first time I have ever met Gary. I have been a fan of VF-Engineering since the E46 M3 days when I came to them for a possible supercharger. There work speaks for themselves and I have heard nothing but positives from the BMW/Car community in general.

The whole experience was great. From the warehouse/shop they are situated in, the positive attitude of all the workers (especially Gary and Abe), and the cleanliness speaks volumes. They went above and beyond to make sure I was well informed and taken care of as I waited for the tune to go on my car. I am not a crazy savvy tuner, I am an everyday driver of an M4 who just wanted some more features and a bit of power. They broke down every single detail imaginable on the tune, how it works, why it is the way it is, etc..I even spoke to the software engineer there.

The process which they created and will be showing in a video soon to come/I will attach below once posted was SEAMLESS. Flashing takes MINUTES (less than 10). My car is BONE STOCK aside from an exhaust. To be able to go back to stock with the file they have provided me at any time I want and then change back to the ZCP/GTS tune (or any other tune for that mater that they would provide you in purchase from VF) is mind blowing. Most of all it is convenient and how it should have been done from the start IMO.

I had an hour and a half drive back home from their warehouse and the car did not give me ANY hiccups. Performed as expected and is a joy to drive. I am smiling ear to ear with these new GTS features and power improvements. Perhaps I will upgrade to stage 1 soon, and the benefit of this whole experience/item thing is that I don’t have to go to a warehouse or any shop to make that happen. I just need a simple email of the file for stage 1 from VF and I myself can have that loaded onto my car within minutes! It is so simple and the instructions they have provided are crystal clear.

Just like all of you I was skeptical when this was first announced from a number of forum sponsors all at once, but VF has made any worries I had go away. I HIGHLY recommend VF-Engineering and their amazing software if you are looking for an OBD software Flash company. From the multiple impeccable software/tune options to the quality of the premiums HEX Flash Cable included, it all just felt correct and very much OEM which is huge for me.

It really is as simple as what they say. Directions = “F-series BMW owners can now purchase our HEX Flash User Device, download the HEX Flash Program to your Windows based PC or tablet, and program the ECU with any of our performance stage levels while retaining the ability to flash the ECU back to stock at any point in time.”

Dyno results to come soon. Along with a Video from them for the entire installation process. I will be going back in a week or two perhaps to Dyno Stage 1 depending on what my next car modification will be.

As far as power results/features, everything is still the same from their original HEX Tuning Method so if you really need to see Dyno results right now more information can be found here in the master thread = http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1258574

Let me know if you have any other questions I would be happy to answer!

TL/DR = OBD FLASHING IS HERE! HEX TUNE IS AMAZING! THANK YOU VF ENGINEERING FOR FINALLY BRINGING THIS OUT TO PUBLIC!

Do you know if it took <10mins because it was the first time flashing, or is this the normal/average flash time using this tool?

[Gatchaman12]

Originally Posted by G35POPPEDMYCHERRY

nice excited to see videos

Originally Posted by azn_fcuk

Thanks for your review!
This surely helps in deciding on which product to pick from!

Hey anytime! Glad I could help!

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

Do you know if it took <10mins because it was the first time flashing, or is this the normal/average flash time using this tool?

That is a pretty normal/average flash time as far as I can tell, seems to be the standard across all flash tunes at the moment. Would not be surprised if it gets better over time! Once they release the video showing real life application should answer this question.

Honestly did not feel long at all and in retrospect of having to take out the ECU in the past, I will take this method any day!

[aboulfad]

10mns flashing may imply that this new OBD flashing process uses the slower physical medium of ISO11898 versus IEEE 802.3 which both are available in our F8x (and Fxx) cars.

[chewbakam4]

Originally Posted by aboulfad

10mns flashing may imply that this new OBD flashing process uses the slower physical medium of ISO11898 versus IEEE 802.3 which both are available in our F8x (and Fxx) cars.

It takes ~1.5mins with BM3. These other cables are USB so its probably some older way like you say. BM3 uses the ENET cable instead of USB. I recall them saying how they use something new on these cars called Flexray.

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by chewbakam4

It takes ~1.5mins with BM3. These other cables are USB so its probably some older way like you say. BM3 uses the ENET cable instead of USB. I recall them saying how they use something new on these cars called Flexray.

Is it 1.5mns with BM3 using the new OBD unlock or the typical BM3 flash? Flexray is an internal bus connecting bunch of ECUs including DME. ZGW/FEM acts as the gateway/router between diagnostic user and internal ECUs. The only two known diagnostic access from OBD are the slower D-CAN and faster Ethernet (Enet).

The VFE USB cable can still be a USB to Ethernet, as most likely all new laptops don't have Ethernet ports anymore, but I wager it's a USB to D-CAN. In any case, 2 or 10mns is still fast... and congrats to the OP on this It seems the tuning community is blessed with a bunch reputable vendors.

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by Gatchaman12

Hey anytime! Glad I could help!


That is a pretty normal/average flash time as far as I can tell, seems to be the standard across all flash tunes at the moment. Would not be surprised if it gets better over time! Once they release the video showing real life application should answer this question.

Honestly did not feel long at all and in retrospect of having to take out the ECU in the past, I will take this method any day!

Incorrect, it seems to be the average flash time for those flashing using the new generic tool for OBDII unlock. Flashing via BM3 and an ENET cable takes about 2 mins.

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by aboulfad

10mns flashing may imply that this new OBD flashing process uses the slower physical medium of ISO11898 versus IEEE 802.3 which both are available in our F8x (and Fxx) cars.

Interesting, didn't know that there two types of connections to access our DME.

Originally Posted by aboulfad

Is it 1.5mns with BM3 using the new OBD unlock or the typical BM3 flash? Flexray is an internal bus connecting bunch of ECUs including DME. ZGW/FEM acts as the gateway/router between diagnostic user and internal ECUs. The only two known diagnostic access from OBD are the slower D-CAN and faster Ethernet (Enet).

The VFE USB cable can still be a USB to Ethernet, as most likely all new laptops don't have Ethernet ports anymore, but I wager it's a USB to D-CAN. In any case, 2 or 10mns is still fast... and congrats to the OP on this It seems the tuning community is blessed with a bunch reputable vendors.

It takes about 2 mins to flash via BM3 using an ENET cable (the method BM3 has used all this time). Not sure how will it be with the new OBD unlock method and if BM3 will use the same OBD to USB cable that everyone is rebranding or will they try to integrate OBD unlock with their current app/setup.

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

Interesting, didn't know that there two types of connections to access our DME.

Thats not what I said the two defined physical layers are to access the car's gateway which in turn routes UDS/CAN payload to their appropriate ECU over the proper internal bus. Read my above post and admire the bus drawing !

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by G35POPPEDMYCHERRY

at least it was some relevant technical info, not asking for the price

[4everkidd]

Originally Posted by Gatchaman12

My car is BONE STOCK aside from an exhaust. To be able to go back to stock with the file they have provided me at any time I want and then change back to the ZCP/GTS tune (or any other tune for that mater that they would provide you in purchase from VF) is mind blowing.

It really is as simple as what they say. Directions = “F-series BMW owners can now purchase our HEX Flash User Device, download the HEX Flash Program to your Windows based PC or tablet, and program the ECU with any of our performance stage levels while retaining the ability to flash the ECU back to stock at any point in time.”

From what I've read elsewhere the only way to truly take the car back to the stock file is still by physically cracking the ECU?

Flash counters, tamper code etc are all still on your ECU even if you OBD flash your car back to "stock" form

Can someone smarter than me please clarify?

[rosenbergendo]

Originally Posted by 4everkidd

From what I've read elsewhere the only way to truly take the car back to the stock file is still by physically cracking the ECU?

Flash counters, tamper code etc are all still on your ECU even if you OBD flash your car back to "stock" form

Can someone smarter than me please clarify?

THIS IS WHAT WE ALL WANT TO KNOW!!

[BuLoOoSki]

It seems that some people are either blind, lazy, or just don't want to believe their eyes.

Pointless to keep repeating something in multiple threads and people keep asking the same question over and over when they don't even bother to spend 5 mins looking for the answer that's right infront of them.

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by aboulfad

Thats not what I said the two defined physical layers are to access the car's gateway which in turn routes UDS/CAN payload to their appropriate ECU over the proper internal bus. Read my above post and admire the bus drawing !

Thanks for the clarification, but for us that don't understand your language, referring to them as two connections for simplicity's sake makes life easier

[VF-Engineering]

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

Do you know if it took <10mins because it was the first time flashing, or is this the normal/average flash time using this tool?

We're flashing a full 4MB file which takes 8-12 minutes.
(on a dual ECE car like an M5, you would double that time frame)

As we mentioned before, the new protocol released for Port Flashing
is simply part of the delivery mechanism, the file construction and
calibrations are all going to be different from one tuner to the next.

We prefer to do a full data area rewrite for a number of different
reasons, but primarily because it gives us more control over the
process for map switching, future updates, flashing to stock, etc...

[VF-Engineering]

Originally Posted by chewbakam4

It takes ~1.5mins with BM3. These other cables are USB so its probably some older way like you say. BM3 uses the ENET cable instead of USB. I recall them saying how they use something new on these cars called Flexray.

That's actually the difference between a partial data area flash,
and a full flash.

We don't see any particular benefit in regards to the time frame
as the average number of flash cycles we see performed by our
customers is less than 6.

[VCP]

Yup. Tune switching once bench flashed is done through OBD in about 30 seconds.

Originally Posted by aboulfad

10mns flashing may imply that this new OBD flashing process uses the slower physical medium of ISO11898 versus IEEE 802.3 which both are available in our F8x (and Fxx) cars.

[4everkidd]

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

It seems that some people are either blind, lazy, or just don't want to believe their eyes.

Pointless to keep repeating something in multiple threads and people keep asking the same question over and over when they don't even bother to spend 5 mins looking for the answer that's right infront of them.

Are you referring to my comment?

[BuLoOoSki]

Originally Posted by VF-Engineering

We're flashing a full 4MB file which takes 8-12 minutes.
(on a dual ECE car like an M5, you would double that time frame)

As we mentioned before, the new protocol released for Port Flashing
is simply part of the delivery mechanism, the file construction and
calibrations are all going to be different from one tuner to the next.

We prefer to do a full data area rewrite for a number of different
reasons, but primarily because it gives us more control over the
process for map switching, future updates, flashing to stock, etc...

Thanks for the clarification. So just that I'm clear, does this new tool for OBD flashing allow you to do a partial data flash should you choose to, or are you forced to do a full rewrite using this tool?