Multiple "optional available" software updates

[prj]

If the PCM gets bricked during update you can reset it via PIWIS.

In the extreme rare cases where it gets damaged, it is because the underlying hardware itself is damaged (probably issues with flash memory), so the PCM would have failed eventually anyway.
It's not because the update process does not work.
There have been quite many occurrences where PCM's (especially the early ones) have failed, and the failure just shows quicker during the update.

And while the TSB lists a lot of updates in a certain order, you really don't do that manually, PIWIS makes a work order and flashes everything afaik.

Sponsored

 

[gtm]

I got 8 "optional available updates related to customer concern on line 8" (refer back to my work order in post #1). Probably worded as "related" for warranty reimbursement reasons. I was told these had nothing to do with the update to version 3885, but simply showed as updates available for my car when the tech got into the Porsche system. The specific updates seem to be VIN/option specific. My dealer is pretty conscientious as there was no reason to even tell me about the available updates as they were not really related to my complaint and update to version 3885. Sweet talk your dealer and see what is available.

 

[Solid]

If the PCM gets bricked during update you can reset it via PIWIS.

In the extreme rare cases where it gets damaged, it is because the underlying hardware itself is damaged (probably issues with flash memory), so the PCM would have failed eventually anyway.
It's not because the update process does not work.
There have been quite many occurrences where PCM's (especially the early ones) have failed, and the failure just shows quicker during the update.

And while the TSB lists a lot of updates in a certain order, you really don't do that manually, PIWIS makes a work order and flashes everything afaik.

I read the TSB's emphasis on providing a 12V external power supply with very high current capacity as a hint as to what was really happening during extended update runs and resulting in a "bricked" PCM, IE 12V battery being drained and things powering off in the middle of the process.

Flash wearing out would be Tesla's mistake all over again.

 

[prj]

I read the TSB's emphasis on providing a 12V external power supply with very high current capacity as a hint as to what was really happening during extended update runs and resulting in a "bricked" PCM, IE 12V battery being drained and things powering off in the middle of the process.

Flash wearing out would be Tesla's mistake all over again.

I don't know if it's wearing out, maybe just bad modules, as not all PCM's are affected.

12V high power supply is normal, that's specified for any car, Taycan or not - completely standard practice.
Of course if you are programming something that has to do with the BCM or e.g. the ASG then the HV contactor gets disconnected and then you really need a high power charger to be 100% safe.

Hardware wise Porsche has everything to do all this stuff completely OTA, it's just the software is not quite there.
Also because there are over 50 modules in a high spec car, and those modules do not have redundant memory, if something goes wrong during programming the module is stuck in bootloader.

The new PPE platform is completely different in this regard - a large amount of modules are integrated into the ASG.

Also a good example is MEB, where that architecture was first used - all the MEB cars happily flash OTA and update all the modules in the car. The Taycan is essentially on the older MLB Evo architecture module wise. MEB is next gen, just like all the cars now on the PPE platform.

 

[Solid]

I don't know if it's wearing out, maybe just bad modules, as not all PCM's are affected.

12V high power supply is normal, that's specified for any car, Taycan or not - completely standard practice.
Of course if you are programming something that has to do with the BCM or e.g. the PCM then the HV contactor gets disconnected and then you really need a high power charger to be 100% safe.

I saw people manage to brick other cars flashing with tools like the COBB without a power supply so between seeing people here mention issues with dealers killing the PCM during an update and the way the TSB stresses using this frankly massive 12V supply (90A? really? Does the Taycan use a 5090 for rendering the display?) it seemed plausible that they'd had issues with techs being cavalier about this and letting the battery run down while the update process was running.

 

[prj]

I saw people manage to brick other cars flashing with tools like the COBB without a power supply so between seeing people here mention issues with dealers killing the PCM during an update and the way the TSB stresses using this frankly massive 12V supply (90A? really? Does the Taycan use a 5090 for rendering the display?) it seemed plausible that they'd had issues with techs being cavalier about this and letting the battery run down while the update process was running.

This text about 90A supply is just normal. Actually even a 20 amp supply would be perfectly fine unless the 12V battery is completely dead. They specify so that the supply can handle any theoretical transient peak on module reboot even with a completely dysfunctional 12V battery.

If you brick your car with a flash tool the 12V battery is dead. I've done probably close to 100 000 flashes over the more than 15 years I was tuning ICE's, I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times the flash went bad because the battery was too weak, and I almost never used a charger.

That said, if you are updating a lot of modules of course it is safer to use a charger, but certainly you do not need a 90 amp one. Porsche just specifies that to be safe.

P.S. All the module are unbrickable. The bricking with stuff like COBB comes from the fact that during the first flash some exploits are performed to bypass the signature verification, and then during that time an interruption can be fatal. Any module on the Taycan you can switch off all the power during the flash, restart the module and restart the flash. Has been this way for ages in all the cars.

 

[Rusty Griswald]

I haven’t seen an update on my 2020 turbo in the last 13 months

Sponsored