Thread: My PowerAxel Review - UNAVI & Reflash

January 16, 2011

Payment for Unavi system and 3.8 reflash is sent to PowerAxel.

January 25, 2011

PowerAxel sends my Unavi and reflashed ECU to the wrong address.

January 28, 2011

I receive the Unavi and reflashed ECU from PowerAxel. I choose to install the ECU right away because I was very excited to feel the throttle response change and power gain. All I can say is the brief moments I was able to experience the flash was amazing. The car drove and felt completely different from before. Shifts were so much easier to cleanly complete due to a much more “connectedness” feeling between my foot and the actual throttle. The “Check Engine” light did come on, but after communicating with PowerAxel, this was due to them not having my VIN number to program into the ECU during the flash. I was never asked for this information by PowerAxel, but I had no problem with it at the time, I was just ecstatic with the reflash.

Next came the Unavi install. Because I was so excited to receive my new toys in the mail, the days leading up to their arrival consisted of me watching and reading all about the Unavi install. Snoopy0812’s YouTube videos he had created were very thorough and made my install efforts rather simple. As soon as I was sure everything was connected properly, I reconnected the car’s battery and started up my car. Right away, the Unavi screen blinked for a split second and then shut off. After repeatedly trying accessory mode and actually starting my car, I noticed a few clicking sounds in the engine bay on my last attempt. Also, the green indicator light on the trip module was not lighting up like it was supposed to. I decided to disconnect the battery and run through disconnecting all of the Unavi components one by one, and re-installing. Much to my dismay, the car wouldn’t even start anymore! My only option at that point was to have the car towed to the dealership to try and find out what the issue was. Below is an e-mail I sent to PowerAxel and their reply.

January 31, 2011

So my dealership asked for my original display unit to see if that would be the reason the car will not start. If the trip module is not working properly, would that cause the car not to start?

Also, they stated they cannot even get my ecu to show up on their scan tool. Would that be due to it not having a VIN number on it?

Really REALLY nervous about my warranty. And on top of it, I am already in the hole $200 for what the dealership has had to do thus far.

I would really appreciate some information in regards.

Tony


Hey Anthony,

The trip module that you installed with the unavi has nothing to do with the no-start condition.

And regarding the scan tool not being able to communicate with the ECU, it is due to the VIN not being programmed.

Didn’t your car start once you got the ECU back from us?

The dealership was unable to read my ECU and I was under the assumption it was due to no VIN number. Below is the dealership’s write up on my visit.

"Vehicle will not crank or start after installation of after market navigation system. Pushed vehicle into shop and performed battery test and charge. Vehicle would not start and found that the starter relay was not being energized. Inspected wiring and found that there was not communication with the engine control module. Contacted Hyundai Technical assistance and was informed to inspect wiring for breakage, inspect ECM power and ground, inspect relays for proper functions. After inspecting related components I found that the ECM was getting power and ground but was sending no signals and could not communicate with diagnostic tool. Hyundai Technical assistance has instructed me to replace the engine control module at this time. Note: Will have to replace the control unit before continuing with diagnosis. Est. for part = $827.24 plus final labor $85.00."

I bit the bullet, paid the $400 diagnostic fee and had my car towed back to my home. PowerAxel asked me to send everything back to them and they would try to figure out the issues.

February 10, 2011

PowerAxel receives my ECU and the Unavi system that are not working.

They tested the ECU on a 3.8 there in their shop and came to the conclusion they were able to read/write to the ECU, but their car was also not starting. Also, the Unavi system was completely fried. Out of the goodness of their hearts, PowerAxel decided to order me a new ECU and send along with a new Unavi setup.

March 5, 2011

Due to the ECU for the 3.8 being on backorder, my new parts took a few weeks to arrive. Once they came to the door, I proceeded to install the Unavi. Everything worked perfectly this time and the Unavi booted up just fine. However, the SD card sent with the system did not have any of the proper files loaded onto it. I kept receiving “cannot find navigation file” as an error. PowerAxel worked with me to get the proper files downloaded and placed on the SD card to make the navigation system work. Also, the trip files had to be re-saved over the original to even make them work. I do have them now, but I still run into the issue of having to hit “etc” and then “trip file” to make the Unavi system even recognize my factory display settings.

Now comes the best part. My car would still not start….

I spoke with PowerAxel and they informed me to send the ECU back so they could flash it back to stock to see if the flash was the issue. After packaging up the ECU again and having it flashed back to stock and shipped back to me, my car was still not starting. Arvin and I were both stumped so I made the painful decision to tow my car back to the dealership.

April 8, 2011

Dealership work order/invoice:

"After previous diagnosis from crank no start due to plugging in aftermarket navigation system the ECM was found to be shorted internally. The customer obtained an ECM from an outside source and the vehicle now cranked but would still not start. Inspected system for faults and found code P1696 immobilizer authentication fail. Inspected related components but no defects were detected. Not sure what was fried upon plugging in aftermarket navigation system. Informed the customer that I wanted to try a new smart key control unit as possible cause but there was no gurantee on if this would fix problem or not. Customer agreed to this repair but after new smart key control unit was installed there was no change. Contacted the Hyundai field engineer and was informed to replace the ECM due to no wiring issues found at this time. Replaced ECM, relearned both smart keys and programmed all TPMS sensors. The vehicle now starts and runs fine with no trouble codes. Note: The aftermarket navigation system is unplugged and the factory display unit is plugged in at this time. I do not recommend plugging in the aftermarket navigation system due to risk of shorting out factory control units or wiring. This repair warranty should be void if customer decides to plug in the aftermarket navigation system."

Total cost? - almost $2000.


After an e-mail to Arvin asking for the damages as well as a few phone calls, I received this e-mail from PowerAxel's Marketing Manager.

Hi Anthony,

I have been forwarded your email that you sent. I am aware of your situation, however a full refund or partial cash refund cannot be credited to you. I will attach our warranty information pdf, that shows the conditions of warranty items. The brand new ECM was provided to you free of cost to replace your stock one that malfunctioned. We paid full price for the ECM from our local dealer in CA. We had trouble shot the ECM here in CA, and also tested the navigation before we shipped them out. Both were in proper working condition. Any modifications to your vehicle are aftermarket purchases and are not covered by manufacturer or dealer warranties. A navigation system will not cause a fault to the ECM unless something was shorted out through the installation process.In order to further diagnose the equipment that was shipped out to you we would require the ECM that was faulted and replaced by the dealer (we need the stock troubled pieces).

If you have any further question feel free to contact us.

Miguel Garcia, Jr.
Technical Services/ Marketing Manager
PowerAXEL

So I am stuck between a rock and a hard place with the dealership blaming the whole thing on the UNAVI system and PowerAxel claiming the UNAVI system has nothing to do with my issue. Who to believe? As you can imagine, I was reluctant to send my $2000 ECU to PowerAxel not knowing if I would ever see it again. Finally, I bit the bullet and sent it in. Below is their response.

Hi, Anthony

We requested a tuner to come in from Korea for next week. He will be evaluating more on the trouble we are having with the ECU.
We reflashed the ECU to stock and tried it out on a test car, it turned over. We flashed the ECU with our software we use to tune and the car cranked but did not turn on, strange but we are looking into it. We will find out more when our software engineer comes in.

Thanks

Miguel Garcia, Jr.
Technical Services/ Marketing Manager