[conradb212]

Quick question and yes I searched.....

I am either getting the KPro or Hondata 4 soon and because of all the warranty BS figured it would be in my best interest to just get a second ECU and send that in to Hondata to get flashed. That was I can keep my stock ECU with all the info and if I ever need to bring the car in just swap out the ECU's. Anyone have any experience with this or think it’s a bad idea? If so give me some reasons. Thanks.

If you have the money, that's a good solution. However, you'll have to have the new ECU keyed to your immobilizer and only a Honda/Acura dealer can do that.

I am not entirely sure how that process works. The key has a transponder in it that the immobilizer presumably picks up (after all, the key doesn't have a battery and must be a passive device). If the immobilizer finds the key signature to be okay it likely sends a code to the ECU, saying it is okay to start the car. This leads me to believe that the Honda dealer actually makes a change to the ECU, like storing the immobilizer code. What you want to end up with, of course, is both ECUs working with your immobilizer and key.

 

[conradb212]

I guess this means when Hondata does the reflash for either KPro or #4 they don't sync the immobilizer to the ECU at the same time. I figured since you have to send everything to them that this was part of the process.

The immobilizer remains synched as long as Hondata reflashes or modifies your existing ECU. The reason why you need to send everything in, I believe, is because otherwise even Hondata would have no access to the ECU.

If you get a NEW ECU from Hondata, I don't think Hondata will (or can) sync your key and immobilizer to it. For that you still have to go to Honda.