- Location
- Virginia
In the interest of clarity, I am going to skip straight to factual statements:
In October 2023, I emailed Z1 Offroad to explicitly ask if their UpRev tune would work with my 2015 Xterra. They requested my VIN, then "confirmed" it would work before I made my purchase. This is in writing. As it turns out, it does not work. In addition to the phone calls, I have exchanged at least 36 emails trying to troubleshoot the situation and get information from Z1, but they've recently indicated they are no longer attempting to get UpRev to work on my truck. Frustrating, but I finally called today to explain that since it's been six months, it won't work, and they've clearly pivoted to focus on Ecutek, I am requesting a refund. The person on the phone says they may want the cable back first, and I say that's fine and I'm happy to record a video of the irreversible process of flashing the stock ROM back to the ECU and killing the license. He says he'll send me an email.
Then they email to tell me they "cannot offer a refund" because the ECU has been flashed with the license. They "recommend trying to go through UpRev and see if they are willing to refund you on this." I replied back today saying I purchased it from Z1, not UpRev, and if they wanted, they could reach out to UpRev for reimbursement of my refund. I clearly stated in that email again that they need to either A) refund my order, or B) provide the service I paid for. I have not yet heard back, and will update this thread if I do. (Update: they have stated they will refund me within a few minutes of tagging them on Instagram).
I get that often there's a thought of "I wonder if there's more to the story," and it's not as cut and dry as the above may make it seem, but those are the facts. In the interest of full transparency, below is a log of my interactions with Z1 by date. Notice the gaps in the dates, showing that I was incredibly patient with the process, even while being seemingly ignored for weeks (or more) at a time. Emails/updates initiated by me will be in blue font, and Z1 replies will be shown in orange font. I summarize each email, but the ones with quotes are the full email in its entirety. If there is a gap below, that means there was no response/communication.
10/16/2023: I submit a question via the website stating I had a 2015 Xterra and wanted to confirm UpRev will actually work with my model before purchasing.
10/16/2023: Z1 says to send them a photo of my VIN.
10/16/2023: I submitted a photo of my VIN
10/17/2023: Z1 emails "Thank you, your ecu rom is compatible and ok to proceed with the $550 uprev package."
(Order placed on 10/18/2023)
10/20/2023: Submitted Tune Form
10/25/2023: I send a reminder email asking next steps
10/25/2023: Z1 apologies for the delay, emails files and what logs to record
10/25/2023: I reply asking if there are any instructions of how to flash the files, what parameters to record the logs, etc.
10/30/2023: I email again saying I hadn't heard back, and if I need to call to get the instructions, I can.
10/30/2023: Z1 replies with two PDFs of instructions
10/31/2023: I submit the requested log files
11/01/2023: Z1 emails me the tune file, which should be the final tune.
11/01/2023: I reply saying that map switching is not working. We ultimately agree to speak on the phone, and figure out that it's just not working and not caused by some other issue. I mentioned that I read about this issue happening with a 2015 Frontier, and I sent him a link to that thread as requested.
11/14/2023: I email asking if there has been any progress and offering any additional info from my truck.
11/14/2023: Z1 replies: "We are just waiting on an answer from Uprev."
12/01/2023: I email "Just checking in to see whether Uprev has acknowledged and is working on a solution, or whether they've still not responded."
12/01/2023: Z1 replies and says they asked for the .osiris rom I'm using and a list of other parameters to log while attempting to switch maps.
12/01/2023: I called Z1 to let them know those parameters are not present. After getting off the phone, I emailed back confirmation of the same in writing as well as photos showing the full list of possible parameters in the software.
12/12/2023: I email Z1 to ask if Uprev has given any answers.
12/12/2023: Z1 tells me the reply from UpRev says they suspect the UpRev license hasn't been uploaded, and have me disconnect the battery for 5 minutes then try again.
12/13/2023: I follow the instructions, but no change. I sent back a photo of the screen confirming the license is flashed, and also attached a full ECU dump in the hopes they could dig into it further.
12/15/2023: I email and ask maybe if we can't do the map switching, I can just flash the performance file on its own, and while I couldn't switch on the fly, could at least have a way of manually flashing the maps.
12/15/2023: Z1 replies "We will see what the next step is for this."
1/05/2024: I write "Hey, hope your holidays were all good. Just checking to see if there's been any update to this in the past few weeks."
1/18/2024: I write "Just checking back in again."
1/18/2024: Z1 replies "I’ll check again. I have another one with the issue that were are also working with now."
2/05/2024: I email to ask whether my planned alternator upgrade will affect the tune files since voltage was a logged item.
2/26/2024: I email to say I changed the alternator, and asked again if UpRev has given any indication of when they'll get it done or if they've been kicking it down the road.
2/26/2024: Z1 replies "They still haven’t given any info up but we will try to touch base with them again this week."
3/25/2024: I email to say it's been another month and wondering if it will happen or if there's an alternative. I mention the alternator and re-gearing and saying again that if there is a path forward, I'd like to re-record my logs so the tune is accurate.
3/25/2024: Z1 replies: "We’re hoping another option will be available shortly."
3/25/2024: I reply asking whether I should email Z1 customer service to ask for a refund since it was coming up on 6 months. And while there is supposedly another thing in the works, that was different from this transaction.
4/17/2024: I email "Can you confirm whether UpRev is actively working on a solution for my truck or whether efforts have been halted?"
4/17/2024: Z1 replies "We can ask Uprev and we are still trying to come up with a better solution for our offroad clients."
4/17/2024: I reply "Yes, please ask UpRev and let me know."
4/18/2024: I call Z1 customer service, give them the order number, and let them know that it's been six months, they can't give me what I paid for, and I'd like a refund since they can't provide the service.
4/18/2024: Z1 emails "we have talked with the Tuner and we apologize but we cannot offer a refund on this because your vehicle has already been flashed. We recommend trying to go through UpRev and see if they are willing to refund you on this"
In October 2023, I emailed Z1 Offroad to explicitly ask if their UpRev tune would work with my 2015 Xterra. They requested my VIN, then "confirmed" it would work before I made my purchase. This is in writing. As it turns out, it does not work. In addition to the phone calls, I have exchanged at least 36 emails trying to troubleshoot the situation and get information from Z1, but they've recently indicated they are no longer attempting to get UpRev to work on my truck. Frustrating, but I finally called today to explain that since it's been six months, it won't work, and they've clearly pivoted to focus on Ecutek, I am requesting a refund. The person on the phone says they may want the cable back first, and I say that's fine and I'm happy to record a video of the irreversible process of flashing the stock ROM back to the ECU and killing the license. He says he'll send me an email.
Then they email to tell me they "cannot offer a refund" because the ECU has been flashed with the license. They "recommend trying to go through UpRev and see if they are willing to refund you on this." I replied back today saying I purchased it from Z1, not UpRev, and if they wanted, they could reach out to UpRev for reimbursement of my refund. I clearly stated in that email again that they need to either A) refund my order, or B) provide the service I paid for. I have not yet heard back, and will update this thread if I do. (Update: they have stated they will refund me within a few minutes of tagging them on Instagram).
I get that often there's a thought of "I wonder if there's more to the story," and it's not as cut and dry as the above may make it seem, but those are the facts. In the interest of full transparency, below is a log of my interactions with Z1 by date. Notice the gaps in the dates, showing that I was incredibly patient with the process, even while being seemingly ignored for weeks (or more) at a time. Emails/updates initiated by me will be in blue font, and Z1 replies will be shown in orange font. I summarize each email, but the ones with quotes are the full email in its entirety. If there is a gap below, that means there was no response/communication.
10/16/2023: I submit a question via the website stating I had a 2015 Xterra and wanted to confirm UpRev will actually work with my model before purchasing.
10/16/2023: Z1 says to send them a photo of my VIN.
10/16/2023: I submitted a photo of my VIN
10/17/2023: Z1 emails "Thank you, your ecu rom is compatible and ok to proceed with the $550 uprev package."
(Order placed on 10/18/2023)
10/20/2023: Submitted Tune Form
10/25/2023: I send a reminder email asking next steps
10/25/2023: Z1 apologies for the delay, emails files and what logs to record
10/25/2023: I reply asking if there are any instructions of how to flash the files, what parameters to record the logs, etc.
10/30/2023: I email again saying I hadn't heard back, and if I need to call to get the instructions, I can.
10/30/2023: Z1 replies with two PDFs of instructions
10/31/2023: I submit the requested log files
11/01/2023: Z1 emails me the tune file, which should be the final tune.
11/01/2023: I reply saying that map switching is not working. We ultimately agree to speak on the phone, and figure out that it's just not working and not caused by some other issue. I mentioned that I read about this issue happening with a 2015 Frontier, and I sent him a link to that thread as requested.
11/14/2023: I email asking if there has been any progress and offering any additional info from my truck.
11/14/2023: Z1 replies: "We are just waiting on an answer from Uprev."
12/01/2023: I email "Just checking in to see whether Uprev has acknowledged and is working on a solution, or whether they've still not responded."
12/01/2023: Z1 replies and says they asked for the .osiris rom I'm using and a list of other parameters to log while attempting to switch maps.
12/01/2023: I called Z1 to let them know those parameters are not present. After getting off the phone, I emailed back confirmation of the same in writing as well as photos showing the full list of possible parameters in the software.
12/12/2023: I email Z1 to ask if Uprev has given any answers.
12/12/2023: Z1 tells me the reply from UpRev says they suspect the UpRev license hasn't been uploaded, and have me disconnect the battery for 5 minutes then try again.
12/13/2023: I follow the instructions, but no change. I sent back a photo of the screen confirming the license is flashed, and also attached a full ECU dump in the hopes they could dig into it further.
12/15/2023: I email and ask maybe if we can't do the map switching, I can just flash the performance file on its own, and while I couldn't switch on the fly, could at least have a way of manually flashing the maps.
12/15/2023: Z1 replies "We will see what the next step is for this."
1/05/2024: I write "Hey, hope your holidays were all good. Just checking to see if there's been any update to this in the past few weeks."
1/18/2024: I write "Just checking back in again."
1/18/2024: Z1 replies "I’ll check again. I have another one with the issue that were are also working with now."
2/05/2024: I email to ask whether my planned alternator upgrade will affect the tune files since voltage was a logged item.
2/26/2024: I email to say I changed the alternator, and asked again if UpRev has given any indication of when they'll get it done or if they've been kicking it down the road.
2/26/2024: Z1 replies "They still haven’t given any info up but we will try to touch base with them again this week."
3/25/2024: I email to say it's been another month and wondering if it will happen or if there's an alternative. I mention the alternator and re-gearing and saying again that if there is a path forward, I'd like to re-record my logs so the tune is accurate.
3/25/2024: Z1 replies: "We’re hoping another option will be available shortly."
3/25/2024: I reply asking whether I should email Z1 customer service to ask for a refund since it was coming up on 6 months. And while there is supposedly another thing in the works, that was different from this transaction.
4/17/2024: I email "Can you confirm whether UpRev is actively working on a solution for my truck or whether efforts have been halted?"
4/17/2024: Z1 replies "We can ask Uprev and we are still trying to come up with a better solution for our offroad clients."
4/17/2024: I reply "Yes, please ask UpRev and let me know."
4/18/2024: I call Z1 customer service, give them the order number, and let them know that it's been six months, they can't give me what I paid for, and I'd like a refund since they can't provide the service.
4/18/2024: Z1 emails "we have talked with the Tuner and we apologize but we cannot offer a refund on this because your vehicle has already been flashed. We recommend trying to go through UpRev and see if they are willing to refund you on this"
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