VF Tuner ECU/TCU Tuning for the GX550
- Thread starter VF Tuner
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #322
When the tacoma tune was developed it was specifically to fix the horrendous transmission issues.
When the tune for the GX was first developed we were not aware of such specific transmission problems. Also most customers who have our kits have not mentioned to us they have shifting issues.
I'm quite confident it will work, and we will disassemble this new tune and see exactly what Toyota did to the transmission tune and explain it publicly.
can’t wait to hear this …. This one issue will make me push the button for the tune
I ordered and paid for my tune and got a shipping notification on 9/3. The package has still not been shipped; USPS shows the label was created but the package not shipped. Arrrg.
I submitted a support request but have not heard back.
I submitted a support request but have not heard back.
Got my kit. That's great.
However, now I have to wait "48-72 hours to 3-5 business days" for you to reply to my mail to support@vftuner.com with my registration number before I can actually do the tune?
Really?!?
- Thread starter
- #330
This is just a standard / automated reply.
Registrations happen same day 99% of the time. The only time it is delayed is if we can't verify order to email / etc.
Please also make sure you use the correct email
Support@ovtune.zendesk.com
I hope you understand my frustration. I waited several weeks for my order to be shipped and then when I was ready to do the tune this morning, I discovered that you have a process that requires me to EMAIL you TWICE in order to get the software working with a turnaround measured in hours, if not days.
Because I couldn't just get it done this morning I'm now out of time today.
Building a cloud-based authentication system that does not require these manual shenanigans is not that hard.... particularly given the price-point of your products. It's 2025, not 2015. I do understand your desire to prevent piracy; that's valid. But this customer experience is lame.
Also, your documentation on all of this is really poor. Why doesn't the GX550 instructions just have the end-to-end instructions in it, making it clear that a customer should budget an ENTIRE DAY to get the product setup?
- Unbox & install VF Tune, which, BTW is not signed, so all modern web browsers try to block the download. 20 minutes.
- Get the Device ID and send email. It took over 2 hours for you to send me the notice I was registered.
- Plug in the device to the car and wait 30 minutes for it to read the ECU ID.
- Send you another email.
- Wait 2+ hours (could be 3-5 business days if you are super busy) to get to the point where I can actually program my car.
I hope you take this feedback in the spirit of a customer who really wants your product to work for them and is willing to provide feedback. BTW, I've built some of the most sophisticated and large-scale device registration systems on the planet (Windows, Amazon Echo). If you'd like help designing a system that is friction free for customers just let me know.
Arrrgg....
I can't figure out how to get the CAN bus connector cap off. Can someone please explain how it's supposed to come off. I've tried pulling with needle nose pliers, but all that did was start to damage it. There's no room in there to get fingers in....
I can't figure out how to get the CAN bus connector cap off. Can someone please explain how it's supposed to come off. I've tried pulling with needle nose pliers, but all that did was start to damage it. There's no room in there to get fingers in....
- Thread starter
- #333
Full automation of this process is simply not possible.
There has never been an instance where someone waits 3-5 business days for a registration to be completed.
GX550 vehicles have MULTIPLE different calibration IDs which is impossible to know ahead of time until you connect to the car and send us the details, so no matter what it can't be done in the fashion you want it to be done in.
The wait time on shipping for your kit was completely out of control.
Relax, follow the process, and you'll be happily tuned very soon. VERY RARELY is there ever a time when we have extended delays. Our automated replies only have those time frames as a "just incase / worst case."
Can you shed any light on the shift point changes in the v1 transmission tune? I got the most recent transmission reflash from the dealer but am still experiencing occasional rough downshifting from 3rd to 2nd gear (~12mph). I've found if I manually downshift using the paddle shifters a few mph before the car automatically downshifts at 12mph (~15mph or so instead) it is a ton smoother and I don't experience the issue. Are the downshift points the same as stock with the v1 tune or is there a plan to have shift points tweaked in future releases? Is it possible to have the ability to request specific shift points or would you need to go to an independent tuner or do so yourself?
I can understand your frustration since I had to wait for my tune, but VF was communicative and shared their shipping delays as they had similar issues with mine. I will say that sending and waiting for activation code from the provider is normal on tunes. I had to wait on my M-Engineering tune for my Porsche 911 992.1 tune so it’s normal.
I still haven’t installed my VFtune on my GX550 OT+ so I guess I need to at least get the registration done soon.
I can see why there is a need for several around trips. I didn't suggest full automation. I suggested you can remove customer friction and reduce latency; significantly.
Nothing involving software is impossible.
If you want to build a company where employees regularly say "It's impossible, and a failure to plan is 'out of our control'", Godspeed.
However, excellent companies live by principles like this:
- We strive to find creative solutions to seemingly impossible problems. Instead of saying something is impossible, we ask "How hard could it be?" and "What would it take?". Then we invent solutions.
- Errors happen. When an error happens (for example we underestimate demand, or a vendor fails us), we get to the root cause, and engineer systems that prevent that problem from happening again. We don't blame; we recognize it's our responsibility and we work to fix the problem.
VF Tune has an opportunity to be better than all the other fly-by-night tune operations out there. The team is clearly talented and inventive. I'm excited to get my tune running and was VERY pleased with how much better my (very shitty) 3rd gen Tacoma did with their tune.
An attitude of "this is the way it's always been done, so we don't need to do better" is a sure way to guarantee you build a mediocre company.
- Thread starter
- #337
I appreciate your feedback and criticism.
It is much easier to say these things than actually implement these things. We are not amazon and do not have billion dollar budgets to implement things so easily like you say. Many improvements are in the works they are just not released as of yet.
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Amen to that!
I'm involved in a similar company that builds products for car enthusiasts too, and we struggle with these things all the time. Just this morning, we realized one aspect of our documentation sucked... we were using "inside baseball" terminology, just assuming our customers knew what we knew and thus they were confused. Fixing this requires us to edit 10+ support documents. We're a 2-person company and that's time that COULD be spent on engineering our next product.
Navigating this is HARD. My 35+ years of building, investing in, and advising companies that do this has taught me tons of skills and tools that at least allow founders to be intentional about it.
I'm serious about my willingness to help. This is what I do now: I help early-stage companies learn the skills and tools required to be excellent and avoid what I call the ghost of mediocracy. I do it as my way of giving back after decades of getting help from so many others.
FWIW, I was able to get my ECU read this morning and just sent y'all the file.
Too late. Figured it all out myself.
📷 Lexus GX 550 Random Images
📷 Lexus GX 550 Random Images
