If you search the web, you'll find that your question has been the topic of spirited and usually very heated debate for at least a decade.

 

That is because Hennessy is one of the biggest rip off companies on the planet. How they survived their early scandals involving destruction and flat out theft is beyond me. Lingenfelter is another scam house very popular in the Corvette world .

 

I saw the same thing when I owned a Corvette. There were a bezillion pretenders that offered tunes but only 2, some would say 3 that had a solid reputation for many years with substantial warranties. I don't think the F-Type has been around long enough for anyone to have the kind of reputation I would trust.
Larry

 

OP,
Thanks for posting your experience with VMax. I have filed a dispute with Paypal and AMEX for non-delivery of services. I paid Jan 30th and was first promised a delivery date of Feb 6th or 7th, then the delivery date was extended to Feb 11th or 12th. I left a PM with Bill and a voicemail Feb 12th asking for status and received no response. Bill if you are reading this DO NOT SEND the laptop....oh wait you don't have the laptop.

 

Unfortunately it appears I was not the only one who fell for their lies. I too have filed a complaint with Paypal. I am not holding my breath. At least you found out BEFORE your car was "tuned".

 

You sound like a guy who works for a two bit mom and pop shop!

 

Im really surprised vmax has not responded to this thread. Hopefully he can come in and speak truthfully and salvage these bad situations. I hate seeing peoples businesses get hammered online but if you don't deliver what you promise it deff can cause huge issues because now people have the opportunity to voice opinions online good or bad.

I also can't stand when I ask tuner shops what happens if something goes wrong with my engine and I have to warranty it and they see the tune. What happens if its voided because of the tune history. They always say our tunes have not caused any problems but that still doesn't answer the question of who pays for the broken engine when warranty is voided because of tune. Also most say our tunes are undetectable but wont they see the pulley has been switched out? Pretty sure that is detectible even if the ecu isn't?

 

Hennessy did have a big problem and I never heard whether they worked their way out of it, but it sure destroyed any trust the Corvette community had with them. I cannot imagine how anyone thinks Lingenfelter was a ripoff. Both Lingenfelter and Callaway were/are highly regarded. I had the Lingenfelter package installed on my C6, spent time in their shop, talked with other customers. It was a flawless install with a bump to 610HP and a warranty that I never needed. I would have used Callaway but they did not "accept" Vettes that were not new, though they are the only tuner that GM offers the factory warranty with.
Larry

 

Wow!! I truly feel for you bud!.. Well I'll just say "No comment"..I don't want start a war with another vendor, I know if I open my mouth.. I'm getting booted!.. Keeping peace :-P

At Velocity, yes we're working with the Ftype software..well really all the Land Rover/Jaguar Bosch PCMs.. There all the same, it's my current project, not a "will be project"..its my personal present project to figure out MED17.8.31.

We normally specialize in Aston Martin tunes, but being the new Vanquish runs with Bosch ME17.8.31( it's just not direct injection), it made the LR/Jag MED17.8.31 pop onto our radar.

I've posted a few times mentioning a few info here and there..I have the stock tunes for V6/V6S/V6S AWD and also V8 RWD/V8 AWD/ Project 7..I've already compared the stock tunes to see how the factory does there increases... So right now I can make any base V6 bump +/-20% with just increasing what factory did and the V8 bump 10% with what project 7 adjustments are plus a little more(don't kill me on quotes, this is all in test phase and we've yet to get a test car to tune and dyno, these numbers just come from what percent is left on stock limiter that factory adjusts)...that's without playing with timing/spark/fuel. Obviously were going to play with everything, but that's just where I'm at right now.

I currently have access to any 2016 LR/Jag models for datalogging and reading..just I presently lack a vehicle to test with a tune. We're in Canada so there's not to many RWD Ftypes running around in winter months..unless there awd, but not to many awd 2016s looking to be a tester.

I might be able to help you with getting a stock file back onto your car, or a tune file. But I'm sure after your current situation you might just want the OEM file back, totally understand. The slave tool you have, it's a Kess? It would be locked to the vendor(slave tool encrypts the file, only vendor can decrypt the read file). If they refuse to work with you..I can try and get a slave to you that's on our hub, to at least help get this concern resolved and avoid the need for a dealer visit..

Nonetheless, let us know if we can be of help. :-)

 

Certainly sad to hear, but not surprising.

In the spirit of helping someone contemplating a tune, here's my very general take on tuners: The "Proven" and the "Unproven."

The "Proven" have been around awhile. I can usually sense a considerable investment in research and design on their part. I say this based on what is likely a significant number of dyno runs and data logging activities that must be undertaken to prove reliability of product. Some are high-end yet many are not. They (strive to) have a rep for being trustworthy. There is usually sufficient data to support their claims. Many only offer niche tunes, focusing on a particular marque or engine type. Many offer a tuning platform (laptop, handheld) while others offer PCM reprogramming only. Some offer heavy tunes while others lighter-weight tunes. Generally, I've found they make themselves available for issue and questions. They communicate! Tuners that come to mind include Cobb, RUF, Brabus, Dinan, SCT, etc. There are many good ones out there. (I have mixed feelings about Hennessy and Lingenfelter.)

OTOH, the "Unproven" are just that, unproven. Though not always, they are often new to the scene. A good programmer does not always mean a good tuner. They will publish dyno tests and anecdotal evidence to support their claims. A tell that the tuner is someone with whom to part ways is a lack of communication, but that trait doesn't always show up until things go south unfortunately. This is not to say that a tuner won't become proven over time, but it is not about good intent here; they have to prove themselves. Since the first posts hit at the end of last year, I viewed VMax in the latter category. Nothing here has inspired me to view that "tuner" any differently.

Hope the OP is able to get his factory tune back and enjoy his new ride. Nice to see VelocityAP step up.

 

This entire thread is: Wow, Just Wow!

 

+1 Totally agree. Was just informing.

 

Thank you for your help. I have emailed the Dyno shop and asked him to send me a picture and information on the laptop. I will forward to your attention upon receipt. I am a bit reluctant to experiment with another tune but would love to get my OEM file back. If you can help with that, please let me know, along with anticipated costs.

I am of course upset with vMax for their scam but more mad at myself. I was not satisfied owning a beautiful, high performance car that is the envy of 99.9% of car enthusiasts. I wanted to be able to enjoy an extra 100 or so hp and capture the envy of the remaining .1%. Sometimes we truly are victims of our own hubris and vMax found a way to exploit that flaw. Insult to injury are the "I told you so's" from the wife. There goes a new set of irons this year.

 

The term is called tag team posting.

The moderators have the ability to correlate the source addresses
of the posts if they wish to do so. That would pretty much reveal
the true story.

If they require assistance, I can do it with the proper acccess.

 

Using your definitions, there are no "proven" tuners for the F-Type. No one else stepped forward, posted data, and answered questions other than VMax.

 

Does the OC F-type continent need to pull up to the offices with torches and pitchforks? I do live about 20 minutes away from the address they give.

 

LOL. I live about 3 miles from that address. Its a PO Box at a shipping store in the Carl's Jr shopping center.

All joking aside, curious to see what VMAX says.

 

Didn't intend my post as definitions, Foosh, just a few general thoughts on tuners. I hesitated to comment, but figured if it helped someone researching a tune, so be it.

But, in response to your comment, yup--haven't see a F-Type tune worth loading thusfar (though I'm also not interested for the reason you shared in Post #19). This is not to say that they (proven tuners) aren't out there however. I'm relatively new to the Jaguar community and its after-market suppliers and am still learning.

 

+1

 

Since VMax aka Bill Jones is unresponsive, a link to this post has been posted on his facebook.