As an opportunity to recieve "feedback" and "stay in touch" with my customers, posting this question is a positive move. Those customers who know me well will understand my honest desire to provide an unrivalled level of service, and you may still have observations about SE that can allow us to improve.

Those people who have no "first-hand" experience of SE may have general observations about the trade, and could contribute points tht we could incorporate in our service.

Those (hoefully few) people who have genuine problems with the service/advice/products that they have received, are now invited to air their grievances, which I will do my best to answer or illuminate.

I will be happy to cover any subject, from anyone - friendly or hostile. Before I do, I think it would be beneficial to explain some facts about SE, so you do not think my answers are avoidance.

SE(Silvia Engineering) are NOT a Nissan dealer. We have no connection with Nissan Motor Company - our customers are the owners of Nissan vehicles, and it is to them that we are responsible.

SE do not work on any vehicle that is not a performance Nissan,(ie we don't just specialize, we work exclusively on high performance Nissans).

SE's business model has more in common with Nismo or AMG, than with UK tuning businesses. We produce our own range of products, which are conceived, designed, and produced in-house. This is one reason why we do not actively sell japanese "bolt-on-goodies".

SE have more staff working on our product manufacturing, than on our service/repair/tuning workshop. Yet this remains the key part of our business, the means by which we understand the needs of our customers and the success or failure of our products, in meeting those needs.

Our commitment to a long-term relationship with all our customers is based upon, clear information about products/pricing/technical services. Our pricing structure includes extensive "fixed price" items which remove cost uncertainties from customers minds, and hourly labour rates lower than any UK Nissan main dealer.

Currently about 50% of our work/product sales are related the 300ZX , but a look at out website (www.se-nissan.com) will show how much other stuff we do.

Based on the above information, any obsevations about how we can improve our service/product offer will be incorporated in future. We will not deviate from our goals, but I am listening.

Pete

 

Pete,

 

I'll Start the ball rolling on this one for ya.

 

Since i haven't had any work done by SE on my car i am in no position to comment on your quality of workmanship.

 

I have talked to you on the phone and number of time and found you to be well informed and helpfull. I have not had such pleasant experiences with some of your underlings. And from what i have heard from other that seems to be somewhat of a common experience.

 

Maybe hiring a single person to handle customer inquiries and telephones would be a step in the right direction. I realize that you are probably on a tight budget here - but as im sure you know Engineers in general do not have the best inter-personal skills, i know that my employer would not want me talking to customers on a regular basis.

 

In short, helpfull info over the phone, polite manner (i.e people not hanging the phone up on you) and calling people back when asked will go a long way to giving your customers the faith in your operations.

 

Z ya

 

Nico91TT

 

 

 

 

 

ok here i go.

when i spoke to you on the phone for the first time, i was impressed by you and that got me wanting to come to SE. on arrival i was also impressed at your facilities.

however (since i dont know if the work that was said was actually done) i cant comment on that.

when i asked to talk to you i was given the (he is busy how can i help you) from the guy in the reception area (as far as im concerned if you got rid of him to start with you will get an increase in business straight away.) he was rude, not interested, and full of s%*T in my opinion.

 

the guys took my car for a ride, i was not really happy with this as i would like to have gone with (i dont pay all that money for other people to thrash it around)

 

basically on phoning back and not being able to make my mind up about brakes (after all i am a customer and was indesisive) i was given the "up yours" buy that twat at reception.

 

this is unacceptable.

you need to improve on customer service at the front desk and have someone who knows how to answer a phone properly.

also customers need to be informed at all times.

(if you want more advise, it will cost you) lol

well thats my little bit

 

 

 

Pete,

 

I've had alot of work carried out by you on my old ZX.

 

I was never totally sure of what I wanted to achieve and I would have liked a clearer idea of the following.

 

1. What SE-Nissan are able to offer any new

or existing 300ZX owner.

 

2. Advice and direction on the best route to

upgrade to achieve specific power outputs.

 

3. Any risks involved with upgrading at

specific levels.

 

I agree, there's no question in your personal committment or ability in providing an excellent service but have to question that of your some of your staff. (not all)

 

I have phoned your company within the last twelve months with various enquiries only to be met with someone at reception who clearly has no interest in customer relations.

 

As an exampe, I wanted to buy the AP brake package from you only to be told that I wouldn't want it because it was so expensive and Andy E..... had it and said it was no good!! I ended up buying these from another company where I would have much preferred to maintain my interest with yourself.

 

Please put someone on the desk who knows prices in your brochure without giving an un-educated guess and who also rings you back with prices that don't exist in your brochure.

 

Businnes was good when I dealt with you direct but since you have concentrated more on expanding yor company, certain other parts have lapsed.

 

Steve

 

Ok guys, thanks for the above.

Can I take all the three above points as being of a similar nature - ie my "front man" has let you all down, mainly through lack of interest in your needs, or by not providing the same level of service that I do personally. i take full responsibility for his appointment and training and I promise an immediate improvement in this situation. i cannot defend poor service, but I should point out how we structure calls within the business.

My areas of responsibility are new product development, customer relations, marketing, personnel and general management. Normally I only take calls on these subjects, but I can see that people who need to speak to me are not getting through. From now on I will take any call between 12-1pm and will institute a call back list. Any caller can ask to be added to my call back list, and I will do my best to reach anyone between 4pm and 8pm. during the rest of the day I still have vital tasks to perform, so please forgive me if I try to get some productivity from myself.

Any technical questions can be directed to other memebers of my staff who can help you and provide in-depth answers. Your first choice should be Dave (workshop manager) he is in charge of scheduling work through the workshop,and is responsible for meeting the quality targets and time limits of all our visiting customers. He is a ex touring car mechanic, and has worked for me for 3 years. He knows just as much as I do about 300's and the tuning problems, and he cares as much about all our customers as I do.

Another person who can help (if I am not available) is Davey (senior technician). Davey has been with me for over 5 years and on some systems he knows far more than I do. His specific experience is with engine management systems and technical fault diagnosis on electrical systems. He even makes the looms for the engine management systems that we install - and he is very helpful.

I will issue instructions for all calls to be put through from now on, and I appologise for the frustrations that our bad service have caused.

 

Two things i forgot

First - 300Z

I hope the above answers your main concerns but also your point about the road testing is a good one.

The only person (other than myself) who carries out road tests on 300's is Dave (the workshop manager), this is for two reasons.

1) He has been shown by me exactly how to carry out a responsible, and technically accurate diagnosis of the vehicle's behaviour

2) I trust his driving skills and self control.

Because of the cars we tune, my staff are always respectful of your property, in and out of the workshop. As for customers joining us on road test - not a problem except for space requirements. If we are checking and modifying boost (normal on most road tests) we need one qualified driver and one technician to hold the gauge and accuratley relate the boost characteristics.

Otherwise owners are welcome. However sometimes owners may not wish to be present eg when setting up traction control, but generally you can be assured that cars are never taken out for joy rides/thrashing.

 

Second - Steve E

Thanks Steve, this is most helpful and it shows how I have misjudged the information process. It is my responsibility to communicate with customers either on a "one to one" basis or through publication.

Personally I have never liked the "Stage 1 - Stage 2, etc" process. I have seen many tuners (notably Ford tuners)use this package deal route to mislead and overcharge customers. For this reason we have always shown individual products priced separately.

I see how this could become confusing, lacking direction - I'll see what I can do to explain our products and tuning methods in a clearer way.

 

having never really used anyone other than those johnny has put me onto i've no real complaints with any company i've used so far.my only gripe with the whole 300 scene is this...........the 300zx is a car no longer in production and although in its day was probably cutting edge its now ten years old so why are we paying £50-80 an hour in labour and why are we seen as fair game when it comes to prices for anything related to the 300 its like open season on us.im not saying i want to pay nissan micra money but ggeezzz some of the costs for things can amount to more than some people have paid for the entire car.you can run a cossie or lancia delta or a supra for a lot less and i know some people have ideas that the 300 is a league above these and in with the porkers and lambos ferrari etc but in the cold light of day it aint so we shouldnt have to pay ferrari money to run em.

 

right i'll step off my soap box and crawl back into my hole

 

Hello Pete...I like your approach, so I decided to give you a little feedback.

 

As you might know, I'm a Swiss Znut, but right now working weeks in London, UK, and I'm very very close to the Twinturbo.net site.

 

I cannot give you feedback on the service you're providing to customers, 'cse my car has never been serviced by you...but I looked at 2 or 3 things.

 

FIRST THING...

 

I'm always VERY reluctant about a company when they're proclaming....themselves...

"best value tuning products or performance nissans, Worldwide"...

 

Personally, and unless you made a worldwide analysis about this "motto", I would consider it.....hhuummm....crap !

 

Web Site.

 

Your web site is....well, not working very well (incredibly slow), and not really maintained.

I.e No Hot deals, no info on in since Y2k

the "example car" icon on the main web site is a porsche..LOL....quite interesting for a NISSAN specialist.

The shipping section of your site is not working (get an error message about changing my password)

 

International

I discovered that you have some parts of the web site in french...I'm sorry to say that this french can be greatly improved .

But, because it seems that you're interested in international business, I called yesterday, in French.....well....

Your staff was VERY co-operative, and they did their best...but obviously they have problems with French. Get it real, it's not their fault, they did their best..but, if you want to do international business, be ready for international business...and if you want to find "Idéalement, nous recherchons des garages, de petite taille,

positionnés de façon homogène sur le territoire français et proposant

"...DO not EXPECT THEM TO SPEAK ENGLISH

 

Prices

 

I know this is a free world, so you're welcome to charge any price you want...and I don't want to start a business plan discussion...it's your company.

However....Based on the prices I found on your web site (maybe they're outdated, but were still here yesterday)....I can tell you what will NOT make ME one of your customers....IMHO....you could give better prices....examples (i tried to find equivalent products, street prices)

 

SE

Grooved Brake Discs (Front) Price without taxes: £260.00

 

Porterfields Brakes

Front JBR552 US$79.85

Rear JBR509 US$89.50

 

Cryo Treatment : +US$40 Per pair of Disk

Slotting : +US$40 Per pair of Disk

X-Drilling : +US$40 Per pair of Disk

 

so...grooved front disks : US$ 119.85 / 81.69 GBP(a pair), or US$ 159.85 / GBP 108.96 cryo treated (IMHO, a must)

 

SE

Carbon-Kevlar front pads Price without taxes: £116.03

 

Proterfields Brakes

Front 99US$ / GBP 68

Rear US$79 / GBP 54

 

SE

RPS clutch Price without taxes: £531.25

 

 

(as I couldn't find WHICH RPS clutch this one is....I list ALL of them)

Alamo Motor Sports

RPS turbo clutch $362.36ea / GBP 246

Carbon $345.56ea / GBP 234.6

Turbo Carbon $467.96ea / GBP 317.56

 

Zee you

 

Henri

90 300 Zx 2+2 Auto

92 300 Zx 2+2 Manual

92 Stealth RT/TT (a.k.a 3000 GT VR4 / GTO)

 

I don't want to comment on individuals' lifestyles, but after reading the last reply it's no wonder to me that you (Pete) are keen to keep people's business. Looks like some of you tuner guys are doing rather well for yourselves, or should I say "daylight robbery" springs to mind!

 

And I thought my living was good, I'm in the wrong job...

 

 

Since I'm Dutch, I just HAVE to say something about those prices as well ;)

 

I think if SE could get the prices of performance parts down to a more acceptable level you actually might get quite a few 'European' customers for parts.

Shipping the stuff from the US to Yurp sometimes costs more then the part itself,

but at the moment buying parts in the US including shipping-costs is (a lot) cheaper then SE's prices without shipping..

 

Zya,

Eric

 

 

lymon. hoe gaan dit met jou?

ek praat jou taal, omdat ek is van suid africa.

 

i agree the price structure, dare i say it seems to be aimed at people new to the car (as i was when i was caught).

 

Pete

 

This is not a hostile message.

 

I don't actually know who you are? I have only visited SE once. Were you one of the people I spoke to? I cannot remember any names. The person I dealt with spent most of his time at the reception area and took most of the calls and I got the impression that he was in charge.

 

I would like to point out that I do appreciate your participation in this discussion and that I don't feel I was over charged in any way however, the work I received was unaceptable.

 

I knew little about these cars when I took my Z to yourselves to sort out the problems. I feel that I was fobbed off and that my lack of knowledge at that time was taken advantage of.

 

The boost was around 7.5 psi, engine vibrating and not smooth and I really did indicate the 'Mines' ecu and faulty det sensor etc. Now the crank angle sensor was adjusted almost fully to the left. I noticed your guys checking the engine mounts because of the vibrations, but to no avail. Boost jets were installed and boost increased to 13.5 psi.

 

Steve E has a valid point about someone should indicate the risks involved. Ok, I stated that I had a 'Mines' ecu but nobody actually checked this. I was told by a younger lad (who was working on the car) that the CAS being far out is a common fault and that it's the Cam thats worn! the CAS was adjusted even more, now fully to the left to prevent detonation from the boost increase.

 

I did call up and ask for advise about the detonation. I was'nt even angry or upset or anything like that but I still received an evasive response as explained earlier.

 

I managed to find someone who was willing to look at the problems.

 

His findings were: An O2 sensor that had completely failed. Faulty det sensor which I already new about. He noticed straight away that the timing was incorrect by the CAS! The timing was out at the crank and one of the cams. One bank was more advanced than the other hence the vibrations etc. Your guys increased the boost! As a result the bank that was advanced now suffers from abnormal engine noises and what sounds like a piston slap.

 

It is paramount that a full checkout is done before any upgrades. This wasn't done on mine and the obvious problems with the timing were ignored. More overt, the boost was done even though the problems were stated and or noticed (CAS & det sensor).

 

It could just be a case of SE wanting to keep the customer happy by increasing the boost but I would have rather been told that any boost increase was dangerous and that further investigation was needed. I'm sure everybody will agree that these engines are very expensive to repair if they fail.

 

I look forward to your comments

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK - thanks again and I will answer these points starting from the last reply.

H le Hir - I didnt know about your history and involvement with the twinturbo.net site and I appreciate your remarks

BUT - "best value tuning products for performance Nissans, worldwide" is a phrase which captures the essence and exlains the intentions of the business. As you obviously have some business experience you will recognise the need for any business to provide a short and simple message to its prospective customers - this phrase does exactly that. We do not proclaim to be the cheapest, nor the best. What we say is that our products and tuning solutions are "best value". At this point what Tooley mentioned earlier about chargeout labour rates should illustrate this. Our 2001 labour rate for 300ZX work is £42.95/hour INCLUSIVE of VAT. This is cheaper than any Nissan dealer or "specialist" who has somewhere other than his back garden to work from. Considering our cumulative experience with these cars, I cannot imaging that better value exists here in the UK.

Back to the worldwide thing - even if you do not agree with the importance of the "motto" you must accept that when we ship parts to most countries in the world, in makes us a worldwide business.

As for our value relative to other international companies - tell me NISMO are cheaper than us! The only other large scale 300 specialists that I know of are Stillen, who no longer do just Nissans and only badged other peoples products anyway. Other Nissan specialists JWT (has a limited range of products) and Becker in Germany (mostly Sunny GTiR) do not have the focus that we do.

So crap it may be to you, but to me and many others it is an honest attempt to identify ouselves.

WEB SITE - yes it is a bit slow, but its still faster and more simple to navigate than any of the above companies I have mentioned. I would love to have more control but its a template based system that I can only edit without incurring major redesign costs. Thanks for the "example car" button its the first time i've looked closely and you're right - I must have a word with the web site designers ( I wonder if I can get my money back?). The shipping is a section we are working on, it should be available soon.

INTERNATIONAL - thanks for the tip about the french, your mistery call got hold of me personally - I am the only member of my team who speaks any french except the French National Marketing Graduate who wrote that piece.

PRICES - its a free world as you say and that was a cheap trick. Unlike individuals, we have to import US goods correctly, ie no phoney invoices, we also have to pay tax and VAT on our purchases, and shipping costs. As we are the only people in the UK who actually stock RPS clutches and Porterfield pads, and have to sell them with VAT, don't you think we deserve a margin. We make less on any imported products than we do domestic ones(less than 25%), yet we still sell them because I would rather loose money and sell you a good part, than make a bundle selling crap. Oh, and by the way you need 2001 prices which most of yours are not, and the discs are genuine Nissan before machining not patterns.

 

300Z - we publish all our prices (inclusive of VAT)in a free catalogue, and I review them against costs and competative products regularly. I dont expect everyone to believe me, but we maintain a discount against retail prices all the time.

 

ANDERS UK - thanks Andy because I thought some of your earlier postings were.

To help you understand who you met on your visit, the guy in reception was Darren (the same person everyone has been moaning about because of his bad telephone manner)-he is the parts manager/receptionist, and he is an employee. Unfortunately you and I never met - because I had just left for my first week's holiday in five years. My workshop manager DAVE was competing on a rally and the technician who checked your car was Davey (the road test had to be carried out by Darren for insurance reasons). I agree about the charging, as darren gave you a good discount on our published prices.

BAD WORKMANSHIP? - Your job card stated that you were in for a boost upgrade, apparently your earlier visit to INTERPRO had been a waste of time as they could not get the boost to come above standard. I am told that you arrived late in the afternoon because your car overheated twice on the journey to us. My technician Davey says that you still wanted the work done even though we warned you of probable head gasket difficulties. The guys checked the wastegates which are right by the engine mounts. Your CAS was set clockwise (to the left) in order to achive a std 15degrees at idle (hot) base ignition figure. Elsewhere you have posted that CAS drive wear cannot happen and the technician was wrong in his setting of the timing. I am here to tell you that CAS drive wear not only can but does happen. It is very prevalent on 200SX's which have the same drive and sensor(4cyl version)and a technical service bulletin from Nissan shows it to be a common problem. 300's with this fault are rare but will become increasingly more common in future years. We already do a drive modification that we sell to customers who are faced with camshaft and sensor replacement. If you need a detailed explanation of this i would be only too pleased to show you. BUT - this is not the only possible cause of your timing problems, and if you still have doubts about what it is let me make you an offer. I will (free of charge) diagnose the exact cause of your timing problems, if you wish to revisit. At this point you could meet me and discuss other related items (engine noises, etc). I will work on you car personally and explain the operation of any part or system you wish to know about.

The "feedback" here is good but my lesson has to be, not to rush jobs that look simple just because a customer requests it and the time is nearing 6pm. If you telephoned subsequent to your visit to discuss the work and were given bad service/not interested signals then I appologise and my promise to improve communication/service levels in future may stop other getting the same low quality treatment.

 

Having used SE a few times since buying my ZX last year (yes I am new to the car!), I thought I'd put in some good feedback!!

 

I have little knowledge of car engines...and neither do I want any. What I want from a mechanic is someone who tells me what the fault is, how they can fix it, and what it will cost. SE have always provided this, and have on more than one occasion recommended that I don't have work carried out. The work they have carried out has always been first class.

 

I have also found that many car mechanics don't even want to look at a ZX because they see so few of them, and many locally have recommended SE!

 

I don't go to SE because I want the cheapest, and I never brought my ZX to tinker with the engine. I just want to drive it!!!

 

You can't please everyone....we all make mistakes...but if nothing else I think RESPECT to Pete for running this topic and following it through.

 

Signing off....a new ZX owner

 

Couple points

 

BUT - "best value tuning products for performance Nissans, worldwide" is a phrase which captures the essence and exlains the

intentions of the business.

 

I completely understand your goal...I simply do not completely agree with the way you state it.

 

As you obviously have some business experience you will recognise the need for any business to provide a short and simple message to its prospective customers - this phrase does exactly that.

 

Personnaly, for my own business, I couldn't imagine to use something like..."the best engineering value for performance computers/networks, worldwide"....as my customers would laugh at me....."I strive to be the best, and try to give my customers the best" usually works.

 

We do not proclaim to be the cheapest, nor the best.

 

Not, only the best value in the world :-)

 

Considering our cumulative experience with these cars, I cannot imaging that better value exists here in the UK.

 

I cannot really comment on the UK specific scene....but in the world, and I don't know you...but..well...I'm afraid that there are companies that are quite good.

 

Back to the worldwide thing - even if you do not agree with the importance of the "motto" you must accept that when we ship parts to most countries in the world, in makes us a worldwide business.

 

Well, I have no problem to admit that you're an international company....I just wanted to point you 2 things.

First is the "best alue...worldwide" ...second is.. if you want to be worldwide..be ready for it.

It's a common mistake for english speaking companies to expect their customers to speak english...

 

As for our value relative to other international companies - tell me NISMO are cheaper than us!

 

Well, give me a couple prices on comparable products between you and Nismo, and I'd be delighted to check.

 

The only other large scale 300 specialists that I know of are Stillen, who no longer do just Nissans and only badged other peoples products anyway.

 

There are ENDLESS listing of companies in Japan doing only 300Zx (Fairlady) business. I know, I've been working there.

 

Other Nissan specialists JWT (has a limited range of products)

 

He can get you anything you want, he won't sell you useless stuff for the Z.

 

So crap it may be to you, but to me and many others it is an honest attempt to identify ouselves.

 

Ok, you made your point....I still don't buy it as it is...I understand the goal, but smile at the way it's delivered...maybe It's because I'm from a different culture, or my bad english....

 

WEB SITE - yes it is a bit slow, but its still faster and more simple to navigate than any of the above companies I have mentioned.

 

Sorry.....no...

 

Thanks for the "example car" button its the first time i've looked closely and you're right

 

You're welcome...I spot this one in the first 5 seconds I look at your site :-) made me smile !

 

INTERNATIONAL - thanks for the tip about the french, your mistery call got hold of me personally

 

Well, the call was genuine...I really know french garages interested in tuning 300 Zx.

 

french except the French National Marketing Graduate who wrote that piece.

 

Any chance he has an e-mail....I can send him a corrected version of the text then.

 

PRICES - its a free world as you say and that was a cheap trick.

 

I indeed tried to be fair with you, that's why I listed common STREET prices...not "dealer's prices", or specials.

 

Unlike individuals, we have to import US goods correctly, ie no phoney invoices, we also have to pay tax and VAT on our purchases, and shipping costs.

 

I don't know how others are doing it...but I know that when I have to import something, I do it properly..i.e. no phoney invoices, and I do pay shipping and taxes.

 

As we are the only people in the UK who actually stock RPS clutches and Porterfield pads, and have to sell them with VAT, don't you think we deserve a margin.

 

Of course you deserve a margin, that's clear.

However, I had personal experiences with RPS and Porterfields...in the examples I gave, I listed street prices....even if I would NEVER pay STREET prices.

 

As an example...I'm right now buying Porterfields pads (R4S) for all my cars (2 x Z32 + Stealth).

 

For the Z, I got the prices reduced..

Front AP460 Street US$99.00 -> US$74.00

Rear US$ 79.00 -> 59.00

 

I'll be buying a total of about 15 sets in total (300 Zx : 6 front / 3 rear // Stealth 3 front 1 rear, maybe some additional for friends)

 

So, I'll have 845 US$ in brake pads.

 

Shipping for this parcel (Us Mail, international Air, registered, because I want to get them within one week) will be between US50 to US100.

 

Even if I take the WORST possible shipping cost, that would add US$8 per brake set.

 

Turning the prices to

 

US$74.00 --> 82

US$59.00 --> 67

 

Of course, on top of that, I'd have to pay the taxes...8% in Switzerland, and about 20% in the UK...but if I were a dealer, I still would have a lot of play to get a nice, comfortable margin.

 

RPS is even "better"...as an individual, I ordered several clutches for various cars, and I got a "close to dealer price" discount of about 45%...with everything paid (shipping, taxes, etc etc etc)...the price of these clutches was still WELL below US street price.

 

I'm right now in the process of importing JTW ECU for various 300 Zx TT, and I can guarantee you that if I were reselling these at the official US street price (about US$600)., I'd make a nice profit.

 

Oh, and by the way you need 2001 prices which most of yours are not

 

I know...I just jumped on the net, and checked yesterday's prices .

 

and the discs are genuine Nissan before machining not patterns.

 

Of course....from Porterfields you can either

buy genuine nissan, or brembos (but I prefer the Nissans, then have them Cryo and X-drilled)

 

And BTW, don't feel bad...the same applies to stock Nissan parts.

 

Based on other remarks, I still have a couple remarks.

 

Anders / Interpro / Incorrectly mounted timing belt

 

Maybe Interpro failed to diag the problem, but as we say home, "A previous mistake is no excuse for the next mistake".

 

I installed MANY perf kits on 300 Zx TT, and as soon as I see a CAS turned all the way, I point the problem, and I SIMPLY REFUSE to UPGRADE anything on this car until it's corrected.

 

I as well made a "post-mortem" of quite some Z, and quite some have an incorrectly installed timing belt. An expert should have spotted the problem immediately.

 

I'm scared at the tought of someone INCREASING the boost in a Z, without CHECKING what kind of electronics are installed

 

Something else I absolutely don't understand...Why aren't mechanics SYSTEMATICALLY putting the ECU in DIAG mode.

It takes me between 10 to 30 SECONDS to activate the self-diag in the Z, why don't you simply FORCE ALL THE MECHS to do it...ALWAYS, as soon as they put their hands on a customer Z ?

The Z32 is a computer network on wheels....why not take advantage of the self diag of the car...damm, the days where you had to listen to a weber carb to adjust it are gone...today it's computer & multimeter.

 

Zee you

 

Henri

(and no...I don't import Z parts, or tune Z for a living....I make my living working on computers and networks....I'm simply a Z-Nut)

 

Pete,

 

Thankyou for your reply. I didn't think I had spoken to you before because the tone of your message certainly does'nt match the tone of the person I had spoken to. I don't have much to say about Interpro. I had also used Owen Developments but in all fairness the guy was honest with me and stated that he was unable to diagnose the problems and subsquently charged very little.

Yes, I was late in arriving and I was after a boost upgrade. My car only overheated once but I called twice to keep you uptodate on my whereabouts. Would you agree that a boost upgrade was not appropriate considering all the underlying problems that were present. It's like upgrading a customers brakes pads knowing that the rotors are shagged. You would insist the rotors are done because the car is unsafe otherwise. I trusted your team to provide me with an honest and professional advise. I understand that the full team was not present and maybe if you were there it might not of have happened.

 

The CAS was NOT adjusted to 15 degrees. They came back from a road test and adjusted it to 13 degrees because of detonation. Davey told me this and I witnessed it myself.

 

As for a worn CAS. I was told that they do not wear like what was described to me. Davey told me that they wear and get progressively worse which results in an advance of timing. I have been told that this is not true and what does happen is that a part of the cam breaks off which causes unstable and erratic timing. The timing on my car was stable. Darren (The mechanic I have used since) told me straight away that there was a problem with the timing belt after looking at the CAS and he was correct. I would of expected your staff to also notice this. I don't know anyone who would upgrade the boost knowing that one side of the engine was more advanced than the other and it would be very irresponsible to do so even if the customer insisted on it. Also, faulty det sensor, safety boost? are also influencing factors. This is what I have been told so I appologise if I am still incorrect about the CAS wear.

 

Although I have mentioned Davey a lot I am not having a dig at him. I am just telling you how it happened. He was very freindly and helpful on the information he knew.

 

I appreciate that it was getting late and the job was rushed.

 

Thankyou for your offer to diagnose the remaining problems. Give me a contact number and I will give you a call.

 

I would suggest (unless this has already been implemented) a set check list or criteria that qualifies the car suitable for upgrades. Functional tests like O2 sensors etc, maybe compression test and so on. Although not a guarantee, this at least gives both yourselves and the customer peace of mind that the car is suitable and does not have any exiting problems.

 

Regards

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

Henri,

 

I did not see your post before writing mine!

Exactly my point too. Smell a problem = sort the problem out before upgrading.

 

Interpro. They installed bleed valves which did nothing and increased the timing and charged 180 quid for the priveledge. Yes, they also were unable to diagnose the problems and told me that they had! I would not recommend taking a lego car to them. Boost remained at 7.5 psi ish. Owen dev were unable to sort the problems out but they were honest with me. Neither of these companies specialise in Z's.

 

Diag mode, yes yes yes or even better a consult. Darren diagnosed many of the problems in seconds with the Consult. O2 sensor, det sensor, even the line pressure solenoid came up with the fault after a road test which in turn help sort the auto box problems. Admittedly it does not tell you everything but it eliminates a great deal.

CAS was staring him straight in the face.

 

Pete, I forgot to reply about the head gasket difficulties. I was just told that it was common for head gaskets to fail on Z's. I was not told that I definitely had a problem with mine! Davey mentioned this because he felt it was running a little hot (probably because it had just overheated). The consult test I had later showed that the temp was in fact OK. The over heating problem was unique and it hasn't happened since. The thermostat has been replaced now though.

 

Andy

 

I've been trying really hard to resist adding to this thread as my highly positive views of SE are well known. However, I couldn't resist any longer but will restrict my comments to a few observations. I post these purely as food for thought for anyone who is in two minds as to whether to try SE's services. I hope I can help such people to decide whether SE are right FOR THEM. For those of you who have already made up your mind then that's fine - your decision is not doubt the right one for you ...

 

1) Never before have I known the head of any company to so publicly and openly respond to criticism in such a positive manner. I have no doubt whatsoever that Peter is committed to what he has said he will set out to change.

 

2) The discussion on prices strikes me as irrelevant. Peter does not claim to be the cheapest - he claims to offer value. Value is subjective and MUST mean different things to different people. My personal view is that I will spend what I consider fair to get the right product, recommended by someone who's opinion I trust, fitted by someone who I trust, with pre and post sales support which I consider to be appropriate to the cost of the product. Peter and SE give me this.

 

If people are looking for the cheapest price for the supply of a product then SE can't (and don't claim to) offer that - they offer a level of experience and expertise which requires payment in salaries. I don't resent this ! If I want mail order I buy from the internet and I don't get advice.

 

3) Last point : there is a huge difference between the 'expertise' that the majority of us forum people have and true experience AND I INCLUDE MYSELF IN THIS. Ask me about the benefits of each of my individual modifications and I will bore you senseless with incredible levels of detail. Ask me how my custom mapped Nissan ECU compares with a Mines ECU and a DTA Engine Management System and I haven't got a bloody clue. And lets face it, how many of us are convinced that our personal mods are the best when we don't really have a clue whether they're better than someone elses ? And who defines better ?

 

SE offer many many years of true motorsport development experience and when you talk to the individuals there you know it. This should be valued - and value isn't free.

 

 

I can sense that I'm getting boring again.

 

I shut up now.

 

Dave

 

Hairy, Shut up LOL

 

I also appreciate how Pete has confronted these problems and how he is dealing with them.

 

I have now spoken to Pete. He apologised for the work that was carried out and for the 'after service' that I received. The customer service problems seem to emanate from one person, which I’m confident Pete will be sorting out.

 

Pete and Dave were away when the work was done. I was not aware of this and thought that the whole team was present.

 

After speaking to Pete I'm sure that this wouldn’t have happened if he were around. He has explained the CAS problems and I stand corrected on this.

 

Pete has offered to diagnose any outstanding problems free off charge and will do the work himself. My car will be booked in soon.

 

Andy