diff --git a/QtPyLoT.py b/QtPyLoT.py
index cc85d0ba..572bdc97 100755
--- a/QtPyLoT.py
+++ b/QtPyLoT.py
@@ -1111,7 +1111,8 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         #         return False
         # MP MP changed to suppress unnecessary user prompt
         try:
-            self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform, upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
+            self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform, fcheck='manual',
+                                        upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
         except FormatError as e:
             fbasename, exform = getSavePath(e, directory, outformat)
         except AttributeError as e:
@@ -1134,8 +1135,10 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
 
         # export to given path
         #self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform, upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
-        self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform[0], upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
-        self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform[1], upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
+        self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform[0], fcheck='manual',
+                                    upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
+        self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform[1], fcheck='manual',
+                                    upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
         #self.get_data().exportEvent(fbasename, exform[2], upperErrors=[uppererrorP[3], uppererrorS[3]])
         # all files save (ui clean)
         self.update_status('Picks saved as %s, %s, and %s' % (fbasename + exform[0], fbasename + exform[1], 
diff --git a/pylot/core/io/data.py b/pylot/core/io/data.py
index bc205e88..926512c2 100644
--- a/pylot/core/io/data.py
+++ b/pylot/core/io/data.py
@@ -168,23 +168,32 @@ class Data(object):
         if fnext == '.xml':
             if os.path.isfile(fnout + fnext):
                 print("xml-file already exists! Check content ...")
-                cat_old = read_events(fnout + fnext)
+                cat = read_events(fnout + fnext)
+                if len(cat) > 1:
+                    raise IOError('Ambigious event information in file {}'.format(fnout + fnext))
+                if len(cat) < 1:
+                    raise IOError('No event information in file {}'.format(fnout + fnext))
+                event = cat[0]
+                if not event.resource_id == self.get_evt_data().resource_id:
+                    raise IOError("Missmatching event resource id's: {} and {}".format(event.resource_id,
+                                                                                       self.get_evt_data().resource_id))
                 checkflag = 0
-                picks = cat_old.events[0].picks
+                picks = event.picks
+                #remove existing picks
                 for j, pick in reversed(list(enumerate(picks))):
                     if pick.method_id.id.split('/')[1] == fcheck:
-                        picks.remove(j)
-                        print("Found %s pick(s), remove them and append new picks to catalog." % fcheck)
+                        picks.pop(j)
                         checkflag = 1
-                if checkflag == 1:
-                    event = self.get_evt_data().write(fnout + fnext, format=evtformat)
-                    cat_new = read_events(fnout + fnext)
-                    cat_new.append(cat_old.events[0])
-                    cat_new.write(fnout + fnext, format=evtformat)
-                else:
-                    self.get_evt_data().write(fnout + fnext, format=evtformat)
-            else:
-                self.get_evt_data().write(fnout + fnext, format=evtformat)
+                if checkflag:
+                    print("Found %s pick(s), remove them and append new picks to catalog." % fcheck)
+
+                #append new picks
+                for pick in self.get_evt_data().picks:
+                    if pick.method_id.id.split('/')[1] == fcheck:                    
+                        picks.append(pick)
+
+                self.setEvtData(event)
+            self.get_evt_data().write(fnout + fnext, format=evtformat)
 
         # try exporting event via ObsPy
         else: