Is PFS still in business? Other shops in the north east?
10-22-13, 09:36 AM
#51
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
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Also try MA Motorsports in Glen Arm, MD.
MA Motorsports
They do all sorts of custom/swap/drift cars. Always a few rotaries in the shop. Wouldnt hurt to give them a call and see what their list is like right now.
Ray (from MA) tuned my last FC and it turned out great.
MA Motorsports
They do all sorts of custom/swap/drift cars. Always a few rotaries in the shop. Wouldnt hurt to give them a call and see what their list is like right now.
Ray (from MA) tuned my last FC and it turned out great.
10-22-13, 11:19 AM
#52
F'n Newbie...
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Ray Wilson was just a mechanic in the shop when that happened, he took over as the owner of PFS after that. The "PF" is no longer involved in PFS, but the shady practices are still there. (It´s funny, my wife knows of two "Ray´s" in the rotary community... "Good Ray" being Ray Crowe of Malloy Mazda, and "Bad Ray" being Ray Wilson of PFS)
Ray is a damned good welder, I´ll give him that, but he cuts too many corners to be considered an asset to the community. That shops heyday is long past.
10-24-13, 08:12 PM
#53
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Peter Ferrel (or however his name is spelled) got sued out of the rotary business about 10 years ago after defruding customers regarding engine builds. He got caught doing it by a longtime member here on the forums and was taken to the cleaners in court. I almost took PFS to court again, for about the exact same thing, last year.
Ray Wilson was just a mechanic in the shop when that happened, he took over as the owner of PFS after that. The "PF" is no longer involved in PFS, but the shady practices are still there. (It´s funny, my wife knows of two "Ray´s" in the rotary community... "Good Ray" being Ray Crowe of Malloy Mazda, and "Bad Ray" being Ray Wilson of PFS)
Ray is a damned good welder, I´ll give him that, but he cuts too many corners to be considered an asset to the community. That shops heyday is long past.
Ray Wilson was just a mechanic in the shop when that happened, he took over as the owner of PFS after that. The "PF" is no longer involved in PFS, but the shady practices are still there. (It´s funny, my wife knows of two "Ray´s" in the rotary community... "Good Ray" being Ray Crowe of Malloy Mazda, and "Bad Ray" being Ray Wilson of PFS)
Ray is a damned good welder, I´ll give him that, but he cuts too many corners to be considered an asset to the community. That shops heyday is long past.
Yep he's damn good at welding/fabricating, tuning, wiring and the fastest mechanic I've ever seen with nuts and bolts.
Just like the rest of us humans he makes mistakes but saying he's shady and not an asset to the community is not fair, not cool and so not true.
10-24-13, 08:31 PM
#54
i guess if you got ripped off you might reconsider.
but yes, everyone is human and building a powerful car isn't an exact science and things go wrong.
when someone charges you for a job they didn't perform it's called fraud. not like switching parts and forgetting to ask if the customer wanted the old parts back..
but yes, everyone is human and building a powerful car isn't an exact science and things go wrong.
when someone charges you for a job they didn't perform it's called fraud. not like switching parts and forgetting to ask if the customer wanted the old parts back..
10-24-13, 08:36 PM
#55
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i guess if you got ripped off you might reconsider.
but yes, everyone is human and building a powerful car isn't an exact science and things go wrong.
when someone charges you for a job they didn't perform it's called fraud. not like switching parts and forgetting to ask if the customer wanted the old parts back..
but yes, everyone is human and building a powerful car isn't an exact science and things go wrong.
when someone charges you for a job they didn't perform it's called fraud. not like switching parts and forgetting to ask if the customer wanted the old parts back..
10-25-13, 08:53 AM
#57
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Ben, because I sell lots of parts to people all over the US I hear all kinds of shady things about every single shop out there which is par for the course because customers are really passionate about this great hobby we all enjoy and sometimes emotion gets the better part of reason which leads to some poor conclusions, poor reviews, etc.....
It's always important to know both sides of the story and after speaking with each one each side has lots of good points but without real evidence it's just he said she said. However the bottom line is Ray settled with Levi and that should be the end of it.
I'll repeat if you want your car tuned well go to PFS. If you need an engine built in a hurry and don't have patience go somewhere else but keep in mind he's busy for a reason.
10-25-13, 12:50 PM
#58
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Do I respect him as a business owner? Hell no!! And the reason is that he never once really respected me as a customer.
I paid Ray to build me a solid engine when I came back to the states in 2010. I paid him almost $6,000 and it took him WAAAYYYY too long to complete. The car was meant to be done in October and it kept getting pushed back. Some wasn´t his fault (we were waiting on my turbo kit) but he hadn´t even began working on my engine until like November.. Long story short, I didn´t get my car back until 3am on January 2nd. I had to be on a plane back to Afghanistan on the morning of January 4th.
That engine lasted me MAYBE 3,000 miles. It had so much blowby I´d fill catch cans every 100 miles if I was gently cruising (I could fill one in about 15 miles if I romped on it). That engine failed because a side seal completely dissintegrated. Ray refused to warranty the engine (which failed about a month after I got home from Afghanistan) because I had IRP install new brakes, and Enzo put a tune on it. Granted, Enzo´s tune was ABSOLUTE crap for street driving, but completely crunched/bound side seals are the result of poor engine construction. AKA, a build fault.
I paid Ray to build me another engine along with a "new" wiring harness. That engine job ran me around $5,000 iirc ($2,500 for the base rebuild, plus doweling the engine, plus refurbing the housings, plus a "new" harness, etc., etc., my receipts are at home, and I´m currently in Brazil, so I can´t exactly double check). The "new" harness was really just a refresh, he used as many old connectors as he could manage and just soldered fresh wires on for the most part, the quality of work that went into the harness was worth maybe half what he charged me.
That engine failed at almost exactly 1,500 miles. I lost the corner of an apex seal while driving slowly into work on a Sunday afternoon. I was trying to see how good of fuel economy I could make on the new engine and Ray´s tune. My car let go under partial throttle while going up a medium sized hill. That setup was done COMPLETELY by PFS. Ray, again, refused to stand behind his build and tune, claiming that I must have done something dumb, then stating that it had to be bad gas..
When I pulled that engine apart, in my garage, with some friends from the forum (to include TitaniumTT who is himself a competent engine builder, damned good fabricator, and damned good tuner) we found a complete abortion. Side seal clearances were GAPING, the housings (which were supposed to have been refreshed) were crap, the irons had deep wear grooves in them (well beyond Mazda specs), torque specs were all over the place (**** that wasn´t meant to be over torqued needed breaker bars, parts that were supposed to be tight were barely past snug, etc), the oil pump chain was so stretched out it was almost comical, the irons had gouges in them, GOUGES, that looked like somebody had taken a chisel and hammer to it, the "port" work was sloppy at best... All in all that engine looked like it was put together by a novice who´s only guidance was one of Aaron Cakes early youtube films. That... or the guy that put it together took zero pride in their work.
Ray refused to do ANYTHING about that engine, he only agreed to square up with me because I visited a lawyer and threatened him with legal action.
That is NOT a business I can recommend while keeping a clear conscience.
Fritz, I respect you, I really do. But in this instance you´re defending a guy who gave up his moral upper hand by turning out lackluster work and clearly not giving a **** about people unless he was going to get their money.
10-25-13, 03:27 PM
#59
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Ray has a quick turn around for choice customers. It´s my experience that he will CONSTANTLY put you off unless he thinks you´re a big fish. He CONSTANTLY gave me completion dates and repeatedly pushed them back because he hadn´t even started work that he told me was already completed. He´s had the same half-dozen cars parked infront of his shop for what seems like years on end.
Do I respect him as a business owner? Hell no!! And the reason is that he never once really respected me as a customer.
My last engine failed because it lost all it´s oil on the highway. It lost all the oil on the highway because the mounting bracket for the Sakebomb oil cooler kit was never installed. Ray Wilson installed that kit and failed to install the mounting bracket (he also kept the complimentary -10 wrench that came with the kit). The engine built, installed, and tuned by myself and my friends died due to oil loss. The oil loss occured due to a missing mounting bracket. The bracket had been gone since the original install. My last engine didn´t fail as a direct result of Ray Wilson touching my car, however I think the guys over at Sakebomb can probably support the fact that mine is likely the ONLY case of an engine blowing because their kit leaked. It´s one HELL of a coincidence that the failure point happened to be at the one point PFS neglected to include... Read into that as you will.
I paid Ray to build me a solid engine when I came back to the states in 2010. I paid him almost $6,000 and it took him WAAAYYYY too long to complete. The car was meant to be done in October and it kept getting pushed back. Some wasn´t his fault (we were waiting on my turbo kit) but he hadn´t even began working on my engine until like November.. Long story short, I didn´t get my car back until 3am on January 2nd. I had to be on a plane back to Afghanistan on the morning of January 4th.
That engine lasted me MAYBE 3,000 miles. It had so much blowby I´d fill catch cans every 100 miles if I was gently cruising (I could fill one in about 15 miles if I romped on it). That engine failed because a side seal completely dissintegrated. Ray refused to warranty the engine (which failed about a month after I got home from Afghanistan) because I had IRP install new brakes, and Enzo put a tune on it. Granted, Enzo´s tune was ABSOLUTE crap for street driving, but completely crunched/bound side seals are the result of poor engine construction. AKA, a build fault.
I paid Ray to build me another engine along with a "new" wiring harness. That engine job ran me around $5,000 iirc ($2,500 for the base rebuild, plus doweling the engine, plus refurbing the housings, plus a "new" harness, etc., etc., my receipts are at home, and I´m currently in Brazil, so I can´t exactly double check). The "new" harness was really just a refresh, he used as many old connectors as he could manage and just soldered fresh wires on for the most part, the quality of work that went into the harness was worth maybe half what he charged me.
That engine failed at almost exactly 1,500 miles. I lost the corner of an apex seal while driving slowly into work on a Sunday afternoon. I was trying to see how good of fuel economy I could make on the new engine and Ray´s tune. My car let go under partial throttle while going up a medium sized hill. That setup was done COMPLETELY by PFS. Ray, again, refused to stand behind his build and tune, claiming that I must have done something dumb, then stating that it had to be bad gas..
When I pulled that engine apart, in my garage, with some friends from the forum (to include TitaniumTT who is himself a competent engine builder, damned good fabricator, and damned good tuner) we found a complete abortion. Side seal clearances were GAPING, the housings (which were supposed to have been refreshed) were crap, the irons had deep wear grooves in them (well beyond Mazda specs), torque specs were all over the place (**** that wasn´t meant to be over torqued needed breaker bars, parts that were supposed to be tight were barely past snug, etc), the oil pump chain was so stretched out it was almost comical, the irons had gouges in them, GOUGES, that looked like somebody had taken a chisel and hammer to it, the "port" work was sloppy at best... All in all that engine looked like it was put together by a novice who´s only guidance was one of Aaron Cakes early youtube films. That... or the guy that put it together took zero pride in their work.
Ray refused to do ANYTHING about that engine, he only agreed to square up with me because I visited a lawyer and threatened him with legal action.
That is NOT a business I can recommend while keeping a clear conscience.
Fritz, I respect you, I really do. But in this instance you´re defending a guy who gave up his moral upper hand by turning out lackluster work and clearly not giving a **** about people unless he was going to get their money.
Do I respect him as a business owner? Hell no!! And the reason is that he never once really respected me as a customer.
My last engine failed because it lost all it´s oil on the highway. It lost all the oil on the highway because the mounting bracket for the Sakebomb oil cooler kit was never installed. Ray Wilson installed that kit and failed to install the mounting bracket (he also kept the complimentary -10 wrench that came with the kit). The engine built, installed, and tuned by myself and my friends died due to oil loss. The oil loss occured due to a missing mounting bracket. The bracket had been gone since the original install. My last engine didn´t fail as a direct result of Ray Wilson touching my car, however I think the guys over at Sakebomb can probably support the fact that mine is likely the ONLY case of an engine blowing because their kit leaked. It´s one HELL of a coincidence that the failure point happened to be at the one point PFS neglected to include... Read into that as you will.
I paid Ray to build me a solid engine when I came back to the states in 2010. I paid him almost $6,000 and it took him WAAAYYYY too long to complete. The car was meant to be done in October and it kept getting pushed back. Some wasn´t his fault (we were waiting on my turbo kit) but he hadn´t even began working on my engine until like November.. Long story short, I didn´t get my car back until 3am on January 2nd. I had to be on a plane back to Afghanistan on the morning of January 4th.
That engine lasted me MAYBE 3,000 miles. It had so much blowby I´d fill catch cans every 100 miles if I was gently cruising (I could fill one in about 15 miles if I romped on it). That engine failed because a side seal completely dissintegrated. Ray refused to warranty the engine (which failed about a month after I got home from Afghanistan) because I had IRP install new brakes, and Enzo put a tune on it. Granted, Enzo´s tune was ABSOLUTE crap for street driving, but completely crunched/bound side seals are the result of poor engine construction. AKA, a build fault.
I paid Ray to build me another engine along with a "new" wiring harness. That engine job ran me around $5,000 iirc ($2,500 for the base rebuild, plus doweling the engine, plus refurbing the housings, plus a "new" harness, etc., etc., my receipts are at home, and I´m currently in Brazil, so I can´t exactly double check). The "new" harness was really just a refresh, he used as many old connectors as he could manage and just soldered fresh wires on for the most part, the quality of work that went into the harness was worth maybe half what he charged me.
That engine failed at almost exactly 1,500 miles. I lost the corner of an apex seal while driving slowly into work on a Sunday afternoon. I was trying to see how good of fuel economy I could make on the new engine and Ray´s tune. My car let go under partial throttle while going up a medium sized hill. That setup was done COMPLETELY by PFS. Ray, again, refused to stand behind his build and tune, claiming that I must have done something dumb, then stating that it had to be bad gas..
When I pulled that engine apart, in my garage, with some friends from the forum (to include TitaniumTT who is himself a competent engine builder, damned good fabricator, and damned good tuner) we found a complete abortion. Side seal clearances were GAPING, the housings (which were supposed to have been refreshed) were crap, the irons had deep wear grooves in them (well beyond Mazda specs), torque specs were all over the place (**** that wasn´t meant to be over torqued needed breaker bars, parts that were supposed to be tight were barely past snug, etc), the oil pump chain was so stretched out it was almost comical, the irons had gouges in them, GOUGES, that looked like somebody had taken a chisel and hammer to it, the "port" work was sloppy at best... All in all that engine looked like it was put together by a novice who´s only guidance was one of Aaron Cakes early youtube films. That... or the guy that put it together took zero pride in their work.
Ray refused to do ANYTHING about that engine, he only agreed to square up with me because I visited a lawyer and threatened him with legal action.
That is NOT a business I can recommend while keeping a clear conscience.
Fritz, I respect you, I really do. But in this instance you´re defending a guy who gave up his moral upper hand by turning out lackluster work and clearly not giving a **** about people unless he was going to get their money.
10-25-13, 07:42 PM
#60
F'n Newbie...
iTrader: (6)
No offense, but that ain´t gunna happen. PFS saves up any and all of his talent for his prefered customers (aka you, Peter Hahn, or anybody with more money than sense who´s happy spending absurd amounts of money for a name) and couldn´t care less about the average guy. Edit: Clarifying here, I was not suggesting that you and Peter have more money than sense, just that PFS will put you ahead of many others because of who you are. I started to re-read my post and saw that it could look like I was implying you two fell into the "more money than sense" boat.
I drove the hour plus to his shop more times than I can possibly remember because he said that progress was supposed to have been made. I got blown off time and again, arriving to see my car in the exact same spot. I watched the paint job I had just gotten after returning home deteriorate (my car sat outside his shop for easily 24 months) without the slightest bit of care shown by PFS (I had to clean off the bird **** that collected on it, I feel sorry for anybody that didn´t go by to maintain their own cars in his "care").
There were multiple occasions I was supposed to go there for my car to get tuned, each time he had some excuse, or somebody else had shown up on his doorstep (apparently walk-ins get priority over paying customers who have been waiting MONTHS). When he DID finally get around to tuning my car he stopped tuning my car half way through, drove to the train station, and bullshitted with a customer (I think it may have been Peter) in the office for a good hour while I was left waiting (literally in the dark, since he had turned the lights in his shop off because of bugs) while he sociaized before he finally remembered that he had another customer who had been there for 4-5 hours waiting to get their car.
At one point during the first build he even admitted that he only wanted my car finished because he could get paid. Seriously??? You tell a ******* customer that the ONLY reason you want their car completed is so you can get the rest of your paycheck????
Just to clarify... my "history" with the car is that I trusted PFS to work on my car for a couple years after returning home overseas... My car was BULLET PROOF (I *tried* to push it until it would blow) in the UK... When I got home I had PFS retune it for US octane, therein started my "history" of problems.
I did check my oil coolers. The only thing, short of calling up the guys at Sakebomb to confirm each and every part of their kit, after paying a "professional" to install it, that was "my fault" was having faith in Ray Wilsons abilities to fully complete a simple install that CAME WITH WRITTEN DIRECTIONS!!! Yeah, I could have checked the -10 fitting where the t-stat connected to the engine prior to leaving DGRR, and I could have checked my oil level at Ashville as well, but I didn´t. My engine was strong as ****, it didn´t leak oil, there wasn´t any blowby, my OMP was deleted and I premixed, I had a little over 3,000 miles on the engine (about 3,000 for the break-in, plus the drive down to and around DGRR) and there was no reason for me to fear for the engines health.
It was my fault for running a PFC (which is too basic to have any failsafes that would have averted catastrophic damage), it was my fault for trusting that PFS hadn´t retarded an otherwise simple install, it was my fault for not suspecting that the last brand new engine in America would break for something as simple as an AN fitting (that I had tightened down) working loose while cruising on the highway...
We´ll have to agree to disagree on this one bud
As for my car though... *I* will be correcting all the issues in my garage this winter. I´ll pull the engine and rebuild it (replacing all the bearings, adding an rx-8 e-shaft, and having the rotating assembly re-balanced), I´ll replace the ECU with a Life Racing unit (last minute change there, going from the Syvecs S8, to the LR F88), I´ll build a brand new wiring harness (from the 88 pin out connector to every single input/output connector), I´ll replace my coils with the AEM/IGN-1A units, I´ll replace my trigger kit with the FFE one, and I´ll have it all mapped together by one of two people in America I still trust to do that.
PFS is one hour, start to finish, from where I live. I would rather drive the four hours to Speed1 if there is something I need/want a shop to do.
I drove the hour plus to his shop more times than I can possibly remember because he said that progress was supposed to have been made. I got blown off time and again, arriving to see my car in the exact same spot. I watched the paint job I had just gotten after returning home deteriorate (my car sat outside his shop for easily 24 months) without the slightest bit of care shown by PFS (I had to clean off the bird **** that collected on it, I feel sorry for anybody that didn´t go by to maintain their own cars in his "care").
There were multiple occasions I was supposed to go there for my car to get tuned, each time he had some excuse, or somebody else had shown up on his doorstep (apparently walk-ins get priority over paying customers who have been waiting MONTHS). When he DID finally get around to tuning my car he stopped tuning my car half way through, drove to the train station, and bullshitted with a customer (I think it may have been Peter) in the office for a good hour while I was left waiting (literally in the dark, since he had turned the lights in his shop off because of bugs) while he sociaized before he finally remembered that he had another customer who had been there for 4-5 hours waiting to get their car.
At one point during the first build he even admitted that he only wanted my car finished because he could get paid. Seriously??? You tell a ******* customer that the ONLY reason you want their car completed is so you can get the rest of your paycheck????
Given your history with the car it's your fault you didn't check your oil coolers or anything else on the car and I mean that with all due respect
I did check my oil coolers. The only thing, short of calling up the guys at Sakebomb to confirm each and every part of their kit, after paying a "professional" to install it, that was "my fault" was having faith in Ray Wilsons abilities to fully complete a simple install that CAME WITH WRITTEN DIRECTIONS!!! Yeah, I could have checked the -10 fitting where the t-stat connected to the engine prior to leaving DGRR, and I could have checked my oil level at Ashville as well, but I didn´t. My engine was strong as ****, it didn´t leak oil, there wasn´t any blowby, my OMP was deleted and I premixed, I had a little over 3,000 miles on the engine (about 3,000 for the break-in, plus the drive down to and around DGRR) and there was no reason for me to fear for the engines health.
It was my fault for running a PFC (which is too basic to have any failsafes that would have averted catastrophic damage), it was my fault for trusting that PFS hadn´t retarded an otherwise simple install, it was my fault for not suspecting that the last brand new engine in America would break for something as simple as an AN fitting (that I had tightened down) working loose while cruising on the highway...
We´ll have to agree to disagree on this one bud
As for my car though... *I* will be correcting all the issues in my garage this winter. I´ll pull the engine and rebuild it (replacing all the bearings, adding an rx-8 e-shaft, and having the rotating assembly re-balanced), I´ll replace the ECU with a Life Racing unit (last minute change there, going from the Syvecs S8, to the LR F88), I´ll build a brand new wiring harness (from the 88 pin out connector to every single input/output connector), I´ll replace my coils with the AEM/IGN-1A units, I´ll replace my trigger kit with the FFE one, and I´ll have it all mapped together by one of two people in America I still trust to do that.
PFS is one hour, start to finish, from where I live. I would rather drive the four hours to Speed1 if there is something I need/want a shop to do.
Last edited by fendamonky; 10-25-13 at 08:00 PM. Reason: Added clarification
10-25-13, 08:14 PM
#61
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No offense, but that ain´t gunna happen. PFS saves up any and all of his talent for his prefered customers (aka you, Peter Hahn, or anybody with more money than sense who´s happy spending absurd amounts of money for a name) and couldn´t care less about the average guy. Edit: Clarifying here, I was not suggesting that you and Peter have more money than sense, just that PFS will put you ahead of many others because of who you are. I started to re-read my post and saw that it could look like I was implying you two fell into the "more money than sense" boat.
I drove the hour plus to his shop more times than I can possibly remember because he said that progress was supposed to have been made. I got blown off time and again, arriving to see my car in the exact same spot. I watched the paint job I had just gotten after returning home deteriorate (my car sat outside his shop for easily 24 months) without the slightest bit of care shown by PFS (I had to clean off the bird **** that collected on it, I feel sorry for anybody that didn´t go by to maintain their own cars in his "care").
There were multiple occasions I was supposed to go there for my car to get tuned, each time he had some excuse, or somebody else had shown up on his doorstep (apparently walk-ins get priority over paying customers who have been waiting MONTHS). When he DID finally get around to tuning my car he stopped tuning my car half way through, drove to the train station, and bullshitted with a customer (I think it may have been Peter) in the office for a good hour while I was left waiting (literally in the dark, since he had turned the lights in his shop off because of bugs) while he sociaized before he finally remembered that he had another customer who had been there for 4-5 hours waiting to get their car.
At one point during the first build he even admitted that he only wanted my car finished because he could get paid. Seriously??? You tell a ******* customer that the ONLY reason you want their car completed is so you can get the rest of your paycheck????
I did check my oil coolers. The only thing, short of calling up the guys at Sakebomb to confirm each and every part of their kit, after paying a "professional" to install it, that was "my fault" was having faith in Ray Wilsons abilities to fully complete a simple install that CAME WITH WRITTEN DIRECTIONS!!! Yeah, I could have checked the -10 fitting where the t-stat connected to the engine prior to leaving DGRR, and I could have checked my oil level at Ashville as well, but I didn´t. My engine was strong as ****, it didn´t leak oil, there wasn´t any blowby, my OMP was deleted and I premixed, I had a little over 3,000 miles on the engine (about 3,000 for the break-in, plus the drive down to and around DGRR) and there was no reason for me to fear for the engines health.
It was my fault for running a PFC (which is too basic to have any failsafes that would have averted catastrophic damage), it was my fault for trusting that PFS hadn´t retarded an otherwise simple install, it was my fault for not suspecting that the last brand new engine in America would break for something as simple as an AN fitting (that I had tightened down) working loose while cruising on the highway...
We´ll have to agree to disagree on this one bud
As for my car though... *I* will be correcting all the issues in my garage this winter. I´ll pull the engine and rebuild it (replacing all the bearings, adding an rx-8 e-shaft, and having the rotating assembly re-balanced), I´ll replace the ECU with a Life Racing unit (last minute change there, going from the Syvecs S8, to the LR F88), I´ll build a brand new wiring harness (from the 88 pin out connector to every single input/output connector), I´ll replace my coils with the AEM/IGN-1A units, I´ll replace my trigger kit with the FFE one, and I´ll have it all mapped together by one of two people in America I still trust to do that.
PFS is one hour, start to finish, from where I live. I would rather drive the four hours to Speed1 if there is something I need/want a shop to do.
I drove the hour plus to his shop more times than I can possibly remember because he said that progress was supposed to have been made. I got blown off time and again, arriving to see my car in the exact same spot. I watched the paint job I had just gotten after returning home deteriorate (my car sat outside his shop for easily 24 months) without the slightest bit of care shown by PFS (I had to clean off the bird **** that collected on it, I feel sorry for anybody that didn´t go by to maintain their own cars in his "care").
There were multiple occasions I was supposed to go there for my car to get tuned, each time he had some excuse, or somebody else had shown up on his doorstep (apparently walk-ins get priority over paying customers who have been waiting MONTHS). When he DID finally get around to tuning my car he stopped tuning my car half way through, drove to the train station, and bullshitted with a customer (I think it may have been Peter) in the office for a good hour while I was left waiting (literally in the dark, since he had turned the lights in his shop off because of bugs) while he sociaized before he finally remembered that he had another customer who had been there for 4-5 hours waiting to get their car.
At one point during the first build he even admitted that he only wanted my car finished because he could get paid. Seriously??? You tell a ******* customer that the ONLY reason you want their car completed is so you can get the rest of your paycheck????
I did check my oil coolers. The only thing, short of calling up the guys at Sakebomb to confirm each and every part of their kit, after paying a "professional" to install it, that was "my fault" was having faith in Ray Wilsons abilities to fully complete a simple install that CAME WITH WRITTEN DIRECTIONS!!! Yeah, I could have checked the -10 fitting where the t-stat connected to the engine prior to leaving DGRR, and I could have checked my oil level at Ashville as well, but I didn´t. My engine was strong as ****, it didn´t leak oil, there wasn´t any blowby, my OMP was deleted and I premixed, I had a little over 3,000 miles on the engine (about 3,000 for the break-in, plus the drive down to and around DGRR) and there was no reason for me to fear for the engines health.
It was my fault for running a PFC (which is too basic to have any failsafes that would have averted catastrophic damage), it was my fault for trusting that PFS hadn´t retarded an otherwise simple install, it was my fault for not suspecting that the last brand new engine in America would break for something as simple as an AN fitting (that I had tightened down) working loose while cruising on the highway...
We´ll have to agree to disagree on this one bud
As for my car though... *I* will be correcting all the issues in my garage this winter. I´ll pull the engine and rebuild it (replacing all the bearings, adding an rx-8 e-shaft, and having the rotating assembly re-balanced), I´ll replace the ECU with a Life Racing unit (last minute change there, going from the Syvecs S8, to the LR F88), I´ll build a brand new wiring harness (from the 88 pin out connector to every single input/output connector), I´ll replace my coils with the AEM/IGN-1A units, I´ll replace my trigger kit with the FFE one, and I´ll have it all mapped together by one of two people in America I still trust to do that.
PFS is one hour, start to finish, from where I live. I would rather drive the four hours to Speed1 if there is something I need/want a shop to do.
Cheers man and sorry for all the trouble PFS caused you and best of luck with the rebuild etc...
10-25-13, 09:28 PM
#62
F'n Newbie...
iTrader: (6)
Would you want this in your engine?? (that "port work" cost me $1,000...)
You can see the multiple gouges there, and those wear marks all easily caught finger nails. Definitely NOT within Mazda specifications... yet that´s what PFS put in the rebuilt engine he charged me for.
I´m just a garage DIY guy, but even I know better than that!!
We, Ray and I, even had the conversation once about how I was disgruntled about his work (specifically, his lack thereof) and he pointed out that it would be cheaper if I just kept my car with him, due to trailer and gas costs. I should have never let him talk me into leaving the car there. He knew MONTHS in advance that my final deadline (the second time around) was to have the FD back before DGRR (the original completion date being early January iirc), but it wasn´t done until July...
I learned from my mistakes in trusting that business, hence why I warn others who don´t know any better away now... PFS is riding on the bygone glories of Ernie_T (and, coincidentally, Ernies car spent more time in the shop than out of it, according to Ray).
Originally Posted by Fritz
Once you're done with the rebuild and the custom wiring don't forget to get those instructions for the oil coolers from those engineers over a Sakebomb. Sorry bro I couldn't help that one but COME ON MAN, make some damn sense 
Needless to say, I´ll be fixing any/all issues this go around.
Fixing that t-stat vibration on my car doesn´t require an engineer, all it needs is the original bracket, a bit of AN line an an angled fitting (I´m not taking any chances this time, lol!)
Last edited by fendamonky; 10-25-13 at 09:39 PM.
10-25-13, 09:34 PM
#63
F'n Newbie...
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It´s just a rather emotional subject for me, considering I spent a couple years (and tens of thousands of dollars) getting the run around from that shop, only to be told in the end to learn to work on my own car if I wanted it to be done right..
Have a good weekend
10-26-13, 08:02 AM
#64
All out Track Freak!
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Yeah bud, sorry for getting so charged up in my responses.
It´s just a rather emotional subject for me, considering I spent a couple years (and tens of thousands of dollars) getting the run around from that shop, only to be told in the end to learn to work on my own car if I wanted it to be done right..
Have a good weekend
It´s just a rather emotional subject for me, considering I spent a couple years (and tens of thousands of dollars) getting the run around from that shop, only to be told in the end to learn to work on my own car if I wanted it to be done right..
Have a good weekend
No worries and again it's not my fight I just got rattled when you said he was shady and that the shop wasn't an asset to the community because he's taken good care of me and those that I know who use his shop. For instance Peter's experiences would be the polar opposite of yours you wouldn't believe how far out on the limb Ray went for him when the entire issue was simply badly machined rotors from a big name shop. I'll repeat I can only go on my own experiences which have been outstanding other than the usual gripe of delays and slow to NO communication.
His fab work and tuning are great and those are both priceless services to me.
I wouldn't know a good port from a bad port and if I built an engine I'd probably have to rebuild it 10 times to get it right so I have to trust a shop but if you have the time and equipment there's no doubt that you will always be your own best mechanic so I couldn't agree more with that
PS Don't get me wrong though I've spent 1000s of hours turning wrenches on these cars so I'm not completely clueless and I know what good work is and what bad work is but most importantly I understand how difficult working on old cars can be so in most cases I give a good wrench the benefit of the doubt.
10-26-13, 09:08 AM
#65
F'n Newbie...
iTrader: (6)
It´s all good, it was just a perfect coincidence that I saw your reply before you adjusted your response. I only saw your correction AFTER writing up the thesis of a response. I couldn´t let all that go to waste so I just kept my original reply and added in an extra one
We´re all human, I got nothing but love for ya! (no homo
hehe)
Yeah, I recall Peter having that issue. I actually sold him the E weight rotors out of the engine I bought from Malloy for a SCREAMING deal (and I retarded out, leaving the oil control rings in them, saving him a good $400+ on buying new ones). I never heard anything further about his engine, so I can only assume it´s running fine for him.
My biggest issue is exactly that fact that guys like you and Peter have completely opposite experiences. That kind of inconsistency just isn´t cool. It´s all well and good that Ray will give you two the buddy hook-up status, but it´s bad business for him to deliver such inconsistent products.
You run a business, what would happen to your clinic if half the patents you dealt with died shortly after being seen? Would it be better or worse for you to have such inconsistend results? I´m thinking you would step in WITH A QUICKNESS to correct the issues, not tell a client that they needed to learn how to spay their own pets if they didn´t want to have to worry about death..
Oh, I know you´ve probably got more time turning wrenches on these cars than I do owning one 
Honestly building an engine really isn´t all that hard, just follow specifications and pay good attention to detail. If anything seeing the engine built in my garage took alot of the mystique surrounding engine construction away for me.
We´re all human, I got nothing but love for ya! (no homo
hehe)
Originally Posted by Fritz
No worries and again it's not my fight I just got rattled when you said he was shady and that the shop wasn't an asset to the community because he's taken good care of me and those that I know who use his shop. For instance Peter's experiences would be the polar opposite of yours you wouldn't believe how far out on the limb Ray went for him when the entire issue was simply badly machined rotors from a big name shop.
My biggest issue is exactly that fact that guys like you and Peter have completely opposite experiences. That kind of inconsistency just isn´t cool. It´s all well and good that Ray will give you two the buddy hook-up status, but it´s bad business for him to deliver such inconsistent products.
You run a business, what would happen to your clinic if half the patents you dealt with died shortly after being seen? Would it be better or worse for you to have such inconsistend results? I´m thinking you would step in WITH A QUICKNESS to correct the issues, not tell a client that they needed to learn how to spay their own pets if they didn´t want to have to worry about death..
Originally Posted by Fritz
PS Don't get me wrong though I've spent 1000s of hours turning wrenches on these cars so I'm not completely clueless and I know what good work is and what bad work is but most importantly I understand how difficult working on old cars can be so in most cases I give a good wrench the benefit of the doubt.
Honestly building an engine really isn´t all that hard, just follow specifications and pay good attention to detail. If anything seeing the engine built in my garage took alot of the mystique surrounding engine construction away for me.
10-26-13, 09:19 AM
#66
All out Track Freak!
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It´s all good, it was just a perfect coincidence that I saw your reply before you adjusted your response. I only saw your correction AFTER writing up the thesis of a response. I couldn´t let all that go to waste so I just kept my original reply and added in an extra one
We´re all human, I got nothing but love for ya! (no homo hehe)
Yeah, I recall Peter having that issue. I actually sold him the E weight rotors out of the engine I bought from Malloy for a SCREAMING deal (and I retarded out, leaving the oil control rings in them, saving him a good $400+ on buying new ones). I never heard anything further about his engine, so I can only assume it´s running fine for him.
My biggest issue is exactly that fact that guys like you and Peter have completely opposite experiences. That kind of inconsistency just isn´t cool. It´s all well and good that Ray will give you two the buddy hook-up status, but it´s bad business for him to deliver such inconsistent products.
You run a business, what would happen to your clinic if half the patents you dealt with died shortly after being seen? Would it be better or worse for you to have such inconsistend results? I´m thinking you would step in WITH A QUICKNESS to correct the issues, not tell a client that they needed to learn how to spay their own pets if they didn´t want to have to worry about death..
Oh, I know you´ve probably got more time turning wrenches on these cars than I do owning one Honestly building an engine really isn´t all that hard, just follow specifications and pay good attention to detail. If anything seeing the engine built in my garage took alot of the mystique surrounding engine construction away for me.
We´re all human, I got nothing but love for ya! (no homo
hehe)Yeah, I recall Peter having that issue. I actually sold him the E weight rotors out of the engine I bought from Malloy for a SCREAMING deal (and I retarded out, leaving the oil control rings in them, saving him a good $400+ on buying new ones). I never heard anything further about his engine, so I can only assume it´s running fine for him.
My biggest issue is exactly that fact that guys like you and Peter have completely opposite experiences. That kind of inconsistency just isn´t cool. It´s all well and good that Ray will give you two the buddy hook-up status, but it´s bad business for him to deliver such inconsistent products.
You run a business, what would happen to your clinic if half the patents you dealt with died shortly after being seen? Would it be better or worse for you to have such inconsistend results? I´m thinking you would step in WITH A QUICKNESS to correct the issues, not tell a client that they needed to learn how to spay their own pets if they didn´t want to have to worry about death..
Oh, I know you´ve probably got more time turning wrenches on these cars than I do owning one
Honestly building an engine really isn´t all that hard, just follow specifications and pay good attention to detail. If anything seeing the engine built in my garage took alot of the mystique surrounding engine construction away for me.When the 1st engine went in and he said it was smoking heavily at idle my 1st response was rotors so I'll pat myself on the back for that hehe
Yep what's great about this engine is the simplicity which is why I'll never understand why people like to complicate it/change it/alter it
No doubt PFS could use a good customer service department to allow Ray do what he does best but from what I understand he's been down that road a few times and it just doesn't work for him. Hey I understand that because it's never easy for a business owner to release the reins.
PS Nuttin but love and I do mean that in the homo sense, you big sexy man.....
......JK.......
10-26-13, 09:56 AM
#67
F'n Newbie...
iTrader: (6)
I wonder if the wife (both yours and mine) would grow suspicious if we did a "late night oil change"... "Just working on the car honey!!..."
Last edited by fendamonky; 10-26-13 at 10:01 AM.
11-04-13, 02:30 PM
#68
Bringing this back on-topic to NE shops, anyone have thoughts on RP Performance at Summit Point? That's not too much past PFS, so could be another option for folks in that area.
11-19-13, 03:08 PM
#69
Rotary Freak
Thread Starter
Update!
Shot out east quickly to pic up the car from Speed1 and move it to our regular shop for some cosmetic work.
I put about 150 miles on it and was very impressed with the quality or work and the tune.
Started very quickly and pulled clean and strong through every gear with NO hesitations. Feels quite fast to me, so I guess it's making enough power for the time being.
Had Defi boost and temp gauges installed which look very nice. it was a cold day and the temp never read over about 185 and the few times I got a full pull through third gear it seemed to be predictably boosting 13-10/11-13 and didn't show any signs of creeping or spiking.
Over all I'm very happy. Had them install a new ACT clutch which feels a little chattery on take up in first gear.. I'm hoping that mellows out eventually with more miles on it.
Wanted to thank you all again for your advice and offer a strong recommendation for Speed1 to anyone who stumbles upon this thread in the future.
Shot out east quickly to pic up the car from Speed1 and move it to our regular shop for some cosmetic work.
I put about 150 miles on it and was very impressed with the quality or work and the tune.
Started very quickly and pulled clean and strong through every gear with NO hesitations. Feels quite fast to me, so I guess it's making enough power for the time being.
Had Defi boost and temp gauges installed which look very nice. it was a cold day and the temp never read over about 185 and the few times I got a full pull through third gear it seemed to be predictably boosting 13-10/11-13 and didn't show any signs of creeping or spiking.
Over all I'm very happy. Had them install a new ACT clutch which feels a little chattery on take up in first gear.. I'm hoping that mellows out eventually with more miles on it.
Wanted to thank you all again for your advice and offer a strong recommendation for Speed1 to anyone who stumbles upon this thread in the future.
11-25-13, 11:49 AM
#70
Well my car has been at his shop for over 11 months now and I still have no clue as to if the car has been touched. I was told when I dropped it off two months, then a couple more weeks, then another month, then I find out that the car hasn’t found its way into the shop. Still have no clue as to when the car is going to be done or if it is even still there. Been trying to reach him for months, have put over 5k down on a 7k job, first I put half down then the only time in the 11 months I have got him on the phone was when he asked for more money to keep the job going which come to find out hasn’t started.
When I have talked to Ray he seems to be a very good guy and I have seen his work agree it is normally top shelf work. But the lack of communication and constant missed delivery dates that have stretched to almost a year now on a project I was told would be done in two months.
When I have talked to Ray he seems to be a very good guy and I have seen his work agree it is normally top shelf work.
All you need to do is be upfront with your customers and let them make the decision based off of actual information. If I would have known it was going to take a year plus I would have spent the extra money and shipped it to speed1 or some other place.
When I have talked to Ray he seems to be a very good guy and I have seen his work agree it is normally top shelf work. But the lack of communication and constant missed delivery dates that have stretched to almost a year now on a project I was told would be done in two months.
When I have talked to Ray he seems to be a very good guy and I have seen his work agree it is normally top shelf work.
All you need to do is be upfront with your customers and let them make the decision based off of actual information. If I would have known it was going to take a year plus I would have spent the extra money and shipped it to speed1 or some other place.
11-25-13, 12:51 PM
#71
F'n Newbie...
iTrader: (6)
^ call up Dave at Speed1, then schedule a time to grab a truck/trailer and just make the run up to S1. Get your money back from Ray and call it a day.
I WISH I had done that from the start...
I WISH I had done that from the start...
11-30-13, 01:17 PM
#72
Blowing smoke...
They're still around, just a little hard to get ahold of... Leaving a voicemail or info@pfsupercars.com will get you a response. All the other shops mentioned have phenomenal reputations as well. Anyone know what happened to Reactive Racing?
If you want to have your car worked on by them you have to know someone or come to their shop in person. That said, you may have to wait for a few months before they can work on it.
11-30-13, 03:40 PM
#73
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when people stop supporting shady businesses then they will disappear. just because someone is a great mechanic or fabricator does not mean they should be running a business.Its not the 90s anymore people there are so many other options why would you support a shop with such a spotty reputation.
11-30-13, 03:58 PM
#74
Not the company
Good read; most of it VERY true! I speak from personal BAD experiences as well;
-NO communication
-LONG waits
-Promised completion of car multiple times, only for me to drive an hour away and it wouldn't be done, waiting for hrs in the lobby and then leaving because it still wasn't done
-Parts installed that were NEVER discussed
-Parts installed that i had asked for but not functioning at all.
I've posted this before; and don't really want to get into it again, just adding my opinion for those who were looking into going there for work.