To preface this review, I will only state what happened/said and no opinions.
I burnt my PCM on my GM vehicle (I only drive 1x every 2 months) after trying to jump start my vehicle on the side of a freeway on-ramp. Went to Napa in Waipahu to purchase a replacement and the store associate recommended Autocomp Tech to program. My vehicle started up and ran but suboptimal so I decided to reach out to Ron from Autocomp Tech for proper installation of the required GM V92 .bin file.
Date of appointment: Ron called me to say he was running 2 hrs late because he was going through problems at his current appointment. I said no problem since I am a business owner and the car was parked at my warehouse and I could just do more work in my office. Upon Rons arrival, I informed him where to park as my yard gets busy with tractor trailers and showed him the vehicle needing to be programmed. Three of my employees ended their shift and was just hanging out where the car was stored and witnessed this whole ordeal. Ron aggressively asked for cash payment three times during the brief conversation we had, while he was taking phone calls, before he started programming. I took it as he thought I didn't have money so I told him "don't worry man, I have money. Let me get it from my other car" he then responded "trust me, I have more money than you". My employees looked at me shocked and in disbelief. I responded by just saying "okay" and proceeded to my other car to get him his cash, paid him, and told him that I needed to go back in my office to take a call. My call only lasted less than 10 minutes when one of my employees informed me that Ron was done. I was amazed how quickly it was done, went outside, started the car briefly and shut it off. Ron informed me that he downloaded the latest map from a GM website and installed it but didn't start the vehicle, and went on his way. My employees came to me after Ron left to inform me that Ron was on the phone the entire time I was away on my phone call, they were watching him, and did not connect his computer to my car. I was in disbelief that Ron would do this so I disregarded it.
One week after the appointment: I drove the car home over the weekend and the car ran really rich and the AC didn't work. So, I decided to send it to my mechanic and he troubleshooted everything including traced every wire in the engine harness, under the dash, and PCM. He found everything working as it should and resistance was good with the exception of one wire that sends a signal to the climate control. So, I decided to do my own research, purchase the necessary cables, and program to do it myself.
1.5 months later: I acquired everything I needed to program the PCM myself, programmed the PCM with the correct .bin file, and voila EVERYTHING works as it should.
Today: I called Ron up to ask what he previously did when I paid for his service. He said that he:
1. Took my vin number and loaded up to "the GM website"
2. Downloaded and installed the latest file to my vehicle
He then proceeded to blame the refurbished PCM I purchased from Napa and said all he does is calibration, updating software, and continued on to say that he knows all the mechanics on the island and all the new ASE Master Techs don't know what they're doing because "90% of them are part changers" and don't know how to troubleshoot.
If you know how to install PC programs, know which cable(s) you need to connect to your vehicle and PC, research and download the right .bin file for your OBD1 or OBD2 vehicle then you can easily do it yourself. If you can't do this, I HIGHLY recommend sending your ECU/PCM to the mainland, search for a reputable service online, because they actually know what they are doing and only charge 1/2 the cost ($130) of what Ron charges.
For GM vehicles:
Gmtuners.com
Pcmperformance.com
For cables and software:
Tunercat.com read more