[3002 tii]

For those who had their cars flashed by StageFP using the older iFlash software, your licenses typically expire every 6m, which then requires you to download the latest. In the past StageFP would provide a new install file but I was surprised to see this on their website:

https://stagefp.com/stage-fp-iflash-cable-instructions/

As of January of 2023, we are no longer supporting the Frieling Racing iFlash cables. We no longer carry the product and their software license has expired. We are working on an upgrade path for customers that want to continue to use our tuning products, but we do not have any announcements at this time.

If you are looking for support or a way to get a newer copy of the iflash BMW software, please contact support@frieling-racing.com


Well I tried reaching out to Frieling-Racing, but I never heard back. If you go to their website, it looks like the equivalent of a 90s Alta Vista under construction page. So naturally I reached out to StageFP and their solution was for me to purchase a new tune and cable. I explained I have no desire for another tune and I simply want to flash my car back to stock because I am getting ready to sell. Their response was I still need to purchase a new tune in order to restore my ecu.

So now my only options are buy a new tune, send my DME to a specialist to have them bench flash it (~$600 with shipping), or hope I can find some other means of acquiring a new license.

Pretty shitty situation if you ask me. DonÂ’t get me wrong, I like Bob and appreciate everything he contributed to the N52 community but I can no longer recommend StageFP to my friends. TTFS, Epic, etc would not leave you hanging like this. They shouldÂ’ve at least emailed customers in advance warning them instead of us having to find out on our own, presumably after itÂ’s too late.

[jonwilli]

I have faced the same response from StageFP. I am not impressed, to leave existing customers in that predicament is unacceptable and could ruin years of hard work in the N52 community

[Leucosticte]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

For those who had their cars flashed by StageFP using the older iFlash software, your licenses typically expire every 6m, which then requires you to download the latest. In the past StageFP would provide a new install file but I was surprised to see this on their website:

https://stagefp.com/stage-fp-iflash-cable-instructions/

As of January of 2023, we are no longer supporting the Frieling Racing iFlash cables. We no longer carry the product and their software license has expired. We are working on an upgrade path for customers that want to continue to use our tuning products, but we do not have any announcements at this time.

If you are looking for support or a way to get a newer copy of the iflash BMW software, please contact support@frieling-racing.com


Well I tried reaching out to Frieling-Racing, but I never heard back. If you go to their website, it looks like the equivalent of a 90s Alta Vista under construction page. So naturally I reached out to StageFP and their solution was for me to purchase a new tune and cable. I explained I have no desire for another tune and I simply want to flash my car back to stock because I am getting ready to sell. Their response was I still need to purchase a new tune in order to restore my ecu.

So now my only options are buy a new tune, send my DME to a specialist to have them bench flash it (~$600 with shipping), or hope I can find some other means of acquiring a new license.

Pretty shitty situation if you ask me. DonÂ’t get me wrong, I like Bob and appreciate everything he contributed to the N52 community but I can no longer recommend StageFP to my friends. TTFS, Epic, etc would not leave you hanging like this. They shouldÂ’ve at least emailed customers in advance warning them instead of us having to find out on our own, presumably after itÂ’s too late.

Surely you can flash your car back to stock with WinKFP... No idea why you wouldn't be able to do this. Pretty shitty situation I have to say.

[rjahl]

Originally Posted by Leucosticte

Surely you can flash your car back to stock with WinKFP... No idea why you wouldn't be able to do this. Pretty shitty situation I have to say.

Pretty sure he can flash back to stock using WINFKP. Most tuning apps only block read access and do not change the flash/write keys.

The read access block is to protect the tune from being stolen. No reason to block write access.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Leucosticte

Surely you can flash your car back to stock with WinKFP... No idea why you wouldn't be able to do this. Pretty shitty situation I have to say.

WinKFP will be my backup, it’s just I’ve never used. My experience with coding has been limited to NCS. But it’s more the principle that they decide to stop supporting without proper notice and the only path to resolution is to buy a new tune, especially in my case where I’m just looking to flash to stock.

[Torgus]

Why the hell did the licenses expire every 6 months? Who would ever think that is a good business strategy for the seller or the buyer? That whole set up sounds like a nightmare...

Most NA cars use canned tunes. What I mean is you tell them what mods and you get a canned tune. Even if they say they do some remote tuning etc. There is little you can get out of NA once you have built a solid NA map based on the engine mods and a targeted AFR. It's not like there are a ton of NA mods that really change things on an N54. My point being no one should have to pay for a 'new' tune.

The amount of money 'tuners' make is just cray cray for the amount of time and work they put in. They get paid better than doctors.

[Leucosticte]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

WinKFP will be my backup, it’s just I’ve never used. My experience with coding has been limited to NCS. But it’s more the principle that they decide to stop supporting without proper notice and the only path to resolution is to buy a new tune, especially in my case where I’m just looking to flash to stock.

Oh yeah, I totally understand why you're upset over the principle of them not supporting the tune anymore. I just wanted to help you overcome this dumb restriction by flashing it to stock with WinKFP.

[E91Swagger]

Hmmm, that sucks.

Here's the latest from their website:

".... We have an upgrade path for customers with the old iflash cables and you do not need to buy a new tune file. The only thing that needs to be ordered is a new flashing license to use our new flashing software. The software is compatible with BimmerGeeks cables, IMPA Dcan/Kline cables with upgraded firmware or we offer a new cable for $45 on our website. For more details please click the link below.
https://stagefp.com/product/tune-update-license/"

Guess i have to shell out $100 plus new cable in order to flash the old iflash tunes for my car.

[Jros]

I was catched in this mess too. After one month and at least 4 mails i written a not so nice one and had a response, telling me to buy the upgrade (could have told me one month prior....).

i would have done that but i made my order (international) off site and had no order number.

tried to ask for an arrangement but received no response....so i changed tuner

too bad because i think StageFP is a good shop, but it seems they can't manage their customers well or at least have low communication skills.

I know they have much work, but i don't think that justifies this situation at all, sorry...

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Jros

I was catched in this mess too. After one month and at least 4 mails i written a not so nice one and had a response, telling me to buy the upgrade (could have told me one month prior....).

i would have done that but i made my order (international) off site and had no order number.

tried to ask for an arrangement but received no response....so i changed tuner

too bad because i think StageFP is a good shop, but it seems they can't manage their customers well or at least have low communication skills.

I know they have much work, but i don't think that justifies this situation at all, sorry...

Luckily I was able to source a new copy of iFlash (no thanks to StageFP) and reload my stock map. And I agree the overall quality of their response was pretty garbage. At one point I was ready to purchase a new license but they wouldn’t even tell me where I could find the product. He said it was on the website, but it definitely was not at the time. And when I followed up asking for direct link, I never heard back lmao. Suffice to say I’m done with them as well, I’ve now switched over to Epic.

[Jros]

i switched to 22RPD, they are being nice to deal with and very fast.

btw, can you tell me how you managed to flash back to stock? it would help me because at the moment i cannot do that and this is making the new remote tune difficult to develop.

The guys at 22RPD are helping me to find a way none the less but i am giving em a bad time aha.

plan would be to flask to stock using iFlash and then reading stock map again with 22RPD software

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by Jros

i switched to 22RPD, they are being nice to deal with and very fast.

btw, can you tell me how you managed to flash back to stock? it would help me because at the moment i cannot do that and this is making the new remote tune difficult to develop.

The guys at 22RPD are helping me to find a way none the less but i am giving em a bad time aha.

plan would be to flask to stock using iFlash and then reading stock map again with 22RPD software

PM sent

[Jros]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

PM sent

Thank you a lot, saved me

[aznbo187]

Don’t waste your time with Stagefp and don’t waste your money supporting a company that can’t get their shit together. Wasted 2 months of my time and being stringed along, getting no answer on calls or emails after issues with their tune.

[BReif61]

Up until now, the general consensus is that the StageFP tune was the best. In light of these recent developments, who would be the best option for a pretty basic tune?

3IM
Aftermarket headers (primary cat eliminated)

The sites listed earlier are rather light on N52 information, and catless headers are hit and miss on their sites.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by BReif61

Up until now, the general consensus is that the StageFP tune was the best. In light of these recent developments, who would be the best option for a pretty basic tune?

3IM
Aftermarket headers (primary cat eliminated)

The sites listed earlier are rather light on N52 information, and catless headers are hit and miss on their sites.

If you’re not going to install MILVs or N54 intake, then you have some other choices, but most if not all will be off the shelf stuff so I wouldn’t expect a huge difference in performance. What really matters is in my opinion is customer service post-sale.

- Active Autowerkes: One of the first major tuners to offer something for N52.

- Bimmerlabs: If you’re a DIY guy but you should not expect any support other than what you find here on forums, on plus side it’s free

- Epic Motorsports: I have no experience with them for this platform but I know they have it on their site and Randy is super knowledgeable and responsive. My experience with him is limited to s54 tuning and for that, the experience has been great

- Kassel Performance: Local to you but I’d call them and see if they have anything. They’ve done some amazing custom work, very reputable in the BMW tuning scene. And there’s nothing better than having access to a local tuner who can do custom work, troubleshoot, etc.


Best of luck.

[jonwilli]

I ended up paying for a new StageFP license as an existing customer. I was very close to going with 22RPD but decided I would rather spend a $100 and stick with Bob as he is without a doubt the man with the most knowledge of the N52 and a proven track record. Many of the new companies being recommended have little to back up the recommendation other that social media posts from happy customers (no dyno, no 100 to 200 etc).

I would say from the timely replies I am getting from Bob that StageFP are aware their reputation took a swam dive over the last 6 to 12m and are trying hard to recover what is left.

[e90yyc]

I’m lightly annoyed at them too, but for a different reason… Emailed a couple times after getting my flash file (fortunately I bought when a regular DCAN cable was already supported and went that route) to get a different version (a few different off-the-shelf options I was asked about upfront) and never heard back either time. Not a huge deal—certainly nothing like the situation you were in—but annoying nonetheless…

[houbmw]

Originally Posted by BReif61

Up until now, the general consensus is that the StageFP tune was the best. In light of these recent developments, who would be the best option for a pretty basic tune?

3IM
Aftermarket headers (primary cat eliminated)

The sites listed earlier are rather light on N52 information, and catless headers are hit and miss on their sites.

22rpd seems the go to spot now for n52 related tuning/performance. Bob was great at contributing to the forum and the platform but without jumping to conclusions, it seems like they are going through a rough patch. If it was my money, i would be shipping my 2007 530i from texas to washington to have them hook it up. Good luck!!

[Torgus]

Bob also sold a 200 IC for like 1200 IIRC when he was at BPC or whatever. That never set well with me. Not that I have any skin in the n52 game anymore.

[gunnerxq]

This is definitely an interesting situation. I have an old StageFP tune. Or maybe before he went on his own.

Does anyone remember what the previous company was called?

Also why is the tune now 7200 RPM instead of 7500? Catastrophic issues?

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by gunnerxq

This is definitely an interesting situation. I have an old StageFP tune. Or maybe before he went on his own.

Does anyone remember what the previous company was called?

Also why is the tune now 7200 RPM instead of 7500? Catastrophic issues?

Bimmer performance center (BPC) was name of his old shop