2013 Sequoia Limited to TRD FAUX build now with BOOST!

Yup, it's bad detonation, I'm asking the SC manufacturer/producer of the tune to reimburse me, I'm betting they will not.

 

It's boxed up waiting for UPS to take it to CA. To the builder.

Crappy but sturdy inner box with a ton of bubble wrap and HD cardboard protecting the head and it's parts after the picture I wrapped it up in the green wrap.



Then into the big box with folded HD cardboard folded around all 4 sides (box from the engine hoist)

 

Chop my legs off & call me stumpy!

The SC vendor responded claiming the tune was not done, I sent the last email where he says if the car is running right we are done (paraphrasing)

He responded send the current read of the DME to prove it has his last file.

Guess he is going to pay.

 

I tuned the M3 a while back, but it was all checkboxes using a free tool. Nothing custom. have you looked at getting it dyno tuned instead?

https://www.ecuworx.co.uk/how-to/using-the-mss5x-binary-modification-tool/

 

I had the Sequoia tuned on a dyno here, he didn't do a great job. He doesn't do BMWs.

The company the MAF came from tunes & has a great reputation, I'll pay them once I have a motor.

Thanks for the link!

 

Latest update to the blown motor, he admits it is his file, says it is corrupt & the fueling is a mess, but says he never said it was done, his last email was asking how the car ran & saying it looked good. (I said it ran fine) That was 5/6. The motor blew 11/24. I said you had over 6 months to say something if we weren't done.

 

Sounds like he may have been looking at a different file than what you sent in...regardless, he admitted fault and should own up to his warranty

 

Not sure what he is really saying, here, he never said any of this before, said it looked good & I never heard from him again until now.

My last message was send 2k, I'll get tuned elsewhere & we are done. We'll see what he says.



ok either way we look at all this, I am deemed guilty even after you/we had so many issues with one bank not showing any any values, the TPS was not showing us 100% when the throttle is wide open.

The bottom line is even after 6 months I never got a call or email saying we should go further. The only email I got was "the car is running great". Nick is surprised as well that we did not go further.

Nick said you told him you dont drive the car in the summer so I guess maybe thats why we never heard from you during the summer months, is this true?

I dont mind taking responsibility if I am 100% at fault.

I have tuned hundreds of these L1 sc on the E36 M3 and Z3M and no issues , but 99% of them even in a remote situation had no issues like you were having with the TPS and we were replying on your feedback on top of this.



I have a gripe with all this.



So I am seriously gun shy with even tuning the car after you install the new motor, I believe the car still has issues with some hardware, I dont think we even have the TPS reading properly. I say this because all the logs we have from you dont show any with anything more than 40%-50% on the TPS /load values.

 

Another BLOCK!!!

 

Good news:

BLOCK!!!





Bad news manufacturer is being difficult, refuses anything sooooo I initiated a chargeback on the entire kit, sent him a screenshot of the email commemorating it & emailed them with take it back, give me 2k, I don't care.

He responded with restocking fees and wanting the bad motor and for me to send my DME to be flashed back to stock. I said parts are needed & the rest belongs to the builder who is helping me even though none of this is his fault

The builder has been CC'd on all of these messages & heard enough, and sent this:

As far as the cost and the machining goes, I am helping as he paid me 6500 to build the initial S52 motor, but I need all the old parts back to put the new motor together. I machined a new block that I gave him for 400 which is less than half of the current 900 price range on eBay for all the stock S52 used blocks for sale. Machining was 600 for the next bore size of 86.60mm. The reason why I didn’t use his current block is to avoid the shipping plus I did not know how bad the scoring and burn penetrated through. The head got so hot in the middle where the detonations happened and may be warped, so I told him I won’t risk slapping the cylinder head as-is onto the new motor that’s why It will cost about 1000 to machine and rebuild it again. I am disassembling the head and I have to assemble the new motor which I am not asking any penny for the engine labor again cause I am a stand up guy and truly understand Stefan’s situation and feel bad for him. Again the $2000 I asked him does not even cover all the new forged internals he bought plus his time to drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles to pickup the new motor and the hassle to install it back onto the car.

Thanks,

 

That initiated a back & forth with me saying I'm done arguing, you can send 2k, or I'll ship it back & take the chargeback. No block, no restocking & posts of the entire year long nightmare posted on every BMW forum I can find, most I am a longtime member of. (if he sends the 2k)

He is the owner but said this:


Ok Stefan,

I will meet with the managers and get back to you

Misleading to the end.

I really do not care at this point which way the wind blows.

 

This guy is such an asshole, he is the owner, there is no "management"...


Stefan,

management says that the purchase was done by Autotalent on a black friday sale, they will have to be the ones you have to go through. They are a dealer for us and they are the ones you have to contact and see how they want to handle this.

Please check your receipt, it should say the vendor was Autotalent.

Get back to me after you speak to them.




I responded:

Stop playing games, I tried to buy from you through Alan, he sent me to a vendor.

I found Auto talent, you shipped the kit with delay after delay. You can either send the money or we can do the chargeback.

Autotalent has no clue what happened here, they are YOUR vendor.

I do not understand why you are wasting your “valuable" time.


Stop this nonsense, send the money or the the chargeback in full can go through.

Then after no response:

I need an answer, I am done waiting, either send the money or I will allow the chargeback to go through and I’ll send you your parts I am not spending another day waiting for your next series of nonsense.
I have not posted yet but I am ready to post I have had enough. Here is a preview of the post I will place on every forum I can find:

On 11/23 I made the mistake of buying an Active Autowerke SC kit for my ’97 Z3 2.8 it took until mid January to get the kit.

After it came, it was incomplete & I had to buy the missing parts, then none of the silicon hoses were right and I had to buy the hoses. Once it was together I had a nightmare with tensioners not keeping the belt on. I had to buy numerous tensioners and belts and ended up 3 sizes smaller and a hydraulic tensioner from a different motor, I got no support from Active except this has never happened.

Then the tune nightmare came, every revision was like pulling teeth, finally I got a revision that seemed ok but my M52 2.8 blew a ring land. I did not ask Active for anything

I had a brand new S52 built, I had to send my DME to be tuned for the S52 & paid 325 extra, the revisions were slow to come & towards the end, it was summer & 120 in Phoenix and I stopped driving but the last revision I was told the file looked god and was asked how the car ran. It was fine.

11/24 it was 45 degrees and I went for a ride & melted a piston.

I have spent the last three days being run around with prove it’s their file, then did you modify the tune, then did I modify the hardware every response was no, I am asking for only the 2000.00 for the replacement block, it’s machining and the machining of the head and am getting nothing but nonsense.

I wish I had never heard of Active Autowerke.

 

3.5” filter for the 3.5” MAF

 

Posted to Yelp, Google reviews & 3 BMW forums.

 

Forgot to post....

My wonderful year ending on a low.

https://vimeo.com/1041533031

Dropped a valve, cyl 1 has 100% leakdown loss.

3400 R&R, 4k 70k mile motor, ordered 200 starter, 390 alternator, 2x 130 knock sensors (they go under the intake aka supercharger) also working on coolant hoses that live under the SC and at the back of the motor.

 

+340 for hoses & Toyota red coolant and a bottle of water wetter, +240 for gaskets, the belt tensioner and idler.

 

I remembered I have the Jowett filter housing I need them to move over/they need the tool (gotta remember to get it back) and I have had a trans filter, gasket & Amsoil ATF sitting here for 2+ years, gonna get that done while it's there.





Meant to post this when I posted the above.

I spent 30 minutes looking for the pulley, found 4 belts I was unaware of and the solid motor mounts I have had for 2 years.

 

The owner of the shop said because of liability I can't do the pulley and heat shield in his shop but once it's off I can pick it up and bring it home to do it.



Also, once again Bed Bath & Beyond has the best price on tools. WTF

 

The motor was delivered the VVTI solenoids, on the driver side are broken, the waterpump also sounds bad, they said it was supposed to be 70k mile & A condition, I need to verify I got the motor I bought.

I ordered the 2 solenoids, water pump & rear main seal.

 

Hard to believe this is 1100+ in parts



Starter!

 

Picked up the supercharger to swap the smaller pulley & do maintenance.



Found the truck my motor came from.

 

2.2" pulley is on! Need to do the allens.

 

SC snout is off, coupler in, waiting for the oil to come.













Heat shield in, looking for the best way to get it on the snout.

 

I got a cart so I'm not going back & forth to wherever I left my tools (assuming I stick to putting them back on the cart)

 

Its the last part of your quote that is the key. LOL.

 

So far, so good.

lol

 

I ordered from autoparts.toyota.com, selected a dealer in another state to save tax and get free shipping. Usually, parts come from them directly, but this time, it came from New Jersey. It was poorly packaged and damaged. The dealer says we didn't ship it. Send it back (on my dime), and maybe we'll replace it.

 

No break for me 1 year!

Went to the local to get the alternator I ordered, it was the wrong one.

Have to go back tomorrow.

 

WOW! I just read a bunch and I think this project has some bad mojo!

Might want to see the VooDoo woman named Phyllis. Ciao Roberto!!

sorry to see all the stuff you have gone through. Hope with the new year it will get better? All the best

 

Unfortunately, it's 2 projects. The hope is with the 2 new motors I'll be in the clear.

Thanks