Using the App

How to use the app & answers to various common questions

What do I need to use TDI Flasher?

TDI Flasher has been designed to be as user friendly and simple to use as possible. Tuning your car from home has never been easier.

 All you need to flash your car is:

The app is available on both Apple iOS and Android. 

Supported Devices

iPhone 6S or newer, running iOS 8 or newer.
The app can be found on the Apple app store by searching “TDI Flasher” or follow the link here.

Android devices with Bluetooth 4.2 onwards and Android 5 or newer operating system.
The app can be downloaded directly from the Google Playstore by searching “TDI Flasher” or follow the link here.

The OBD flash adapter uses BLE (Bluetooth low energy) to act as a pass-through device between your cars ECU and CAN-BUS system to the flash protocols on our server.

Supported Cars

The range of cars covered by TDI Flasher is vast. Please see a rough list of makes & models below. For exact coverage on your model, you can use our vehicle checker tool. Please be aware that the ECUs can vary between the different engine codes.

Audi
Seat
Skoda
Volkswagen

Supported ECUs

TDI Flasher currently supports the below ECU’s. This covers the majority of 2.0TDI, 3.0TDI and a range of the 1.6TDI engines.

There are a handful of versions we are yet to add due to testing availability. If you have one of the following ECU’s and would like to help with development in exchange for free tuning.

Please note TDI Flasher currently only covers UDS cars. UDS was introduced from around 2009 depending on the vehicle model. There is no risk of working on an unsupported ECU as there will just be no communication from the adapter with the car.

At this moment we only support Bosch ECU variants. There are plans to add coverage for the Simos PCR2.1 and Delphi DCM6.2V but this will be later in development.

What is my username?

If you have purchased a tune through our website, you will have received an email invite to set your password. Your username is the email address you used when checking out. The email may have been filtered into your junk or spam.

Alternatively you can register for an account prior to purchase via this link: https://app.tdiflasher.com/panel/register 

If you make any further purchases continue to checkout with the same email address and your licence will be automatically added to your profile.

How to connect to the OBD adapter?

Just open the app and the adapter will automatically connect. You do not need to pair with it or select it the Bluetooth devices.

My adapter won’t connect?

You have the adapter plugged into the OBD port and the app open but it will not connect?
First things to check:

If you continue to have problems with connection, please email debug logs through the settings page and make the subject line “Connection Error”.

If we ask you to perform a firmware upgrade on the device, please follow the attached document: TDI_Flasher_OBD_Firmware_Update.pdf

Can I use the adapter on a different car or is it locked to my car?

The adapter can be used on as many cars as you like. The tuning license is only valid for the VIN it is assigned to. If you have a friend or family member who wants to tune their car you can use the same adapter, but they will need a new flash licence.

How do I purchase a flash licence?

Simply checkout with any tune product from our shop. The email you use to make a purchase will become your username for the app. If you have already made a username, please use the same email address when checking out or it will create a new profile for the different email address.

How to flash my ECU using TDI Flasher?

So, you have purchased a flash license and you have your adapter in hand. 

The first thing you should do is connect your battery to a stabilizer or power source such as another running car.

The idea is to protect your battery voltage from getting too low for you to be able to start the car once the flash has completed. While it has been tested extensively and the flash should continue given the ignition remains on regardless of battery state it is always best practice to be connected to an external power source. Now back to the fun stuff.

Step 1

Create a vehicle profile in the app. This doesn’t have any effect on what tune we provide it is merely for the users benefit to track any cars tuned. You can name your car with the license plate field, so if you have multiple vehicle profiles set up you can easily tell which is which.

Step 2

The next step is to pull the vehicle information. This data is automatically uploaded to our server and is what the flash license becomes linked to in the next stage. The fields which we pull are explained below.

VIN: This is your vehicle’s unique identification number. It is a 17-digit number that will be assigned across a range of control units and is also found on the chassis and in the windscreen in most models. 

Software Version: This is what we refer to as the box code. This is the software version that your car is running. 

Software Revision: At this point you have probably worked out that it is the revision number of the software version. Throughout the life cycle of a model minor bug fixes in the software will be fixed and an updated version released that would then typically be applied at the dealer when the car is being serviced. If the revision on your car is not on the server, we may update you to a newer revision when flashing.

ECU Model: The ECU model number looks very similar to the software version and in some cases is the same. This however is a reference to the software structure.

Engine Code: Again, an obvious one. Engine code is exactly what it sounds like. The engine code however can give us a good indication of the state of the ECU.

Step 3

Once you have identified the car move to the “Flashing” tab.

If you have not already flashed this car before at this point the app will ask you to assign a licence to the car. Select the correct licence and it will then allow you to select the tuned file.

Step 4

Select the tuned file press the flash button at which point you will see a confirmation message with the typical dos and don’ts.

At the start of the flashing process it is likely your dashboard will light up with various warning messages/noise and/or the engine fan will run at full speed. Do not be alarmed this is all totally normally and expected, it is a result of putting the ECU into "programming mode".

The app will then switch to the flashing screen. Initially it will go through the programming checks, once security access has been obtained the car will commence the flash process. The blocks work through one by one.

Now we understand that flashing your own ECU for the very first time can be a daunting process. There really is nothing to be scared of; but of course there are some things you can do to ensure that it all runs smoothly.

The Do's!
The Don’ts!

Reading DTCs?

You can read the error codes on any supported vehicle with the adapter. You do not need a licence for that car. Where possible the error codes are returned along with their description. We do not promote this tool for its diagnostic properties, but it is a handy addition in the event of any errors occurring.

Logging live data?

We have added some basic monitoring functionality to the launch version of the app. Live data is only displayed while it is recording and you will find the log files in the documents section of your device. Go to Documents and you will find a TDI Flasher folder.

We currently log and display:

Please note you can record live data on any supported vehicle you do not need a licence.