ECU repair?

[Robotstar5]

Back story: a friend of Mrs Robo has a 2017 Fpace, 3am one morning she hears a noise and sees a car parked across the end of her drive, turns on house lights and car drives off.
Next morning, goes out and unlocks car normally with fob, gets in but nothing else works, dash doesn't light up, won't try to start etc. calls AA and they tested what they could, then said it needs to go to a Jaguar specialist. Car recovered with some difficulty as the wheels won't turn so it had to be skated onto the truck, specialist said "the main computer's fried" (I'm getting the info 3rd hand) and it will be thousands for a new one. I've googled "ECU repairs" and quite a few come up, but I would prefer one that someone has used and could recommend, maybe @premmington could suggest someone?.

 

[Hopefuldave]

This is one of the reasons I'm thinking about going back to the 80s for next car...

 

[winchman]

Never heard any bad about Camco

Home - Camco Automotive

camcoautomotive.co.uk

 

[premmington]

Back story: a friend of Mrs Robo has a 2017 Fpace, 3am one morning she hears a noise and sees a car parked across the end of her drive, turns on house lights and car drives off.
Next morning, goes out and unlocks car normally with fob, gets in but nothing else works, dash doesn't light up, won't try to start etc. calls AA and they tested what they could, then said it needs to go to a Jaguar specialist. Car recovered with some difficulty as the wheels won't turn so it had to be skated onto the truck, specialist said "the main computer's fried" (I'm getting the info 3rd hand) and it will be thousands for a new one. I've googled "ECU repairs" and quite a few come up, but I would prefer one that someone has used and could recommend, maybe @premmington could suggest someone?.

You gonna struggle to find someone to repair a main PCM off an F Pace.

 

[Hotstuff]

If the ECU has been damaged through the course of someone trying to steel the car I would be surprised if there wasn’t evidence of physical damage.

One method used to steel these cars is to gain access to the CANbus system. On some cars they access part of the buss wiring loom by removing a head light or getting into the boot.

Has there been any strange interference with the car recently?
Any signs of wiring looms being accessed or disconnected?

I would guess that access to the CANbus would be via the body control module (BCM) so perhaps that could be a good place to start.

I think if I went to any kind of “specialist” I’d be looking for a more concise report than “the main computer’s fried”. If it’s due to an attempted car theft then how has it been accessed?

Good luck and do keep us posted.

 

[Robotstar5]

If the ECU has been damaged through the course of someone trying to steel the car I would be surprised if there wasn’t evidence of physical damage.

One method used to steel these cars is to gain access to the CANbus system. On some cars they access part of the buss wiring loom by removing a head light or getting into the boot.

Has there been any strange interference with the car recently?
Any signs of wiring looms being accessed or disconnected?

I would guess that access to the CANbus would be via the body control module (BCM) so perhaps that could be a good place to start.

I think if I went to any kind of “specialist” I’d be looking for a more concise report than “the main computer’s fried”. If it’s due to an attempted car theft then how has it been accessed?

Good luck and do keep us posted.

The only thing was the car parked across the drive at 3am, we don't know if they were in the process of doing something when they were disturbed, if it can be proved it was an attempted theft maybe the insurance will pay?.

Info is pretty sketchy as it's coming via Mrs Robo, both her and her friend's vehicular knowledge stops at putting fuel in and driving them

 

[Hopefuldave]

If the ECU has been damaged through the course of someone trying to steel the car I would be surprised if there wasn’t evidence of physical damage.

One method used to steel these cars is to gain access to the CANbus system. On some cars they access part of the buss wiring loom by removing a head light or getting into the boot.

Has there been any strange interference with the car recently?
Any signs of wiring looms being accessed or disconnected?

I would guess that access to the CANbus would be via the body control module (BCM) so perhaps that could be a good place to start.

I think if I went to any kind of “specialist” I’d be looking for a more concise report than “the main computer’s fried”. If it’s due to an attempted car theft then how has it been accessed?

Good luck and do keep us posted.

If it's due to attempted theft the insurance company should pay out, too (less excess), got to be better than paying for it yourself (but check whether she has protected no-claims).

 

[gaz1]

actually its on many cars

the link has a swear word on it but its an interesting read

CAN Injection: keyless car theft

This is a detective story about how a car was stolen - and how it uncovered an epidemic of high-tech car theft. It begins with a tweet. In April 2022, my friend Ian Tabor tweeted that vandals had been at his car, pulling apart the headlight and unplugging the cables.

kentindell.github.io

my advice after getting car back secure it somewhere and block it in they have a real interest in the vehicle and hopefully they look elsewhere

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

my advice after getting car back secure it somewhere and block it in they have a real interest in the vehicle and hopefully they look elsewhere

I'd get a steering lock for anything thats keyless and reasonably pinch-able!

Problem with insurance claim is proving that someone was in the car might be difficult...if its keyless and they used one of those key range extenders then it would have been opened as if you'd opened it with the key!

 

[Hotstuff]

actually its on many cars

the link has a swear word on it but its an interesting read

CAN Injection: keyless car theft

This is a detective story about how a car was stolen - and how it uncovered an epidemic of high-tech car theft. It begins with a tweet. In April 2022, my friend Ian Tabor tweeted that vandals had been at his car, pulling apart the headlight and unplugging the cables.

kentindell.github.io

my advice after getting car back secure it somewhere and block it in they have a real interest in the vehicle and hopefully they look elsewhere

That is amazing…..surely car manufacturers are smarter than crims?

I really do suspect that the Jaguar specialist has done no more than plug in a scanner into the OBD port and could not get the ECU to respond.

 

[jsf55]

I'd be looking for a FPace forum and see what you can find out from there ?

 

[gaz1]

That is amazing…..surely car manufacturers are smarter than crims?

I really do suspect that the Jaguar specialist has done no more than plug in a scanner into the OBD port and could not get the ECU to respond.

depends on your argument

damaged car locks vs broken window or in older cars all they did was take out the rubber window and damage the steering lock
car locks could be beaten by a tennis ball
car locks replaced with key fobs opens easily enough by a transmitter / receiver

each update the value of the car has gone up and your paying for it

auto lights, auto wipers caused by lazy users just further tech added
tech on each part of the car creates a bus rings back to computer manager and the company but your still paying for the tech now the value of the car has added a third to the price
once you added a computer you up the value and then you have issues with them being hacked or serviced

serviced issues well it was going to be back to the main distrubuter but uk has right to repair unlike america you wouldnt like john dere attached to your car for repairs only at there expensive prices for service and parts only supplied at authorised distrubuters

 

[Hotstuff]

depends on your argument

damaged car locks vs broken window or in older cars all they did was take out the rubber window and damage the steering lock
car locks could be beaten by a tennis ball
car locks replaced with key fobs opens easily enough by a transmitter / receiver

each update the value of the car has gone up and your paying for it

auto lights, auto wipers caused by lazy users just further tech added
tech on each part of the car creates a bus rings back to computer manager and the company but your still paying for the tech now the value of the car has added a third to the price

My first paragraph was a poor attempt at satire.
I think we all realise that nothing of value is ever, within reason, going to be safe from todays tech savvy villain.

Even the lowest of the low scumbag knows how to break into a car with nothing more than a piece of 10mm pea shingle.

 

[8ob]

If the damage was caused by an attempted theft the insurance should cover the cost, If not there are plenty of second hand ecu complete kits with keys for sale on the bay of thieves, not too spendy either

Bob

 

[premmington]

If the ECU has been damaged through the course of someone trying to steel the car I would be surprised if there wasn’t evidence of physical damage.

One method used to steel these cars is to gain access to the CANbus system. On some cars they access part of the buss wiring loom by removing a head light or getting into the boot.

Has there been any strange interference with the car recently?
Any signs of wiring looms being accessed or disconnected?

I would guess that access to the CANbus would be via the body control module (BCM) so perhaps that could be a good place to start.

I think if I went to any kind of “specialist” I’d be looking for a more concise report than “the main computer’s fried”. If it’s due to an attempted car theft then how has it been accessed?

Good luck and do keep us posted.

Some of these Fpace cars are not CAN as such they higher speed Flexray.

Some are Dbus @ 5kb - Flexray is at 10mb on two star lines (1&2).

 

[premmington]

ECU - Jaguar F-pace 2017 Estate - ASM Auto Recycling

parts.asm-autos.co.uk

thats not the main PCM unit

 

[optima21]

when the ecu went in my car from the early 1990's, that was an easy fix......just join the ends of the burnt out track, and nothing even surface mount on the pcb

 

[Ubique]

In most 'modern' (post 2016/7) vehicles, the 'main control unit' whatever that means, can be assumed be the gateway controller, this communicates across networks (of which there can be six or more) and allows other control modules to communicate with others not on their segment. I would suggest that the police are advised of an attempted theft by electronic means, once a crime reference is provided, then the insurers are notified and leave the ball in their court as to rectification. It's a 'Tom Jones' occurrence, they'll be well used to dealing with it.

 

[Ubique]

Most vehicles with 'keyless' (hate that, it's not keyless, just lazy) entry can be reverted to active entry - i.e. push a button, I'd encourage that as it prevents amplifier attacks, I'd also encourage third part immobilisers - NOT Ghost or Scorpion - both those originate in Russia or Poland respectively and were developed by 'hacker groups', imported into UK by a French co. who are silent as to the origins and reasons for the name change from the original products. Ghost and Autowatch are rebranded IGLA, Scorpion are rebranded Ampire units from Germany that is ultimately from the Polish company https://www.seoelectronics.pl/
Personally I use Meta immobilisers, not well known but the (Italian) company have developed and integrated systems into OEM systems for many years.

 

[Keithmac]

If Jaguar cannot re-flash the original PCM then you're stuffed really.

The PCM (along with many other modules) are married to the car, Delear Level Diagnostics only territory.

If you manage some how to find a 2nd hand PCM (that HAS to be coded to the car) and main dealer won't entertain doing it then you are even more out of pocket..