EcuTek with Visconti - Logging my experience - Not Happy
 

Just want to post this up to share my experience with EcuTek and Visconti as I go through the tuning process. I've never worked with either product or person and I just picked up my Z back in April.

2010 NISMO 370z
Tuning related mods: Stillen G3 intakes, Invidia Gemini cat-back, Berk test pipes.

6/23 - Ordered EcuTek from Visconti

6/24 - Shipping confirmation received.

6/24 - Emailed John asking if I should do the ECU dump ASAP or wait for my test pipes to be installed (pipes install scheduled for 7/1)

6/25 - John replies asking me to do the ECU dump ASAP

6/26 - Received EcuTek kit (I'm on the west coast)

6/26 (Friday Evening) - ECU dump sent

6/29 (Monday Morning) - John calls me direct and states my ECU is not supported. He sent it to EcuTek to "unlock" (fairly common occurrence is my understanding). He states it usually takes a few business days for EcuTek to do this, but they have been back logged lately. Might not be done this week. He will contact me via email after he gets the files from EcuTek.

7/3 - John sent me the first map revision. I uploaded it and did some more data logging for him. Sent him the new logs. Also requested that he turn off my o2 sensors in the cats since I'm running test pipes. Curious if I have the new RaceRom features by default or if I have to specifically request them...?

7/3 - John sent me an updated map, but I missed the email!

7/8 - Sent John a text asking if he has an ETA on my next map update. See 7/3 log above.

7/8 - John sent me an email saying he sent me a new map on 7/3 to log.

7/8 - Downloaded new map and sent new log to John. Did 2 3rd gear pulls and a 4th gear pull. For some reason it didn't log the last ~1000rpm of the 4th gear pull. I also asked John to keep in mind that the car will be tracked. Maybe the tune should be a little more conservative than a street car tune.

7/9 - John got back to me about my latest log. Seems like the logs have time gaps in them from the software/laptop lagging. Just went out to try and get a better/consistent log for him. While testing I watched the status bar for the datalog. I could see it would pause/stop then start up again. I reset the laptop and killed some encryption/virus software. Ran another log and the status bar seemed to be ok after that. This one included one 3rd gear and one 4th gear pull. Sent new log to John.

7/10 - John emailed me with a new map. He also stated the last log came in clear. Will send him the new datalogs tonight.

7/11 - John stated that my fueling is different from bank to bank. He requested I run the "Idle Learning" tool in Ecutek. Ran it with no issues. Logged a few runs and sent it to him. Also I noticed that the issue with my logs cutting in and out came back. I booted up my laptop in "selective start-up" using msconfig and it seems to resolved the issue entirely.

7/18 - John sent me a new 2 new maps. 1 map was to test disabling the Yaw sensor via EcuTek. It was not successful (Yaw warning light did not activate. VDC still worked as normal). Other was just a regular map.

7/19 - Sent John new log from with the notes above. This is from revision 6 of my tune.

7/27 - I'm no longer using John as my tuner. Severe personality conflict. Read from bottom to top.

Anthony <>
3:52 PM (0 minutes ago)


to John


Hey John,

I can't return the parts because after our last couple emails I have already made an appointment with another shop to do a new tune from scratch. I have a track day coming up that I have already paid for and need a tune without any further delay. Yes, my mind was made up as soon as I read the email you sent before the one I sent asking for a refund. Not any sooner that that.

I will agree that this is obviously a personality conflict and nothing more. You asked me to change my behavior (sharing my experience about you publicly) or you would not complete the job I paid you to do. From my point of view and our recent interactions I will not trust you to work on my car. I can't take that chance. I have to pay full price to another vendor to do the work I paid you to do. I want a full refund of the labor services from you in return.

I will request a refund of the labor services from my bank. I'm sure you do have quite an extensive experience with the dispute process. I don't have any experience with it and this will be my first time ever doing this. That probably says a lot about both of us. I may not get my money back going this route, but that is not the point.

Have a good day.




On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 3:00 PM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hey Anthony -


Sorry for the delay. I've been in SoCal for the weekend doing Porsche training with Cobb Tuning. Although I do appreciate your feedback, I don't necessarily agree with your rationale. And I'd also like to say right off the bat that your thinly veiled threat to take this situation to the forum has had no impact on how I've decided to handle this situation. I do stand by everything I've said and done while working with you. With that being said I've tuned a lot of cars over the years and I've been in nearly every situation imaginable with my customers. So I've been down this road before, and I'm very familiar with how the credit card companies will handle this situation. Unfortunately for you, once I provide digital documentation (which I have) that we're on our 6th revision and it's you that is unwilling to continue the tuning process (which is basically refusing service) they will side with me. My money might get hung up for a month or two, but ultimately I will win this dispute. It's really not a good experience for anyone involved though.


I think it's also important to note that there seems to be some misunderstanding about which RaceRom features your custom tune has and what features EcuTek is capable of. These are not one in the same. Just because EcuTek supports other advanced features, doesn't mean it's automatically part of my custom calibration. And although this is clearly stated on my website where you purchased your custom tune, I'll go ahead and relist it here.


- Raises RPM limit
- Increases fuel economy
- Adjust ignition timing
- Adjust VVT timing
- Remove speed limiter
- Raise max cruise control threshold
- RaceRom Launch Control (manual only)
- RaceRom Flat Foot Shifting (manual only)
- 4-way MAP switching, which includes switchable modes for different octane levels
- and of course, tune adjustments based on submitted data logs


If you're still insisting on a refund despite all the effort and revision I've put into the tune, I'll grant your request but with the understanding that you return the entire EcuTek kit to me. To make things easier, I will even provide you with a prepaid shipping label. You'll need to program in a special stock file that I will provide, which will remove the programming license from your ECU. Once the license is removed, I'll need documented confirmation which can easily be sent by using "Submit diagnostic information," in Tuner Assist. Once that is confirmed, that's when I will send you a prepaid Express USPS label. When I receive the package and confirm no damage to the contents, I will issue a full refund including shipping. Although this may not be what you had in mind, this is the only way I will proceed with a refund and in the end it gets you exactly what you wanted.


In closing, I took the time to reply to you in detail about where I personally thought we got off on the wrong foot but that didn't seem to accomplish too much. Let's just be honest with each other; your mind seemed pretty made up regardless of anything I could have said. And from my experience in dealing with thousands of customers over the years, I think you're being overly sensitive to the tone of the emails I sent that offended you. But the most important point I want to make is above all things, I am a professional who takes great pride in my work and the insinuation that I would somehow sabotage or even put anything less than 100% into your car over a silly disagreement that amounts to nothing more than "tone," is ridiculous. If you do decide to have a change of heart and keep the tune, we can still continue along as if none of this ever happened. But if you do decide to move forward with the full refund, then no hard feelings and I hope the grass is really greener for you on the other side.


John


On Jul 23, 2015, at 1:24 PM, Anthony <> wrote:
You not picking up my call has no bearing on my previous email to you or this one. So that is not a factor at all. I called as a professional courtesy so we could speak directly with each other.

My post on the forums was not meant as a way for you to have a dialogue with anyone. It was meant for me and my fellow forum members to have a dialogue. If you wanted to participate in those conversations that was entirely up to you. I wasn't posting any negative comments or negative feedback. I was only sharing my experience as a customer with other people of our community and giving them updates of our progress.

Regarding our testing of "Ice mode". It is common practice to discuss such activities and testing on the forum. I would disagree with your opinion that your testing instructions of "ice mode" were clear and complete. I felt that your tone changed considerably towards me a few emails ago, but I put it aside and replied back to you in a friendly tone. Then you asked me to change my behavior if I wanted to continue working with you. Your tone and wording was completely unacceptable. I'm not sure what your background is, but your basic understanding of customer service and business practices when dealing with a customer is lacking.

I highly suggest that if your expectation from your customers is to keep email correspondence private that you have them sign a NDA stating as such. Good luck with that.

If you will not refund my eTune money I will submit a claim with my credit card company to pull the funds back ($200). You did not complete agreed upon service that I paid for. I'm still getting knock on the tune, according to the logs, and have yet to receive any of the RaceRom features I paid for. If I thought of you as a professional, which I no longer do, I would try to salvage our business relationship so that you can complete the work. I fear that the last few emails have shown enough of your personality that I can not trust you with working on such a vital part of my car after our disagreement.

I will submit the claim sometime over the next few days with my bank and share my experience with others. You're more than welcomed to refund my $200 service fee voluntarily and we will go our separate ways. If you plan on doing so please let me know the expected refund date. If you do that I will stop our business relationship with the understanding that we just didn't see eye to eye and had a conflict of personality.

Thank you and if I don't hear back from you by Monday I will take the action stated above.

On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 11:46 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Anthony –

Unfortunately I was in the middle of an important phone call last night which is why I was unable to take your call. Although I try to make myself as available as possible, I simply can’t be everyone’s everything all the time. This is why emails work best for me. Everything gets replied to in the order that it comes in. I don’t have the same abilities with call and text. Regarding my email to you about the posts you’ve been making, I wasn’t trying to give you the impression that I wasn’t “happy with you being my customer.” In fact, I really didn’t have a problem with the thread you started about logging your experience with me, mainly because you weren’t posting misinformation that would require me to go in and comment. But on the other hand, it’s just simply more difficult to have a public conversation about all this, than it is to have a direct private one. If I wanted everyone’s feedback/opinion, I would post in that thread myself. Anything that’s said in email is private, especially when the issue is ongoing and hasn’t been resolved. I’ve given you clear instructions on what you needed to do to test for ICE mode, and before you finished what I’ve asked you to do you’ve already come to a conclusion yourself and posted it online. This and only this is my frustration.

I don’t want to lose you as a customer, but if you feel the need to move onto someone else then I wish you the best of luck. But regarding your refund, we’re on our 6th revision of the tune, your cars running great, and you more than received the service that you paid for. Not picking up what would be considered an afterhours phone call by nearly any business in this industry, is not justification for a refund. Thanks.

-John

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 6:30 PM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

John,

I tried calling you to discuss, but got your voicemail.

I'm not posting or sharing anything negative. In fact I think what I'm sharing is a positive reflection on you. I'm not sure how I (the customer) offended you, but you're obviously not happy with me being your customer and I would prefer you not work on my car if that's the case. Can you refund my $200 for the eTune service? I will just take my business elsewhere.

Thank you.

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 2:25 PM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Anthony,

I would appreciate you not posting up every single thing we discuss online on a public forum.

This is not how I operate and if you would like to continue working together something will need to change.

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 1:39 PM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

Ok, I will test it out when I have the time and can find a space to safely get into a sustained drift. "Ice mode" can be dangerous when it tries to over compensate straightening the car out (when applying the brakes) so I need to find a public space to test it safely.

In the meantime please continue with your normal tuning maps if you haven't already sent a new one with the traction control map. How are my logs looking by the way?

Thanks.

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 8:48 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony

Please do not make this complicated.

Since we are NOT unplugging the yaw sensor there is no reason for any lights to come on the dash

Can you please test this file out for me, if you cannot provide the feedback I’m asking for then II will be unable to help you any further with the traction control

Thanks

John

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 10:21 AM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

John,

As stated in my first reply about this; I did not get the Yaw sensor light saying it was disabled. No point going for a test drive.

Are you saying that even though the dash light didn't come on the Yaw sensor should have been disabled?

Thanks.

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 7:06 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
You’re not understanding

What I needed to know was if you got any lights on the dash with the TCM Disable Map

Next thing I need from you is if it actually disables the ICE Mode… you’ll to do aggressive driving to figure that out

John

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 2:05 PM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

I would think I wouldn't have to manually unplug the Yaw sensor if the map disables it. Kind of defeats the purpose, no?

On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 10:35 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony

You didn't get a light because it's still plugged in........

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 21, 2015, at 1:34 PM, Anthony <> wrote:
John,

I didn't have time to actually drive with the traction control map. I just went by the dash lights. When the Yaw sensor is disabled (manually unplugged) a dash light will come on next to the VDC light. I didn't get the Yaw light with your map.



Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 21, 2015, at 8:56 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony,

How did you test out the traction control map?

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 12:08 PM
To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

John,

Tested out the traction control map, but it didn't seem to make a difference. VDC an Yaw were both still enabled by default. When hitting the VDC button only the VDC lighted turned on as expected. I didn't go for a drive to actually test. I just flashed it to see if the VDC and Yaw light would come on.

Then I flashed the other map you sent and reset the ECM as you instructed. Log is 3rd gear, 3rd gear into 4th gear, then 4th gear.

Thanks for looking into disabling the yaw sensor. If you can figure it out it would be a big win for the track guys I think.

On Sat, Jul 18, 2015 at 1:31 PM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony,

I’ve sent you a update tune file to flash and log.

After flashing please go into the ECM Tools and Reset the ecu.

I’ve also provided a Tune that should turn off the Traction Control System, I haven’t used it before so I’m not actually sure how it’s going to operate.

When you get a chance maybe you can flash that in and let me know if you get any lights on your dash

Let me know

Thanks

John

Yes sir 100% correct, takes ECUTEK a few days to unlock a "new" ROM ID.

Sent him some data logs yesterday and he sent me a new rom to flash so far so good =)

I would like to know other members experience with a newer model vehicle suchs as 2014 and 2015.

Was your ECU already unlocked or did he have to send it to EcuTek to unlock first?

If so how long did it take for them to unlock it?

Asking because I'm waiting for EcuTek to unlock mine so John can start the tune process with me.

Thanks.

I believe mine was already unlocked. I have an 09 touring sports. And he did the rom dump personally over a month ago. Then the delays w my build happened. Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Since last week I've sent 6 new unsupported roms to EcuTek ranging from 09-15. As support gets added I'm letting people know

John

That is great keep us posted.

OP updated with 7/3 date.

added some updates to the OP.

....

Looking through the logs it looks like I'm getting some knock (Map Trace Knock). -1, -2, and -3 values.

Hopefully it gets cleaned up in my future maps.

7/10 - John emailed me with a new map. He also stated the last log came in clear. Will send him the new datalogs tonight.

7/11 - John stated that my fueling is different from bank to bank. He requested I run the "Idle Learning" tool in Ecutek. Ran it with no issues. Logged a few runs and sent it to him. Also I noticed that the issue with my logs cutting in and out came back. I booted up my laptop in "selective start-up" using msconfig and it seems to resolved the issue entirely.

Where is the idle relearn, I havent poked around a lot yet. This would help when i clean my TB's. The pedal trick it a PIA!

Have ProECU detect your vehicle. After it detects the vehicle you get the separate window with multiple options. One of the options says ECM Tools. Idle Learn is in there. Make sure the car is completely up to temp before running Idle Learn.

"Idle Learning –This will commence an auto learn airflow/throttle balance sequence, ensure that the Engine and TCM are over 65 deg C, the vehicle is in Park with handbrake ON and no DTCs are current or historic then start the auto learn sequence. See the detailed Idle Learning Air Volume sequence on the following pages."

It's explained in my guide that's found on support.vtune.us

Thanx guys!

July 18th - John sent me a new 2 new maps. 1 map was to test disabling the Yaw sensor via EcuTek. It was not successful (Yaw warning light did not activate. VDC still worked as normal). Other was just a regular map.

July 19th - Sent John new log from with the notes above. This is from revision 6 of my tune.

Pedal trick is easy if you follow with the guy on Youtube. A forum member posted a video there and I just sync with him using my iphone or ipad- I don't have to count, he counts for me. If you do it alone it will drive you crazy! LOL!

http://youtu.be/95WszTnphPI

Lol, way easier just to use EcuTek. This doesn't do anything for idle learn either.

Ha ha ha ! This is for ECU reset,

Here is the idle relearn.


-warm the engine.
-Confirm that accelerator pedal is fully released, turn ignition switch "ON"? and wait 3 seconds.
-Repeat the following procedure quickly five times within 5 seconds.
a. Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
b. Fully release the accelerator pedal.
-Wait 7 seconds, fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it for approx. 20 seconds until the MIL stops
blinking and turned ON.
-Fully release the accelerator pedal within 3 seconds after the MIL goes ON.
-Start engine and let it idle.
-Wait 20 seconds.

Sweet! Definitely helpful for people without EcuTek.:tup:

7/27 - I'm no longer using John as my tuner. Severe personality conflict. Read from bottom to top.

Anthony <>
3:52 PM (0 minutes ago)


to John


Hey John,

I can't return the parts because after our last couple emails I have already made an appointment with another shop to do a new tune from scratch. I have a track day coming up that I have already paid for and need a tune without any further delay. Yes, my mind was made up as soon as I read the email you sent before the one I sent asking for a refund. Not any sooner that that.

I will agree that this is obviously a personality conflict and nothing more. You asked me to change my behavior (sharing my experience about you publicly) or you would not complete the job I paid you to do. From my point of view and our recent interactions I will not trust you to work on my car. I can't take that chance. I have to pay full price to another vendor to do the work I paid you to do. I want a full refund of the labor services from you in return.

I will request a refund of the labor services from my bank. I'm sure you do have quite an extensive experience with the dispute process. I don't have any experience with it and this will be my first time ever doing this. That probably says a lot about both of us. I may not get my money back going this route, but that is not the point.

Have a good day.




On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 3:00 PM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hey Anthony -


Sorry for the delay. I've been in SoCal for the weekend doing Porsche training with Cobb Tuning. Although I do appreciate your feedback, I don't necessarily agree with your rationale. And I'd also like to say right off the bat that your thinly veiled threat to take this situation to the forum has had no impact on how I've decided to handle this situation. I do stand by everything I've said and done while working with you. With that being said I've tuned a lot of cars over the years and I've been in nearly every situation imaginable with my customers. So I've been down this road before, and I'm very familiar with how the credit card companies will handle this situation. Unfortunately for you, once I provide digital documentation (which I have) that we're on our 6th revision and it's you that is unwilling to continue the tuning process (which is basically refusing service) they will side with me. My money might get hung up for a month or two, but ultimately I will win this dispute. It's really not a good experience for anyone involved though.


I think it's also important to note that there seems to be some misunderstanding about which RaceRom features your custom tune has and what features EcuTek is capable of. These are not one in the same. Just because EcuTek supports other advanced features, doesn't mean it's automatically part of my custom calibration. And although this is clearly stated on my website where you purchased your custom tune, I'll go ahead and relist it here.


- Raises RPM limit
- Increases fuel economy
- Adjust ignition timing
- Adjust VVT timing
- Remove speed limiter
- Raise max cruise control threshold
- RaceRom Launch Control (manual only)
- RaceRom Flat Foot Shifting (manual only)
- 4-way MAP switching, which includes switchable modes for different octane levels
- and of course, tune adjustments based on submitted data logs


If you're still insisting on a refund despite all the effort and revision I've put into the tune, I'll grant your request but with the understanding that you return the entire EcuTek kit to me. To make things easier, I will even provide you with a prepaid shipping label. You'll need to program in a special stock file that I will provide, which will remove the programming license from your ECU. Once the license is removed, I'll need documented confirmation which can easily be sent by using "Submit diagnostic information," in Tuner Assist. Once that is confirmed, that's when I will send you a prepaid Express USPS label. When I receive the package and confirm no damage to the contents, I will issue a full refund including shipping. Although this may not be what you had in mind, this is the only way I will proceed with a refund and in the end it gets you exactly what you wanted.


In closing, I took the time to reply to you in detail about where I personally thought we got off on the wrong foot but that didn't seem to accomplish too much. Let's just be honest with each other; your mind seemed pretty made up regardless of anything I could have said. And from my experience in dealing with thousands of customers over the years, I think you're being overly sensitive to the tone of the emails I sent that offended you. But the most important point I want to make is above all things, I am a professional who takes great pride in my work and the insinuation that I would somehow sabotage or even put anything less than 100% into your car over a silly disagreement that amounts to nothing more than "tone," is ridiculous. If you do decide to have a change of heart and keep the tune, we can still continue along as if none of this ever happened. But if you do decide to move forward with the full refund, then no hard feelings and I hope the grass is really greener for you on the other side.


John


On Jul 23, 2015, at 1:24 PM, Anthony <> wrote:
You not picking up my call has no bearing on my previous email to you or this one. So that is not a factor at all. I called as a professional courtesy so we could speak directly with each other.

My post on the forums was not meant as a way for you to have a dialogue with anyone. It was meant for me and my fellow forum members to have a dialogue. If you wanted to participate in those conversations that was entirely up to you. I wasn't posting any negative comments or negative feedback. I was only sharing my experience as a customer with other people of our community and giving them updates of our progress.

Regarding our testing of "Ice mode". It is common practice to discuss such activities and testing on the forum. I would disagree with your opinion that your testing instructions of "ice mode" were clear and complete. I felt that your tone changed considerably towards me a few emails ago, but I put it aside and replied back to you in a friendly tone. Then you asked me to change my behavior if I wanted to continue working with you. Your tone and wording was completely unacceptable. I'm not sure what your background is, but your basic understanding of customer service and business practices when dealing with a customer is lacking.

I highly suggest that if your expectation from your customers is to keep email correspondence private that you have them sign a NDA stating as such. Good luck with that.

If you will not refund my eTune money I will submit a claim with my credit card company to pull the funds back ($200). You did not complete agreed upon service that I paid for. I'm still getting knock on the tune, according to the logs, and have yet to receive any of the RaceRom features I paid for. If I thought of you as a professional, which I no longer do, I would try to salvage our business relationship so that you can complete the work. I fear that the last few emails have shown enough of your personality that I can not trust you with working on such a vital part of my car after our disagreement.

I will submit the claim sometime over the next few days with my bank and share my experience with others. You're more than welcomed to refund my $200 service fee voluntarily and we will go our separate ways. If you plan on doing so please let me know the expected refund date. If you do that I will stop our business relationship with the understanding that we just didn't see eye to eye and had a conflict of personality.

Thank you and if I don't hear back from you by Monday I will take the action stated above.

On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 11:46 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Anthony –

Unfortunately I was in the middle of an important phone call last night which is why I was unable to take your call. Although I try to make myself as available as possible, I simply can’t be everyone’s everything all the time. This is why emails work best for me. Everything gets replied to in the order that it comes in. I don’t have the same abilities with call and text. Regarding my email to you about the posts you’ve been making, I wasn’t trying to give you the impression that I wasn’t “happy with you being my customer.” In fact, I really didn’t have a problem with the thread you started about logging your experience with me, mainly because you weren’t posting misinformation that would require me to go in and comment. But on the other hand, it’s just simply more difficult to have a public conversation about all this, than it is to have a direct private one. If I wanted everyone’s feedback/opinion, I would post in that thread myself. Anything that’s said in email is private, especially when the issue is ongoing and hasn’t been resolved. I’ve given you clear instructions on what you needed to do to test for ICE mode, and before you finished what I’ve asked you to do you’ve already come to a conclusion yourself and posted it online. This and only this is my frustration.

I don’t want to lose you as a customer, but if you feel the need to move onto someone else then I wish you the best of luck. But regarding your refund, we’re on our 6th revision of the tune, your cars running great, and you more than received the service that you paid for. Not picking up what would be considered an afterhours phone call by nearly any business in this industry, is not justification for a refund. Thanks.

-John

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 6:30 PM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

John,

I tried calling you to discuss, but got your voicemail.

I'm not posting or sharing anything negative. In fact I think what I'm sharing is a positive reflection on you. I'm not sure how I (the customer) offended you, but you're obviously not happy with me being your customer and I would prefer you not work on my car if that's the case. Can you refund my $200 for the eTune service? I will just take my business elsewhere.

Thank you.

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 2:25 PM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Anthony,

I would appreciate you not posting up every single thing we discuss online on a public forum.

This is not how I operate and if you would like to continue working together something will need to change.

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 1:39 PM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

Ok, I will test it out when I have the time and can find a space to safely get into a sustained drift. "Ice mode" can be dangerous when it tries to over compensate straightening the car out (when applying the brakes) so I need to find a public space to test it safely.

In the meantime please continue with your normal tuning maps if you haven't already sent a new one with the traction control map. How are my logs looking by the way?

Thanks.

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 8:48 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony

Please do not make this complicated.

Since we are NOT unplugging the yaw sensor there is no reason for any lights to come on the dash

Can you please test this file out for me, if you cannot provide the feedback I’m asking for then II will be unable to help you any further with the traction control

Thanks

John

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 10:21 AM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

John,

As stated in my first reply about this; I did not get the Yaw sensor light saying it was disabled. No point going for a test drive.

Are you saying that even though the dash light didn't come on the Yaw sensor should have been disabled?

Thanks.

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 7:06 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
You’re not understanding

What I needed to know was if you got any lights on the dash with the TCM Disable Map

Next thing I need from you is if it actually disables the ICE Mode… you’ll to do aggressive driving to figure that out

John

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 2:05 PM

To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

I would think I wouldn't have to manually unplug the Yaw sensor if the map disables it. Kind of defeats the purpose, no?

On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 10:35 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony

You didn't get a light because it's still plugged in........

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 21, 2015, at 1:34 PM, Anthony <> wrote:
John,

I didn't have time to actually drive with the traction control map. I just went by the dash lights. When the Yaw sensor is disabled (manually unplugged) a dash light will come on next to the VDC light. I didn't get the Yaw light with your map.



Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 21, 2015, at 8:56 AM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony,

How did you test out the traction control map?

From: Anthony [mailto:]
Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 12:08 PM
To: John Visconti
Subject: Re: [Tuner Assist Datalog Review] Anthony - 6B4D57

John,

Tested out the traction control map, but it didn't seem to make a difference. VDC an Yaw were both still enabled by default. When hitting the VDC button only the VDC lighted turned on as expected. I didn't go for a drive to actually test. I just flashed it to see if the VDC and Yaw light would come on.

Then I flashed the other map you sent and reset the ECM as you instructed. Log is 3rd gear, 3rd gear into 4th gear, then 4th gear.

Thanks for looking into disabling the yaw sensor. If you can figure it out it would be a big win for the track guys I think.

On Sat, Jul 18, 2015 at 1:31 PM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Hi Anthony,

I’ve sent you a update tune file to flash and log.

After flashing please go into the ECM Tools and Reset the ecu.

I’ve also provided a Tune that should turn off the Traction Control System, I haven’t used it before so I’m not actually sure how it’s going to operate.

When you get a chance maybe you can flash that in and let me know if you get any lights on your dash

Let me know

Thanks

John

I really cant see why this is here, I worked with John and have been talking to him off and on for over a year, He has a different personality and I got along with him fine, I had some "tone" emails but really how to take tone in a email? If you understand how he works and the things he wants" protectionist IMO" then you are fine , He knows his sh#t and let you know he does. I'm not saying this is the best way to go about things but just how he is.

So basically you asked for a refund because you guys can to inpass on testing "ICE mode". I could be wrong and maybe not everything is here but that's a little :/..

I'm not taking sides as I spoken to the OP on who to use and I recommended John,
This just my .02 on what I read.

And if I had to pick a tuner or suggest one I would still use John.

I've worked with john and he's fine. It's just that some people are more sensitive than others. To be honest,it looks like he's been working on everything that you've asked him to. Etunes are a lot different than taking your car to a tuner. It's been over two weeks with back and forth tune updates where as if he had your car on a dyno,it would all be done in a day. No offense,but what do actually expect when going the Etune route? Hope you get your issue resolved and find exactly what your looking for out of your car. :tiphat:

Can someone please summarize the point said dude is trying to make by making us read his book report?

Anyone???

:ugh2:

You thought his "tone" in his emails was an issue? Reading into "tone" in an email is like using sarcasm in a text message :icon14: Not to mention his instructions regarding the traction control map were pretty clear IMO.

Just my :twocents:, but from my perspective (having never worked with John directly but hearing feedback from happy and disgruntled customers as well as my own tuner), John was someone that knows his stuff but can sometimes rub people the wrong way. After seeing his responses here, his stock went up a notch in my book. It seems that he handled this as professionally as possible. I certainly wouldn't have given you a refund.

To summarize and what I think is completely unacceptable.

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 2:25 PM, John Visconti <john@vtune.us> wrote:
Anthony,

I would appreciate you not posting up every single thing we discuss online on a public forum.

This is not how I operate and if you would like to continue working together something will need to change.

Sorry if I expect some professionalism when spending $850 with a vendor. That email he sent was not justified at all. I had no problem with him testing "Ice Mode" or the time it takes for an eTune. He did NOT complete the service I paid for and I did not get the RaceRom features I paid for. There is no way I'm going to let someone continue to work on my car that has some sort of attitude towards me.

I'm sure he knows his stuff, but I'm not taking any chances.

If you have the attention span to actually read the email exchange you can make your own conclusions. I'm just sharing my experience and there are others I've now come across that would agree.

I'm not trying to sit here and say one guy is right and one guy is wrong. But I do not understand why this email got to you so much. Sure, he could have worded it differently, but as a small business owner myself, I completely understand what he is getting at with this comment.

You obviously weren't a real hardass as a customer because John was quite polite to you in those emails. It sounds like a phone call could have possibly straightened things out. Especially if you were having issues with his "tone" in the emails. If you call after business hours, leave a message and wait for a call back. I miss calls all the time during normal business hours, and I don't know how important your issue is unless you leave a message telling me.

He is your Tuner and he did not beg to work with you. Your tuner, his rule! Unless he blows up your engine and that's a different story. LOL!

There is a tiny printed area that a lot of people missed reading.

" Before the logging begins, have a cold stack of six pack nearby during the WOT procedure!" :rofl2:

He basically said that if I didn't stop posting on the forums that we would stop providing his service that I paid for. That's BS in my book. If you read my email you will see that him missing my phone call had nothing to do with it.

Like I said earlier take what you will out of it, but I expect a little more professionalism.

You're right. I paid him to work with me.

Fan boys are strong here. I know some have received good service from him and I know that plenty have voiced similar experiences as mine.

:nutswinger:

That's not how I read it at all. All I read is that he had some concerns about the business relationship between you two being conducted in public on an open forum. And justifiably so.

There was obviously a misunderstanding between you two in regards to the traction control map instructions. My guess is that John was concerned that would make it on the forum before you two had a chance to work things out and get on the same page.

I read your posts, and I never said that it did.

All I was trying to point out is that I think you two should have spoken on the phone. Trying to communicate exclusively via text or email just isn't sufficient in a lot of situations.

Again, he could have worded it differently. But you had a fairly knee-jerk reaction to a fairly innocuous statement. He did his best to smooth things over, but you had already made up your mind without actually talking to him. I just feel a phone call would have gone a long ways in this case, that's all :tiphat:

Dude for 850$ u got a hell of a lot of service from visconti. Bc i surely did not pay 850$. My car runs perfectly. I havent gotten my knock sensor light since my last update. And he still hits me up once in a while to follow up and see how my car is running and still wants new data logs. I wont comment on anything else bc thats between you and jv. Good luck with your next tuner though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Honestly, if there is extreme personality conflict between the two of you, you could have asked for a refund on the first or second Etunes. Why did you wait up to the 6 flashes?

Granted, you paid for the service ,but let him do his thing and stop interfering with his style of doing business. It might appear that he came in to you too strong on some wording in his email or phone call, but why take it personally?
What matters is the tuning outcome! It probably only takes 6 to 7 flashes the most to dial the car in and you won't deal with him again. Asking for a full refund on the service late in the game is a bit unprofessional. You could have hang on for a couple more flashes and be done with him.

Did he ask you to return the whole ECUTEk kit and get a full refund? If he did, you could have just return everything and then start from scratch with your new tuner. That is more professional way to settle this issue...

If he asked you not to post an ongoing issue with the ICE mode on the forum, why not refrain from posting at the meantime? Let him concentrate to deal with the issue and find solutions. There are other prospective customer who would see him struggling to fix the issue and will appear that he does not know what he is doing. That is a bad publicity and not good for business. I know John know his stuff and I would eat my ego for now until car runs 3.5 secs 0-60 and will cuss at him afterwards. LOL!

From a completely unbiased point of view (not knowing either one of you) , reading those emails it seemed like John handled things very professionally. In fact the only time I noticed a "tone" was when you actively refused to do what he was asking you to do to test the issue. Obviously there'd be frustration when you pay someone for assistance, they provide their portion of the work and you don't follow through on your end. Especially when the end product relies partially on you logging necessary data. Like I said I don't know either one of you but if someone was actively refusing to do what I asked so I could do my job to the best of my ability...there may be some frustration in my next couple messages.

Look I've personally dealt with John. That tone your referring to is his personality. I was frustrated at one point as well but that was on me. A very similar situation track day coming tune no 100% John made sure I had a proper tune for that day though for map 3 which I data logged and sent to him.

I see it from both sides I actually started to perform a dispute and post a negative thread. John called me on the phone. He wasn't pleased and I understand why. He had the same tone and demeanor for the most part as when I first discussed tuning with him.

Our personalities conflict as well. However I cancelled my dispute removed the thread. Took a step back and let the man do his job. It took longer than I would have liked. True, however I would rather it take months and be done properly then a couple weeks and have issues.

Is John a saint.. no. Is he good at his job? Yes. Will your car be completed to safe standards and information once complete. Yes

To be honest, if I was him since you posted all the e-mails including an offer for a full refund I would pull back that offer that was a courtesy not a requirement.

If you really wanted to be professional (bigger person) etc. Why not just except his offer put it back to stock except the refund. Not post every e-mail.

Just post your thoughts like: "I didn't like working with John I wasn't satisfied but he did refund my money and even paid for shipping." Am I missing something? He gave you an out. If that was offered to me and I was that completely dissatisfied I would have said agreed please send me a label and we will conclude our business and be done with each other.