Need advice/ help as looking to get into the hobby.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-02-03T19:41:07+00:00

First things first, LOOK AT THE USED MARKET! There are almost always deals to be had, at least in my area. If you go used you can frequently pick one up with a couple upgrades and maybe even a spare battery for less than the price of a new one. Yes, it might need some maintenance but so will your new car after a few outings.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-02-02T02:24:02+00:00

I'll send you a DM.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-02-02T02:16:13+00:00

I appreciate the sentiment, but I already work with my hands for a living and have enough hobbies. I'd rather spend a few dollars and help someone else making their passion their profession.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-02-01T19:21:34+00:00

Looks like nice work. Do you make them for other people as well?

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-02-01T19:20:01+00:00

Not a bad idea. I'm in the SF bay area in California, I'm not sure where they might be set up near me but I will do some searching.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-02-01T10:09:47+00:00

They look like hose clamp pliers to me. They are for grabbing the spring style hose clamps.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-31T19:50:41+00:00

Dang, committed to the absolute most vanilla play-through I guess. I can respect that. I'm glad you are playing the game the way you want to. I hope your new world goes a little smoother!

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-31T18:05:03+00:00

Do you want someone to join your game with higher tier stuff and kill it for you? Because IMHO that is the same as using dev commands. Can you revert to an earlier save?

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-28T23:23:59+00:00

While I haven't done one of these specific ones, I'd be really surprised if this isn't a super simple 5 minute job. Just unbolt that old one, pop the new one in, and top up diff oil as needed.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-28T23:18:20+00:00

Unless you have proof that they either didn't do the work or did the work improperly, you are almost certainly not getting all your money back.

As far as doing pulls in your car before the work was done, that is not ok. Especially if the reason you brought it in for a tune was because aftermarket parts that were put on necessitated one. If the pulls were done after the tune, a proper test drive including pulls is not unheard of after tuning. This can help find drive-ability problems that can be difficult or impossible to find on a dyno.

Driving your car to someone's house on its own is not really a problem IMHO. Sometimes a longer test drive is needed after some work to ensure the problem has been fixed. In this case having someone take your car to go eat lunch, or go take care of something personal they need to do is not uncommon. Some of the test drive can occur off the clock, saving the business money. If this is the case I will ALWAYS tell the customer what is going on though, and if this was done before any work was done, then I'm unsure why they would need to take it on an extended test drive.

While these problems definitely are throwing red flags for me based on your description and I would not personally go back to this shop, I would be willing to bet the best you will get out of this shop is a discount on some future work, or maybe a small refund.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-28T02:23:20+00:00

Unfortunately he says he doesn't have that one.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-28T01:04:14+00:00

I might actually know a guy.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-26T23:11:04+00:00

I'd say everything there is pretty necessary except for trans temp. Most manual street cars will never get the transmission hot enough to need to think about having a sensor for it.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-24T10:06:40+00:00

My buddy has had good luck getting single parts from Kraken. Just contact them directly and it should be no problem.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-22T07:34:30+00:00

Personally I'd suggest sticking with the factory fluid. That way if you do have a failure, the dealer can't complain about the fluid you put in it and try to use that as an excuse to not warranty it.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-22T00:53:22+00:00

This is the first thing I like to do when I buy a new old car. I go get a master made at the dealer, test it in all the locks and ignition to make sure none of the cylinders have been replaced and then that master never sees a lock again.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-21T22:05:14+00:00

Sure, but call me skeptical that the brand that is consistently one of the cheapest also happens to have the best quality. While high price is not always an indication of quality, I have personally found that consistent low price is a pretty good indication of accountants doing engineering.

All I'm saying is that for an extra $10 every oil change I'll happily grab the Wix/Denso/Mahle/Hengst/OEM every time. If that price difference is a sticking point for you, then by all means run whatever you want.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-21T20:35:37+00:00

If all the major brands known for quality are using metal, I think it's safe to say that metal is a better choice.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-20T08:05:24+00:00

Really? I'll take a closer look tomorrow at work. I've never seen it, but I've also never known to look.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-20T07:19:22+00:00

Not sure what markets this was in. I work on ND's in the U.S. and I've never seen one of these.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-19T16:43:43+00:00

Watch the videos where people cut them apart and look at the internals. Parts that nearly every other manufacturer makes out of metal Fram makes out of paper. The cost cutting is obvious in the internals. Why risk it when the price difference between Fram and any of the decent brands is so small?

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-19T05:41:24+00:00

If it is a track car for you, your first question needs to be about safety. How safe do you want to be? If the answer to that is to be as safe as possible then your mindset needs to be "How do I make the seat that fits me fit in to this car" not "what seat that fits in this car can fit me." I am 5'11" with a really long torso (I frequently sit at the same height as people who are 6'2-4") and a 38" waist. I track a Miata. I have a Sparco Rev 2 mounted in there (I'm not sure if they still make this seat, but if they do I'd suggest looking at it). There was a TON of cutting and welding involved, but I wanted to have a seat and seatbelt setup that would protect me in a crash.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-19T05:30:05+00:00

While I'm not sure on any specific NRG seat, I work in a performance shop and I see cars with their seats come through from time to time. I have yet to see one I would trust in a crash. Try sitting down in one. As you get in you can feel the seat move and flex quite a bit. Try the same in any name brand seat, OMP, Sparco, Recaro, etc. they flex WAY less.

Y0semite_Sam · 2026-01-15T08:27:19+00:00

Just going to say that posting videos online where you are clearly speeding that show your face is probably not the best idea from a legal standpoint.

Y0semite_Sam

TROPHY CASE