SCT XCAL3 question

[SVTRonDogg]

Plugged the SCT XCal3 back up this weekend on the Cobra to 'return to stock', and now it gives me an 'Incorrect Vehicle' message.

I am going to have to bring it down here with me I guess and try to get SCT Support on the line. My tuner does not want to deal with it, and I never receieved a reply from SCT Email support.

[SVTRonDogg]

Got it resolved. SCT support is on point.

I did lose my dyno tune, but was able to get the stock tune situated and the firmware on the SCT XCal3 updated.

Just as well, it needs a new tune soon anyways.

[Tetge]

When I got my tune Greg gave me the tune file and I saved it, of course. Later, he sent me modified versions of the file as we were trying to reduce the dash pot feature that holds the throttle open even after you lift. So, I put the modified files into the tune tool and flashed the car with the new tunes a bunch of times. It was my opinion that Greg kept the tune files on all his customers and they are only about 1.87 MB, so they can be e-mailed. Have you tried to get your tunbe file from your tuner? Also, if you do get a new tune, you should export the file and save it for potential backup.

Just as a matter of interest. Did it take SCT all this time to straighten out your issues?

[SVTRonDogg]

Greg says my tunes are an old laptop that no longer works. He mentioned he was going to have someone try to back them up.

I am equally as guilty of having a fire and forget type attitude towards the tunes. No backup to pc, and no bothering to keep the device firmware up to date.

SCT got me sorted out in a combined hour or so. I put it off as I needed to find the time to call them M-F early as they are on EST and I needed an open weekday with access to the car without having to drive it in case something F'ed up.

[Tetge]

Funny, but, the three dyno tuners that I have dealt with all seemed to be ignorant when it came to configuring computers. They all had a routine that they followed when doing a tune, and they generally had issues with anything else, such as copying the tune to a floppy, cd, or pen drive. The local motorcycle tuner was amazed when I was able to locate his tune files on his hard drive, and, when I was able to make a shortcut icon for him so that he could call them up. He was treating them as if they were lost almost, since he was going through a lot of changes using the tuning software to get back to an old tune. He had zero clues about computers, and, I seem to recall that Greg is not a super user in terms of configuration and all, even now.

So, if the HD in his lap top is not fried, he could retrieve the tunes, but, as a businessman, he should have made at least one, and perhaps even more, copies of the tunes and stored them safely. Perhaps he is now using some backup system, but, if not, he should.

I suppose that I should check to see if there are any firmware updates to my tune tool, but, it works, since I flashed new tunes into the car a number of times initially, and, I have never touched the car since, so, I am not too anxious to make any changes since, as with most firmware, generally you don't need to update it if it is working and you are making no other changes.

[SVTRonDogg]

SCT has released a few 'critical' updates to the XCal3 that I was missing.


SCT Support's secret weapon is remote access to your laptop. Basically install their drivers/software, and the tech can connect to your PC to configure everything himself. I mentioned the firmware update for my 2nd XCal unit on the GT500, he said it would be best to just call support and let them handle it remote. This includes the backup of the tune files, update, and restoring of the tune files.