grandmacpubah
05-16-2009, 05:51 PM
I hope by posting this I can help some others out who may potentially run into a similar issue. Although, I get the impression I am in a very small minority. This is going to be a long post, but I think people will find it useful. With that said.....
So...I order up my VMS tune, powerflash cables, and the stealth option. Took somewhere around 3 weeks from order to receipt of the goods.
When I got the software and cables I was like a fat kid in a candy shop (no offense to the weight challenged among us lol)
I happily loaded the software and usb drivers with no issues at all. Plugged in the usb to serial convertor and hooked up into the car's ecm/bus.
I read the directions about 25 times to make sure I did it right...because I was scared to death I was going to fry my ecm.
When the software connected to the ecm, errors started popping up on the DIC (like contact dealer with a big freaking X), relays are clicking, things are beeping...and I just take a big gulp. I now know this is completely normal, but it was a little scary lol.. I would suggest Vector add some verbiage in the instructions that this is normal...just so some of the noobs like me don't start popping valum while this is taking place.
It seemed like there were maybe some issues with the software connecting to the ECM as the dialog box stated several times it was trying to reconnect to the ecm. This could be completely normal, but I have no idea.
So after a couple reconnection messages hooorraaa I see it start downloading the ECM...1%, 2% wow this is slow....then I notice it... "why does the VIN look weird?" I look and the first 4 characters of the VIN are missing and at the end there is a yyy. (this is the VIN displayed in the software) That's odd...I wonder if this could be an issue because the cables are coded for your particular VIN. But it seemed to work just fine. Got to 100%, file saved correctly and everything looked good.
Moved on to the TCM and same reconnecting messages in the beginning, than the download started successfully. Right away I noticed the VIN in the TCM download was complete with no missing characters. This really made me wonder if something was amiss with the ecm download.
Sooo I compose an email, write a quick little blurb to Kirk that something was weird with the ecm vin that was being displayed, and if he thought it was an issue to give me a call. I attach my files and send them off to Vector. Although there are many benefits to living on the west coast there is one nagging negative...EVERYONE ELSE IS WATCHING PRIMETIME TV WHILE YOU ARE JUST GETTING OFF WORK! I am starting a petition for a west coast vector office....
With that I knew I probably wouldn't see my newly tuned files till the next day...had to pop a few prozac to fight off the depression that night.
The new day arrives and around 11am I get that wonderful little ding at my computer that I have an email. Low and behold MY FILES!! WOOHOOO!
Grab the laptop and cables and out to the car I go..envisioning angry mustang, beemer, and hemi owners as they watch my tailights thanks to my new tune.
Plug that baby in and away we go...then it happens...I start getting errors in the software about an unlicensed ecm...and a file that has been modified by a tuner. I'm like wtf you stupid thing no kidding it has been modded by a tuner. It tells me to exit...I do, turn off the ignition and there it is...the big freaking X saying contact the dealer. I hesitantly turn the key, nothing, not a dang thing, I might as well been trying to turn the key in the mean green big wheels I had as a kid. I will not panic...I will not panic... I reconnect the software and try the download again. Same thing. Ok I'm panicking now...
I call up Vector and get the receptionist and she says Kirk is out of the office and will be back in a couple hours. Holy @#%$!! She takes my info. I'm sitting in my car thinking this can't be happening. I call back..."hi I think I forgot to tell you my car won't start." Ohhhh ok let me call Kirk...few minutes later I'm talking to Kirk on his cell.
I explain the situation to Kirk and I'm expecting something like "oh just do this, that and the other and you'll be good to go..no worries" Instead I get.."Huh I've never seen that." At this point there may have been silence on my end as I came to from passing out.
Kirk suggests re-reading the ecm to unlock the bus and I should be able to at least start the car. Either that or disconnect the battery. I disconnect the battery for 30 minutes, put it back on...and...same thing.
I re-read the ecm..and WOW its reading it!! I HAVE HOPE. It gets to 100% and says..."this file contains checksum errors please email to.." NOOOOOO!!!
Kirk is out of his meeting and calls me back. "Any luck?" Nope. Nothing. We talk a little, and he asks if I was the one who emailed him about the weird VIN. I say yes I am and a light bulb goes off and he says he's seen this with one other car a CTS-V apparently. The ECM from the factory had missing VIN characters. What...the...%@$... of the 30 some thousand G8's in this country I get one with missing VIN characters? Are you kidding?
Kirk decides my ecm is hopeless and says he will overnight me a new one for Saturday delivery. I was very happy he did this, and showed great customer service and initiative.
I got the new ECM this morning, plugged that mother friggin thing in and woohoo the car started. My fingernails can grow back again.
I let kirk know that I was good and he left me a voicemail saying he needs to send me new cables and that there were a couple other issues with my file besides the missing VIN. I'm sure if he reads this he can expound on that a little better.
I talk to Brandon (bobthemonkey) to see if I can swing by him to do the crank relearn and he was nice enough to get that going for me. As a bonus I met him at a dyno shop and got my first dyno. :)
So with all that said (gol that was a long post) the moral of the story is..if you see something weird with your VIN in doing any ECM/TCM programming STOP DROP AND ROLL. Call Kirk and tell him you have Jesse syndrome.
On a more serious note, I am very pleased with the customer service from Vector. Top notch seriously.
I'm still waiting on the TCM tune as Kirk informed me not to attempt it without the new cables, so I will report back on that.
I've attached my first dyno too...some knock retard, but Brandon logged the pull with HPtuners, so I can send it off to Kirk to dial in the tune a little.
I really want to thank all the really nice people on this board, who are willing to help out complete strangers, just because they drive a G8. Rock on!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3619/3536929329_5f73cfd103_b.jpg
So...I order up my VMS tune, powerflash cables, and the stealth option. Took somewhere around 3 weeks from order to receipt of the goods.
When I got the software and cables I was like a fat kid in a candy shop (no offense to the weight challenged among us lol)
I happily loaded the software and usb drivers with no issues at all. Plugged in the usb to serial convertor and hooked up into the car's ecm/bus.
I read the directions about 25 times to make sure I did it right...because I was scared to death I was going to fry my ecm.
When the software connected to the ecm, errors started popping up on the DIC (like contact dealer with a big freaking X), relays are clicking, things are beeping...and I just take a big gulp. I now know this is completely normal, but it was a little scary lol.. I would suggest Vector add some verbiage in the instructions that this is normal...just so some of the noobs like me don't start popping valum while this is taking place.
It seemed like there were maybe some issues with the software connecting to the ECM as the dialog box stated several times it was trying to reconnect to the ecm. This could be completely normal, but I have no idea.
So after a couple reconnection messages hooorraaa I see it start downloading the ECM...1%, 2% wow this is slow....then I notice it... "why does the VIN look weird?" I look and the first 4 characters of the VIN are missing and at the end there is a yyy. (this is the VIN displayed in the software) That's odd...I wonder if this could be an issue because the cables are coded for your particular VIN. But it seemed to work just fine. Got to 100%, file saved correctly and everything looked good.
Moved on to the TCM and same reconnecting messages in the beginning, than the download started successfully. Right away I noticed the VIN in the TCM download was complete with no missing characters. This really made me wonder if something was amiss with the ecm download.
Sooo I compose an email, write a quick little blurb to Kirk that something was weird with the ecm vin that was being displayed, and if he thought it was an issue to give me a call. I attach my files and send them off to Vector. Although there are many benefits to living on the west coast there is one nagging negative...EVERYONE ELSE IS WATCHING PRIMETIME TV WHILE YOU ARE JUST GETTING OFF WORK! I am starting a petition for a west coast vector office....
With that I knew I probably wouldn't see my newly tuned files till the next day...had to pop a few prozac to fight off the depression that night.
The new day arrives and around 11am I get that wonderful little ding at my computer that I have an email. Low and behold MY FILES!! WOOHOOO!
Grab the laptop and cables and out to the car I go..envisioning angry mustang, beemer, and hemi owners as they watch my tailights thanks to my new tune.
Plug that baby in and away we go...then it happens...I start getting errors in the software about an unlicensed ecm...and a file that has been modified by a tuner. I'm like wtf you stupid thing no kidding it has been modded by a tuner. It tells me to exit...I do, turn off the ignition and there it is...the big freaking X saying contact the dealer. I hesitantly turn the key, nothing, not a dang thing, I might as well been trying to turn the key in the mean green big wheels I had as a kid. I will not panic...I will not panic... I reconnect the software and try the download again. Same thing. Ok I'm panicking now...
I call up Vector and get the receptionist and she says Kirk is out of the office and will be back in a couple hours. Holy @#%$!! She takes my info. I'm sitting in my car thinking this can't be happening. I call back..."hi I think I forgot to tell you my car won't start." Ohhhh ok let me call Kirk...few minutes later I'm talking to Kirk on his cell.
I explain the situation to Kirk and I'm expecting something like "oh just do this, that and the other and you'll be good to go..no worries" Instead I get.."Huh I've never seen that." At this point there may have been silence on my end as I came to from passing out.
Kirk suggests re-reading the ecm to unlock the bus and I should be able to at least start the car. Either that or disconnect the battery. I disconnect the battery for 30 minutes, put it back on...and...same thing.
I re-read the ecm..and WOW its reading it!! I HAVE HOPE. It gets to 100% and says..."this file contains checksum errors please email to.." NOOOOOO!!!
Kirk is out of his meeting and calls me back. "Any luck?" Nope. Nothing. We talk a little, and he asks if I was the one who emailed him about the weird VIN. I say yes I am and a light bulb goes off and he says he's seen this with one other car a CTS-V apparently. The ECM from the factory had missing VIN characters. What...the...%@$... of the 30 some thousand G8's in this country I get one with missing VIN characters? Are you kidding?
Kirk decides my ecm is hopeless and says he will overnight me a new one for Saturday delivery. I was very happy he did this, and showed great customer service and initiative.
I got the new ECM this morning, plugged that mother friggin thing in and woohoo the car started. My fingernails can grow back again.
I let kirk know that I was good and he left me a voicemail saying he needs to send me new cables and that there were a couple other issues with my file besides the missing VIN. I'm sure if he reads this he can expound on that a little better.
I talk to Brandon (bobthemonkey) to see if I can swing by him to do the crank relearn and he was nice enough to get that going for me. As a bonus I met him at a dyno shop and got my first dyno. :)
So with all that said (gol that was a long post) the moral of the story is..if you see something weird with your VIN in doing any ECM/TCM programming STOP DROP AND ROLL. Call Kirk and tell him you have Jesse syndrome.
On a more serious note, I am very pleased with the customer service from Vector. Top notch seriously.
I'm still waiting on the TCM tune as Kirk informed me not to attempt it without the new cables, so I will report back on that.
I've attached my first dyno too...some knock retard, but Brandon logged the pull with HPtuners, so I can send it off to Kirk to dial in the tune a little.
I really want to thank all the really nice people on this board, who are willing to help out complete strangers, just because they drive a G8. Rock on!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3619/3536929329_5f73cfd103_b.jpg