06 ECU removal

[OhioFJR1300]

My dealer has a new service manager and he is a real :asshat2: . I have been trying to get him to do the upgrade of my ECU since last Oct. and he always has a reason to not be able to do it. So now he wants me to drop off the bike on a Sat. and pick it up the following Monday. I see this as a major PITA. I have to drive 40 miles to this shop, meaning my wife will have to follow me in our car to drop it off and pick it up for a total of 160 miles, all so he can have someone spend 15 minutes to change my ECU. I'm thinking I will just remove it, drive it down to him and say "here, lets just trade" and get the new one. Does any one know where the ECU is exactly and /or have any photos of it so I can pull it myself at home? Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

 

[kaitsdad]

I can refer you to my experience - ECU Swap Keep in mind that UM's pricing has changed since this post, and the amounts have no doubt increased.

The ECU is fastened to the bottom of the underseat tray - fairly simple to get to. Even with all of my wiring and 'stuff' in there, I spent maybe 10 minutes doing the job. Much easier than spark plugs.

If you dealer already has it in stock, swapping it out would be the way to go.

EDIT to add images

 

[madmike2]

From what kaitsdad shows, if the dealer has it in stock, why not change it out in the parking lot?????

Since you are considering the problem of your wife-unit following you anyway, throw the tools in the car and after you've made the change, you have plenty of time to take her to lunch or dinner.

While that is likely to get the dealership PO'd....... at least you won't be without the bike. I wonder why they need to keep the bike for 2 days in order to perform a 15 minute operation? Others have had the swap done "while you wait".

 

[El Toro]

I've got an 06 AE leftover, and Sloan's in Murfreesboro, TN got the parts to do the recall in one week from day of purchase, and had the ecu swap completed in less than half an hour while I waited.

The idea that it should be a multi-day job is NOT because they've got a PITA service manager. Its because they don't know what they're doing at all, and you shouldn't fool with these jokers. You're definitely getting ****** around.

 

[Silent]

It took my service rep all of 15 min to swap out my ECU. He had it done in 10, but had to go back in because we were BS'n and he forgot to plug the ECU in

You should be able to swap it out in the parking log with minimal tools needed, or you should be able to pull and swap like you sugested. The swap actually works in the dealer favor since they can get the money for the work from Mamayama without actually having to do anything.

 

[airboss]

I was going to do it myself.

Went to the dealer to pick it up, service tech told me to go across the street have a cup of coffee and come back, he would have it done. I did, he did, and I rode it home.

Think I would be looking for a new dealer.

 

[OhioFJR1300]

Kaitsdad, Thanks for posting the photos. I'll pull it out and see if I can get them to swap it for the new one.

El Toro, It really is the service manager. The dealership is a BMW/Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki dealer and their mechanics are very good. The parts dept guys are great too, I always get at least a 20% discount. I've bought 3 bikes there in the past few years and always had a great working relationship with their service dept. They hired this new Service manager last year and I believe he is the one that does not have a clue. It has been a big pain to try to get this ECU changed, as he refuses to allow me to wait for them to do the swap. I hate to try to find another dealer as everything else about them is good, but this may be the issue that sends me somewhere else. I just fail to see why this has to be such a big deal for this guy, as it seems like a pretty simple thing to do and would not take very long to get done.

 

[El Toro]

Kaitsdad, Thanks for posting the photos. I'll pull it out and see if I can get them to swap it for the new one.
El Toro, It really is the service manager. The dealership is a BMW/Yamaha/Honda/Suziki dealer and their mechanics are very good. The parts dept guys are great too, I always get at least a 20% discount. I've bought 3 bikes there in the past few years and always had a great working relationship with their service dept. They hired this new Service manager last year and I believe he is the one that does not have a clue. It has been a big pain to try to get this ECU changed, as he refuses to allow me to wait for them to do the swap. I hate to try to find another dealer as everything else about them is good, but this may be the issue that sends me somewhere else. I just fail to see why this has to be such a big deal for this guy, as it seems like a pretty simple thing to do and would not take very long to get done.

Having been the service manager in a Honda/Triumph/Kawasaki/Hodaka dealership many moons ago, I would recommend that you have a heart to heart talk with the owner.

If he's not interested, or if the service manager is a relative or something, no matter how good you think the mechanics are, you're going to have get to them through this obstacle... and that's not gonna be any fun. Any body who puts off a recall issue as you say this fellow has, when there's really no legitimate reason to put it off, is at best a flake, and at worst incompetent. The owner ought to be interested.

 

[DailyCommuter]

If you have bought 3 bikes there, they should be bending over backwards for you, repeated business is the key to success. I would definately talk to the owner, but be prepared for the cold as ice treatment you'll get afterward because he will only be doing it cuz he HAS to now, on a side note I called about doing the same thing a self swap for the ECU, and they said no, they had to do the whole job, I won't ever go to that dealer for anything again! I already had the bike apart for something else and told them I was holding the ECU in my hand while I was talking to them. The snide little fook said, "that's nice, bring it on in when you get it back together so a professional mechanic can do it right.". Don't make me laugh. I'd bet I got more hours working on the FJR than any of your mechanics do and I've only owned it since last August. He says " you should open your own dealership then..." what an *** hole! I never liked going there anyway, but my regular place was closed on that Monday so I figured I would give them a shot... Serves me right I guess.

 

[Dusty]

I live in Ontario, Canada but on the boarder with Michigan being 5 minutes from my home. Purchased my 06 used from USA last year and recently went to the closest US dealer in Michigan for the ECM switch.

The service person says, "you'll have to leave the bike with us - NOW". Only problem is the part hadn't even been ordered! I asked how long he would need the bike. He said it would depend on when they got the part from Yamaha. Could be weeks. HUH????

So I explained to him that it doesn't make sense for me to do without my bike for WEEKS for a 10 minute install! He said that the owner has this rule, but would ask him for an exception - but the owner wasn't in that day. He'd call me back - Right!

I pressed it and asked him what the problem was. Here's his explanation...

The dealer has to order the new ECU from Yamaha like any other items - and pay for the part up front (approx $320). Once the part is received and installed on the bike, the warranty paperwork is completed and sent to Yamaha for reimbursement (which takes 30 more days). The problem is that some people don't bring the bike in right away once the part arrives - so the dealer has to wait even longer for reimbursement. Plus, the time for labour is only half of the actual time it takes to do the job (according to the service person).

I said I'd come right away since I'm self employed and have a flexible scedule. Still haven't heard...

Anyone know any decent dealers in the Port Huron/Detroit area???

 

[El Toro]

The dealer has to order the new ECU from Yamaha like any other items - and pay for the part up front (approx $320). Once the part is received and installed on the bike, the warranty paperwork is completed and sent to Yamaha for reimbursement (which takes 30 more days). The problem is that some people don't bring the bike in right away once the part arrives - so the dealer has to wait even longer for reimbursement. Plus, the time for labour is only half of the actual time it takes to do the job (according to the service person).

I suppose it makes some sort of perverted sense, but it just shows how close to the edge a lot of these guys live.

You could offer to pay him up front, and then get the refund when the work is completed. Then you'd be floating it, but at least it would be on the way.

The labor issue is real too. That's why folks don't want to fool with electrical stuff a lot of the time. You spend half an hour diagnosing something, and it turns out to be a particular sensor, and you go to the warranty pay schedule, and you find out that they will pay .1 hours flat rate for the whole activity, even though you've got .6 hours into it. Then you find out that they won't pay your normal shop rate.

I really think that the manufacturers ought to support the dealers at a higher level, but I also wish that the dealers would recognize that good customer support is something that builds business.

 

[OhioFJR1300]

Well, I had some time tonight and decided to see how long it would take to pull the ECU out. It took me about 10-15 minutes and that is mostly due to all the stuff (audio amp, and fuse block ) that I had to get out of the way to get the underseat tray out. I plan to drop by the dealer and see if I can get them to swap my ECU. Should be interesting.