NotYourAveJoe Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 This might be a dumb question but I am sending my F500BT back to Pioneer in Ohio to get it repaired after spending some time one the phone with them and realizing they need to take a look at it. I have done a few mods to the unit like adjusting some graphics, adding a few things here and there including bypassing the 16 mph rule. I am woundering if it is OK to send the unit as is or after finding the mods that are done to it they will refuse to honor the warranty, or even worst get me in some kind of legal trouble? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kafklatsch Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 if you can revert back you have your bases covered. just make a bakeup of your current configuration and reinstall when you get it back.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NotYourAveJoe Posted July 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 if you can revert back you have your bases covered. just make a bakeup of your current configuration and reinstall when you get it back.... Yea, I would love to do that but I can't. My touchscreen is not working so I cannot do any modifications to the system right now, agghhh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Newman Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 they very well could claim that your software mods cause the problem you are having and they may not cover the repair for free. similar to a car dealer claiming that your aftermarket stereo install caused your factory speakers to go bad. theoretically it could be true but there is no way to prove it one way or the other and you will lose the battle. i would say go back to the original software if you can, but if you cant you have nothing to lose anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NotYourAveJoe Posted July 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 they very well could claim that your software mods cause the problem you are having and they may not cover the repair for free. similar to a car dealer claiming that your aftermarket stereo install caused your factory speakers to go bad. theoretically it could be true but there is no way to prove it one way or the other and you will lose the battle. i would say go back to the original software if you can, but if you cant you have nothing to lose anyway. I am just worried if they have some kind of legal disclaimers regarding changing their software and would they legally do something to me? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h5550 Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Theoretically you can do an automated restore, but it will need a lot of tweak. Here's how: D/L testmode V 2.3 fom here, then edit the .mscr file to copy the original files back. Later today(PST) I can help you out with details. h Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pwnin o'brien Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I completed a warranty return successfully with a software mod on it. I had a modded DATA.ZIP and they didn't say anything about it to me and I received my new (not refurbished) unit quickly. The engineers were also using my defective unit to diagnose the original TTS issue (where TTS wouldn't show up at all after the 2.0 update). I'm not saying send in a heavily modded unit because they may now know that users are modding the units. However, like said above, if you absolutely cannot get the original software on it, you have nothing to lose. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
learningman Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 You could upgrade the unit to Version 2.006 http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Support/Navigation/Free+Firmware+Update+2.006+for+AVIC-F500BT which would reset all of the files. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ill.die.trying Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 This might be a dumb question but I am sending my F500BT back to Pioneer in Ohio to get it repaired after spending some time one the phone with them and realizing they need to take a look at it. I have done a few mods to the unit like adjusting some graphics, adding a few things here and there including bypassing the 16 mph rule. I am woundering if it is OK to send the unit as is or after finding the mods that are done to it they will refuse to honor the warranty, or even worst get me in some kind of legal trouble? here's what you can do, download this cmh unziptosdcard here http://avic411.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=25397#p172632 then change all the files in the mitacap folder from backup files from here http://avic411.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=24888&start=0 and then insert your sd to your unit, that would automatically put all the stock files on your unit, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NotYourAveJoe Posted July 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Thanks for all the advice. My main concern is (since I don't have much to loose with this unit) weather there are any disclosures or warning in Pioneer books as far as modifying their software and what or any legal effects it can have. I am not worrying about them refusing to honor the warranty as much as for them coming after me with some sort of penalties or suits? Am I just being a paranoid freak or am I on to something legit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pwnin o'brien Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Once you purchase the unit from Pioneer, you have the right to do anything you want to the unit. You can completely format the unit and put anything you want on it if you would like. You own the unit and the software, you can make any modifications to the unit you wish. Your main concern should not be whether they can take legal action against you, because they cannot, it should be whether or not they will honor the warranty because the warranty does claim that no modifications can me made to the hardware or software for the warranty to remain active. The reason you should be worried about Pioneer honoring the warranty is because they will want a large sum of money to repair/diagnose your current unit, or they could tell you that you need a completely new unit. They also have the right to charge you a diagnosis fee, which means they can receive your unit, analyze and diagnose the issue, and then charge you money for looking at it, not including any necessary repairs. For example, once they get your unit, they could say that you need new software and they will be happy to do it for $200, and if you decline to let them repair the software they can then charge you a $100 diagnosis fee or something of the sort. I'm not saying they will for sure, but they do have that right and it is somewhat likely. If you refuse to pay this fee, then they keep your unit. This is why you should try, at all costs, to fix your current unit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
N-S-E-W Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Once you purchase the unit from Pioneer, you have the right to do anything you want to the unit. You can completely format the unit and put anything you want on it if you would like. You own the unit and the software, you can make any modifications to the unit you wish. Your main concern should not be whether they can take legal action against you, because they cannot, it should be whether or not they will honor the warranty because the warranty does claim that no modifications can me made to the hardware or software for the warranty to remain active. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Pioneer can refuse any warranty claim on a unit that shows it was tampered with or if the software was compromised in any way. In the box with the unit I purchased there was a pamphlet titled Important Information. Specifically on page 4 is the License Agreement. Most of us have seen this with other software we purchased and may have just ignored what it says. Here's a portion of it below: 1) Grant of License Pioneer grants you a non-transferable, non exclusive license to use the software installed on the Pioneer products (the "Software") and the related documentation solely for your own personal use or for internal use by your business, only on such Pioneer products. You shall not copy, reverse engineer, translate, port, modify or make derivative works of the software. You shall not loan, rent, disclose, publish, sell, assign, lease, sublicense, market or otherwise transfer the Software or use it in any manner not expressly authorized by this agreement. You shall not derive or attempt to derive the source code or structure of all or any portion of the Software by reverse engineering, disassembly, recompilation, or any other means............. Pioneer and its licensor(s) shall retain all copyright, trade secret, patent and other proprietary ownership rights in the Software. The Software is copyrighted and may not be copied, even if modified or merged with other products..... There's much more in the pamphlet as well as a Tele Atlas portion that is about the same as Pioneer's portion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NotYourAveJoe Posted July 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Once you purchase the unit from Pioneer, you have the right to do anything you want to the unit. You can completely format the unit and put anything you want on it if you would like. You own the unit and the software, you can make any modifications to the unit you wish. Your main concern should not be whether they can take legal action against you, because they cannot, it should be whether or not they will honor the warranty because the warranty does claim that no modifications can me made to the hardware or software for the warranty to remain active. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Pioneer can refuse any warranty claim on a unit that shows it was tampered with or if the software was compromised in any way. In the box with the unit I purchased there was a pamphlet titled Important Information. Specifically on page 4 is the License Agreement. Most of us have seen this with other software we purchased and may have just ignored what it says. Here's a portion of it below: 1) Grant of License Pioneer grants you a non-transferable, non exclusive license to use the software installed on the Pioneer products (the "Software") and the related documentation solely for your own personal use or for internal use by your business, only on such Pioneer products. You shall not copy, reverse engineer, translate, port, modify or make derivative works of the software. You shall not loan, rent, disclose, publish, sell, assign, lease, sublicense, market or otherwise transfer the Software or use it in any manner not expressly authorized by this agreement. You shall not derive or attempt to derive the source code or structure of all or any portion of the Software by reverse engineering, disassembly, recompilation, or any other means............. Pioneer and its licensor(s) shall retain all copyright, trade secret, patent and other proprietary ownership rights in the Software. The Software is copyrighted and may not be copied, even if modified or merged with other products..... There's much more in the pamphlet as well as a Tele Atlas portion that is about the same as Pioneer's portion. Thank you for the info. However I really have nothing to loose, if they honor the warranty that is great, if not than so be it I will buy another one. I just want to make sure they are not going to do anything legally like sue me or try to charge me some infringement fees, anyone know that for a fact? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ill.die.trying Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Once you purchase the unit from Pioneer, you have the right to do anything you want to the unit. You can completely format the unit and put anything you want on it if you would like. You own the unit and the software, you can make any modifications to the unit you wish. Your main concern should not be whether they can take legal action against you, because they cannot, it should be whether or not they will honor the warranty because the warranty does claim that no modifications can me made to the hardware or software for the warranty to remain active. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Pioneer can refuse any warranty claim on a unit that shows it was tampered with or if the software was compromised in any way. In the box with the unit I purchased there was a pamphlet titled Important Information. Specifically on page 4 is the License Agreement. Most of us have seen this with other software we purchased and may have just ignored what it says. Here's a portion of it below: 1) Grant of License Pioneer grants you a non-transferable, non exclusive license to use the software installed on the Pioneer products (the "Software") and the related documentation solely for your own personal use or for internal use by your business, only on such Pioneer products. You shall not copy, reverse engineer, translate, port, modify or make derivative works of the software. You shall not loan, rent, disclose, publish, sell, assign, lease, sublicense, market or otherwise transfer the Software or use it in any manner not expressly authorized by this agreement. You shall not derive or attempt to derive the source code or structure of all or any portion of the Software by reverse engineering, disassembly, recompilation, or any other means............. Pioneer and its licensor(s) shall retain all copyright, trade secret, patent and other proprietary ownership rights in the Software. The Software is copyrighted and may not be copied, even if modified or merged with other products..... There's much more in the pamphlet as well as a Tele Atlas portion that is about the same as Pioneer's portion. Thank you for the info. However I really have nothing to loose, if they honor the warranty that is great, if not than so be it I will buy another one. I just want to make sure they are not going to do anything legally like sue me or try to charge me some infringement fees, anyone know that for a fact? i don't think they will do anything like that, maybe if you're sellling their program or something then you might get sued but just hacking a unit that you've paid for the only thing i could think of is not honoring the warranty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
natsys Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 You know, it's not like you're downloading pirated music and screwing the label out of royalties. You just modified the software to make it a little more desirable for you personally. It costs a lot of money to bring a suit and I can't imagine a huge corporation like Pioneer going after someone for tweaking their product. The cost would be ridiculous and the negative publicity would be a nightmare. Now if you're selling your mods to other users that would be another story. Besides, don't you think they know all about this forum? They probably have moles in here monitoring and likely even contributing. Every problem solved here is one less they have to fix--especially under warranty. And why did most of us by Pioneer units in the first place? The deciding factor for ME was that this site was here. I can ask questions, help with answers, get new info first and on and on. Pioneer probably sells THOUSANDS more nav systems because of this site. They may not "officially" approve of their software being modded, but they surely wink and look the other way in the name of larger sales volumes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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