I have had the (pre EPA approved) GDE tune for quite awhile. I am now getting the EPA approved tune which leaves me with the original ECM which will be unused because of the ability to change the GDE tune back to the original tune with the flash tool.
The pre EPA was wonderful. The engine ran smother and cleaner, and the milage increased. It also displayed when the particulate filter was being cleaned (burning off the particulate). The big problem was changing the GDE tuned ECM for the factory tuned ECM whenever you took the vehicle to the dealer. You had to do it because the dealer was likely to flash the ECM to insure it was always updated. That would overwrite the GDE Tune. GDE now has a tune that is EPA compliant and uses a flash tool to install it. You copy the existing tune and then flash the tune you want, either the DGE or the factory. Plus this tune is legal for road use. It is a way to keep your truck running better and longer. BTW: GDE is short for Green Diesel Engineering. They are one of many that make tunes for diesel engines.
Junkyards have factory ECMs anywhere from $150 to almost $500. Keep in mind the buyer will need to have software to reprogram the VIN and injector codes.
Why don’t you sell the old GDE ECU, Be worth more on here, Maybe try to recoup some of the 1k ?, you probably had to pay for it from GDE, Keep the Factory ECU since your getting the new GDE OBD flash tune and use-tune your factory ECU ?
The new tune is substantially cheaper if you are a previous customer. However you have to have the GDE ECU with the tune overwritten by the dealer. Mine was overwritten which is why I am getting the EPA tune (with the trans tune).