WARNING! Before buying a Hondata KPRO, read this thread first! [Archive]

lemmiwinks

11-11-2011, 04:49 PM

Hey all,

Just want to give everyone a heads up that there are counterfeit Hondata K-PRO ecu / chips floating around the world. Even on this very forum, where I got mine from.

Hondata recently added a counterfeit page on their website (http://www.hondata.com/kpro_counterfeit.html) as I discovered I had one of the first counterfeit K-Pro's.
Basically, the counterfeit Kpro's have these symptoms:

Failure to upload or datalog.
Speed sensor problems.
Random rev limits.
Failure to start
Corruption of ECU table data.

If you experience any of these symptoms, to confirm that you have a counterfeit kpro. Open up your ECU and have a look at the kpro chip. Here is a comparison between the counterfeit kpro and genuine kpro.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f268/icrunk/genuine_kpro_comparison_large.jpg

Three signs of a counterfeit Kpro:

The number 3 on the counterfeit has a straight top, the genuine is curved.
The sides of the counterfeit may rough tabs, the genuine is always smooth.
The counterfeit bar codes are low quality. The genuine bar codes are sharp.

Most of this information is from the Hondata website, although it can be fairly hard to come across the page. So I decided it would be a good idea to let everyone know that there are counterfeits going around. It is best to purchase the KPRO from an official Hondata reseller. Or buy it locally second hand, have a look at the detail of the KPRO chip before you hand over the cash. If you're going to purchase a KPRO online, get them to send you a high quality photo of the inside of the ECU so you can confirm that it is indeed genuine. And it would be a good idea to make the payment through paypal just incase the photo he supplies isn't the one you'll be receiving.

Matt

EKVTIR-T

11-11-2011, 04:57 PM

Good info there mate

One issue I see is the counterfeiters making adjustments to those 3 differences to make identification harder

BoostnDC2

11-11-2011, 05:00 PM

Thanks dude, I'll keep a look out. +rep

lemmiwinks

11-11-2011, 05:12 PM

Good info there mate

One issue I see is the counterfeiters making adjustments to those 3 differences to make identification harder

Yes, this could happen in future. To confirm that you are buying a genuine kpro, send Hondata an email with the kpro serial number.

DNYALL

11-11-2011, 10:30 PM

damn, bloody copying bastards... thanks for the heads up :thumbsup:

Benson

11-11-2011, 10:32 PM

Great Info!

Get in contact with your seller and try for a refund

EKVTIR-T

11-11-2011, 10:36 PM

The barcode numbers are a different font also

zco

12-11-2011, 06:16 AM

agreed, contact the seller and see if you can work something out.

my friend got burnt aswell, luckily his seller was his friend so they're sorting that out lol

stndrd

12-11-2011, 09:53 AM

just another reason to buy a Haltech......

ECU-MAN

14-11-2011, 09:20 AM

when Hondata find the person/company who distributed these they will sue them bigtime

Stevil

14-11-2011, 09:23 AM

What sue somebody in China !! dont be so nieve, these prick will get away with it.

ECU-MAN

14-11-2011, 10:21 AM

maybe not the Chineese but the distributor in the US. he has sold quite a few apparently.

Peachy

15-11-2011, 01:43 PM

I got burnt by this, wish I had known about this a few months ago....

u mad?

15-11-2011, 01:55 PM

I got burnt by this, wish I had known about this a few months ago....

didn't the op of this thread sell you a dodge k-pro?

Slaz

15-11-2011, 02:32 PM

agreed, contact the seller and see if you can work something out.

my friend got burnt aswell, luckily his seller was his friend so they're sorting that out lol

I like this comment, one friend sells another a copy.

Now everyone can see why there are some people offering silly cheap kpro's, as they are fake and always come installed most of the time, look out all.

mocchi

15-11-2011, 02:50 PM

I like this comment, one friend sells another a copy.

Now everyone can see why there are some people offering silly cheap kpro's, as they are fake and always come installed most of the time, look out all.

surely this friend didnt know.

Peachy

16-11-2011, 05:01 PM

didn't the op of this thread sell you a dodge k-pro?

He unknowingly sold it to me, he had no idea it was a dodge k-pro. It was sold to me months ago prior to the knowledge that counterfeit Kpros existed. Lemmiwinks is being a top bloke in trying to solve the problem and he is getting in contact with the original purchaser in order to ensure I'm not out of pocket.
He's doing and has done the right thing by me and by the rest of the honda community by bringing awareness to us unfortunate bastards. I have utmost faith and trust in him even though he sold it to me, he had no prior knowledge and is working his butt off to solve the problem for me.

Thanks lemmiwinks

Peachy

16-11-2011, 06:48 PM

For those people who have counterfeit Kpros, and for those of us who have spent the money to get a tune performed, do you guys with sufficient tuning knowledge think that those calibrations will be able to be uploaded relatively problem free onto a genuine Kpro, or do you think that it will require a whole new tune all together.

pat88c

16-11-2011, 10:04 PM

Nice tip plus 1 rep

Yeh hondata like to sue so how big and powerful they are

offtopic for second
How haltech honda plug N play conpair to hondata Kpro? Worth spending bit more for haltech?

Peachy

23-11-2011, 09:56 PM

Update: The Counterfeit Kpro was bought off an apparently "genuine" tuning & parts supplier in Australia. Thus far, the matter has not been resolved and according to correspondence with Lemmiwinks, the registered business from where the Kpro was bought, has been unwilling to help. It has been two weeks with no resolution.
I don't know about you, but as a company, if I had unknowingly charged a customer for a counterfeit Kpro I would immediately rectify the problem by replacing the unit immediately.
Not very happy at all. This company will not be named as of yet, as I will contact them directly tomorrow to figure out the next course of action. Who knows, a phone call could solve this whole problem and instil confidence in this organizations customer service. If not, they have a bloody lot to loose by a very small community catching wind that they distribute fake Kpros and don't honour their clientèle by replacing the unit.

hitoriko

23-11-2011, 10:00 PM

Peachy just name and shame them if they wont play ball
its one thing if it was brought from an Ebay seller, but if its from a "genuine" distributor i'd be yelling there name from the roof tops even if i did/didnt get the cash back

u mad?

23-11-2011, 10:03 PM

Peachy

23-11-2011, 10:04 PM

I have to be diplomatic and give this seller a chance to rectify the problem before I do anything rash and uncalled for. As I said, who knows, he may honour the problem respectfully.

u mad?

23-11-2011, 10:15 PM

Ah yeah fair enough man, but if they don't sort it out make sure you update us.

johnnyluu

24-11-2011, 11:54 AM

This is horrible. Not only is the unit a dud but the cost of tune is also down the drain

zco

24-11-2011, 12:06 PM

I like this comment, one friend sells another a copy.

dont know what you're trying to say leo.. lol

but person A and B are both my friends. Person A brought in 10+ ECU's as a group buy from USA. Person B bought one of the ECU's from Person A.. in the mean time, person B had sold multiple ECU's as well to numerous people.

these sales were made approx 2months prior to hondata releasing the new software

Person B found out his ECU was fake, contacted person A, and now person A is forking out the money to pay for a replacement.

Person A was not out to intentionally rip his friends off, but now is forking out shitloads of money to pay for all the dodgy ECU's he brought in.

lemmiwinks

24-11-2011, 07:17 PM

This is horrible. Not only is the unit a dud but the cost of tune is also down the drain
If you're in a similar situation, you can ask your tuner to provide you with the map so you can upload the calibration to another ECU.

A lot of people have been done by this and the sellers were not intentionally selling counterfeit kpro's as genuine kpros to rake in money. No one had ever heard of counterfeit kpros up until I was in contact with Hondata.
I purchased 2 Kpros through two different sellers and one of them was able to provide me with a refund. Whereas the other seller ( the one that Peachy's was sourced from ) still hasn't rectified this matter.

25-11-2011, 05:23 AM

Problem seems to be pretty wide spread unfortunately...

ECU-MAN

25-11-2011, 08:41 AM

dont know what you're trying to say leo.. lol

but person A and B are both my friends. Person A brought in 10+ ECU's as a group buy from USA. Person B bought one of the ECU's from Person A.. in the mean time, person B had sold multiple ECU's as well to numerous people.

these sales were made approx 2months prior to hondata releasing the new software

Person B found out his ECU was fake, contacted person A, and now person A is forking out the money to pay for a replacement.

Person A was not out to intentionally rip his friends off, but now is forking out shitloads of money to pay for all the dodgy ECU's he brought in.

this is why group buys can be a bad idea

wynode

03-12-2011, 09:15 PM

jdm_b16a

04-12-2011, 11:01 AM

Interesting. I'd try contacting the seller and sorting out with them. Else contact the department of fair trading or take legal action as required. Publicly naming and shaming won't solve the problem and you risk legal action through defamation if your claims are unjustified.

What you have to realise is that somewhere in the chain, someone either got a very good deal on a bulk buy of these fakes or the fakes were slipped in with genuine items. I'd say the wholesaler or retailer decided to switch suppliers on hearing of this great deal, and being motivated by profit (what business isn't?) decided to go with the deal. Now the wholesaler passes some "special discounts" onto the retailer (who doesn't know the units are fake, but sees extra profit in the deal), and then unknowingly sells them to Joe Public.

When Joe realises the units are fake everyone goes to ground, citing no knowledge of the fake units.

This is the perfect sting, right there. The pirates make their money and everyone else is left to fight amongst themselves, pointing the finger, and generally getting nowhere.

Sad fact of life, but in this day and age, you should expect that the old adage "If it's too good to be true, well, it is!"

Hope you guys sort something out but I wouldn't count on it.

Peter

lemmiwinks

04-12-2011, 11:21 AM

^ That's exactly right.

The retailers had no idea they were sourcing fakes in. No one had ever heard of counterfeit kpros. That is the reason why I don't think posting up the retailers name would help, as they were under the impression that they were sourcing genuine kpro's. Although I do believe, as a retailer, they should be working something out with their customers. There are always some losses when you're running a business, but at the end of the day, your customer will be happy and deal with you in future.

So the best thing would be to give everyone the heads up about these counterfeits on the market and educate everyone on how to spot a counterfeit.

mocchi

05-12-2011, 08:59 AM

Peachy, what's the update?
I can only think of this one Hondata distributor in Melbourne.

HwyStar

05-12-2011, 12:37 PM

So what was the price difference between the fake and legit? Surely this alone would have been an indicator?

05-12-2011, 04:18 PM

So what was the price difference between the fake and legit? Surely this alone would have been an indicator?

I paid $1350 for my counterfeit as opposed to $1700'ish for the real deal, so yes a considerable amount...

lemmiwinks

11-12-2011, 06:12 PM

I purchased a few KPRO's. 1 counterfeit for $1300, 1 counterfeit for $1100 and 1 genuine for $1350. So I wasn't skeptical at all.

Snoop_gee

19-12-2011, 01:34 PM

im glad i got mine thru an Authorised DEALER>!

lemmiwinks

21-02-2012, 02:33 PM

Bumping this up for buyers in the market for a Hondata K-PRO

grifty

21-02-2012, 07:53 PM

This should be made a sticky.

ECU-MAN

22-02-2012, 09:58 AM

same with the S300 scam

Hondata USA

08-03-2012, 10:11 AM

r3ckless

08-03-2012, 09:37 PM

I've just checked my KPRO sold by BYP Racing & Developments, it is LEGIT. I know its not the best pic, but if u zoom in, you can clearly see there is a space between Honda and ta

http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g327/chuckbung/For%20Sale%20Items/kprolegitmofo.jpg

r3ckless

08-03-2012, 09:41 PM

We have identified Benny Tran of BYP Racing and Developments as an importer and seller of counterfeit K-Pros and S300s. DO NOT buy any Hondata products from this person. If you have purchased any Hondata products from this person, please check them for authenticity.

Doug Macmillan
Hondata Inc
Torrance CA USA

Yes the BYP boys have found that they have been issued fake KPRO and S300. I'm sure they wouldnt do it intentionally. Good on them for refunding and getting genuine KPRO's back for their customers! One thing that sets them apart from other KPRO Suppliers is their customer servce. Please PM me if you want answers, I'm more then happy to share. I believe the thing to take away from this thread is whoever sells you a KPRO/S300, check the actual board itself, and make sure everything is correct. If your lazy/stupid enough to buy a fake one, so be it.

IV73CI

09-03-2012, 06:25 AM

^x2

..

e240

10-03-2012, 11:19 AM

How do you talk about customer service and in the same breath call the customer lazy and stupid?

If a product is marketed as genuine, then it is reasonable for the customer to assume that they are getting genuine parts, especially when they're dealing with a "legit" business. The onus is on the business to ensure that they are selling genuine parts.

Try telling Fair Trading that the Customer is just stupid and lazy so they deserve what they got.

If your lazy/stupid enough to buy a fake one, so be it.

Bludger

10-03-2012, 11:26 AM

How do you talk about customer service and in the same breath call the customer lazy and stupid?

If a product is marketed as genuine, then it is reasonable for the customer to assume that they are getting genuine parts, especially when they're dealing with a "legit" business. The onus is on the business to ensure that they are selling genuine parts.

Try telling Fair Trading that the Customer is just and lazy so they deserve what they got.
kids that don't see the forest.

Tai

10-03-2012, 11:29 AM

That's such a irresponsible thing for the seller of the product to say if it was from them

They sold the product to customers under the impression is is legit product and placing trustin them

You cant put the blame / fault on the customer because it was fault and call them lazy for not checking

If you went to buy Macdonalds and order a big Mac and went home found they gave a cheese burger instead, is it your fault for not checking or Maccas fault?

Yes the BYP boys have found that they have been issued fake KPRO and S300. I'm sure they wouldnt do it intentionally. Good on them for refunding and getting genuine KPRO's back for their customers! One thing that sets them apart from other KPRO Suppliers is their customer servce. Please PM me if you want answers, I'm more then happy to share. I believe the thing to take away from this thread is whoever sells you a KPRO/S300, check the actual board itself, and make sure everything is correct. If your lazy/stupid enough to buy a fake one, so be it.

mocchi

10-03-2012, 12:16 PM

Yes the BYP boys have found that they have been issued fake KPRO and S300. I'm sure they wouldnt do it intentionally. Good on them for refunding and getting genuine KPRO's back for their customers! One thing that sets them apart from other KPRO Suppliers is their customer servce. Please PM me if you want answers, I'm more then happy to share. I believe the thing to take away from this thread is whoever sells you a KPRO/S300, check the actual board itself, and make sure everything is correct. If your lazy/stupid enough to buy a fake one, so be it.

from what i can see BYP is well known from word of mouth so you would take their words as a guarantee itself.

judging from your post here (http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?155079-honda-dealer-vs-private-mechanice&p=3089028&viewfull=1#post3089028) and the date this thread started, seems like no one would actually open up ecu cover and know how to differentiate it before this thread started.

people in US would open up ecu cover upon sale to check for burnt boards, not fake boards.
so when you bought your kpro from byp did you open up the cover and used this as reference (http://www.hondata.com/kpro_counterfeit.html)?
did you check it on the spot or took their word as a guarantee?

r3ckless

11-03-2012, 08:04 AM

ECU-MAN

11-03-2012, 03:24 PM

How is one to know that fake S300's exsist before Hondata anounce it on there page. no one knew, so people got scammed. Its how the resellers handle the situation after the fact that really counts.

GSi_PSi

11-03-2012, 05:47 PM

How is one to know that fake S300's exsist before Hondata anounce it on there page. no one knew, so people got scammed. Its how the resellers handle the situation after the fact that really counts.

well said 1+

bennjamin

11-03-2012, 07:03 PM

We are trying to get all counterfeit hondas off the market , guiz. If you have dealt with BYP in regards to a K-PRO , please confirm that it is a legit unit with them or hondata themselves , if not request a full refund and Im sure BYP will do their best to send them back.

zco

12-03-2012, 09:25 PM

lemmiwinks

13-03-2012, 07:06 PM

I got my kpro about 2months prior to this thread, and checking on the hondata website, no reference about ppl selling fake kpro aT the time.

Byp also let me pay them via paypal so if anything was to occur in this transaction, i'd be covered.

When I purchased my kpro off BYP, they let me pay via paypal. Once I made the payment, they told me I had to pay an additional $35 for their paypal fees otherwise they wouldn't post it out. :eek:
I don't know why you made the payment via paypal when they're located in Sydney as well :S

Bludger

13-03-2012, 07:08 PM

When I purchased my kpro off BYP, they let me pay via paypal. Once I made the payment, they told me I had to pay an additional $35 for their paypal fees otherwise they wouldn't post it out. :eek:
I don't know why you made the payment via paypal when they're located in Sydney as well :S
http://www.ponychan.net/chan/arch/src/130629727926.gif

sugz

13-03-2012, 08:46 PM

i guess just leave all accusations and speculation aside until benny replies..

no point playing he said she said

i know my friend got burnt by this, and he got it all sorted out. the person he got it from had group'd buy from USA

his reply from other thread

Doug, we merely bought it off a supplier from the US. No-one knew it was counterfeit. Since that supplier has ceased operation, we all know now why im sure alot of people have been scammed. I for one has 5 of them sitting here useless. I've since reissue refund and sorted out those customer with new V3 out of my own pocket.

Since the announcement of the ECU being counterfeit, I've tried to retrieve all of them