[BentZero]

I've been living with the Bootmod3 OBD ECU flash tune for a few weeks now and figured it's time for a quick review. I'm currently on a stage 1 map as I've yet to get a down pipe or charge pipe. The superlatives you've heard about it are pretty accurate. Nice smooth delivery of power and lots of it.

As mentioned before I used to have the Active Autowerke 8 piggyback tune. While I enjoyed having it I was never really happy with the way that it would abruptly bump power around 2,500 rpm. After I removed it my ecu was still using the adaptations it had learned from its time with the AA8 and I was experiencing that annoying bump in power. At times that bump would cause a CEL.

With the BM3 map there's still a bump in power at 2,500 rpm, but it's far less pronounced. The power just pours on from there. Comfort mode feels a lot like stock Sport and Sport+, but better. Sport and Sport+ feel almost effortless. If I want to pass someone I just pass them. I won't be able to adequately describe how good the car feels. Let's just say that I look forward to my drives even more than I already did. My exhaust sounds louder too which was an unexpected result.

The process of flashing is pretty straightforward with one caveat. You need to make sure that you have the latest version of the BM3 agent. This is the client that acts as the middle man between your car and the Bootmod3 servers. I was using their Android "app" (it's really just their web page disguised as an app) and their OBD wifi agent device. If you're running with that setup then make sure that both your phone and wifi agent device have the latest updates. The wifi agent device from Pro Tuning Freaks (they're the ones that created BM3) is way overpriced. I wish I had known that before I purchased. They charge $300 for it. You can build the same exact thing for $60. I'm kicking myself for that. If you're not the handy type then I guess you can buy it. If you don't want to use the wifi agent device you can use a laptop as well.

Once you get all devices in question updated it's just a matter of plugging in your eNet cable into your car's OBDII port and flashing. They recommend that you use a battery charger when flashing. I did on my first flash which includes the DME unlock. I did not on all subsequent flashes. Proceed at your own risk though. For the first flash I would definitely recommend using one since the first flash takes longer. Roughly 5 minutes. Subsequent flashes take around a minute at most. Speaking of which, switching maps is a breeze. I was switching between the 91 and 93 octane maps. I use 93 octane gas, but I kind of felt like the 91 octane map felt better. I did finally settle on the 93 octane map though just to match the fuel that I'm using.

Another attractive option with the BM3 is the ability to data log. If you're going to be doing a lot of data logs I'd say that it's worth investing the time and/or money in the wifi agent device. With the wifi agent you can also have a dashboard up and running. I haven't found a good way to track oil temps in Fahrenheit though.

The only downside so far is that the bootmode.net site can sometimes be clunky and inoperable. For instance, I want to post a data log here, but it won't generate the share link at the moment. :/ I'll post it later I guess.

All in all I'm very happy with my purchase. Well, not happy about over paying for the wifi device, but whatever. The license itself is also a bit pricier at $600. I also bought the map pack for an additional $50 which gives you access to all BM3 off the shelf maps. I doubt I'll ever do a custom tune as I've been very happy with my stage 1 OTS map.