Top 25 most frequently asked questions about Grapevine F&I 

1.       I am getting an "End of Input Error". What do I do?
Hit the insert key on your keyboard and try again.

2.       I get an "Error 0404" when trying to run a credit report What's wrong?
Check your internet connection. If it is ok, check the configuration of your local   firewall. (Norton, Zone Alarm, etc..) If you are not sure what this means, contact Data Consultants Support for assistance.

3.       I get an "error 27" when trying to print forms, reports, etc. What's wrong?
 Printer is out of paper.  Put paper in the printer and try again.

4.       I am getting "This station cannot get access". What do I do?
 The User ID is not set or not set correctly in the autoexec.bat (W9x) or autoexec.nt (W2k/WXP) file.  Modify this file with the correct userid.  W2k or earlier will require a restart for autoexec changes to take effect.  This may also be a station that has lost its network connection.  Please contact your network administrator.

5.       I'm getting a "Userid# XX is Already Running This Program."  What's wrong?
 There is already one session open on this workstation or someone on the network is     using the same user ID.  Verify you do not have the program minimized.  Contact your network administrator to verify all users are using the correct userid in the autoexec file.

6.       I am signing up with a new bank / warranty company and need their forms programmed.  What do I do?
If you already have the forms, call Data Consultants and ask us to search our database to see if we already have the form programmed. If not, we need you to mail in 3 originals of each form we do not have to: Data Consultants  3586 N. Hazel Ave. Fresno, CA 93722.  Please include the Dealership name and a contact person.

7.       My form on my menu printed fine yesterday and today it is out of alignment, what happened?
Most likely, the form revision is new.  Check the actual form to see if it matches the one on the menu.  If not, you need the new revision.  Follow the answer instructions in question #6.

8.       When I try to launch F&I, I get "16 Bit MS-DOS Subsystem: Please Check Your PIF File or, Cannot find the working folder."  How do I get into F&I now?
You have lost the network connection.  Re-map the net drive.  Refer to the "Mapping the Net Drive" documentation available on the appropriate support page.  If that doesn't work, browse Network Neighborhood or My Network Places (depending on your O/S), if you can’t see the server computer, you may have a problem with the physical connection of the network cables.  You may also try re-creating the icon.  It may be corrupt.

9.       My Grapevine F&I icon is gone.  What do I do?
Check the Recycle Bin and restore the icon by right clicking on it and choosing “Restore”.  If the icon is not in the recycle bin, right click on the desktop, mouse over new and click on “Create Shortcut”.  Browse to the grapevin/programs directory and locate the “start.exe” file.  Your shortcut should point to this file.

10.   How do I pick up my forms work once it is complete? I no longer have a modem in my system..
There are many simple ways we can deliver transfers to you. The easiest is the Webupdate service. Webupdate checks for transfers everytime Grapevine is started. We can also e-mail your transfer to you.  

11.   Can I take one of my computers to a show this weekend?
Yes!  You need to purchase a show license.  Please call Data Consultants for complete information.

12.   How do I delete working deals?
From the main screen in F&I, go to "H" and follow the menu prompts.  Use caution when deleting working deals.  Once they have been deleted, unless they have been stored to Sales History, they are gone.

13.   My server locked up and now I can't get into F&I.  What do I do?
Start by rebooting the server.  Then reboot the workstations in that order.

14.   I try to go to the "G" screen and I get an "Out of Balance" error.  What do I do?
Your deal is out of balance.  Hit "F12" or another available function key to balance the payment and try again.

15.   How can I run a salesperson report?
There are additional reports on a 2^nd screen in "Sales History Reports".  Go to "Sales History Reports" and hit pgdn to see the 2^nd screen where there are 3 different "salesperson" reports.

16.   I am Wholesaling a car, how can I remove my smog fees and taxes on this deal I am working?
Hit "ALT-D" "Current Deal Calculations" and  “ALT-T” “Current Tax Calculations” and turn off the fees and taxes you do not want to include.  Remember to hit “End” when finished.  ESC will lose your changes.  

17.   I want to put my inventory on the Web.  Can I do this with your program?
Yes, you will need to purchase the add-on utility "Inventory ASCII Export" if you or someone at your dealership has not already purchased it.  To verify, go to the Inventory menu and look for the “INV ASCII EXPORT” choice.  To purchase this module please call Data Consultants at 800-284-8469.

18.   I am getting an error stating "This unit is being access by user 4" when trying to recall and inventory unit.  I know user 4 is not accessing this unit.  What do I do?
If you are absolutely sure this unit it not being accessed by any F&I user you can override the lock.  While the message is on the screen, hit "O" for override and answer yes to the warning.  Be aware that if the file is being accessed, you may cause data corruption.

19.   I am taking my show machine to an offsite sale this weekend.  Can I take my inventory and “P” screen data from the store with me?
Yes, you can. Please call one of our support representatives to walk you through this simple procedure.

20.   I am back from the offsite sale.  How do I get my deals onto the network?
You must start by storing your show deals to sales history. From there, call out support department for assistance. This is a simple procedure as well.

21.   I just bought a new printer.  What do I do to get it to work in F&I.
Please visit our Support page look for your printer set up documentation, or call one of our support representatives and we can fax or e-mail it to you.

22.   I would like to add another user to my Grapevine software.  How can I do this?
Your Grapevine software is designed to run as a stand alone product or as a multi user platform and is controlled by individual user licenses.  In order to set up Grapevine on an additional machine/s you will need to contact our technical support at 800-284-8469 and purchase the appropriate license/s.

23.   I wholesale a lot of cars to the same dealer.  How can I make a template of the deal structure?
Work the deal as you would normally and store it by hitting ALT – E.  Recall the deal template by hitting ALT – F. If you turn off smog fees and taxes and store the template, when you recall this template it will save your wholesale deal structure.

24.   I am getting “Working Deal File is Full”.  What do I do?
You will need to recap your completed deals and remove them from your working deal menu and/or delete old or dead working deals.  Hit “H” and follow the prompts.  NOTE:  Deleted deals cannot be retrieved.  Make sure you back up your system regularly. Choosing “ALL” as the deal type is usually not a good idea, as it will delete all deals from your “F” screen.