F.A.Q

Posted by Rallinspired 7 years ago

What is your refund policy?

Quality guarantee: If you are not happy with the tune you will owe me nothing and I will flash the car back the way it was before you came. However, for the sake of protecting myself and my work the moment you leave i will not refund the money. If tuning related issues come up i will fix the problem FREE if it was my error. Do NOT go changing parts on me or you will owe me the retune/labor rate(s). I do not BS you; please don’t try to BS me. Payment is only taken afterwards unless you wish to use paypal.

What is your availability?

We tune all day everyday. We do try to maintain basic operating hours from 8am – 6pm. Because I am freelance, I do my best to accommodate your schedule. Please understand that because i do this i would LIKE to have things scheduled in advance. I can often times squeeze people in and tuning until 5-6 am is not uncommon for me. I am however, a full time father and student in college so please take this into consideration.

Do you do mechanical work?

I personally do not consider myself to be any sort of mechanic or tech, but Robert Garcia and our pending team offer services from basic maintenance to full fledged track support and builds.

IS a dyno really needed?

Dyno tuning is preferred. For most basic bolt ons and stock framed turbos a dyno is not essential in my opinion. It does allow me to better control the environment and is more convenient and MUCH safer than road tuning pulls, but again the cost of rental does not always yield better results. For higher powered vehicles a dyno IS A MUST.

What is Etuning?

E tuning is tuning done remotely, usually e over email. I won’t be there in person tuning your car in person. If you read the FAQ you should be somewhat familiar with what’s involved. Hardware, software, reading and writing to the ECU, and datalogging.

What’s better, dyno tuning, street tuning, etuning?

This question is somewhat answered by the question above this one , “is a dyno really needed” and “what is e-tuning?” All of my tunes are based on data taken from your car and all of the experience and knowledge i have from all the other cars i’ve tuned in the past. In person tuning is usually a “better” option because i can control things as well as see, hear, and feel how the car is performing. That’s not to say e-tuning is less superior as tuning is more about the tuner rather than the method. I gaurantee my base flashes and E-tunes are better than 99.999999% of other lancer “tunes” and “tuners”. Most of my custom changes to your tune are based on the datalogs you’ve taken during a tuning session so as long i get good data, then there shouldn’t be an issue. I E-tune many different vehicles (Mitsubishi Evo/RA, Nissan GTR, Subaru, Mazda, BMW, etc) from around the world without issue. Just make you are paying attention and are using common sense as well as following instructions provided.

Will tuning void my warranty?

In a nut shell, YES. Then again so does any type of unapproved modification. The COBB APs are capable of keeping the “reflash counter” in the ECUs intact however this does not guarantee anything at anytime. When it comes to improving a cars performance or fixing ECU related issues there are many factors and unfortunately when it comes to engines and going faster we all have to pay to play. If you are afraid of voiding your warranty don’t mod or tune it. Enjoy theses cars for what they are from the factory; if that’s not enough, then i will be here. IF for any reason you need me to flash the car back to stock i make back-up copies of everything and this is free of charge.

Do you offer email, internet, or mail-in flashes?

Yes. However, i always do things the correct way. what does this mean for you? It means that you will spend a little more money on on the flash than you would from someone else or on equipment to make sure i get the most i can out of your car. The required hardware and process are a little different depending on how you plan to flash the car. I also offer generic/ OTS (off the shelf) simliar to what our competitors offer but they include every patch we’ve completed to date.

What maintenance should i do before and after a tune?

1. spark plugs: Make sure your spark plugs are in good condition and that the heat range and GAPs are even and correct for your application. Make sure you keep notes for maintenance after a tune as changing spark plugs can and will throw your tune off.
2. boost/vacuum leaks: tighten all clamps and zip tie as many hoses are you can. A boost leak test is preferred before hand. If your car was tuned with a leak and you fix it the car will run differently.
3. Exhaust leaks: make sure there are ZERO leaks before the turbo and immediately after the hotside. 90% of cars have some sort of leak in the exhaust piping. This is not a HUGE deal as long as exhaust is not pouring out and kept to a minimum.
4. Clean MAF: make sure your MAF is clean. Go out and buy a can at autozone. Again make sure this is done before hand and kept up.
5. Tire pressure/alignments. Tuning on a dyno or road can be thrown off if tire pressure and wheel alignments are off. This will not cause the tune to “change” but it will skew some of my data.
6. Other basic maintenance. Remember the wear on your car. The better the car is maintained the more i can pull out of it and the longer it will last you… that simple.
7 Logging: no one knows your car better than you. If you feel something is off or has changed contact me to schedule a logging session before or after a tune. Basic logs are free and i do this as a courtesy to EVERYONE. Even “check-ups” several times a year to make sure everything is as it should be is recommended. Logging will help me help you. Parts break, wear out, come loose, etc.

What mods do i NEED or do YOU RECOMMEND before a tune?

None. Even in 100% stock for ALL cars have something to gain through tuning. That being said, you will see higher gains with the RIGHT mods. As far as power is concerned, you need to work on flow mods; the more air you can flow and the more efficiently you can do it, the more power and torque you will make. Exhaust is always the best place to start and in terms of physics a pipe is a pipe (for the most part). As long as you pick a “quality” exhaust, meaning nice welds and no tapers or pinches, i could care less if you buy an ebay or $10,000 titanium JDM exhaust. 2.25″ exhaust piping and a HIGH FLOW CAT (NOT A CAT DELETE) will cover 99% of the N/A applications out there. After that comes intake. Try to pick an intake that increases flow and keeps air temps low (heat shield or CAI). The biggest piece of advice i can give you is to try to come up with a goal and then plan a budget around it. People always want to think beyond their means or think that spending crap loads of money will make them happy. Is it worth $600 to gain 2whp or $100 to gain 5whp or $1600 to gain 50whp? That’s up to you as everyone’s views and opinions are different. I am the type of person that loves making the most with as little as possible and it doesn’t take much for ME to be happy or content. Start out smaller and work your way up. Don’t let the INTERNET build your car. If you’re not sure of what you want ask people to take you for a ride in their cars or if you can drive it. You’d be surprised how happy you can/will be with so little and TUNING is the key to extracting the most out of every cars potential no matter what the mods are. The biggest mod you can invest in the the DRIVER MOD and then everything else.

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