Bench-Flashing

Bench-flashing is the process of flashing mapping and/or software to a vehicle's removed ECU on a bench (desk). It requires the ECU to be removed from the vehicle, and for specialized hardware to be manually connected to the ECU to simulate certain vehicle controls and connection.

This method is common for mail-in tunes, as most in-person tunes will leave the ECU in the vehicle in-order to flash through the OBD-2 port.

In certain cases a bench flash is required, as OBD-2 flashing is restricted through security checks or the absence of certain OBD-to-ECU connections.