BMWs built from July 2020 onward ship with a locked factory ECU. Before we can flash a custom calibration to one of these cars, the ECU has to be unlocked once. It's a one-time step, you no longer need to mail your ECU anywhere, and this guide walks you through it.
This guide covers BMW only. The July 2020+ cutover is when BMW moved to the locked Bosch MDG1 ECU generation.
Does my car need an unlock?
If your tune's product page shows an "ECU Unlock Required" notice, your car needs this one-time unlock first. If it doesn't, skip this guide and order your tune as normal.
The unlock applies to BMWs from July 2020 onward running the Bosch MDG1 ECU generation. It covers these ECU references:
- Petrol (DME8): MG1CS003, MG1CS024, MG1CS049, MG1CS201
- Diesel (DDE8): MD1CP002, MD1CP032, MD1CS001
Not sure which ECU your car has? Send us your VIN and we'll confirm before you do anything. Message us here.
Why these ECUs are locked
Starting with the MDG1 generation, Bosch closed the read/write access that older ECUs left open. The hardware is the same, but the factory software blocks tuning until the unit is unlocked. Once it's done, it stays done. You only unlock the ECU once for the life of the car.
Where to get it unlocked
The unlock is now done in-house at the workshop. No shipping your ECU away and no waiting on the post.
- At RPM Tuning: we unlock in-house, and the unlock is included with your RPM tune.
- Tuning with us remotely: any local tuning shop or unlock service that handles BMW MDG1 unlocks can do it for you. Their fee is arranged directly with them. Once it's unlocked, we take it from there remotely.
V8 and V12 models have two ECUs, and both need unlocking. If you're using a local unlock service, make sure they do both.
The order to do this in
Unlock first, tune second. We can't read your stock file or build your calibration until the ECU is unlocked, so getting the unlock done first keeps everything moving.
- Confirm your car needs an unlock. Check the ECU list above, or send us your VIN and we'll confirm.
- Get the ECU unlocked. At RPM it's done in-house and included with your tune. Tuning remotely? Book it with a local tuning shop or unlock service.
- Order your RPM Tuning calibration. Pick your Stage and Flasher options on your car's tune page.
- Read your stock ECU file using your own flasher or the Autotuner tool.
- Send us your stock file and we build your custom calibration from it.
- Flash and send datalogs. We refine until it's fully dialed in.
Already unlocked?
If your ECU is already unlocked, whether you did it before or bought the car that way, you don't need to do any of this. Go straight to your tune and select your options.
Questions?
If you're unsure whether your car needs an unlock, where to get it done near you, or anything about the process, message us with your car's details and we'll point you the right way before you spend anything.
For off-road and motorsport use only. See our Performance Disclaimer in Terms of Service.