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This has already been the case on European navigation systems (Audi and VW MMI/MIB) for many years now. VW Audi Group developed an entire infrastructure called

by bri3d 3y ago

This has already been the case on European navigation systems (Audi and VW MMI/MIB) for many years now. VW Audi Group developed an entire infrastructure called SWaP (Software as a Product) and FEC (Feature Enable Codes) many years ago, and ever since, there has been a cottage industry in bypassing the system to enable features like CarPlay, Navigation, and Performance Monitor which are usually locked by software trim levels.

hunter2_ 3y ago
It's always awesome seeing your comments about VW stuff. I've been using VCDS over 10 years now with nothing but various trims of Golfs for even longer than that. Luckily my Mk7 R came with all the FECs I'd ever want, stock! The secret menu doesn't show anything interesting in the diff between supported and installed. Do you think there will ever be ECU/TCU tunes maintained as open source projects? Maybe not quite as user-friendly as the Cobb ecosystem and the like, but good enough to make $600+ tunes a thing of the past for DIY types who are into mucking about but want the peace of mind that comes with using maps that enough other people are already using? Not that tuners shouldn't be paid for their work, but I feel like they could focus on the custom tune segment and be ok. My current understanding is that free software exists (I haven't actually played with any myself yet, but I've heard of TunerPro, WinOLS, etc. and I see you maintain VW_Flash, very cool) but then the user needs to know how to create a custom tune from scratch, no free and widely used "off the shelf" / "staged" files floating around for common cars (the main value proposition of APR, EQT, IE, UM, etc.), correct?
- bri3d 3y ago
  All of the tools needed to do this are already there. However, maintaining this kind of project would be a thankless task riddled with bad users, regulatory/legal issues, and isn't likely to build a strong community for various reasons, so I don't think anyone has been highly incentivized to do it.

by bri3d 3y ago

hunter2_ 3y ago

It's always awesome seeing your comments about VW stuff. I've been using VCDS over 10 years now with nothing but various trims of Golfs for even longer than that. Luckily my Mk7 R came with all the FECs I'd ever want, stock! The secret menu doesn't show anything interesting in the diff between supported and installed. Do you think there will ever be ECU/TCU tunes maintained as open source projects? Maybe not quite as user-friendly as the Cobb ecosystem and the like, but good enough to make $600+ tunes a thing of the past for DIY types who are into mucking about but want the peace of mind that comes with using maps that enough other people are already using? Not that tuners shouldn't be paid for their work, but I feel like they could focus on the custom tune segment and be ok. My current understanding is that free software exists (I haven't actually played with any myself yet, but I've heard of TunerPro, WinOLS, etc. and I see you maintain VW_Flash, very cool) but then the user needs to know how to create a custom tune from scratch, no free and widely used "off the shelf" / "staged" files floating around for common cars (the main value proposition of APR, EQT, IE, UM, etc.), correct?

bri3d 3y ago
All of the tools needed to do this are already there. However, maintaining this kind of project would be a thankless task riddled with bad users, regulatory/legal issues, and isn't likely to build a strong community for various reasons, so I don't think anyone has been highly incentivized to do it.