I know many of my soCal enthusiasts have gone with PC for their tuning. I'm curious how many of us actually have dealt wit them directly, vs going through our tuners?

Anyone here with first hand experience wo0rking with them and have an opinion on their level of customer support?

I'm strongly considering changing my ECU tune to a different company because of some emails, but I wondered if it is just miscommunication or consistent banter from them.

 

r u keeping ur ride..?

I have no problem with PC... As I am a gold dealer in NorCal.

 

I went to them directly and have had good results in terms of customer service. The E350's tune made decent power for that little motor, yet they were happy to tweak the tune as many times as I cared to drive down there. I experiemented quite a bit, running leaner at low end, richer at topend, playing with the line pressures...they were happy to oblige.

I obviously had the CLS tuned by them as well. Just last week I asked again to bring it down and make a few changes to my liking, and of course within 20 minutes I got a reply saying "sure mate!"

I'd definitely encourage you Jangy, and am surprised you waited this long even.

 

 

I think so. We are down to just a few $k in difference so I think she will stay.

What is a gold dealer? Do you interact with PC and have the clients interact with you?

I've had great results by going through Vadim. Also, just to be clear I love the progress that was made technically. I'm just a little miffed at the emails. Maybe it is because PC california and PC Australia are separate or that they do not watch the boards enough but there is a gap somewhere.

 

I've talked with them on the phone a few times, and they seemed pretty knowledgeable. They said to have the car dyno'd afterwards and they'd be happy to make any tweaks etc., that needed to be done. I spent prolly 30-40 minutes asking a bunch of questions and they were happy to oblige. I was also impressed that they are pretty realistic with their power figures, unlike some other tuners. They readily admitted all I'm ever going to gain from a tune on a N/A motor is 5-10%. When people make ridiculous claims it's a real turn off to me, and PC passed that test. All in all, I thought they were nice folks.

Only problem I had with them is their pricing. They are definitely a bit on the high side of fair, especially compared to the absolute bargain that is LET.

 

Jangy is this rhetorical? You have been there right??


Personal Experience (direct):

All my tunes have been via PC with no adverse issues. In fact I have had 6 tunes with M6, each with improved results. I have had 3 tunes with my 997TT with the same type of improvements.

What I like about them is the direct relationship Ive developed over the past few years. I get a tune done and there is an email or phone call a few hours later checking on my thoughts. Then over the next few days and weeks, more followup. And anytime I wanted to get another tune they would allow me to come over (Im local) and they make the time. Usually the customer is the crash test dummy on new tunes (with tuners in general when the tunes are new). In this case I use them to test what I like and switch and play what I like. So in a sense, I crash test them This relationship might not be what others have with their tuners but its my personal experience and its a solid one.

Customer service is always key in the mod arena- Ill gladly pay more for better service, followup, and product backing.


Cars they have tuned for me:

W211 E55
W215 CL65
997TT
M6

They dont tune GT-R's or I would get it done.

 

VIC bro, oddly enough I have probably said less than 20 words to anyone that works at PC. Like you and Roupin say, it must just be that my situation got clouded since i did not deal directly. I know you have a great relationship with them.


To the ones that say they are happy to oblige tweaking the tune, what kind of money does that cost? I guess part of my frustrations have been with not being able to have enough say in how I want my tune or the little extras that could easily be had.

Nah, wasn't rhetorical. i was just curious if they have a few loyal fans or if it is more broad based. I initially assumed broad based, but am now getting the RennTech glow from them...

 

They were the guys that helped with tuning the car along with Serge. They did an awesome job on my car. Highly recommended!

 

They have been great with/for us. There are always ups and downs in any relationship, but after 7/8+ years dealing with them, we are more then happy to deal with PC!

If you have emails with them, I am curious how that could impact your product choice. Especially if you bought it from Vadim (PC makes far less money when selling through a reseller), so if you have issues with the billing or charging, you should speak with Vadim.

Powerchip technically should not be dealing with you direct at all, as "you" as a customer belong to Vadim/VRP. I think you really do understand this.

If this has anything to do with your recent post about attempting to resell your Powerchip ECU tune to someone else (which is not possible), then maybe it is just a misunderstanding. The tune stays with the ECU, and cannot be transferred to another customer/car. Not sure, just thinking out loud.

thanks
Brad

 

VIC,

Would you say the PowerChip to a stock W211 E55 power is similar to a LET Stage 1 Tune with a Pulley upgrade? And can PC retune the chip if I were to get a 180mm Pulley? How much would a retune cost?

Thanks

 

I was contacted the same way that you sometimes contact me, asking for clarification on a post of mine. I guess the discussion got sidetracked and I took what was said personally. You know I try to be fair with my posts but it gets hard to understand someone else's point when they are playing games with you.

 

Well, I think taking a step back is a good idea.

From my perspective:

1. YOU post WAY too aggressively WAY too often, and it is read by many to be much more inflammatory then you intend.

2. Australian's have a very different temperament and sense of humor then American's - leads me to tiff's with Ausies often that are unnecessary.

thanks
Brad

 

If you are asking if the PC tune alone is equivalent to a LET tune plus a pulley, then no way. The gains between the LET tune and the PC tune are debated often, but I have seen little data showing that one is superior to the other. I have personally never driven a LET tuned car so i can not speak for it but the PC tune I got has been very refined.

I would also like to know what the charge is for modifications to a purchased tune vs a new one, etc.

 

Thanks for the responses. I assumed a big part of it was me .

 

Met the guy from PC before. Cool ausie. If it were me, I would go direct. Unless it's costs less from an authorized dealer. Your getting the same thing.

 

I dont know LET's products but I have seen some of the posts and the feedback is good. I chose PC due to the fact I can reach them quickly and locally plus I get great service. I know they have tunes for all sizes of pulleys and done some amazing dyno tunes too.

Please contact Travis at PC for retune questions and tell him about this post:

800 495 0777 or 949 646 1026

 

gold dealer means we can flash ECU at location. does not need to sent it back to so-cal.

 

Although I went thru Evosport, I did deal with PC directly with some ECU changes.
When we found a glitch in the software from track testing, which BTW no one else experienced, PC made changes to their software. I think it was helpful to have Evosport coroborate the issues with their track support.

The Aussies are on a different time zone which is fustrating for the tuner and customer. I'd rather have someone in my corner than going it alone.
To sum it up, PC was very responsive to changes when we presented solid evidence that there was a problem. But don't expect them to be up a 9am to install the ecu.

 

55wagon,

After purchasing the initial tune, say I were to add a 80 throttle body or HEM, what would be the additional charge to have the car retuned to take into account the added components?

Thanks

 

BINGO - give that man a prize !!!

 

[QUOTE=jng204;3527228]55wagon,

After purchasing the initial tune, say I were to add a 80 throttle body or HEM, what would be the additional charge to have the car retuned to take into account the added components?

Thanks[/QUOT

I will let you know on monday....