I just need to vent a little. So I've been busy tuning peoples cars since I've come back from Portugal as I was there 3 weeks + a few weeks that my wideband broke for the last time and I needed to buy a new. Anyway, it seems everyone and their siblings want to get their car tuned now. I have around 7-8 people currently queued up to get tuned and talking to another few that want their cars tuned and are asking questions about their setup. That's all fine and good except it seems everyone assumes a car can be tuned when its broken, setup incorrectly, or quite simply a @#$%^& hack job. It seems like 80% of my time is spent fixing a car, and then the other 20% is tuning. It's normal to expect to fix things along the way when tuning a car as that comes with the practice but your car needs to be somewhat ready to be tuned. I don't want to get into too many details but if I have to spend more then an 1-2 hours just getting the car ready to be tuned before I even start, I just think that's a little too much.

I've only ever tuned one car that needed zero fixing at all and it was one you wouldn't expect. Someone purchased a RHD from an importer here locally when they never saw the car and had it checked out by a shop and then given to me to tune. Car worked perfect and it was just bang bang bang tune complete and owner drove it home to Ottawa.

For those of you that know me, know that I want everything to be 100% so both the owner and I can be happy once a car is done. So when a car isn't right and a tune is expected to fix everything, I just get frustrated. Anyway, just needed to open up some of my frustration.

thewird

 

charge more $$$$$, money fixes all problems!
More realistically though, why not tell the people beforehand that you want them to make sure everything is operating correctly, otherwise you won't touch the car. If they appreciate cars enough to drive a beast that they want 'tuned' they should surely be able to run through the car and check on their own systems. On THAT note, if this is all work on the side for you, maybe it's time to make a legitimate business out of it??

 

People are dumb!

Feel better

 

Understand your pain..... people who is lining up for tune, let's aware of that.....

 

Seems to me we talked about this a few years ago....you need to charge people for your time.

 

Per hour billing! That will A) make people think twice before dropping off a car that's not working B) put more $ in your pocket when you do have to fix something or give consulting assistance. You knowledge is worth something. Charge for it.

 

Hey Wanna come get my car running! lol J/k friend My car runs lol

I guess Mikes car pushed you over the edge trying to fix it till 6am lol

 

This is the reason I don't do work for other people.

 

Yes, but as I once heard Joe say, "Everyone wants help, but nobody wants to pay for it."

Take a moment to think of who has answered your questions in the past...

 

I got a civic you can tune,

 

Charge a Base price for the Tune,and notify the Owner that IF you need to perform Mechanical work on the car that you are going to charge for that.Stipulate that right from the "get-go",and you should do Fine.
..The advice is Free!

 

I'd be curious to know some of the things that he had to fix. I mean if you got a car and it had no breaks than the owner needs to be shot. Times where the car ran out of fuel for some reason might be different, and I would think might fall in to the expected problem, right? I am asking simply because some of the things you see are likely idiocy and some of them can be legitimate issues.

Either way you are fixing the car, and not tuning it. I would also agree in these times, you explain the problem to the owner, and let him know it needs to be fixed before you can continue tuning. That means they fix it, find a shop to fix it, or if you agree to do it they pay you.

 

Specialty areas are always like that.

Take an alignment for instance. Most of the time a guy has a worn suspension part, and is confused when a shop tells him he needs more then an alignment because to the customer the car simply pulls to the left.

It comes with the territory and especially in the area of tuning cars you're going to be EXPECTED to know every aspect of the subsystems needed and diagnose problems quickly and effciently.

You won't be expected to grow a pony tail and master air drumming though.

 

I can't speak for thewird, but in my experience tuning other's cars, I've had cars that were "ready to be tuned" with the following problems:

-stripped O2 sensor bungs
-MASSIVE sensor noise problems
-no working wideband
-bad clutch hydraulics
-bent axle
-bad starter
-constant overheat problems
-mouse in the fuel tank
-bad fuel injectors (happens all the time)
-no lights, no signals, no heat, no bumpers
-half finished standalone wiring that would "only take 10 minutes to finish"
-leaks from every possible location (Why are the taillights leaking oil? Is this car made by Harley Davidson or something?!)
-flat/bald/unbalanced tires
-standalone doesn't communicate with computer

I understand that cars can have surprise problems, but 90% of the stuff I have seen is known by the owner and I think it speaks to a deep disrespect of the tuner to shove these issues in his/her face when he/she is just expecting to be able to get in the car and do the work.

 

The problem is that the customers that come for a tune think their car is ready to go. We see this constantly on the dyno. So, as many of you suggested, I charge for repairs.
It has got to the point that I now warn peopel who are bringing in a car that has just finished an upgrade that there is a 50% chance that we will not be able to complete a power run due to unforeseen issues with the install.

But it is certainly a pleasure when a guy comes in aith the car ready, a wriiten plan of what he wants to do plus jets/parts to try out...
-Jo

 

Not always... Try getting legal advice, that **** is far from free.

 

What you have to decide 1st and foremost is this a hobby or a business. Once you start charging people, you are leaving yourself open to:
1. Government, you now have to charge HST and remit it.
2. Government, if you are taking money and providing a service you must at least form a sole proprietorship business

3. MOST IMPORTANT..............LIABILITY! If you work on the car for money and something happens especially if it caused injury, you can end up paying for that for the rest of your life!

 

unless you can make them sign a 20 page waiver......hmmmmmmmm

 

Maybe you're too nice off a guy!

 

look what you guys with unready cars did to poor marco

 

Lol

 

that's nothing. He almost died in august PUSHING my car lmao

 

omg im laughing so hard im choking

 

Definitely have some good ol american dollars coming from me, and luckily no bent axles or mice in the tank...must be a Canadian thing

 

lol @ mouse in the tank