Let's get real with Performance Tuners...

Are all 3SI Performance Companies on the up and up???
Not in my opinion... Yours? Do you have a story???

     I find it interesting that many of the highly touted modifications for 3SI cars are so expensive, yet not quite ready for prime time.

     Take, for instance, the highly polished spark plug cover with one mounting hole that doesn't quite line up properly. How about the intercooler hard pipe kit that comes with no directions, no schematics, no parts list... and has a couple of pipes reversed from the original. Once installed... There's a pipe that comes in contact with the bottom of the hood. There's a highly polished coolant fill cap that you need to spend some quality dremel time with to get to fit.

     I've seen "highly polished" valve covers with obvious flaws on surfaces that are supposed to draw the most looks. I've even seen one that has the echo of V6 DOHC 24V that was "shaved" off. If this stuff happened to be set at bargain basement prices, that'd be one thing. It isn't.

     I can understand less than perfect results on products produced by smaller, or even home-grown, companies... That's bound to happen. When you purchase expensive equipment from companies who have multiple employees, their own buildings and warehousing... You tend to expect professional quality product.

     Another thing I've seen from time to time is pictures I've shot of our cars showing up as an advertisement for equipment sold by some of the larger 3SI equipment purveyors. Don't get me wrong... If asked, I'm always more than happy to lend any picture I've taken to anyone in the 3SI community. I take exception to companies sneaking a picture off my website and using it to purvey goods. That picture's MY property and it's being used to generate sales for these companies. I don't work for free and I don't expect anyone else to either. I guess that's where I differ from companies who are too cheap to pay for, or even inquire about, graphical reproductions of the products they're pushing at us. To add insult to injury, I've also seen these pictures passed on by the manufacturer for use by resellers.

     I'm not trying to stir up any major controversy with these "opinions..." But it always kicks my blood pressure up a notch when I see posts from people about these products that are positively glowing. Let's not bullshit each other here. If there are flaws in some of these products, let's pass it on to the rest of the community. Otherwise the problems won't go away. I'm sure some of the people who are giving gleaming accounts of some of these products are friends of the purveyors... Shills of one type or another... It's not fair for us to part with a lot of hard-earned dollars only to find what we've bought is just another version of "The Emperror's New Clothes..." Yeah.. This product is great... Except for... and this other little problem... and these blemishes... and lack of instructions... and bloated shipping rates... and...

     I'd really like to see us all work together to make these products better... to protect ourselves from shoddy goods. I'm tired of seeing posts like... "Oh THAT problem!!! Call up Harry/George/Don (whoever) and he'll take care of you. He's the MAN!!!!" Please... I've called the individual whose product has given me the most problem, on multiple occassions. Nothing but answering machine. Never returned a call. Left email at his "support" email address. Email was returned since that account apparently no longer exists. (I find that hilariously ironic, and telling...) Left email at his "sales" email address... Email didn't bounce, yet still no response. Yep... He's the MAN, alright...

     There are also a bunch of vipers out there selling used goods. I think we do a pretty good job of policing these people. I've seen many posts regarding people you DON'T want to deal with. If any of you think that some of these "Pros" are any better than the amateur rip off artists... Take a closer look...

     I'm not trashing all of the 3SI performance companies, by any means. Most of them are reputable, honest and sell excellent product. Let's just not confuse the OTHER type of performance company with the good guys. It's not fair to the companies that do their best for us.