phee

I am in Darwin. If you are going to do the red center make sure you drive when the sun is up only. The first few hours of day light be VERY careful about roos and rabits etc cause they will be everywhere and if you get stuck driving at night find yourself a 'pilot car' or 'clearance vehicle' (whatever you like to call them) and stick behind them so if anything is attracted to their headlights, it has been hit and off the road before you drive through Sounds cruel to let some else take the hit but I would pefer the landcruiser with the bullbar than my front bar of my r33. I drove back from Brisbane in March and we had to go up to Townsville and around because the Longreach way was flooded out. Then we had a few issues with Pine Creek on the NT side but we managed to get through no problems. If you're not heading this far up you wont need to worry too much about it, and as I said before, there hasn't been much rainfall AT ALL this 'wet season' so you should be right. As far as camping goes use the AANT site to check out what they suggest: http://tol.aaatourism.com.au/searchgateway.asp?sit=9 AANT are the NT's road side assistance and affilliated (sp) with the rest of Australia so you might get some discounts. Best of luck and I hope you enjoy the trip. The Red Center is really a wonderful place to visit, and I was hoping to get back down there over the Easter break next year just for a quick run in the car, climb the rock and run back, but I doubt I am going to be in Darwin then. Make sure you take heaps and heaps of photos.

Welcome aboard

You'll be fine. There has been no serious rainfall up here yet and you wont get flooded in anywhere. Just take plenty of water for you and the car cause it does get a bit hot.

Suddenly changed my mind, 101 are great, and you should all take your cars there. Urgently.

no sorry zuboo, I meant that other guy who works at 101. just take your nick out and insert his and the post is fixed... if 101 showed me some respect, I would have shown them the same. soooooooooooooo f**king over it now! why don't the 101 cheerleaders start disputing the other SAU members who have had a bad deal handed to them by 101, ffs, im starting to get pissed off and that's not a good thing. why the f**k would i come in here and banter a company if i am making all of it up? seriously, think about it, it's not f**king hard.

I really try and avoid repeating myself but in this instance I will put everything down in point form so some of you aren't sitting there scratching your heads... • Guy named Ben owned the Skyline • Ben had tune done for the Skyline at 101 Motorcafe in December 2005 • Ben sold the Skyline to Phil not long after tune • Phil sold the Skyline to me in March 2006 • I flew down and picked it up from Brisbane and drove it back to Darwin (where I live) • Engine blew up in May 2006 because of a hole in the diaphragm in the wastegate (overboosting) • Engine rebuild completed in October 2006 with forged internals and new mods • Wanted Dale (10sec_rx7) to tune car for me • Organised a group of people also wanting Dale to tune their cars so it wasn’t a wasted trip • Ran engine in • Dale flew from Sydney to Darwin on Friday 13th Oct to tune cars • Thread started on PF about Dale flying to Darwin to tune cars • Saturday morning we threw a couple of cars on the dyno to tune, went well • Had extra time in the afternoon, threw my Skyline on dyno to tune • Discovered locked ECU • Called a couple of mates to see if they knew any way around it • Able to get base map sent through from our contacts at Motec as a last resort if needed… • Checked dyno sheet from when tuned last, found 101’s name and number • Gave 101 a call Saturday afternoon and left message on their answering machine to call me first thing Monday • A mate of mine on PF knows old owner of 101, so he gave him a call • Old owner unable to release code due to contract agreements through selling business • Made a couple of threads on both SAU and CB to see if anyone knew who owned the car before Phil, so I could see if he knew the code • Monday morning I hadn’t heard from 101, gave them a call told me they didn’t know the code • 101 also told me my options were to send the ECU back to them or to Motec to have it unlocked • A mate found Ben’s original for sale thread for the Skyline, sent it to me • Called Ben to see if he was aware ECU was locked, he was • Asked him is he knew the password, he didn’t • Ben called 101 for me to see if 101 would give him the password as he was the owner of the car at the time, and who paid for their service • Ben called me back, said same thing that 101 had told me • I called 101 again, to double check they didn’t remember the code • 101 said if they get the ECU back they could wipe the tune that was in there and replace it with a base map • I explained again that I lived in Darwin and that the guy tuning my car was flying out Tuesday lunch (this conversation was happening mid Monday morning) • 101 said there was nothing they were able to do • Posted updates on my progress with 101 on PF • PF members unable to comprehend how 101 didn’t know the code, but there was a “magic” code they could enter which wiped the ECU and then they could install a base map • In the background of all this happening, Dale is continuing to tune cars, an event I organised and am trying to run at the same time as trying to find my code • PF members called 101 on my behalf to get a better understanding of what they are exactly offering to do to help me • 101 gave in to the owner of PF and mentioned they know the code, but it will cost me $1,000 to get it • Owner of PF called me and told me what they want • Me = speechless, then laughed, then said a lot worse than what I have said on this forum • Asked owner of PF to keep calling 101 to see if they would cave in under the pressure and eventually “give up” the code to get rid of everyone • I sent sms to another PF member saying what happened, he posted on PF my suggestion of ringing them • PF backed me up, continued to call 101 but 101 didn’t want to know or care about it too much • 101 told a PF member “it isn’t their problem” • I am continuing to help Dale with tuning the cars, keeping the drivers occupied and away from Dale so he can get the job done • Base map is sent through from Motec to wipe 101 tune and start again • Find out from Motec that base map will NOT erase lock from 101 • PF get aggressive and continue calling 101 • Dale finishes turning other cars • Have lunch (chicken, mashed potato and gravy rolls – YUMMO!) • PF start talking about the lack of service from 101 and doing burnouts out the front of their shop • Reverse my car into Darwin workshop, call Motec, explain to them all the above points • Motec get shitty with 101 • Dale is transferred into the Tech area of Motec and explained how to unlock the ECU over the phone • Motec stay on the line until the car is able to be started again • Car is put on dyno, starts to be tuned… • Blah blah bah Dale flew out 12hrs later PF is a good forum, and have a lot of knowledgeable people as members, including some high rollers in the car industry. If you want specific details, read the thread. 101 had nothing to loose by giving me the code, and if they were concerned that it would mess with “their” tune then that’s a poor excuse. I live in Darwin which is a different climate to Brisbane, and I had just completed a forged rebuild so “their” tune was no longer acceptable for my cars applications. The tune would have been drastically altered regardless, and as soon as it was unlocked, Dale would have taken over as warranty on the tune therefore 101 were out of the woods if anything went wrong. Since Dale flew out of Darwin, I have had further engine problems due to a couple of rebuilding questions left a little open ended, so the car is once again off the road. New engine only had 1,500kms on it before it was not drivable. There were also a couple of problems on the dyno, like the radiator top tank cracking so we needed to rush and get all of this fixed 20 minutes before COB up here. Once flushed, repaired and put back to work, found the hole in the diaphragm which ‘could’ have been repaired up here during business hours, but due to a sever case of getting f**ked around this wasn’t noticed until after sun down when we had progressed further with the tune. If 101 gave us the code, we could have identified this problem sooner and had it repaired before Dale flew out. If the owner of PF called me and said that 101 would give me the code for $100 I would have called 101 and gave them my credit card details over the phone, got the code and been on my merry way. But it didn’t happen like that. 101 had the choice to satisfy a potential customer, and have good feedback for their service… or sit in their own world and choose to ignore it. Don’t think I sat on the computer all day bagging them out, because I actually had offline urgencies and priorities I had to complete and I only jumped online when I had the occasional chance between tunes and running around like a headless chook. My main form of communication with PF members was through sms. Now that I know zuboo works for 101 his posts are making a lot more sense as they are now much more biased that that of a customers. 101 pays zuboo, where as the customer pays 101, so there are 2 ends of the scale here. I don’t know what questions were asked, I can’t be bothered going back into the thread to find them through all the crap posted. I did skim through it all again, from the start, and you might want to take note that I wasn’t the one who originally mentioned about the $1,000 being charged. You’ll also take note that I have said I was made aware about this thread via PM with a link. The reason I came back today was when I logged in I had another PM from a member here telling me not to worry about the ‘101 thread’. I came in or a look to see what the fuss was about. There are 2 sides to every story, but making assumptions on what you THINK happened always makes people look like as ass, so it is best not to do it. I am at work at the moment, and typing this into a word doc so when I finish I can transfer it across. I would like to thank the idiots who can’t be bothered reading my posts and only see the negative comments. I occasionally miss points when I am typing which everyone does, so I apologise for that. I think I have everything down now, but if I have missed anything or anyone else can think of possible questions to this long ass post then let me know. In my first post in this thread I wrote… My second post… Third post… Forth post I just asked people to read the PF thread to get a better understanding. Fifth post… Sixth post… From there I go on repeating myself. I am a little tired of it now and have spent WAY too much energy on a workshop I think are full of crap. SO, by all means, think I am a bitch or whatever else, I really couldn’t give a rats ass, I can’t please everyone, and neither can 101, but a little effort, like mine for this stupidly long post, never go astray.

I lost interest in this thread a LONG time ago. You can only bang your head against a brick wall before you realise you're not getting anywhere I have no reason to lie to a group of people I don't even know...

Well done. Wish I had found my problem as easy as that... oh well!!

Don't need the reminder thanks!

read the thread again zuboo, my user name on there is 'phee' and I was busy organising the tunes away from a computer when that discussion was going on. there seems to be a 101 bandwagon going around here, and I am not too keen to get involved and try to stop it, so I have said my piece and what happened, it's your money and your decision who you go to!

Yeah I am in Darwin, which brings me to the point, if I got poor service from a QLD company I would deal with it and move on, if I was played by a QLD company for $1,000 to unlock a code then I am going to be a little more than ticked off. I joined this forum just after the car blew up to ask for rebuilding advice in the forced induction arena. When the engine was rebuilt and we were having the problems with getting the code from 101 I made a thread in general discussions asking if anyone knew the owner before Phil, who turns out to be Ben. Someone found the for sale thread that Ben posted and I gave him a call and asked if he could help me out. He called 101 for me since he paid the money and I didnt have any luck but he got the same reply I did. Not about the $1,000 - but sending it back to them. After that I gave up on 101 but my mates on PF kept trying to ring through for me to get the code. It was the owner of PF who was told it wasnt 101s problem and if I really wanted it it was mine for the cash. Thats when PF and I got ticked off. We got in contact with MoTeC and a base map will wipe the old tune, which if that is what 101 were trying to protect then they didnt have to worry. Unfortunatley to be able to change any settings still, even with the now base map in the ECU, I would still need the code to unlock it. We only got through from the guys at MoTec, who were reluctant to release any info ad passwords, as you would be, but Dale (10sec_rx7) told them what 101 had offered and MoTeC were less than impressed, so stayed on the phone while we wiped everything clear and stayed on the phone so get the cold start and ignition correct. THATS SERVICE! I made a comment about 101 and what happened in the thread I started trying to find Ben, but I was offline a few days and when I got back couldnt find it so assumed what I had said broke forum rules and it was deleted. I didnt start a new thread or complain because I didnt see the point in it. I wasnt aware of this thread until someone PMed me with a link who knew about what happened over on PF, and they obviously thought it was important enough that I should say what I went through with them. I dont go around bagging out 101 and my only conversations about them I have, on and offline is in this thread. Someone originally asked for opinions from experience. I gave mine. Once again I am from Darwin, and have already mentioned that I am not here to try and sway everyone into a hate 101 club because I am not, I am also not interested in lying or making up stories to slander a company I have had no other contact with other than a a few very frustrating phone calls. It is easy to say to send the ECU away to get it unlocked, but I wasnt aware it was locked until the Saturday it went on the dyno, and my mate who I flew up from Sydney was leaving on Tuesday. It is expensive to fly someone up for something, and get nothing. I dont earn enough to justify $1k to unlock an ECU, and I wouldnt be putting my reputation on the line if I was making it up. As I have said earlier, believe what you want, I am sure 101 have done some great jobs, they wouldnt still be open for business if they didnt, but they didnt do a great job with me. This thread wanted opinions, thats what I gave. Edit: This isn't another "stick that up your ass" post, cause quite frankly that's lame. I don't know who gtr_spec is either, and not too interested in finding out but I do want to add the car is 15kms away from me, and it isn't going to Sydney or Melbourne so getting facts straight before posting accusations is important. Just so you know

I understand a good quality w/shop locking an ECU, but warranty should be void once it becomes unlocked. If something goes bang after it is unlocked then the tune can be downloaded and it is easy to tell if it has been tampered with so I don't see what the big deal is.

Ahuh... I know, and a few dozen other people know what 101 said as they ALL called them and got the same answer, so don't think I am the only they told this story to. But hey, you guys are the ones who live in the area and make the decision if you will give them your hard earned cash, so it's your final call who you believe.

TR front bar and explosive side skirts, taking the wing off and putting either a stelth or 'drift' wing on it. I just don't want to have to cut into a bar and make it look home made. Looks like I am going to have to get something custom made.

No, happened on the way home from my b'day dinner back in May

Hey guys, I have a bit of a problem. I am looking to get a Trust front bar and Explosive side skirts, but because of my dual cannons, I am having trouble finding a rear bar that is not only going to make me satisfied, but fit the rest of the kit. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am not interested in removing one of the cannons, even though it is a weird look, it has grown on me and I like it, even if it is a bit rice Old photo taken by previous owner:

19's Starcorp Racing Impul White/Wide Pack 19's Axis Hiro They were my favourites after searching through http://www.tempetyres.com.au/index.asp yesterday at work.

Yes. My external wastegate diaphgram had a hole in it so it wasn't releasing pressure, has cost 9k in damage and counting.

that is extreemly nice, do you mind if I ask how much you paid for it? PM me if you wish.

boost guage - you'll be able to tell if your car is over boosting, and be able to slow down if it goes to high. important for modified cars! oil pressure and oil temp - to avoid serious damage to the engine and diagnose any faults before they become a serious threat water temp (cooling) - avoid any head gasket failure or cooking your enging (same as above really) fuel pressure - if you start loosing fuel you can end up setting fire to your car if you don't notice your fuel trail, which is why it is important to have a guage. you can always rely on your sense of smell to help you out, but sometimes the heat of the moment gets too much (excuse the pun) and 'dirty imports' have a fuel smell to them anyway I know there are 6 there but it depends on how 'safe' you want to be. are you planning to mount them on the pillar or below the stereo? if both, mount the top 3 on the pillar, and the remaining more descreatly under the stereo. you could just get a motec dash though...

you have the curse welcome to the club

I am not here to change anyones mind about 101. Noone here knows who I am so I doubt anyone would pay much attention if I started being abusive about them, however this thread was started asking opinions on 101. I was PM'ed about this thread asking if I wanted to have my say heard. I haven't said they do a shit job entirely, I have said from my experience, they could have done a LOT better and from what I experienced with them, I don't recommend them. Reading your above post, you haven't had any problems with the workshop you have been going to, so why move somewhere else. IMO don't try to fix something that isn't broken?

read this: http://www.performanceforums.com/forums/sh....php?t=67208499

I like the 'related posts' down the bottom of the page! The most stolen cars in America

very nice rims, if I had the cash I would be buying them. good luck with the sale!