AlfaOBD

[stimpy433]

Amazon has a $10 coupon right now for the OBD adapter:

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[G-Ride990]

I recently changed my open 3.21 diff to an lsd 3.55 any options I can flash in the bcm? I found rear axel locker present or something like that so I switched it to Yes, it was NO by default. I can't find axel gear ratio anywhere, weird because I could have sworn I saw it before.

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Why do you want to change the ratio in the BCM? These trucks measure wheel speed for the speedo so gear swaps won't change anything. Tire size will though.

 

[Joji91]

Why do you want to change the ratio in the BCM? These trucks measure wheel speed for the speedo so gear swaps won't change anything. Tire size will though.

Just so the description is correct in the system ID. I know it won't make any physical or performance difference flashing the bcm.

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[Roman217]

So here is something interesting, my dealership updated my BCM this morning. All of my custom settings like DRLs and global down were untouched even though it is a new firmware revision. The only things that were wiped out were my settings in UConnect. So all I had to do was go to settings and check the box for DRLs again.

Also, no new options appeared in the BCM after the updated flash. Luckily the dealership didn't charge me for the flash since I was there for the tailgate and auto park recalls.

Thought that was interesting. Figured all custom settings get wiped out during a BCM flash. It does make sense though, all the custom upfitters would be screwed after dealer visits if the options got wiped out.

 

[chrisbh17]

So here is something interesting, my dealership updated my BCM this morning. All of my custom settings like DRLs and global down were untouched even though it is a new firmware revision. The only things that were wiped out were my settings in UConnect. So all I had to do was go to settings and check the box for DRLs again.

Also, no new options appeared in the BCM after the updated flash. Luckily the dealership didn't charge me for the flash since I was there for the tailgate and auto park recalls.

Thought that was interesting. Figured all custom settings get wiped out during a BCM flash. It does make sense though, all the custom upfitters would be screwed after dealer visits if the options got wiped out.

Are you sure the BCM was updated?

The only thing I could think of is the updates are more of a patch file than a complete re-flash. Only adding or removing the "differential" between old and new versions which allows for an "in place" update that wont wipe everything for no reason.

 

[Ricks Ram]

So here is something interesting, my dealership updated my BCM this morning. All of my custom settings like DRLs and global down were untouched even though it is a new firmware revision. The only things that were wiped out were my settings in UConnect. So all I had to do was go to settings and check the box for DRLs again.

Also, no new options appeared in the BCM after the updated flash. Luckily the dealership didn't charge me for the flash since I was there for the tailgate and auto park recalls.

Thought that was interesting. Figured all custom settings get wiped out during a BCM flash. It does make sense though, all the custom upfitters would be screwed after dealer visits if the options got wiped out.

I'm not sure exactly what your dealer updated on your truck but I can 100% verify that when they do a BCM flash it will wipe out everything that you have added in your BCM. Is it possible they updated one of your other modules and not your BCM? Also I have had my truck flashed twice on purpose to reset it which it did and it never changed my Uconnect radio settings.

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[Roman217]

Right after the update, I went into alfaOBD and checked for updates. The ECU part number went from 68228904AH to 68228904AG. The hardware number stayed the same 6822894AC but that is not surprising since the BCM wasn't replaced.

It is possible that they backup the settings preflash and reapply after. The reason I see that being likely is the upfitters that have to change BCM options for different lights, etc. I can't imagine they skip BCM updates when they are required. It would cause a bunch of problems if those custom options got wiped out each time.

I did get the U07 campaing done which involved the IPC, TCM, and ECM updates. So there is a chance that one of the other flashes messed with the settings. Overall though, the BCM values for the changes I have made, remained in place.

 

[chrisbh17]

I'm not sure exactly what your dealer updated on your truck but I can 100% verify that when they do a BCM flash it will wipe out everything that you have added in your BCM. Is it possible they updated one of your other modules and not your BCM? Also I have had my truck flashed twice on purpose to reset it which it did and it never changed my Uconnect radio settings.

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Yeah I questioned this as well. When I first inquired about the AutoPark update the dealer advised me it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 4+ hours depending on the exact configuration you already have in your truck. Im guessing the 4+ hours is to add ALL of the functionality and the 15 minutes is to enable functionality that is already there. The TSB reads a similar way...some 2017s have the functionality built in but not enabled, some dont have the functionality at all.

I would bet if you had it built in already, just enabling it is quick and easy and doesnt require a flash of multiple modules.

 

[Roman217]

The updates took about 30 minutes on my truck and that included the tailgate recall.

 

[Ricks Ram]

The updates took about 30 minutes on my truck and that included the tailgate recall.

Yes it just takes a few minutes. I Actually have a friend who's a Dodge Tech so I was actually standing there both times I had my truck reflashed and it took about 5 or 10 minutes total to completely reFlash the BCM from the time he connected to my truck to finish. That's one of the reasons it's always amazez me that the dealer usually charges an hour to enable a code to the BCM when it literally takes a few minutes.....such a scam.

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[Roman217]

Yes it just takes a few minutes. I Actually have a friend who's a Dodge Tech so I was actually standing there both times I had my truck reflashed and it took about 5 or 10 minutes total to completely reFlash the BCM from the time he connected to my truck to finish. That's one of the reasons it's always amazez me that the dealer usually charges an hour to enable a code to the BCM when it literally takes a few minutes.....such a scam.

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I felt the same way when dealers quoted me $125 to enable the trailer wiring on my 2014 Jeep. The dealership I bought it from did it for free. It seemed like they just drove it around the building and right back into the service bay. Would have been crazy to pay an hour labor for that.

 

[chrisbh17]

Is it possible they have a way of just flashing an increment to the version number? Since I believe they use the version number check to determine if and/or what BCM update you actually need?

Like maybe they know G has the functionality but just needs a flag flipped to enable, then they update the version to H. But version F might need all the functionality added, the flag updated and then the version is updated to H.

 

[78Staff]

Re the charge my dealer is same way, 1 hour labor per flash. It sucks but it's probably more of a "dissuade folks from doing upgrades themselves vs having the dealer do it" deal. For instance if you had the dealership install the trailer brake controller (1 hour labor), the flash is included in that charge.

When I had the backup camera installed, it was 2 hours labor, which includes the flash. Now, it wound up taking them 1.5 days to do it, because they said the wiring was much more involved than they thought, but they still only charge the book labor rate of 2 hours. Actually, in my case since they took so long the knocked the labor down even more.

So, if you don't use the AlfaOBD or other similar tool yourslef, and do depend on the dealer for this stuff, anything that is 1 hours book rate labor it's usually same price just to let them handle the install as the flash is included.

 

[Roman217]

Outside of the CSM settings from UConnect, everything in the BCM stayed the same. Not that was really expecting any new options to appear but I was mostly interested to see if any new options were added with updated BCM firmware.

 

[Aaron Gilliam]

Yes it just takes a few minutes. I Actually have a friend who's a Dodge Tech so I was actually standing there both times I had my truck reflashed and it took about 5 or 10 minutes total to completely reFlash the BCM from the time he connected to my truck to finish. That's one of the reasons it's always amazez me that the dealer usually charges an hour to enable a code to the BCM when it literally takes a few minutes.....such a scam.

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That’s why I have always avoided the stealership and that’s how they gt their name! Haha Stealership!

 

[justintaylor]

im curious, i have played around with alphaobd and found some pretty cool things. but i have a buddy that has a 2017 2500 base model that he swapped over to a complete limited interior including power mirrors. according to him, the harness is wired correctly for everything to work. could i turn on the puddle lights on his truck using the app? and maybe the trailer tow correction. id like to but i dont want to access the bcm and get something to go wonky to the point of non drivability..

can alphaobd also adjust mileage on the cluster if a cluster swap is performed?

 

[Ricks Ram]

im curious, i have played around with alphaobd and found some pretty cool things. but i have a buddy that has a 2017 2500 base model that he swapped over to a complete limited interior including power mirrors. according to him, the harness is wired correctly for everything to work. could i turn on the puddle lights on his truck using the app? and maybe the trailer tow correction. id like to but i dont want to access the bcm and get something to go wonky to the point of non drivability..

can alphaobd also adjust mileage on the cluster if a cluster swap is performed?

Depending on what trim level your friend has the wiring may or may not be there if he has a tradesman or an SLT 99% percent of the time the wiring is not present unless it's a regular cab. You can turn on pretty much any code you want and in a lot of cases it will work in your truck but you are going to be missing some wiring for certain things the puddle lights,mirror blinker lights ect should be no issues. If you buy the full version of the tool it is not hard to use and most of us have had no issues. Pay attention to what you change read the beginning of the post to read how to change certain things and if you have any questions ask BEFORE you do it not after.

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[kad]

can alphaobd also adjust mileage on the cluster if a cluster swap is performed?

No, it can't. That requires specialized tools that only a few places seem to have figured out.

-K

 

[justintaylor]

thanks guys. i bought the full version right away. he mentioned all the wiring is there for the puddle lamps and such. i might have to turn it on and give it a try to see how it goes. if all the wiring is still there, it should almost be as simple as plug and play it seems. i will give it a try. ive already done a few updates to my truck since i got the app. works wonders

 

[Ricks Ram]

thanks guys. i bought the full version right away. he mentioned all the wiring is there for the puddle lamps and such. i might have to turn it on and give it a try to see how it goes. if all the wiring is still there, it should almost be as simple as plug and play it seems. i will give it a try. ive already done a few updates to my truck since i got the app. works wonders

If you install the correct mirrors with a blinker puddle lights and activate the codes they will work in your truck with no issues and without adding any wiring or parts. It has worked on every truck but they all had power windows and locks. If you have them you should be fine.

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