BCM Programming
 

Has anyone tried one of these programmers?



https://www.alfaobd.com/



https://appcar-diagfca.com/en/



Both are apps that you can use in conjunction with an ODB reader to change settings on the vehicle as well as read status codes. They don't appear to function as tuners. So, they wouldn't do that for me. But, it looks like a cheaper way to activate features that would otherwise require a trip to the stealership to have the vehicle flashed.



I emailed both. Only AlfaOBD responded. They said that they don't have any specific data for the Dakotas. But, they suggested that the Dakotas share a platform with the Durango, which they support; so, it might work. I figured I'd ask the collective group if there was any experience with either of these (or another solution) before I shelled out the cash.



As a reference, here's a few links from others that have used them:



https://www.ram1500diesel.com/thread...ramming.59846/

https://www.wranglerforum.com/thread...amera.2238690/

https://www.********.com/threads/alfaobd.123982/

I have Appcar for my 2014 Caravan so I will help with what I know.

With Appcar it will interface with the TIPM module via your OBD2 port and in there you can change somethings on your truck, but I'll advise that if you do the wrong thing it can cause malfunctions.
I have been able to change my DRL to work on the foglight rather than the high beams. I have also turned on BAMBI mode which essentially allows running high beams and fogs for the greatest amount of light thrown forward.
The other settings I have been looking into but haven't done yet, however, I have found that if you change something that requires a certain physical part change that it can cause issues. (I mistaking turned on the premium audio amplifier which I thought I had and it caused my RER Radio to work weirdly and send audio to only one speaker. I reverted it back and reset the system by battery pull and it was fine. The App does warn some things to require Engineering and can cause malfunctions. On the bright side, it will also show codes the car has tripped in the past but has been fixed and gone away (I found my van had an issue at a time with the Thorax airbag). Your vehicle will be different so may not have the same options as I do.

So be careful if you use it but it's very handy. The only financial downside with Appcar is it's tied to one VIN. You can add other VIN's but you have to pay to add them.
I download a full PID Layout for my van and what can be changed if you are interested in what possibly can be done.

Thanks for the input.

What is a "PID"?

What PID abbreviated I don't know. Other forums and research refer to the settings as PID's Essentially in Appear you are able the view the as built setup of your vehicle and these are displayed with other setting options depending on how built.
in Mine DRL have 4 options if I recall right . Use highbeams, Use fog lamps, Optional DRL, and not programmed. So I switched the PID to foglights from highbeam and Appcar wrote it to the TIPM and voila. There is another setting that turn dip down off for fog lights on highbeam activation and now all lights are on when she light are on .

Cool, thanks!

So, I finally got the OBDLink MX+ and AlfaOBD. I played around with it last night and was able to get it work with some things. Since there doesn't seem to be any threads in the Dakota forums, I figure I'll post some of the settings that I found worked.

First, for some light reading and research...
Comprehensive list of AlfaOBD settings on Ram Gen4+ trucks: AlfaOBD (not all of the settings are available or identical, but most are similar and it is a good starting point)
Similar thread, but more closely aligned to our Dakotas (Ram Gen3 trucks): AlfaOBD Support For 06~12 Rams
YouTube has a lot of videos showing you how to use the software. My 1st stop (others can be helpful, too): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...TlDbiHvFWAogXP


So, what I've done so far...


First thing was to activate the daytime running lights (DRL):

Dodge Dakota (ND)
Body Computer
Central Gateway Module MY2008-12 Non-PowerNet
Car Configuration Change

Reconfig.Params: DRL Enable –> Set (default is “Not Set”)
Reconfig.Params: DRL Configuration –> Canada DRL (default is “No DRL”)
Reconfig.Params: DRL Lamp Location –> High Beam DRL (default is “None”)
Reconfig.Params: Left DRL Voltage Regulation –> 6.5 (default is “0.000")
Reconfig.Params: Right DRL Voltage Regulation –> 6.5 (default is “0.000")
Reconfig.Params: DRL Dropout Enable –> Set (default is “Not Set”)

Notes:
- I tried the "Optional DRL" and it didn't seem to work.
- The default voltage for the High Beam DRLs was set to 0.000V and I had to change that to get them to work. Choosing the "Canada DRL" didn't seem to automatically change anything else.
- I went with 50% normal running voltage for the High Beam DRLs because that seemed to be a common consensus on the web for how DRLs work on dual-beam headlights. When I used AlfaOBD to look at the normal running voltage for the High Beams, they were set to 13.0V. So, half of that was 6.5V.
- Interesting explanation for the different settings: AlfaOBD Support For 06~12 Rams or What does the "European Lights" Running light...
- I've tested this with the automatic headlights in bright sunlight and with the headlights turned off. It works in both conditions.

If you are able to get the Optional DRL to work, I'd love to hear how and if it's different than the Canada DRL setting.




Disabling the fog light dropout (i.e., fog lights stay on when the high beams are turned on):

Dodge Dakota (ND)
Body Computer
Central Gateway Module MY2008-12 Non-PowerNet
Car Configuration Change

Reconfig.Params: Front Fog Lamp Dropout Enable –> Not Set (default is “Set”)




Enabling a rear view camera (I installed the MyGIG 730N RHR a few years ago):

Dodge Dakota (ND)
Body Computer
Central Gateway Module MY2008-12 Non-PowerNet
Car Configuration Change

Vehicle Config 2: Rear Camera Present –> Set (default is “Not Set”)

I tested this by putting the vehicle in reverse. A couple of seconds after putting it into reverse the radio screen goes black with a message at the top that says "CHECK YOUR SURROUNDINGS." Now, I need to get the camera and install it.

A few changes I'd like to make, but I'm not sure if they work. When I found them, AlfaOBD gave me an message that basically said that it didn't recognize these parameters in the truck. So, I didn't try them because I don't want to brick my truck. I'm wondering if anyone else has already tried them and, if so, how it went.

Window Express Feature (roll down the windows remotely using the key fob)
Vehicle Config 2: Window Express Feature Configuration –> (default is “Unknown”)

Vehicle Brand (my radio splash screen displays the Chrysler logo. I'd like to get the Ram logo.)
Vehicle Config 4: Vehicle Brand –> (default is “Unknown”)

Enable headlights so that they automatically turn on when the wipers are turned on
Couldn't find a setting for this

Any other settings you have changed and what were the specific parameters that you changed to do it?