From "stay tuned" to T U N E D !!

[Desertnate]

Is your friend's car tuned as well? I wonder if that is a common denominator.

Just a thought, but do you know a total gearhead in your area from a forum or FB group who could do a little datalogging on your car? I've been pretty amazed by some conversations I've followed where guys with strange car issues were able to pinpoint the problem by datalogging and then going through all the read-outs. It might show something the dealer would never find.

Also, have you looked into lemon laws? Since you've tuned the car, it might make it nearly impossible to do, but it might be another option to consider.

So hopefully I hear something sooner than later, I'm pretty bummed out to be honest and feel like giving up and getting a "missionary position" car and joining the non-car guy world ��

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Don’t do that…. You’d die a little inside everyday…. But I get the frustration.

Yeah, that's never an option. Why make yourself even more miserable for a very long time. People accept mediocracy because its the easy thing to do and then wonder why they are unhappy. There are plenty of options out there in all different shapes, sizes and price points if you end up having to shed the car. Don't be afraid to look at something you'd never have considered before.

When my 435 developed an unheard of rare, VERY expensive, mechanical issue forced me to get rid of the car, I was crushed. I'd been a fan of BMW's for 30+ years and loved driving them. However, the situation led me to look at everything fun on the the market, new and used. In the past I would never have considered the BRZ, but I'm so glad I did. I could have very easily picked up another GTI, had fun, and been perfectly happy. I also would have totally missed out on an amazing experience in a truly remarkable car.

I think if my BRZ was unexpectedly taken from me right now, I'd be looking at previous gen Civic Type R's. Sure they're a bit juvenile looking, but I don't care. It's an amazing car and life is just too short not to have fun every time you get the chance. The new Type S would be a good one or even an Audi RS3, but both are pretty rare, and expensive due to initial price point, dealer mark-ups....or both.

[oneheadlite]

... When my 435 developed an unheard of rare, VERY expensive, mechanical issue forced me to get rid of the car, I was crushed. ...

What happened on the 435?

[Desertnate]

The steering began to fail down in the gears of actual rack itself. Unfortunately in the F30 generation, the entire steering system is one unit, from the column down to the rack, the electric pump, and out to the tie-rods, so it couldn't be torn down any further. I noticed it as an odd noise coming from the column when going into and out of steering lock in both directions (pulling out of parking places, driveways, etc). The local dealer had to take a test drive with a set of chassis ears to nail down the exact source of the noises. They traced it all the way down to the gears in the rack.

That dealer, nor the one I bought the car from, nor a respectable indy BMW shop in town had ever heard of it failing like that nor had ever had to swap one our on an F30 for that reason. I didn't find anything doing some searches on the topic either. All agreed it was the early signs of rack failure. The steering assembly at the time was at least $4K for just the steering assembly and the labor would have been through the roof.

Looking back I did notice the steering had started to feel a bit sloppier in normal mode and even not great in sport and sport+. It wasn't the normal lack of feedback people complain about, but an actual lack of accuracy/precision. I can't help but wonder if it was all related.

[Klasse Act]

So the verdict is in:



Dealership ordered an ECU

They called their techline and were told to replace the ECU. Now the onboard diagnostics said ECU but my code reader said 1326 (knock sensor), it also had the same symptoms as well, which is why I didn't swap out my $1100 tuned ECU, so it's going with them. Not sure what they do with an old ECU that's deemed "bad", maybe recycled. Had I thought the ECU was bad I would've had it swapped out, 3 bolts and unplug it...that's it

Not sure how long it's going to take to get this part but atleast I've got a rental this time, had 19 miles on. This 2024 Kona N-line is pretty well loaded, about $3K cheaper than my car was when new

Only time will tell if THIS fixes it, along with a couple carwashes...stay "tuned"

***side note***

My tuner offered to tune my spare ECU, the one that came with the car, for free, so I guess I'm not out $1100 afterall...IF I decide to do this again. The tuner thinks it's the knock sensor and/or the wiring

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[Big Dave]

Good to hear you may have a resolution. Way back in the mid 90s my VN Commodore came up with a check engine light, and was idling rough, when the mechanic plugged in his machine he said it's either a coolant temperature sensor or the ECU. Apparently it always says it's this or that sensor or the ECU. But they always replace whatever sensor first, it's cheaper, if that doesn't work they replace the ECU. I had my fingers crossed it was the sensor, I didn't want to pay $350 for a new ECU, relatively cheap when I look back now.

Someone in my neighbourhood drives a new Kona, very distinctive with the LED strip across the front, I like the look.

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[Klasse Act]

Thanks Dave and yes, this N-line Kona is even better

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[Desertnate]

They called their techline and were told to replace the ECU. Now the onboard diagnostics said ECU but my code reader said 1326 (knock sensor), it also had the same symptoms as well, which is why I didn't swap out my $1100 tuned ECU, so it's going with them. Not sure what they do with an old ECU that's deemed "bad", maybe recycled. Had I thought the ECU was bad I would've had it swapped out, 3 bolts and unplug it...that's it

So you never installed the tuned ECU or you did and Hyundia is sending back the bad ECU with your tune loaded it? I'm really happy for you, but also surprised if they are taking the tuned ECU. Many automakers can detect the tune and won't touch an ECU that's been altered.

The bad ECU will likely end up on the desk of some engineer in Seoul who will run a few diagnostics on it to document where it failed and then chuck it in a bin to be recycled. If the ECU is actually bad and failed a diagnostics test, I wouldn't trust any codes it would throw. If the brain if fritzing out, there it no telling what it might say.

I'm glad they put you in a nice loaner. I really liked the Kona N from the previous generation. The snorty engine, lower/stiffer suspension, and DCT put it almost in hot hatch territory. Hopefully they'll bring it out again with this generation.

[Klasse Act]

I don't think they scanned it honestly, the bluelink said bad ecu but my scan tool said 1326, which is why I didn't swap out ecu's but like I said my tuner will flash my new one for free...I'm on the fence about it right now

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[Desertnate]

Does your tuner's offer expire at some point? If not, I'd wait quite a while to make sure the new OEM ECU is working right.

It's a long shot, but flashing the ECU might have caused the problem. I remember years ago when looking at flashing my GTI, there was a period of time when a couple tuners had occasional issues with the ECU's having hardware issues with the flashing process. These were very respectable tuners who had been in the business for a long time. Their software was sound and safely delivered the promised results. However, on a rare occasion the actual process of flashing somehow damaged the ECU. In minor cases, the cars had running issues. In the most extreme cases it bricked the the ECU totally. You may have just got unlucky.

[Klasse Act]

Does your tuner's offer expire at some point? If not, I'd wait quite a while to make sure the new OEM ECU is working right.

It's a long shot, but flashing the ECU might have caused the problem. I remember years ago when looking at flashing my GTI, there was a period of time when a couple tuners had occasional issues with the ECU's having hardware issues with the flashing process. These were very respectable tuners who had been in the business for a long time. Their software was sound and safely delivered the promised results. However, on a rare occasion the actual process of flashing somehow damaged the ECU. In minor cases, the cars had running issues. In the most extreme cases it bricked the the ECU totally. You may have just got unlucky.

Let me ask you this because I don't know. When I first got the tune, which was installed on a new ecu, the power was incredible. Then over time I either "got used to it" or it "flattened out", then the issue on the dyno in Dec and now this...can it deteriate over time?....or would it rear it's head right away

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