Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Four, Supersport & Plus Six (CX & CXV Generation Vehicles) Odd noises

There must be some legal forum you could try

I did hear a whisper a while back that Morgan was less than happy about the tuning aspect from certain quarters, however there are many non Morgan tuners out there that will have a go at unlocking your ecu if you really want to. Em

It seems to be a trend within the automotive sector and the justification, by some auto makers, is safety and security. Nevertheless, it is interesting to read that other companies are happy to use the increased 'security' to channel customers down a manufacturer approved upgrade path:

- source

The legality of it is an interesting point and I wonder if this is addressed in the sales contract. Pondering as I type, perhaps a solution would be to have the ECU locked from new until the end of the warranty period. The systems are intelligent enough that a program could be turned on during PDI and set to the delivery date, which would then lock the ECU until the warranty period expires. My assumption would be that this would protect the manufacturer but allow the consumer freedom once they are no longer legally covered by the warranty. Should the customer wish to have the ECU unlocked prior to the warranty expiring, they could be asked to sign a document waiving their warranty and the security can be deactivated as a result.

John, just out of interest, when the dealer replaced your radiator, was the ECU reflash also the flash that changes how the engine warms up...? or had your car already had this?. Just wondered if the locked ECU was connected.?

Fitting a new rad requires an ecu reflash. Shouldn't be a problem?
When cars were being returned for brake/rad failure problems how was the locked ecu managed?
I assume that cars returned to MMC at the factory meant probable unlocking possible. Dealers doing the work ? How would they have flashed the ecu if they couldn't unlock access? I seem to remember that the rad issue flash involved altering the temp at which the thermostat opened. Was the ecu locked at that time or is it a recent development?
I can understand locking it during warranty periods to protect both themselves and customers but post warranty then would the lock be viewed as an obstruction to owners having the freedom to access the ecu on a car they own? It could be argued that it is a restrictive condition. A simple disclaimer should suffice. Putting in a time managed lock makes some sense but who would set the start date to the owner getting the car that might have been in a showroom for months?The dealer themselves or would they need to connect to a MMC factory software source?
Are MMC/BMW restricting access as a means of making dealers being the go-to to help their after market business. Apparently independant garages have to pay significant sums to be allowed to have the diagnostic and remap capabilities.
An interesting scenario of legality, protectionism (?) . The s@fety claim might even be a veil of justification and image promotion.

Jon, I think they must have regarding the big performance increase that John has planned with KH when out of warranty

It was linked as I understand it to how the rad was controlled. I assume the dealer has a web based tool & the flash is downloaded.

Litchfield have worked with Morgan regarding power increase's they also have a very good set up for a suspension upgrade. I was very impressed when I talked to them a few months back. Em

That sounds right John, our dealer did the reflash and told me at the time that the ECU flash changes the way the engines rotary cooling flow valve responds at warm up for the Morgan installation. There is no old style thermostat as such in the BMW engines fitted in the Plus Four and Six. The ECU and the engine mounted electronic rotary valves do the job. Its quite an interesting set up, be it slightly complicated, I found all the info on the basic design via the internet from BMW USA.. I believe the original design reason for fitting such a control system was to help meet emission requirements at start up.

Exactly and with perfect timing MMC locked the ECU this week. If the dealer I bought the car off spotted the leaking rad (assuming it was then Mr Lawyer) then the flash would have been open. I'm seriously thinking of ditching Morgans as now I can't get the car I planned. Where is the fun in Mog ownership if Big Brother stops you personalising your car.