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Thread: VCM Editor showing ?unlicensed vehicle?

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by CCS86 View Post
    Some strategies are a better fit than others, depending on your build. I really think you guys should invest in revising the licensing strategy.

    I think it's wrong to keep charging someone who wants to flash different tunes to the same car. You obviously need to take care of your interests for commercial use, but that will always involve multiple VINs. It's just stifling the tuning spirit by charging credits repeatedly on the same car. If you try a strategy and it's a total failure, or incompatible, you've burned credits for nothing. How is that justifiable?
    Agreed completely! In my case especially i wanted the Ford Power Pack 2 strategy for its OEM drive-ability and great reviews, but its not available for non-US vehicles, so my only choice was HP Tuners and the repository, or custom tune.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by DB83 View Post
    Kind of defeats the point of the repository, and in some respects, the affordability and flexibility of HPTuners. I'm sure its written in the small print somewhere, but honestly, had it been clearer to me in the beginning i wouldn't have gone the HPTuners route and would have just got a custom tune.
    I'm not saying give it away for free of course, but 6 credits is a bit much!
    The point of the repository was NEVER to slap joe shmoes tune into your car, unless you like bricked ecm's alot.
    It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be done in two weeks...

    A wise man once said "google it"

  3. #23
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    I get that. I doubt very much anyone here would! I would take it more of a place for people to share their findings with what works and what doesn't, or at very least somewhere for someone to start. Either way, the original appeal of HP Tuners to me was the flexibility and affordability.

    Anyway, this isn't supposed to be an attack on you, just simply raising a point that i feel could be addressed in some way. I'm happy to pay, i just feel $300 just in credits to upload someone's strategy is maybe a bit much.

  4. #24
    Senior Tuner CCS86's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill@HPTuners View Post
    The point of the repository was NEVER to slap joe shmoes tune into your car, unless you like bricked ecm's alot.

    That seems a little extreme.

    Unless you are trying to flash incompatible architecture, say a 2015 tune onto a 2012 ECU, what's the risk?

    I have had 3 different strategies on my 2012

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by CCS86 View Post
    That seems a little extreme.

    Unless you are trying to flash incompatible architecture, say a 2015 tune onto a 2012 ECU, what's the risk?

    I have had 3 different strategies on my 2012
    Not just talking fords, GM's you could flash an incompatible E38 file to a different E38 ecm and brick it. I'm sure they aren't the only one. But that's really neither here nor there, its just one of many reasons not to flash files from the repository.
    It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be done in two weeks...

    A wise man once said "google it"

  6. #26
    Senior Tuner CCS86's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill@HPTuners View Post
    Not just talking fords, GM's you could flash an incompatible E38 file to a different E38 ecm and brick it. I'm sure they aren't the only one. But that's really neither here nor there, its just one of many reasons not to flash files from the repository.

    Right, but we are in the Ford tuning section, and it seems to be less of an issue on these Copperheads. I certainly don't know all the ins and outs. Just working from my own experience of successful strategy changes.

  7. #27
    Senior Tuner veeefour's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill@HPTuners View Post
    Not just talking fords, GM's you could flash an incompatible E38 file to a different E38 ecm and brick it. I'm sure they aren't the only one.
    But that's really neither here nor there, its just one of many reasons not to flash files from the repository.
    Is GM favoured at HPT HQ? I mean in GM you can OS swap, segment swap and do other cool shit and it doesn't' cost 6 credits.

    I mean I'm cool as a cucumber as I prefer to work on my own and I believe you can do your job with every OS out there but man, 6 credits is a lot to ask.
    Last edited by veeefour; 02-11-2019 at 02:44 AM.

  8. #28
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    I dont think its favoritism. It looks like GM has more ways to lock a license to a vehicle. I feel a function could be created specifically for a strategy swap to be done all at once and only license the vehicle after the function is over this way anti-abuse measures could still be taken. One might think there isnt much incentive because we pay so much now however that's probably not the case because it's that high price preventing many from doing it in the first place.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by veeefour View Post
    Is GM favoured at HPT HQ? I mean in GM you can OS swap, segment swap and do other cool shit and it doesn't' cost 6 credits.

    I mean I'm cool as a cucumber as I prefer to work on my own and I believe you can do your job with every OS out there but man, 6 credits is a lot to ask.
    Still costs 6 credits to throw a repository file into a GM vehicle...

    Additionally not all GM's can utilize the segment swapper, only segmented applications. I believe ford uses a single segment structure in their coding similar to the GM applications that can't use the segment swapper. Has absolutely nothing to do with favoritism.

    In fact, GM is locking down their ecm's tighter than every other market so the fact is we'll probably be favoring other markets MORE than GM for the foreseeable future because of this.
    Last edited by Bill@HPTuners; 02-11-2019 at 02:01 PM.
    It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be done in two weeks...

    A wise man once said "google it"

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackbolt22 View Post
    I dont think its favoritism. It looks like GM has more ways to lock a license to a vehicle. I feel a function could be created specifically for a strategy swap to be done all at once and only license the vehicle after the function is over this way anti-abuse measures could still be taken. One might think there isnt much incentive because we pay so much now however that's probably not the case because it's that high price preventing many from doing it in the first place.
    GM just does it differently.

    For instance in NA C6 corvettes they use an E38 ecm. In the supercharged C6 corvettes they used a E67 ecm to compensate. Ford simply does things differently, similarly to single segment GM applications of the 90's and early 2000's to where they write a million different operating systems instead of 1 operating system and simply change the calibration lol. I don't understand the logic behind what they do exactly but it is what it is and we work with what we are given to the best of our engineering abilities.
    It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be done in two weeks...

    A wise man once said "google it"

  11. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill@HPTuners View Post

    In fact, GM is locking down their ecm's tighter than every other market so the fact is we'll probably be favoring other markets MORE than GM for the foreseeable future because of this.
    Is Ford doing something similar? I remember reading an article about 2018 Mustangs possibly having no ability to tune and then saw the article saying HPT cracked the code lol. Whew. If there is anything that is a huge turn off it's the lack of ability to modify a muscle car. We want to go faster and in order to go faster we mod. We have to tune those mods.

    Just hearing this news about GMs means I will never ever buy one...

  12. #32
    Senior Tuner veeefour's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill@HPTuners View Post
    Still costs 6 credits to throw a repository file into a GM vehicle...

    Additionally not all GM's can utilize the segment swapper, only segmented applications. I believe ford uses a single segment structure in their coding similar to the GM applications that can't use the segment swapper. Has absolutely nothing to do with favoritism.

    In fact, GM is locking down their ecm's tighter than every other market so the fact is we'll probably be favoring other markets MORE than GM for the foreseeable future because of this.
    Understood.

    But on the other hand some "mass tuners" like Lund can do whatever they want - and you are fine with that(not sure what kind of deal you guys have and don't care).
    All they have is one or two unique OS's (which you guys agreed not to open) in many different PCM's and it works - works for some but not for everyone...

    But hey ho, I'm not the one making the rules. I just wonder what did Whipple did to you that Lund didn't? Whipple tunes are open, others aren't?


    Quote Originally Posted by blackbolt22 View Post
    Is Ford doing something similar? I remember reading an article about 2018 Mustangs possibly having no ability to tune and then saw the article saying HPT cracked the code lol. Whew. If there is anything that is a huge turn off it's the lack of ability to modify a muscle car. We want to go faster and in order to go faster we mod. We have to tune those mods.

    Just hearing this news about GMs means I will never ever buy one...
    Ford changed the ECU from Siemens/Continental to Bosch somewhere in 2016 - not sure who claimed it will be locked but at the end of the day it wasn't. IMHO it was never locked by any means.

    Some manufacturers removing the READ terminals form ECU socket(or some other type of block-fu) hence the need for one time modification or Virtual Tuning.
    Last edited by veeefour; 02-12-2019 at 12:36 AM.

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by veeefour View Post
    Understood.

    But on the other hand some "mass tuners" like Lund can do whatever they want - and you are fine with that(not sure what kind of deal you guys have and don't care).
    All they have is one or two unique OS's (which you guys agreed not to open) in many different PCM's and it works - works for some but not for everyone...

    But hey ho, I'm not the one making the rules. I just wonder what did Whipple did to you that Lund didn't? Whipple tunes are open, others aren't?




    Ford changed the ECU from Siemens/Continental to Bosch somewhere in 2016 - not sure who claimed it will be locked but at the end of the day it wasn't. IMHO it was never locked by any means.

    Some manufacturers removing the READ terminals form ECU socket(or some other type of block-fu) hence the need for one time modification or Virtual Tuning.
    Dealing with something similar... have a shelby with a fucking lund tune which can't be read because they use some their own os or whatever. Owner got the car from a dealer which did not have the ngauge or handheld for the car. Have to take to to the dealer get key's cut because who has 2 keys on a 2012 vehicle then get the pcm flashed as new... why do we have to deal with all this after investing money on the scanner and all licenses ?

  14. #34
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    Try removing your application key and add it again.

  15. #35
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    Just fyi, I went out and bought the IDS and tool. I was able to flash my pcm back to the original calibration and after doing so I was able to load my old license tune using write entire.

  16. #36
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    Sounds interesting, I never faced this problem but I think that it is still actual. I hope I could prevent this things, usually all the cars that are coming to our garage are ok and I have no problems with them. Maybe there were problems with your car, everything depends on where you bought it, if it is a second hand car than you may be in trouble. I have a good friend that is working for https://narscars.com.ua/en/kharkov-r1, he knows how to verify everything and how to solve the formalities problems.
    Last edited by Rampoind; 11-18-2020 at 01:28 PM.

  17. #37
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    I was having the 'unlicensed vehicle ' issue too. Tried re-sync'ing but to no improvement. Read several threads and saw something, so I tried it. It worked.
    My normal car is a 3 bar Speed density turbo'd 5.3 in a 96 z28. I've been using HPT on it since 2015 or so.
    My friends car is a 1 bar stock type 5.3 in a 1980 Trans/Am. I put the engine together and installed it for her. I bought 2 credits for this tune and it could pull the current tune and I could modify/save it but could not upload. It would simply say, "Unlicensed Vehicle" and never presented the option(s) to license the new PCM or to use the credits, etc. So in the article, it mentioned
    ( a ) copy the lastest application key for HPtuners (highlight, CTRL + C)
    ( b ) Hook up your dongle (HPTuner device) to your laptop using the USB, doesn't need to be attached to the vehicle at this point.
    ( c ) Open the editor, click 'Help', then click 'MPVI' application Keys.
    ( d ) A drop down box appears where , towards the bottom, your current Interface ID and Application Key. To the left of that is a reddish in color fat minus sign. When you click on the Minus sign, it deletes the Interface ID/Application.
    ( e ) paste in the application key you copied on step ' a ', then click 'Add Key'.
    ( f ) exit.

    After I did that, I took my laptop and harness/dongle out the the T/A, hooked it up, turned on the key, made sure the scanner still worked/read, the went to the editor and clicked 'write'. NOW the license dialog popped up and I was able to select the write. I had to take the option to 'write entire' to go forward but I got it uploaded. Afterwards, cycled the key, started the scanner, cranked her up and she fired up right off the bat.