So far the customer service has been good with Alta. I have hope that Jeff/Alta will get it all worked out.

 

I'm pretty sure you can back up your original map to a pc from the AP. I don't have the time to double check atm though.

 

I was just able to save a copy of my original map to my pc

 

That's good to hear. Now the next step… if my AP gets removed from the equation (stolen, for example), can I put that original back on the ECU with a different AP device? Maybe with ALTA's help?

If so, that may end up being a solution for the "Fatal Error" issue — maybe the AP or cable is bad and a replacement will let him get his stock ECU data back for a service appointment with the dealer.

 

absolutely, as long as you have a copy of it on your pc.

 

Ok, next question, then...
Much of the $900 cost of the AccessPort is the development of the ECU maps, right? If someone bought into this at that price, then had their AP device get lost/stolen/broken/etc, will there be an affordable remedy, such as getting a replacement device for the much lower cost of just the device itself? Or will such a person be looking at another nearly $1k hit to their wallet?

 

Since Cobb Tuning developed the actual device years ago and provides it to Alta, I would hope they could hook you up with evidence of a police report having been filed. That would help prevent the risk of someone claiming it was stolen, unmarrying it from the car, and selling it.

 

Or exchanging a broken one if you send it in, I hope.
That would just leave the "what if I lose it?" case.

 

If it gets lost or stolen why would you expect ALTA, COBB, or RMW to replace it or even give a heavy discount on a replacement? If you lose your cel phone, do you expect to get a free one from your service carrier? If you lose an expensive pair of sun glasses would you also expect them to be replaced for free? I could go on and on.

The vendor cannot be responsible for your or someone else's actions. I'd check with your insurance company to see if they would cover the replacement if it should ever be stolen as I would expect it would be stolen from your MINI, meaning someone would have to break into it = insurance claim.

 

Thanks for the questions and certainly good ones.

Simple answer. If your ALTA AccessPORT is lost, stolen or damaged beyond usefulness, you would (or your insurance company) need to purchase a new one.

We do recommend backing up data to your PC to then have additional copies in case of an issue. No matter what though, ALTA will be able to help you.

Thanks again folks!

Adam @ ALTA Performance

 

I am also running the 91octane test stage 1 image. It is running great. No issues at all. I am seeing the same results as you. My car runs great! What a difference! ALTA is doing a great job and Jeff has been very responsive. The ALTA team has been great to work with. The test car is going in for maintenance this week and I will have to revert back to stock for a little bit (sad sad). But once that is over the IC and exhaust will go on for further testing.

 

Well, you're misrepresenting what I'm asking if you think I'm arguing in favor of free stuff or even anything that would hurt ALTA's bottom line. And the comparison to a phone or sunglasses is not a good one, and this is why... There are 2 components to the AccessPort price: the physical device and the tune. Much of the $895 cost is due to the tune portion ("The Mini ECU is way way different and has taken tons of both companies man hours to get to where we are today hence a higher price." --Jeff Perrin, aka 'ALTA2').

What I was getting at was that if one purchased an AccessPort (dongle + tune), but then ended up needing a replacement dongle down the road (got stepped on or left exposed to the sun in a hot car, for example... you know, life happened), I would hope that ALTA would be able to take care of a customer in such a situation by letting them pay for just a replacement dongle instead of also paying twice for the tune. Just guessing here, but I'd expect that cost to come out around $200-300.

I don't disagree; ALTA shouldn't have to foot the bill for a user's mistake or misfortune.
But if by "purchase a new one" you mean pay the full $895 for the dongle and the tune (as discussed above)... well, that would be disheartening.

 

Now that you broke it down that way, I understand and agree that someone should not have to pay for the tune portion twice.

The Dimsport tool list price is $369 and it is just a flash tool. I would expect the AP without a tune to be priced higher, probably in the $400 - $500 range.

 

Possibly. Still quite a bit less painful than another $900.

 

Update.
Jeff at Alta took care of everything and went out of his way to make it right. Thanks Alta for your great customer service! That's hard to come by these days. Because of that I will buy from them again.

 

Great to hear!
... unless you're that guy who wanted to snipe your AP from the marketplace.

 

The AccessPORT is totally different from anything else on the market. When you pay the $895, you really aren't paying for the base tune, since that is something that's already been made and isn't a custom map for just your car. You're really paying for the AccessPORT and all of it's functions and ability to make your own custom tune later for more power in the future.

The way we sell the AccessPORT is the same way COBB sells it how base maps supplied are an added bonus that we give to you guys for free.

If some parts do get damaged, for example, the dongle, USB, screen, those things can be purchased separately or sent to COBB for repair.

I hope that helps clear that up, thanks!

 

Good to hear. ALTA does seem to provide great customer service all of the time. They have never let me down. It is nice to hear good comments from others as they (ALTA) get my recommendation whenever someone asks me about increasing performance of their MINI. Knowledgeable, fast, friendly, and willing to help.

 

Hang on... we've got one of your co-workers back in post #60 of this thread explaining that the ALTA AccessPort is so much more expensive than the Subaru AccessPort (at only $595) because of "development time more than anything" and "the Mini ECU is way way different and has taken tons of both companies man hours to get to where we are today hence a higher price."

Looking at the prices at little closer, an AccessPort for the following cars will cost...
Nissan 370Z -- $495
Mazda Speed3 -- $595
Subaru Impreza -- $595
Mitsubishi Evo -- $695
Mini Cooper -- $895

I don't believe for a minute that the little box with buttons on it is $200-400 different from car to car. The difference comes in on the back end, right? Software/firmware development costs and such. And you folks at ALTA aren't working with people on these tunes for free, either.

All I'm saying is that it would be reasonable for a customer in need to be able to get a replacement little box with buttons on it for roughly the cost of the little box with buttons on it (plus some margin, sure). And that this not a figure pushing $900.

Now, I don't expect this to be the case, because no claims have been made to this effect... but it's certainly disappointing if it's not.

When I was saying 'dongle', I was referring to the physical product(s) that are attached to the car to accomplish the given task (including the "little box with buttons"). If that's also what you are referring to -- that if someone's little box with buttons gets damaged it can be purchased separately or sent in for repair/replacement (at some reasonable cost) -- then maybe all is well.

 

My guestimate of 400 - 500 was because I don't know if COBB includes any maps when they sell them.
Wow!! That is a surprise as COBB sells their AP at the low end for $495. I wouldn't think a replacement AP device alone should cost more than what COBB is selling them for with downloadable maps included in their pricing scheme. I was under the impression that the extra $300 - $400 was towards the development cost of cracking the ECU. What makes the ALTA version of the device more expensive than the COBB version except the difficulty of working with the ECU files???

 

The Nissan GT-R is even pricier......

Part No.ApplicationPriceAP-NIS-005 Nissan GT-R ; 2008 (JDM), 2009 (ADM, East Asia, EDM, JDM, Middle East, South Africa & USDM), 2010 (EDM, JDM, ADM, East Asia, South Africa & USDM), 2011 USDM$995.00

 

Also an $80k+ car that does 0-60 in *well* under 4 seconds (3.2s, with launch control).
It has a GPS that will remove the speed limiter if it detects the car is at a race track.
And was named Top Gear's Supercar of the Year for 2007.

Not that any of this has any bearing on the cost of its AP (other than its ECU was supposed to be "uncrackable")... just saying I wouldn't mind having one.
Top Gear review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXFSVoVqhYw

 

Here's an idea. How about you do something crazy and just take care of your $895 tool and stop worrying about the .0001% chance that lightning strikes your MINI at precisely 10:04pm on Nov 12, 1955 while you are traveling 88mph sending 1.21 gigawatts of electricity into it, requiring replacement. It shouldn't be ALTA or any other company's responsibility to replace something that you lose, damage or have the misfortune to have stolen from you.

If you buy a $500 Dell laptop with $400 of additional software pre-loaded on it, and it gets stolen or damaged, should they send you out a new laptop for $500 with that same software included for free to replace it? It's not on a retailer to determine what did or didn't happen in your case, and give you a special break, especially considering how easily they could get ripped off or taken advantage of with that type of situation.

Shoot, if it happens, send me a copy of the police report and I'll spot you the difference if you're that hard up for the cash.

 

It's consumer electronics; it can break. Hopefully it won't happen to me or to you or to anyone else here... but it might. And I can guarantee you that ALTA will have customers with ones that do break for whatever reason (if they don't already).

And nobody's saying that ALTA should be put out over such a situation (far from it -- they seem to be a company with very attentive customer service and quality products; that's great and should be encouraged!). Just that it would be nice to have an option of purchasing a replacement box for something a little closer to the cost of the box.