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Alientech has released a new OBD protocol for Bosch MED17.3.5 ECUs, and it covers two cars that tuners have wanted a diagnostic-port route into for years: the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, both running the 2.9 V6 twin turbo petrol engine. The upgrade was published on 11 September 2026 and applies to KESS3 and Powergate.
Until now these cars meant bench or boot work. Alientech already supported both of those modes on the MED17.3.5, and the new OBD protocol sits alongside them rather than replacing them, so KESS3 now covers every connection mode on these vehicles. In practice that means the ECU can stay where it is: no removal, no opening the case, no bench harness. Alientech also notes that Powergate can extend the same operations to the end user remotely, which is relevant if you run a customer-device model.
Which ECUs
Bosch MED17.3.5, engine control unit, now supported in OBD as well as the existing BENCH and BOOT modes. Production years from 2016 onwards. Tools: KESS3 and Powergate.
Cars this opens up
- Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, 2.9 V6 twin turbo petrol, from 2016
- Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, 2.9 V6 twin turbo petrol, from 2016
What it means
For owners, the practical difference is time and risk. An OBD read and write means the ECU is never removed from the car, so there is no stripping of the engine bay, no soldering and no opportunity for something to go wrong on the way in or out. If you have a Giulia or Stelvio Quadrifoglio and you have previously been quoted a long job because the ECU had to come out, that quote should now look rather different. The 2.9 V6 twin turbo is already a strong engine, so the sensible conversation here is about how the car delivers what it has rather than chasing a number.
For dealers, this is a turnaround story. A car that used to occupy a ramp and a bench for most of a day can now be handled through the diagnostic port. That changes what you can fit into a working week, and it lowers the barrier to taking the job at all. It also matters for the customers who would never let anyone open the ECU on a car of that value. If you run Powergate, the same work can be pushed out to the owner’s own device.
Owners can put a job together with our tuning builder. Dealers can send the read to our file service, and there is more on the hardware on our Alientech tuning tools page.
