BMW ships the DME — the engine control unit — locked. Locked means no tuning platform can write a calibration to it: bootmod3, MHD, xHP, all of them hit the same wall. An unlock is a one-time procedure that removes that restriction so the DME will accept flashes over OBD from then on. It is not a tune and it does not change how your car runs by itself.
So the unlock doesn't add power?
Correct, and be suspicious of anyone who says otherwise. The unlock is the gate. Once it's open you load whatever map you want from your own tuning app, and you can go back to stock any time. We hand the car back running exactly as it arrived.
Do you record the appointment?
Sometimes, yes. We may record video and audio while we work, both for our own marketing and as a record of the job. If we publish any of it, your number plate, VIN and address are removed or obscured first — and we never show the connector positions or the software workflow. If you'd rather we didn't record, say so when you book or at any point during the appointment and we'll stop. It makes no difference to the price.
Do you take my DME out of the car?
No — and that's the whole point of what we do. We work on the unit in the vehicle. The DME is never removed, never boxed up, never leaves your possession, and never goes in the mail. It stays bolted in the car the entire appointment. The one exception is the S68 V8: its newer control unit cannot be unlocked in the car, so for that car alone the DMEs come out and go back in — as quick as 1-2 days — and we say so up front, before you book.
How long does an appointment take?
We give you a realistic window when we confirm the booking, because it depends on the car and what you've asked for. What we won't do is quote you a number on a web page and then blow through it. Plan on it being a proper appointment rather than a five-minute stop. The S68 is the exception: the car is off the road while its DMEs are out, and you pick the speed — 5-10 days standard, 3-5 days priority, or 1-2 days express.
Where do you meet me?
Wherever the car is and there's room to work — your driveway, your garage, your office parking lot, or your shop. We bring the equipment, the power and the cables. You need to give us somewhere flat, dry and safe, with room to open the bonnet and doors.
Will you flash a tune for me too?
Yes — that's the unlock + Tune Flash service: $100 on top of the unlock, one DME or two. We stay and get your first map loaded and verified through your own tuning platform. For now, the platform licence itself (bootmod3, MHD, xHP) is something you buy directly from them before we arrive — it isn't included in our price and we don't resell it.
What is coding, and how is it different from a tune?
Coding changes how the car behaves rather than how the engine runs. Nothing is written to the engine control unit, no power changes, and it has nothing to do with unlocking or flashing. It is a separate job on a separate part of the car, and it is reversible — we note down everything we change so any of it can be put back.
What can you actually change with coding?
The usual requests are the ones that annoy people daily: the seatbelt chime, auto start-stop remembering that you switched it off, ambient and interior lighting colours and behaviour, digital speed in the cluster, folding mirrors on lock, video playback while moving, gauge needle sweep on start, and turning off warnings and disclaimers that appear every time you get in. If there is something specific you want, ask before you book — most things are possible, some are not, and we would rather say so up front.
Your car
Which cars do you work on?
The rule underneath everything: if your car runs a Bosch MG1 or DME8 control unit, we can almost certainly unlock it — and most 2021-onward BMWs qualify. In practice that's the S58 cars (G87 M2, G80 M3, G81 M3 Touring, G82 and G83 M4, F97 X3 M, F98 X4 M), Gen 1 and Gen 2 B58 including the Toyota Supra, B46 and B48 four-cylinders, the S63 and N63 V8s, B57 diesels, and MINIs on an MG1 unit. New: the S68 V8 on BMW's DME9 unit — G90 M5, XM, 760i, X5 M60i, X5 M and X6 M — unlocked in as quick as 1-2 days. Send the VIN and we'll confirm before we book anything.
Do you do diesels, or MINIs?
Both. B57 diesels are supported — we see them mostly in the G30 5 Series — and MINIs are covered wherever the car runs an MG1 control unit, which is most of the Cooper S and JCW range. Neither is unusual for us. Send the VIN like anyone else and we'll confirm it in a few minutes.
Can you unlock an S68 — a G90 M5, XM or X5 M?
Yes, and as quick as 1-2 days. The S68 is on BMW's newer DME9 control unit, which cannot be unlocked in the car, so it is the one job where the DMEs come out: both are removed, unlocked off-site and reinstalled. Your car cannot be driven while they are out. Standard turnaround is 5-10 days, priority is 3-5, and express is 1-2. You can have the unlock on its own, the unlock with a proven tune loaded, or a custom tune built from your car's own logs.
What can't you unlock?
The Gen 3 B58. Around 2023 BMW moved it onto the newer DME9 control unit and nobody has an unlock for it yet — that's the facelift M340i and M440i, the current 540i and 740i, and the LCI X5, X6 and X7 40i. Everything on the older MG1 and DME8 units is fine. The S68 V8 is on DME9 as well, and that one we can now unlock — the G90 and G99 M5, the XM, the 760i, the X5, X6 and X7 M60i, the X5 M and X6 M — though it is done off-site rather than in your driveway. We'd rather tell you plainly than take a booking and turn up unable to help, and it's a moving target, so ask again in a few months.
How do I know if my B58 is Gen 3?
Roughly: if it's a 2023-or-later facelift car with the 48V mild-hybrid system, it's probably Gen 3 and we can't help yet. The luxury models switched first, so a 540i or X7 40i is more likely to be Gen 3 than an M340i of the same year. A pre-facelift M340i from 2019 to 2022 is Gen 2 and fine. Don't guess on this one — send the VIN and we'll tell you in a few minutes, before either of us has committed to anything.
Why do you keep asking for the VIN?
Because production date decides this, not model year, and two cars from the same year can need different handling. The VIN is the only thing that answers it properly. It costs you ten seconds and it stops us driving out to a car we can't help.
I have an F30 335i / F80 M3 — do I even need this?
Probably not, and that's the honest answer. Most older F-chassis cars — N54, N55, N20, and a good number of S55s — left the factory unlocked. Your tuning platform can already write to the car as it sits, so there is nothing for us to unlock and nothing for you to pay us for. Be careful with the chassis code, though: it's the engine that decides. An F30 335i needs nothing, an F30 330i on the four-cylinder does, and the F97 X3 M, F98 X4 M and F90 M5 all need unlocking. Send the VIN, we'll tell you which side of the line you're on, and if the answer is that you don't need us then that's what you'll hear.
What if my car isn't supported?
We tell you before you pay, and you pay nothing. There are two versions of that answer and they're different: either we can't do it yet — the Gen 3 B58 — or your car never needed unlocking in the first place, which is most older F-chassis cars. Either way we'd rather turn a job down than take money for something you don't need or we can't finish. If coverage arrives for your car later, we'll let you know.
What if it's already been unlocked, or a flash went wrong?
Say so when you first text us. Previous work, a failed flash, an aftermarket harness or an existing fault all change the job, and finding out in your driveway is the expensive way to discover it. Told up front it's usually not a problem.
You can't unlock my car. Can you still do anything?
Usually yes. Coding is completely separate from unlocking and works on the newest cars too — including the G90 M5, the XM and the M60i models we can't unlock. So if you were told no on the tuning side, the lighting, warnings and comfort features are still very much on the table.
Risk & warranty
Will this void my warranty?
It may — and you're accepting that risk when you book. BMW can detect modified control units and flash history, and dealers have got good at looking. We can't tell you what any particular dealer will do, and we don't cover denied claims, goodwill that gets reversed, or the cost of putting factory software back. If your car is under warranty and that matters to you, think it through before you book. This is set out plainly in our terms of service.
Is there any risk to the DME?
There's real risk in any work on vehicle electronics, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. We manage it the way it should be managed: your original data is read and saved before anything is written, we run off a regulated supply so voltage can't sag mid-write, and we verify the car starts and communicates before we leave. That reduces the risk. It doesn't make it zero, and our terms of service are honest about where liability sits.
Is a tuned car still legal to drive?
Modified engine software may not be legal for road use and can affect emissions compliance and inspection. Whatever you flash after the unlock is your choice and your responsibility. We won't remove or defeat emissions equipment, and we don't supply software that does.
Do you keep a copy of my original file?
Yes. We take a backup before anything is written and we hold on to it so we can help you later. We don't share it with anyone.
Does coding affect my warranty?
It is a much lighter touch than flashing the engine — nothing is written to the engine control unit and everything we change can be put back. That said, it is still a change to the car's configuration, a dealer can see it, and we can't promise how any particular dealer will react. Worth knowing too: a dealer software update can quietly revert coding, which is nobody's fault and is usually a quick job to redo.
Booking & payment
How much is coding?
$199 for a visit on its own, or $99 added to an unlock appointment you have already booked — the difference is simply that we are already at the car. The add-on is only available alongside another job; a standalone visit does not work at that price. Either way you get as many changes as we can fit into the session rather than paying per item.
How do I book?
Text us the year, model and VIN. We come back with whether your car is supported, what's involved and when we can be there. Once that's agreed you can pay online, or in person on the day.
Do I have to pay before you arrive?
No. Paying online ahead of time locks the slot in and gets the paperwork out of the way, but you're welcome to sort it on the day. Either way you'll have agreed the terms before we touch the car.
What if I need to cancel?
Give us 24 hours and we'll refund in full or move you at no charge. If we arrive and can't work — nobody there, no safe space, or the car isn't as described — we may keep a call-out fee to cover the trip and refund the rest.
What does the price include?
Travel inside our core service area, the licence cost for the unlock, the backup, the unlock itself and the verification. It does not include your tuning platform licence, parts, or anything a third party charges you. S68 packages are the exception: the tuning licence and the tune itself are included in the unlock + tune prices.
I have an M5 / X5 M / 750i — why is a V8 more?
Because it is two jobs in one visit. The N63 and S63 V8s run two separate control units, and each one needs its own licence, its own backup and its own unlock. Doing only one is worse than doing neither — it reports success and the car still won't flash. V8 pricing is quoted rather than listed, because we want to confirm it really is a two-DME car and that neither unit has been touched before we commit to a number. Send the VIN and you'll have an answer the same day. A G90 M5, XM or current X5 M is different again: that's the S68, on the newer DME9 unit, with its own packages listed on the pay page from $1,199.
I've had this DME unlocked by you before — do I pay full price again?
No. The licence stays paired to that specific unit, so a repeat unlock on the same physical DME is just labour and travel. That's the return customer rate. It has to be the same unit, though — a replacement or swapped DME is a standard job.
What areas do you cover?
Philadelphia and the surrounding counties — Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, Chester, Berks and Lehigh — plus the close-in parts of South Jersey and Delaware. Further out is a conversation, not a no.