TracKey Install Problem

[Dvendet]

It is hard to find pure gas anymore!

You may want to look at this web site for the real deal.

http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=VA

MMD

 

[ace72ace]

no issues with mine either. took about 45min. this was not the dealer i bought the car from though they were going to do it for free but had no idea what trackey was so I went elsewhere and paid the hour of labor. seems like it was well worth it.

What dealer?

 

[CaliMR]

What state are you in? Maybe someone will know a dealer

 

[jeepinocala]

No problems in Gainesville , Fl they did a great job. Do not let anyone do it that has not done these before they will screw it up.

 

[Jeff]

I went to Imperial Ford in Mendon. Great place.

 

[ace72ace]

Thanks, am trying to figure out my options right now.

 

[badasbullitt]

It is hard to find pure gas anymore!

You may want to look at this web site for the real deal.

http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=VA

MMD

A friend of mine just told me about it. Unfortunately the stations listed are further away than desired, I will have to research further. Thanks any way!

 

[ace72ace]

I went to Imperial Ford in Mendon. Great place.

You said they charged you an hour labor, what did they charge you for the voucher, or did you order your own from Tousely (sp?) like others did? This dealer is only about a half hour from my office.

 

[PeteInCT]

Ace - assuming there's nothing wrong with your Boss and its' PCM then the problem is most probably one of these two issues:

1) Bad internet connectivity from your dealer to Ford during the download process
2) Improper software revision on your dealer's PC which is doing the TK install.

#2 above seems to be a prevalent issue with dealers. They TK instructions specifically state they need a certain version of the software for the TK installation to work properly. The dealer techs also need to follow all the TK instructions to the letter, no variation. The bottom line is if they are having any issues they should be calling the Ford team that supports TK right away.

Hope this helps.

 

[ace72ace]

Ace - assuming there's nothing wrong with your Boss and its' PCM then the problem is most probably one of these two issues:

1) Bad internet connectivity from your dealer to Ford during the download process
2) Improper software revision on your dealer's PC which is doing the TK install.

#2 above seems to be a prevalent issue with dealers. They TK instructions specifically state they need a certain version of the software for the TK installation to work properly. The dealer techs also need to follow all the TK instructions to the letter, no variation. The bottom line is if they are having any issues they should be calling the Ford team that supports TK right away.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Pete. I have been over all of this with the service manager at the dealer. You know how they say doctors make the worse patients? Well I'm a software support engineer for Big Blue and directly deal issues EXACTLY like this regarding problems that manifest themselves with web browsers, as they are the front end of so many other software applications. The dealer did read all of the instructions, downloaded and installed the patch, verified the settings in the service bulletin, and bunch of other things.

At this point I really don't care when or ever they figure out the problem with their service computer (which is on a wired connection). They are not going to keep my car hostage while they experiment with their software problems, I will simply take the path of least resistance and likely go to Imperial Ford as Jeff did. They have a known good working machine, and in troubleshooting 101, when all else fails after verifying proper versions and procedures were followed, you do a precise comparison from working host A to failing host B. Ford seems to be unwilling/unable to take the required steps to correct the problem. It is the upper levels of the support chain that are failing here, not the local service manager.

As I have other dealers I can go to, it's a simple choice for me to just go to another dealer that has the ability to perform the service I desire.

:edit:

Dealer just called and said they finally figured it out and were going to only charge me the $302 for the TK, and not charge me for any of the 9 hours labor they have to 'eat' because of the unforseen problems. So with the 2 extra black keys I have coming, I'll be writing a check for $512 today. At least I don't have to waste any more time with this.

 

[PeteInCT]

I'm in IT also - I feel your pain ;-)

So what was their issue ? Please tell !!!

 

[ace72ace]

It was only resolved after their IT guy was sitting in front of their service PC and was OTP with Ford Racing. Depending on my mood about *not* getting a phone call to let know last night that it was finally fixed, I may or may not find out exactly what the problem was. We'll see.

 

[Jeff]

I went to Imperial Ford in Mendon. Great place.

You said they charged you an hour labor, what did they charge you for the voucher, or did you order your own from Tousely (sp?) like others did? This dealer is only about a half hour from my office.

my selling dealer HC in westboro threw in the voucher as part of the deal.

I'm glad they finally sorted you out. they should have charged you zero for the time they held the car. but whatever it's done enjoy.

 

[Justin]

yeah I would mark that dealer down as "aint touching my boss again".

 

[fbbob96]

I had my key installed yesterday at Dale Jarrett Ford in Charlotte. $120 and mine was his 5th or 6th,so he new what he was doing.My dealer in SC wasn't too sure about it,so off I went for a short 2 hour trip to NC.Works perfectly and runs and sounds great!

 

[ace72ace]

So here's the story. I found out after getting a call Wed morning that they had indeed finally got it installed and hand left 2 messages on my home phone. You know, the one that only rings when I'm not around, that the kids with cell phones ignore cause it certainly won't be for them, and never told me there were messages waiting... I had told the dealer up front I would be wanting the Trackey and 2 spares. We never had a formal agreement on the whether or not they would 'throw in' the TK, and I would just pay for the spares. Therefore when this all went down, there were planning on charging me full retail on the spares and the TK and the labor.

They dropped the labor fee because their PC had viruses on it that prevented the recommended settings from actually being in effect. And of course after the fact, the dealer found out this is the most common cause of it not working (out of spec shop laptop/PC).

I was just so happy to get it back, finally that I didn't care about ponying up the extra cash for the TK, and just paid the bill. The 2 business partners who run the place really wanted me to be happy, and they said if I had paid 2-4k over MSRP like 'all the other dealers in the area' they would have been happy to 'throw in' the TK (duhhhh). So I got the deal I wanted, and finally my car back.

I have now driven the car a few times with the TK, and I have to say Ford Racing really came up with something cool. So it doesn't have the super muscle car lopey idle everyone was hoping for. When it kicks in you sure can feel it. Really gives the throttle a more 'stabby' feeling. So hooray for the masochists who claim that they only run the TK all the time. Either you only drive it a half hour a day, never in heavy to moderate traffic, enjoy getting even worse than normal MPG, or just like to say you do but really don't. Which ever category fits your TK use, enjoy. My opinion of this feature is that it's perfect for 3 things. Showing off, having an alter ego for your Boss you can turn loose on certain special low traffic driver friendly roads, and of course THE TRACK. My buddy who is an instructor can't WAIT to get this beast on the track to see what it can really do.

I'm very much looking forward to that experience next year once I finish all my upgrades and can get get a set of track tires and wheels next year. ;D

 

[badasbullitt]

I have nothing bad to say either. This car really rocks with or without the TK! But what a difference it makes when using the TK.

 

[Jeff]

for me trackey is for summer and "regular" key is for winter when the snow tires go on.

 

[2012YellowBoss]

I'm glad they finally sorted you out. they should have charged you zero for the time they held the car. but whatever it's done enjoy.

I kind of disagree with this type of thinking. I like to look at the good side of all this, they tried as hard as they could and nobody is perfect. There are few of these cars and some places may have to sort out any problems on the first try. I think it is more then generous to not charge the labor for this, after-all they did not have to.

In the long run it got done like you stated and for less then expected. Yes they had the car for longer then the owner wanted but when it is all said and done it that really that big of a deal? No offense intended Jeff, only my two cents ;D

 

[rpm3dinc]

My Local Ford Racing Dealer did a 12 Install, and they said the same TrackKey Programming they have will work on my 2013 BOSS, does anyone know if that is in fact correct? I was under the impression that they were different between the 12 and 13 models?

Thanks!