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Technical Topics B58 6-Cylinder Turbo Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications Future of ECU Unlocks?

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      05-15-2024, 12:40 PM   #1
afman916
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Question Future of ECU Unlocks?

So I know FEMTO is currently the only option for unlocking the 21+ ECUs; which I'm more than willing to do, but I just bought a used '22 m440i w/ 21k on the clock and am going to run stock until either 40k or 12/1/2025 when the warranty runs out. So I have some time to hang out with the car, do some other mods, until I'd actually start to crack into the engine.

I know there's no one stateside currently offering an unlock, but are there shops actively working on the ECU? Or has it proven to be impenetrable and FEMTO has some sort of insider access that no one else could replicate?

I'm just trying to get a sense of whether there's an actual chance it's cracked here in the states, or if FEMTO is always going to be it. And, if that's the case...what happens if they leave the scene?
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      05-15-2024, 07:09 PM   #2
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FEMTO seems to have an encryption key that nobody else does. How they got it is a guessing game, but it's not the sort of thing that can be overcome with engineering. The only alternatives would be to get a bunch of SoC from Infineon that lack the hardware-level security changes (which is not cost effective and nobody will do), hope that Bosch sells access (which they won't do since it's an IP security issue), hope that a Bosch employee leaks or sells it elsewhere (illegal in most countries), or humans invent a quantum computer that is stable enough and abundant enough that someone can pay for time to crack the encryption.
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      05-15-2024, 07:39 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by afman916 View Post
So I know FEMTO is currently the only option for unlocking the 21+ ECUs; which I'm more than willing to do, but I just bought a used '22 m440i w/ 21k on the clock and am going to run stock until either 40k or 12/1/2025 when the warranty runs out. So I have some time to hang out with the car, do some other mods, until I'd actually start to crack into the engine.

I know there's no one stateside currently offering an unlock, but are there shops actively working on the ECU? Or has it proven to be impenetrable and FEMTO has some sort of insider access that no one else could replicate?

I'm just trying to get a sense of whether there's an actual chance it's cracked here in the states, or if FEMTO is always going to be it. And, if that's the case...what happens if they leave the scene?
This has been discussed time and time again. Search the forum for the various threads started on this topic.
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      05-15-2024, 07:57 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peelerec View Post
This has been discussed time and time again. Search the forum for the various threads started on this topic.
Fair enough, I had searched for “FEMTO” and “unlock” but didn’t find much recent past late last year. Wasn’t sure if anything had changed in a few months.

FEMTO it is then - of course now I’m anxious that by the time I get around to unlocking they’ll have stopped providing the service…

Last edited by afman916; 05-15-2024 at 08:39 PM..
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      05-16-2024, 05:43 AM   #5
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First of all, thank you for your interest, we have no plans to disappear, and will provide our services as long as there is demand for it.
But our team has a counter question - one thing that we just can’t understand - why most people on these forums don’t believe us, that we got to this point entirely on our own, using our brains, without stealing anything from anyone.
Explain this to us please, perhaps our mentality does not allow us to comprehend this paradox.
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      05-16-2024, 10:40 AM   #6
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I don't think it's a people's not-believing-you guys thing. It's more that nobody else has done it, so Femto must have somebody from Bosch helping them thing. I personally have my DME unlocked by you guys and I plan on sending it out again when Rev2 is released.
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      05-16-2024, 11:38 AM   #7
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The only other place unlocking them currently is Aulitzky Tuning GmbH in Neuendettelsau, BY, DE. They did mine.

The problem you will run into though is they only do it with your car on site and they use a different process than FEMTO. Aulitzky does it through hardware modification, but it is a permanent unlock that can still receive BMW software updates. It does come with it's own set of risks though and is quite expensive.
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      05-16-2024, 11:57 AM   #8
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It would be nice if you could find a way to have users unlock ECU in their own continent atleast, some of us from Africa have to deal with bad DHL service and cant use Fedex really hurts us as turn around time is slower. Plus the Law of Murphy where you probably need to move the car for whatever reason and you dont have an ECU
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      05-16-2024, 01:20 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by femtoevo View Post
First of all, thank you for your interest, we have no plans to disappear, and will provide our services as long as there is demand for it.
But our team has a counter question - one thing that we just can’t understand - why most people on these forums don’t believe us, that we got to this point entirely on our own, using our brains, without stealing anything from anyone.
Explain this to us please, perhaps our mentality does not allow us to comprehend this paradox.
Why can't you set up some dealers in the state if you don't have anything to hide? You will have way more customers that way too.
I like mods but not to the point to dealing with all the shipping hassle.
APR has set up dealers globally and they are from Alabama.
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      05-16-2024, 01:33 PM   #10
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Why can't FEMTO unlock the DME remotely? The reasons they stated previously (i.e. their intellectual property being stolen) don't add up. What you can do in your shop can surely be done remotely in a secure way. It's not like the NSA will try to hack or steal your software.
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      05-16-2024, 01:55 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by afman916 View Post
Fair enough, I had searched for “FEMTO” and “unlock” but didn’t find much recent past late last year. Wasn’t sure if anything had changed in a few months.

FEMTO it is then - of course now I’m anxious that by the time I get around to unlocking they’ll have stopped providing the service…
Why would they stop? they are making a fortune being the only ones in the world that can unlock the BMW DME
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      05-16-2024, 02:24 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com View Post
Why would they stop? they are making a fortune being the only ones in the world that can unlock the BMW DME
Why? I have no idea, and agree that it would be foolish not to. But when there's only one provider/supplier of any given good or service...things happen, ya know? I'm personally hoping they're around for a good long while!
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      05-16-2024, 03:53 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by afman916 View Post
Why? I have no idea, and agree that it would be foolish not to. But when there's only one provider/supplier of any given good or service...things happen, ya know? I'm personally hoping they're around for a good long while!
When do you plan on doing it?
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      05-16-2024, 04:07 PM   #14
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Quote:
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When do you plan on doing it?
Probably end of next year or when I hit 40k, whichever comes sooner. I'd really like to hang out until the warranty expires in the event anything crops up that might in any way be construed as attributable to the tune.
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      05-17-2024, 09:47 AM   #15
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I don’t think there’s any other companies that can do it yet. I know mission performance tuning has a device that can make your DME look stock and dealerships can’t see if your car was ever tuned. They have a device for pre 2022 vehicles, so who knows maybe they might find a way themselves.
I have a 2020 and after my lease was over I decided to not get the extended warranty through BMW, but rather got a 3rd party warranty. Let me tell you, it’s been the best decision I made because of what I just got approved for yesterday. New turbo even though my stock turbo is good, new oil pump, oil pan, throttle body, valve cover gasket and my car has a stage 2 time with catted dp and Arma intake and it still got approved.
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      05-18-2024, 11:17 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.G20 M340 View Post
I don’t think there’s any other companies that can do it yet. I know mission performance tuning has a device that can make your DME look stock and dealerships can’t see if your car was ever tuned. They have a device for pre 2022 vehicles, so who knows maybe they might find a way themselves.
I have a 2020 and after my lease was over I decided to not get the extended warranty through BMW, but rather got a 3rd party warranty. Let me tell you, it’s been the best decision I made because of what I just got approved for yesterday. New turbo even though my stock turbo is good, new oil pump, oil pan, throttle body, valve cover gasket and my car has a stage 2 time with catted dp and Arma intake and it still got approved.
Which aftermarket company did you go with, and approximate coat if you don’t mind?
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      05-20-2024, 01:05 PM   #17
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Mission Performance made this break through a while back but, will not release it to the public in fear of it being duplicated by other vendor. Maybe one day they will release it but, one can only hope.
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