Ok, here are my findings:
Connected ecuscan and took some readings from my "blackmarket" esseesse ecu as installed a few weeks ago
Ecuscan reports the following:
No fault codes (that's god, lol)
ISO code: 7C 86 58 08 37
fiat Drawing number 0261201756
Software number 1037400100
Softare version 0101
Homologation number 7910D8
1 rewrite
odometer 3789,6km (mileage fits with what I done since I swapped to this ecu)
(car has done 14742km according to binnacle (i guess info in binnacle is from body computer)
odometer last programming 0,0 km

as it reports one rewrite, i guess the "blackmarket" esseesse ecu is in fact a re-virginised unit.

I did not know that the engine ecu kept track of odometer reading (kept separate from body ecu..)

If I'll get around to it I'll install the original ecu again and compare if the iso codes, homologation numbers are the same. Perhaps someone with a bone stock A500 could do that?

Slowswede said:

just to let you know, I just fitted what is allegedly (sp?) an SS ecu. got it for about 400€. Car goes like stink now, normal mode is realy pleasant now as opposed to the slightly asthmatic feeling it had with the original 135 hp ecu. On sport mode it's the bomb

Installation was easy, had "check engine" message first time i turned the key to "mar" but ignition of and 4-5 pumps of the clutch and ingition on again it was gone. Car started and runs without problems.

There are several people selling them on the italian cinquecenisti forum.

I wonder how they get hold of them. Are the ecu's "re-virginised" from write off SS's? or are they getting them through the back door of abarth spa? Are the ecu's in fact reflashed standard ecu's with a copy of the SS mappings?

Plot thickens. lol

Anyway, so far I'm more than happy, I got an esseesse'd engine for a bargain, money saved for a Bilstein kit I guess, lol

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What are the benefits of an esseessee chip (if you can get one) over a TMC or some other re-map e.g. Angel Tuning ? I have read that the TMC can improve you mpg by a 2-3mpg and with some individuals who have done the esseessee upgrade - they still opted for a TMC because the re-map is different ? A thought was that if you lived the bonnet you would see a TMC but you wouldn't see the 'esseessee re-map'. Didn't realise that the mileage is recorded on the ECU. If a TMC is piggybacked and then taken off is there any record on the original ECU of it being there ? Having got an Abarth yet but after the Twin Air (didn't buy one) is very firmly on the cards now.

dave said:

maybe the Esse has standard ecu then they take it out the box put a remap on and put it back in same box, and sell it with the kit :shrug:

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The SS ECU is a brand new replacement for the original in the car, the original is taken out but is locked to the car it came off. You will not get it to work on another car.

multispoke said:

What are the benefits of an esseessee chip (if you can get one) over a TMC or some other re-map e.g. Angel Tuning ? I have read that the TMC can improve you mpg by a 2-3mpg and with some individuals who have done the esseessee upgrade - they still opted for a TMC because the re-map is different ? A thought was that if you lived the bonnet you would see a TMC but you wouldn't see the 'esseessee re-map'. Didn't realise that the mileage is recorded on the ECU. If a TMC is piggybacked and then taken off is there any record on the original ECU of it being there ? Having got an Abarth yet but after the Twin Air (didn't buy one) is very firmly on the cards now.

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A piggyback box (TMC, Marelli etc.) has it's merits, but I'd be wary against the mileage claims as reported by the dashboard/ecu, I suspect the piggyback boxes do "cheat" a little when it comes to injection timing (as the ecu sees things) so the ecu doesn't actually know how much fuel is spent..

I can't say my mileage has got better or worse with my "blackmarket" SS ecu, been between 41 and 44 mpg all the time, it does add up at the pump station too.

I still think as per my earlier post the simplest & safest solution is just to have the SS map flashed onto your ECU, Its tried & tested & works a treat.

Im not sure of how the forum feels about posting company names, I was banned from Abarth-incesty for just such "an offence" but Im happy to answer PM's if anyone wants to do that

Stuart J said:

I still think as per my earlier post the simplest & safest solution is just to have the SS map flashed onto your ECU, Its tried & tested & works a treat.

Im not sure of how the forum feels about posting company names, I was banned from Abarth-incesty for just such "an offence" but Im happy to answer PM's if anyone wants to do that

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Hi Stuart. I haven't got an Abarth yet but I am actively looking at one and seeing the price of a red 2010 in Scotland they 'went' this morning on ebay it could happen any day. One of the reasons I was interested in the esseesse ecu 's was that I would still have the original and could swap it back in place of the re-mapped esseesse one. I also understand that the original fit ECU is only progammed to fit the car it came in. I get the impression that the ECU records mileage so swapping them in & out would cause anomalies. A point raised on the piggy back model not giving a correct mpg is interesting - I rely on this although I'm aware that it is probably out by 4 mpg - but at least it is consistently out so at least it is still good for comparison. If I am fortunate to get an Abarth at the right price I will definitely look into having the ECU flashed because it will be out of warranty and ideally with another ECU that no-one has an a need for

.

multispoke said:

Hi Stuart. I haven't got an Abarth yet but I am actively looking at one and seeing the price of a red 2010 in Scotland they 'went' this morning on ebay it could happen any day. One of the reasons I was interested in the esseesse ecu 's was that I would still have the original and could swap it back in place of the re-mapped esseesse one. I also understand that the original fit ECU is only progammed to fit the car it came in. I get the impression that the ECU records mileage so swapping them in & out would cause anomalies. A point raised on the piggy back model not giving a correct mpg is interesting - I rely on this although I'm aware that it is probably out by 4 mpg - but at least it is consistently out so at least it is still good for comparison. If I am fortunate to get an Abarth at the right price I will definitely look into having the ECU flashed because it will be out of warranty and ideally with another ECU that no-one has an a need for

.

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On all cars I know of, not just Abarth the Ecu is coded to the car, often coded to the clocks & on cars like BMW the key is coded in as well, (something the bodge merchants forget when clocking beemers)

Based on my experience with VAG cars & Im guessing Fiat are similar (apologies in advance if they are not) you can not simply swap Ecus on the drive without the initial help of a tuner, you need a tuner or similar with the correct software & more importantly skill. You could have a second ECU set to run on your car & have that loaded with the SS map but is it really worth it ??

Its not obvious to me why the piggy back throws the mpg, this is only in my experience usually a problem if you have changed the jets on a car. I can get my Nissan to read 29 mpg but its been upjetted, probably nearer 19 but fun

A remap is IMO always easier as it keeps the rest the same & can you actually see yourself swapping from ecu to ecu. If you ever wanted the std map back on get the tuner to keep a record & it can simply be flashed back on

The ECU does record mileage, along with a lot of other details (total time spent on rev limiter is one of the important ones) but the ECU is not responsible for displaying the mileage on the dashboard - that is entirely self contained in the dashboard (based on previous experience with Fiats).

If you start swapping ECUs in an attempt to fool the warranty people they will be laughing you out of the building because they only have to compare the ECU mileage with the dashboard. A swap of either would be recorded against the car with Abarth so they know precisely what the values should be.

To the best of my knowledge the ECU is (as pointed out) responsible for the key code security but I am not familiar with the new system or its intricacies. Fiat went through a bit of a bad patch with a "master key" system that has resulted in a lot of cars being scrapped because the cost of replacing the master key included a new ECU and the owner did not feel it was worth it. Later models ditched that system but the fundamental principle remains - same as with almost every other manufacturer today. (Don't know why I'm bothering to regurgitate this here as pretty much everyone reading this already knows the story).

i thought mileage was stored in body computer not ecu

dave said:

i thought mileage was stored in body computer not ecu

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Same here. Pretty sure one of the techs covered this in another thread.

dave said:

i thought mileage was stored in body computer not ecu

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It is Dave thats correct.

If the mileage is recorded in the body of the computer - does that meant I can swap the ECUs in & out without anyone knowing ? I realise that once you upgrade to an esseesse spec ECU - you wouldn't want to go back. But if you are selling on the car at a later stage you will revert it to the original ECU and give the new buyer the option of taking the esseessee ECU - if you are lucky to have both. On the Abarth that I drove - it feel so fast to my ex 1.4 - I questioned why you would upgrade - but I know that I in time I would hanker for the mapping that the car could easily take. On an RS Turbo I did have which had a BBR phase 2 chip there was an 'inhibit' button that limited the boost - I would put this on if my brother borrowed it so he wouldn't blow the gearbox (easy happen in 1st or 2nd gear ).

Just quick a point, Abarth are stopping using a seperate ECU for the SS upgrade and are just doing direct mapping instead. I guess they decided they couldn't compete with all the pirated software out there so just lowered their own cost. Given reason is to reduce carbon footprint of be reducing the number of redundant components however.

I don't suppose that you can ask just for the esseesse ECU remap to be added by itself, can you?

Having an official "flash" that would keep the warranty (if done within 12 months of new car purchase date) would be great but if not then people will still get the TMC boxes or ECU flash upgrades as they will be a lot cheaper than the whole kit.

I bet that they will still want to sell you all the other stuff as well.