Info on U 7194 Calling out to owners

[Gonnagetem]

Thinking of getting one for an 07 nbs gmc:

Having done a search on here for " U7194" under this forum yeild's some interesting results!!!!:

Avalanche, dead in the water

having trouble with "x" version

parameters not working

Help us!

Vin not supported

Fans on all the time

Urgent problem, vehicle no start.


I'm having a hard time justing buying one. Seems like a lot of problems. I do like the idea of the unit, with much fine tuning.... but I don't want to waste 400 bucks for my truck to not start, or for the unit not to work.

Can someone help me with this?

[CANUCKPREDATOR]

I have one and I'm very happy. Yeah there are a few glitches now and then, but I'm happy. Biggest thing is to pull the right fuses so you don't get any unnecessary power drain. Disable aftermarket electronics (remote start, alarm, stereo etc) for the same reason.

If you want the canned tunes are pretty good, you can install a tune and let it be (depending on your octane of choice) If you want to play read the sticky topics at the top of the forum and learn how to adjust you fuel delivery. It sounds a little intimidating at first, but do it once or twice and you get hooked. If you decide to make adjustments a laptop to watch and log data is REALLY nice. The 7194 doesn't have a lot of internal memory so the logs are short, laptop you can log for hours (depends on hard drive space) If you log get yourself DSLOGREDUX to analyze your logs and it will tell you the adjustments to make. Thanks to Monte and Grumpy for their time to make this for us.

Most of those questions/problems you listed above have been solved and have work arounds for them. Some are due to a Predator that needed updated software, some the vehicle needed updated software, but I think most have been solved.

Also, post questions here. There are lots of people willing to help.

[mikel]

Yeah, follow the instructions, and realize the Predator is a powerful tool, and all will be well.

Thanks

[ltxi]

Thinking of getting one for an 07 nbs gmc:

Having done a search on here for " U7194" under this forum yeild's some interesting results!!!!:

Avalanche, dead in the water

having trouble with "x" version

parameters not working

Help us!

Vin not supported

Fans on all the time

Urgent problem, vehicle no start.


I'm having a hard time justing buying one. Seems like a lot of problems. I do like the idea of the unit, with much fine tuning.... but I don't want to waste 400 bucks for my truck to not start, or for the unit not to work.

Can someone help me with this?

..."Can someone help me with this?"....sure, all those red flags are valid. Do Not Buy It. Either invest the time and effort needed to DIY with HP Tuner or buy into competent professional help. Many folk like the Predator. I very much disagree, especially with respect to the U7194 and DS's lack of support. I bought one, then seriously studied the issues and sold it. Well meaning folk, but....

[Gonnagetem]

Thats what I was afraid of.

[mikel]

Thinking of getting one for an 07 nbs gmc:

Having done a search on here for " U7194" under this forum yeild's some interesting results!!!!:

Avalanche, dead in the water

having trouble with "x" version

parameters not working

Help us!

Vin not supported

Fans on all the time

Urgent problem, vehicle no start.


I'm having a hard time justing buying one. Seems like a lot of problems. I do like the idea of the unit, with much fine tuning.... but I don't want to waste 400 bucks for my truck to not start, or for the unit not to work.

Can someone help me with this?

..."Can someone help me with this?"....sure, all those red flags are valid. Do Not Buy It. Either invest the time and effort needed to DIY with HP Tuner or buy into competent professional help. Many folk like the Predator. I very much disagree, especially with respect to the U7194 and DS's lack of support. I bought one, then seriously studied the issues and sold it. Well meaning folk, but....

What is the issue you have involving our 'lack of support'???
Is this simply TCM related, or do you honestly feel that even though we have updated this tool like a dozen times since it was released that we are done with it?
We are undergoing a MAJOR overhaul of our older GM tools which makes tools that did not log able to log, and tools that were not internet updateable able to be updated in that manner, so just think what may be in store for a tool that already does all of that.

Thanks

[latddz]

HI

I want to say that i'm using U7194 in my car for almost 5 months without any problems and about 10 of my customers with the performance tune in a very hot and dusty place like middle east where Temp now a days reaches 113 F.

As CANUCKPREDATOR said pull the right fuses and read the manual easy as that.

Best Regards
KH

[Stevens07]

I've had one for more than a few months now with no issues. I like it, just wish it had the ability to change shift points, firmness, and TM, but hopefully that release will come out someday soon.

[ches111]

Gonna,

This is just like any other enthusiasts item.. You will find people who love them and hate them.

There are known issues with the 7194 with KNOWN workarounds.

I liken this to not knowing what you are doing when trying to manually set your timing. Some might get it right. Some may totally screw it up. Some, like many here and it would seem yourself too.. Read the forums thoroughly and get the information to do it correctly the first time. Even that is not a failsafe as Canuck can tell ya. However it is your best opportunity for success.

Ask the buffalo.. He was a little confused when he first started this process and was actually quite angry with the forums, Monte and DS.

After he figured everything out and got his tune dialed in (did not take long) he now sings the praises of the DS Predator.

So in long , read well... Understand what updates to make and the ones NOT to make. Go with what has worked and make sure the correct fuses are pulled. Since you have/gonna get an 07 NBS it is NOT AS CRITICAL but I would do it anyways just to be sure.

Hope this helps.

[ches111]

As an add...

Anytime you FLASH ANYTHING be it your cars ECM or the BIOS of your computer you run the risk of a non working device after the flash. If you have a failed flash especially.

So always use caution and follow the instructions/workarounds to a T.

This is why expensive motherboards now carry a dual BIOS to work around the flash failure issue.

[06MonteSS]

He was a little confused when he first started this process and was actually quite angry with the forums, Monte and DS.

Angry at ME??? What'd I do??? Don't think it was towards ME, but more the frustration of trying to figure it all out and comprehend all the info...

But if it WAS towards me, that's interesting... eh, no worries WB - I'll write'cha a custom tune to remove that anger parameter and disable that frustration code.

[ches111]

Lew he was just angry in general

Also as an additional note to the above..

I cringe every time I have to flash my Zune too.

Go read an Apple Ipod forum about the horrors of the failed devices after people who did not know what they are doing flashed their Ipods and wound up with a dead Ipod that Apple would not service under warranty.

The term FLASH is normally used to refer to the installation of code on an EPROM device. The reason it is a flash is it means a total overwrite of what is there, and the flash often must complete fully or some of the code could be missing.

[ches111]

Here is a good read about what is really happening..

http://www.usbyte.com/common/Flash_memory_1.htm

[Grumpy_Aero_Guy]

Thinking of getting one for an 07 nbs gmc:

Having done a search on here for " U7194" under this forum yeild's some interesting results!!!!:

Avalanche, dead in the water

having trouble with "x" version

parameters not working

Help us!

Vin not supported

Fans on all the time

Urgent problem, vehicle no start.


I'm having a hard time justing buying one. Seems like a lot of problems. I do like the idea of the unit, with much fine tuning.... but I don't want to waste 400 bucks for my truck to not start, or for the unit not to work.

Can someone help me with this?

..."Can someone help me with this?"....sure, all those red flags are valid. Do Not Buy It. Either invest the time and effort needed to DIY with HP Tuner or buy into competent professional help. Many folk like the Predator. I very much disagree, especially with respect to the U7194 and DS's lack of support. I bought one, then seriously studied the issues and sold it. Well meaning folk, but....

I find your assertion of "lack of support" a little "out there"

I am the owner of the "Vehicle No Start Post" that the original poster referrered to.

OK... my vehicle experienced a "No start" after a tune attempt with a new firmware update.

This occured on a Saturday morning. By noon that same day, I was running again. Had DS pro on the phone talking me thru steps to force back the factory tune, and it all worked.

Haven't had an issue since.

Since, I have pushed tunes sucessfully no less than 10 times, without problem.

As stated eloquently above, one must consider this "part of the game" on occasion. We are reprogramming a very sophisticated control system, "after the fact", or stated differently, "after the factory flashed it". There is an inherent risk doing ANYTHING of the sort, I don't care WHOSE product you are using.

I am sure someone who tries hard enough can even fry their electronics with HP's products.

I find that a little harsh. Yes, I agree, TM has been contentious on the boards relative to the 7194. Relative to a large truck, if you REALLY think it's smart to remove all that, be my guest. I am sure we'll see a ranting post soon describing how you're trying to pick up what's left of your transmission with a stick, spoon and a 55gal drum.

If, however, you value that feature, and it was advertised it's "coming soon", then, sure, I can see a legitimacy to the complaint. On the other hand, my truck runs great with the tunes I have --- it is a tremendous improvement over stock, and, I personally, can not say I have one complaint regarding the support I have received, when it was needed.

I may also add, I read the manual prior to using this thing -- AND took the responsibility to educate myself as much as possible ahead of time. That helps, on occasion.

Nothing is truly turn-key. Many manufacturers wrestle with tring to make products idiot proof. But usually, when reading between the lines, you learn that "if they had only read the manual...."

Just my $0.05.

[BJL630]

I used to be upset by the TCM support was taking so long, but then, after thinking about it, it is only one parameter on the tool. That's it - one. I bought the U7194 because of all the cool stuff it could do, and TCM support was high on the list, yes, but I was overlooking the positive results I'd already gotten. After using it for almost a year now, as well as keeping up-to-date on the forum, I have a better understanding, and appreciation of what DS is doing. Do I think the people that bought it specifically for TCM have a gripe? Yes. But, if that's all you bought it for, you could've had it tuned on a dyno to get the required results. I'm not bashing anyone, but I'd ask that before bashing DS, compare the overall performance of your vehicle with the Predator tune vs stock. Night and Day. If you can say that you don't get an improvement, then you have every right to say it doesn't work, and sell it, but I haven't seen that as of yet. It just seems to me that the unhapyy folks out there are focusing on the one thing that hasn't gone as planned, and not the overall picture.

Just my $.02