so this guy sells me a vin-locked hypertech programmer on ebay (his name is bloodyscabs)

has anyone ever successfully unlocked on of these devices without sending it back to hypertech for a reset?

 

its not possible with an SCT.

IMO hypertechs are garbage anyhow. send it back to him or open a dispute with ebay. afteryou get your refund buy an sct from hemifever. he can be PM'd on this site. or google hemifever

 

thanks for the quick reply - do you mind if i ask a few questions about it?

what are the differences between hypertech and SCT? I googled the differences (along with superchips) and just went with what i could as a good deal on ebay (on a side note the jerk wont let me send it back - of course it said no warrartees, etc but i didnt think for one second it would show up vin-locked...wtf bloodscabs... guess you needed the money more than i did)

point being i assumed these $300 level programmers all had the "same" functionality - i was looking to fix my speedometer, add my 37"s, etc etc

but i have to admit i dont know what im doing - i've only owned this truck a few months and im already obsessed

soooo... im looking for "the best" programmer i can get for a couple hundred bucks - hemifever is the man with the plan? has he done any work for your truck?

 

In addition to reprogramming your speedometer, I assume you are hunting for more power? you will see very noticeable gains, especially if yours came equipped with the infamous "death flash"

our trucks, for whatever reason, notoriously, refuse to communicate with a tuner in regards to speedometer calibration. who knows, it may even work for you, best bet would be the stealership.

SCT is the only brand that allows for custom tuning (setting parameters SPECIFICALLY for your truck and your truck alone) not generic parameters that "seem" to work well with almost ANY MOPAR. hemifever is well known here on DF and tunes MOPAR through an SCT X2 flash device. he has rave reviews here on DF and anywhere you will look. he will most certainly be tuning my 408 stroker.

file a complaint with ebay, what a sorry bastard.

 

it depends a lot on how much money you want to spend. i've had both a hypertech and a superchips, but not an SCT. hypertech and superchips are a combined tuner + speedo correction. sct is tuner only. hypertech and some others? make a speedo correction device only. you can also visit the dealer and pay about 1/2 - 1 hour of tech time for programming of "pinion factor" which is tire size in revolutions per mile. some dealers might do this for free, but most will charge you $50-100 for it. some won't even know what your talking about, and others will tell you that they can only do 3 pre-programmed sizes (225,245,265) as those are the only approved stock sizes. this is half true, but they are not aware of choice #4 (other), which allows revs per mile.

my 01 hypertech would not program the speedo. hypertech can't explain why, and doesn't really care. superchips works great, i like mine. its not a customized tune, but i don't care, i have a stock engine and the speedo correction + death flash cure + trans shift reprogram suits me just fine.

now regarding your ebay purchase, here's what you need to do. i had to do this one time.
send an ebay message to the seller - and say exactly this and nothing else - "the product that you sent me is not as you described in the ad". its "software locked" and unusable. you did not describe it as "software locked". send a copy of this message to your email for later evidence. now the seller will either not respond, or tell you to go pound salt, or offer you a refund.

when he doesn't offer you a refund, then open an ebay dispute and say again "the item was not as described", and you want a refund.

now be patient. the seller has about 10-20 days to respond.

when he does not, contact ebay again and tell them that "you could not resolve the problem with the seller" and ask for a return address, and a refund. they will eventually provide that.

return the item using UPS or FedEX or USPS WITH PROOF OF RECEIPT. you must use one of these methods to provide proof of receipt. you MUST return the item to get a refund...

contact ebay again with the tracking number.
contact ebay again with proof of receipt.
ebay/paypal will debit the seller, and return your money via paypal.

this will take time. about 4-5-6 weeks.
you must be patient.
you must not get riled up about it. just let the process run its course.
you might have to pay the return shipping. if so don't fret about it.
the seller thinks he screwed you over. but in end the end, you will screw him back.
AFTER you get your refund, post negative feedback on the seller.

 

cowboy: thanks for the info that's a huge help

dhvaughan: i did everything you said as you described with one, (maybe fatal?) minor detail - i left a negative review already I wasnt a jerk - i said "item not as described - seller will not refund" then i opened a case and explained the item was vin-locked and i cant use it until he resets it.

im only out $90, and i know buyer beware and all that - but i thought worse case scenario the cord was bad or something... i didnt think it would be vin-locked -that's just low - and no, im not bitter lol

besides im sure my truck would kick his truck's tailgate any day

 

fraud is fraud.

some people sell vin locked tuners out of stupidity, others are willful acts of fraud. either way f*** em, and use ebay's complaint process to screw them back. just be patient and follow the procedure of returning the item and don't take no for an answer. if you follow the rules the buyer always wins the disagreement.


ps. nice looking truck. how much lift and what size tires?

 

hahaha cowboy?

anyhow, ebay should resolve the issue in your favor.

a few other mods to look into are:
HS 1.7s
headers
52mm fastman
14x3

 

lol wow - i just glanced at your avatar and thought that was your name! sorry matty i definitely plan on throwing some headers on her if not an entire exhaust all the way through. sort of shame because of the custom job it already has but i want the get this thing growling

exactly

thanks it's a 2" suspension & 2" body, i think the rear is actually 3" or 4" in the body and the tires are 37" (15" wheel)

thanks again on the ebay advice - sounds like you've been there, done that what a freakin pain!

i'll have to digest everything you guys told me a come up with a plan - i'll keep you posted as things develop

 

u dont necessarily have to get a new system. whats it got now?