Another Powerchip Story...

drallen · 29th November 2003, 01:34

First off, I want to commend Powerchip...both Wayne, the salesman and Jessie, the techie...

It was Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when we should all be having belly aches and headaches...I uploaded my ECU info from my M5 around 9:30 AM and sent it to Powerchip...

Around 11 AM I got a reply from Powerchip with my new ECU file...

Then the work began...Being that my office and my home run on Apple computers, I had to find a Windoze laptop...I acquired a laptop from the proprietor of my favorite Mexican restaurant (Rancho Grande, Gardnerville, NV). Nice laptop, a 233 PII, that worked...It also crashed occasionally for unknown reasons...

I downloaded the new files from Powerchip for my ECU on my Apple. I burned a CD and put the CD in the laptop...The laptop had a "driver not found" on the CD reader...Basically the CDR did not work in the laptop...But wait.....I had an old serial floppy drive and my girlfriend had a floppy drive in her computer....so from the CD we transferred the files from my CD to a Floppy and then put the files on the Windoze laptop...

We were now in business....Tried to upload the files to my Car's ECU and it stated that my files were not modified by Powerchip...Called Powerchip again at 11:30 AM...They sent me a new file...Reburned a CD and did the Windoze floppy to the laptop deal...

Success...the ECU was now properly updated....I disconnected all the cables and hopped in the car and tried to start it to partake in the Powerchip "glow"...All I got was a click, click , click and the Nav screen looked like an ECG monitor...I was freaked...I just killed the brain of my $75K car...

I called Powerchip again....again they answered, it was Jesssie again...He sent me another file saying that there my be some "issues" with the Macintosh....It was now around 11:50 AM...

In the time it took him to send me ANOTHER file (15 min max)...I thought (no I had not been drinking) that the M5 battery may be dead....I started the V-10 Ford (pickup) that was parked next to the M5 and jumped the M5 (yes, I read the instructions...that was the tough part..)...reloaded the upgraded software (with the M5 sucking the juice out of the Ford) and the car FIRED UP!!!

Powerchip stated (Jessie) that if I did not have power coming from the pickup, with a dead battery in the M5, I really may have killed the M5's brain...and then I would have needed a tow to the dealer (over 60 miles away)...

Anyway...just came back from a 120 mile drive with the new software...WOW..even the girlfriend noticed the difference...I live 4800 feet above sea level and the car always started to go flat above 5000 RPM...With the new software, the car pulls like a wildthing all the way up to the 7450 RPM redline...Great bang for the buck...

And GREAT service from Powerchip...

I'm happy,

Mark

MIB · 29th November 2003, 05:58

Great Storey Mark,

Thanks for sharing. I can remember about 3 years ago when I got my 540. It was not even 1 week old.

I called for the Powerchip. Something similar happend and I thought OMG. I felt really foolish standing infront of a dead $170K AUD car that I had for a week.

5 Minutes on the phone with Powerchip and I was.

Its just for those brief few minutes, panic sets in.

Its like you want to turn back time a few minutes.

But in all the vehicles I have Powerchiped, the outcome was always the same.

GregC · 29th November 2003, 20:57

Makes you want to look for the "system restore" botton !!

MAH · 1st December 2003, 16:38

Mark,

I cannot say enough good things about Powerchip. They are very helpful and their product has a pronouced effect on the M5. One of the best bang for the bucks around.

Mark

MIB · 2nd December 2003, 23:31

I think we have enough "Mark's" in this post to confirm that the "M" in M5 stands for Mark. As in Mark5.