I have outlined a detailed process of what to expect broken down into four phases. PURCHASING, SETUP, TUNING, and FAQs with regards to being tuned and what to expect from SONICTUNED specifically.
Please click this link here for an explanation as to what remote street tuning is and why it is our preferred method of tuning. https://www.sonictuned.com/post/remote-street-tuning-1
If you have already purchased the remote tune, please skip to Step 4.
PURCHASING:
When purchasing a remote tune kit, there will be a few options for you to go through. The final price will vary greatly depending on the options required to tune your vehicle. I will break down each of those options below. The first two steps/options are not tuner specific and required. The rest of them are options can vary from tuner to tuner. In this case, we will be using options specific to this company and website.
ECU LICENSE:
The ECU is your engines computer. It is the brain of the drivetrain and is your engines management system. ECU stands for ENGINE CONTROL UNIT. It can also be referred to as an ECM or ENGINE CONTROL MODULE which is the same thing. To be tuned on ECUTEK, your ECU requires a digital access license that gets purchased directly from Ecutek by your tuner and applied to your car. Your car cannot be tuned without this.
Your first option will be, "IS YOUR CAR CURRENTLY TUNED". YES/NO. This is a simplified question to know whether or not you need an ECUTEK digital license. If you answer "YES", this means your car is currently ECUTEK tuned and already has a license that you may have purchased from a previous tuner. This will be verified through the ECUTEK cloud for starting the process. If you answer "NO" your car has never been tuned before and your vehicle will require the ECUTEK license. This is a one time purchase required to give your tuner access to be able to tune the car. This license is stored in your cars ECU. The tuner has to first purchase this digital license directly from ECUTEK and then transfer it to you. If you previously purchased your tune with a DESKEY before phone flash was an option, the DEKSEY would have shipped with the digital license on it. The digital license would have then been transferred to your ECU via laptop/deskey/connect kit the first time you loaded a tune into the car. Once this is done, the license is no longer available on the DESKEY and cannot be removed from the ECU. The DESKEY is a small black USB security key that gives you and your tuner access to your ECU if you are not able to be tuned via PHONEFLASH. The ECU LICENSE does not stay with your DESKEY/DONGLE or BLUETOOTH CONNECT KIT. If you sell your DESKEY or Bluetooth connect kit after you've been tuned, the new owner will need to purchase a license and tune separately if their car has not already been tuned/not currently tuned.
BLUETOOTH CONNECT KIT:
Your second option will be, "DO YOU HAVE AN ECUTEK BLUETOOTH CONNECT KIT". The Bluetooth connect kit is a small green(or black and branded with your tuners logo) module/plug from ECUTEK that gets plugged into the OBD2 port on your vehicle. This is required to allow the tuner to transfer tunes into your vehicle remotely and for you to be able to send datalogs to him/her via your phone and the ECUTEK CONNECT app. The connect kit is not a storage device. No tuning or vehicle information can be stored on the connect kit. The data is only transferred from the phone flash cloud to your ECU through the connect kit and your phone. Once the tuning is complete, the connect kit does not need to stay plugged in. It will only need to be plugged in to use APP features (like custom gauges) or to send a datalog to your tuner/view the data. This module is not linked to your vehicle and can be used between multiple vehicles and phones. If you have 2 cars tuned via Ecutek, you do not need 2 connect kits unless you want them. If you already have one, you will not need to purchase this again. Once tuning is complete, this can be removed from the vehicle and only the phone app and its features will not work. The tune will still be functional.
Please note, if you buy one used and not from your tuner, it will not be covered under warranty through your tuner and you will need to purchase another one if it becomes defective.
TUNE ADD-ONS:
The rest of the options are add-ons and not required unless you need them. Launch control is a custom feature setup by your tuner. For the FLEX FUEL option to run ethanol, it is REQUIRED that you have a flex fuel kit installed on your vehicle with and an aftermarket low pressure fuel pump. If you do not have a flex fuel kit, you do not need to purchase this option. The same goes for the aftermarket fuel injectors and aftermarket turbocharger options.
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**Once the tune is purchased, you must do the initial setup (found here) as soon as you receive the kit. There is a schedule that needs to be followed to ensure every customer has their tune done in a timely fashion. Even if the car isn't ready yet, this step must be completed so the BASEMAP can be made for the car. You will then have 30 days(from the date of delivery, not purchase) to load the BASEMAP in and begin tuning. Once tuning has started, the tune needs to be completed within 30 days of the first log sent. If you do not do the initial setup within 30 days or go past the 30 day tuning period, you will be charged a $250 rescheduling fee to be put back on the schedule. There is no exception to this rule.**
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SETUP:
Once you have purchased the remote tune package, one of two things will happen. For the customers who already have an ECUTEK CONNECT KIT, there will be nothing needed to be shipped to you and you will need to visit this link to begin the process: https://www.sonictuned.com/post/copy-of-ecutek-phoneflash-initial-setup
If you do not have an ECUTEK CONNECT KIT, one will be shipped to you within 5 business days and you will receive a 4x6 card inside the box with a QR code scannable with your phones camera that will bring you directly to the initial setup linked above.
There are 3 primary steps, each with their own webpage with very specific and detailed instructions with pictures. I cannot stress this enough ---> PLEASE READ EVERY STEP IN ITS ENTIRETY!!!!!! People tend to skip through, miss very important steps, and greatly delay the process. Each one of these pages were very carefully made and designed to not only show you the basics on how to operate the app and go through the remote tune process smoothly, but also LIMIT the possibility for mishaps.
TUNING:
If the primary steps have been completed correctly, I will receive an initial datalog of the car idling. This step is done for 2 reasons. It teaches you how to take and send logs and it allows me to verify you have selected the proper datalog profile needed to properly tune your vehicle. If the list is wrong, you will receive an email asking you to repeat this setup after properly selecting the loggind profile.
Once this is completed properly, you will receive another set of very detailed instructions. It will be sent via email from TUNING@SONICTUNED.COM. (check your spam if you don't receive anything) Once this process begins, all communication related to tuning will be done through email. Please read everything thoroughly and pay close attention to any text that is in a different color/bold/underlined. Not doing so will slow down the process for not only you and I, but other customers as well. EVERY single datalog you send during the tuning process will be responded to with feedback and instructions on what is needed to complete the next steps or a possible. Once you have completed these requirements for the BASEMAP, I will take the information gathered from the datalogs and create your first REVISION. These will be numbered. The revision will be uploaded to the cloud and replace the BASEMAP. You will then (and going forward) receive two emails. One will be a notification that your revision has been uploaded to the cloud ready for download and the second email will be the feedback/next set of instructions. I am extremely thorough when going through datalogs. If something in the datalog is found to be abnormal, you are notified and sent recommendations based on my experience as a certified Infiniti master technician. I cannot always offer advice on what needs to be done to fix the vehicle based on just datalogs or explanations and it may require a more in-depth look from an experienced local mechanic. Once you receive a map with the name PUMP GAS MAP or FLEX FUEL MAP, it means that the car is now safe to beat on. This is NOT your final tune, but it is safe enough to go out and have some fun on. After all of the revisions are completed, you will receive a final file labeled SONICTUNED. This will be your completed tune and there will be no more steps after this.
FAQS/EXPECTATIONS:
1. Please visit this link to see my main FAQ page:
Below are the two main questions I get once the tuning package is purchased. These two are also on the main FAQ page.
2. When can I expect my BASEMAP?
Remote tuning hours are Monday- Thursday 5a-5p EST and Fridays 5a-11a EST. If you receive your kit on a Friday afternoon or Saturday and complete the initial setup after 11a EST, you will receive your BASEMAP by Tuesday. If you receive your kit and complete the initial setup on Monday, you will receive your BASEMAP by Wednesday.
3. When can I expect my next revision?
Remote tuning hours are Monday-Thursday 5a-5p EST and Fridays 5a-11a EST. During these times, there are also in person tuning requirements that need to be fulfilled as I tune other vehicles. Some of these vehicles, like Corvettes for example, can only be tuned in person. During these times, no remote tuning will be done.
I ask that everyone wait at least 72hours(3 business days) Monday-Friday before asking about your revision/datalog. Not following instructions during the process greatly extends the tuning process for you and everyone else. If you send me a log on Friday afternoon, the log will be looked at no later than Tuesday the following week. Please be patient. Unlike other companies which make you wait WEEKS at a time for revisions, the tuning process is fairly quick and effortless if all instructions are followed. Every single datalog is thoroughly looked through and no revision is rushed. If something in the datalog is found to be abnormal, you are notified and sent recommendations on what to look for with a potential issue and based on my experience as a certified Infiniti master technician. I cannot always offer advice on what needs to be done to fix the vehicle based on just datalogs or explanations and it may require a more in-depth look from an experienced mechanic.
Please DO NOT send more than one log at a time(which is explained in detail in the first email sent after the BASEMAP). Sending and re-sending a datalog without first checking to make sure the first one was received can lead to a potential re-edit of a revision that was already completed. This can lead to potential engine damage. If multiple logs are sent, the earliest of them will be deleted (potentially putting you to the back of the line) to prevent a potential re-edit.
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