Newsletter No 31
30 March 2006
Again and again I get 2 “questions” thrown my way:
Why don’t the manufacturers set up their vehicle as exact as you do with
the UNICHIP ?
Why can I not have the UNICHIP done through the agents ?
Firstly most vehicle’s get set up by the manufacturers to function in
the worst scenario’s such as 50 C at Sea level with 80 Octane fuel and so
forth.
So we set up the vehicle as close as possible to Namibian conditions and
give the ECU (computer) enough leeway to adjust for altitude, temperature(maybe
you want to go to Lesotho in Winter) etc. So if you come from Angola and want
me to set up your car for Samangol, let me know please ?
The agents know that a stock vehicle should give the least problems, sadly
also not the best fuel consumption and power, therefore they don’t want to take
a risk with modifications. We back our work, so I believe you are covered quite
well. Furthermore quite a few agents refer their customers to me cautioning
them that I am now responsible.
At the moment Efi modifications are the rage. But who understands the
systems, the design and installation. Even better the final set-up. Companies
like mine usually get called in once the ship has sunk. It’s not easy to do it
right, but it sure is fun.
Here is an interesting Index of /Efi/DIY_EFI Q&A
![[DIR]](Newsletter%2031_files/image001.gif)
Parent Directory
1995/
Every
business should abide by certain morals or ethics.
I try to
see the customer’s perspective by putting myself in his shoes.
The
customer comes to me with certain expectations, and if I believe that they can
be met realistically I accept the job and responsibility. At the same time the
customer must accept my charges and terms.
Bizarre
is when a customer then returns claiming we never did the job to his
expectations because he never mentioned those precise expectations.
Communication
is the Key here !
As far as my suppliers
go, I believe that I must add value to their product. I have a Maha Dyno and
over 15 years experience in the Tuning field.
I try to avoid the
boy-racer type and concentrate more on the serious market (4X4's are my forté).
Driveability is my aim, not to install a system that works great on race cars but cannot give me a decent idle and pullaway.
If you had no recent
look at my Website, I’ll give you
some figures:
Close on 2 million
Rands worth of hard core tuning items from headers to K&N's (for which I am
the agent- check my unbelievable prices).
Fully equipped workshop
to do anything except Cam grinding and cylinder head reconditioning (there
are enough engineering shops in town)
13 years of business in
Namibia- people know me
I use the UNICHIP a lot
and like its tuneability.
Most important I
concentrate on 1 job at a time instead of having a yard littered with cars
waiting for attention.
I also cannot
experiment on customer’s cars (simply a matter of ethics). Normally I try a new
product out on one of my own vehicles first.
I believe in keeping
stock of parts we might need and the necessary accessories and spares.
Also once I invest
in a suppliers product I want to be a sole distributor.
I make my money by
selling. The workshop is a value added service (and my guys get paid above
average for above average use of intellect).
I cannot control
Namibians buying in SA, but I get pig biting mad if Piet in Okahandja buys a
product there and then expects me to sort out his problems (free of charge)
because I am the Agent. I try selling products in Namibia at the same
price you get them in the rest of the world.
I have no problem if a
supplier/customer cancels our marriage if I do not perform and vice versa.
I normally do not carry
similar products, I carry the best affordable and I stick by them.
I have a strong moral
obligation towards my suppliers, my customers and myself and I would like you
to understand that.
What bothers me is that a lot of people are starting to abuse the legal system simply because they pay a few bob every month and therefore believe that they now have the law on their side. I hope we are not going to go into another USA scenario. But that belongs into another class of Newsleter/Blog.
Recently
a friend (who owned a large Tuning shop in Utah) heard me lamenting on how many
customers phone just to ask questions without wanting to pay the info and
therefore support my living (and life). And being from the South, he shot straight
from the hip “Nick, give lectures”. What he meant is that I should contact the
local “fast boys” and sort out a roster of when I would be giving a paid
lecture on whatever subject they choose.
I doubt it will work, as the average Namibian seems to believe that info
should be free and that they know more than everybody else. Similar to the
continental German who hires a consultant only if same consultant reinforces
his belief.
A REMINDER
The timechange, which will
start the winter here in
Die Zeit ändert sich wieder
zur winter Zeit hier in
For those
of you about to embark on trips over the public holidays, drive Safely and
enjoy it !
Nick
"Anyone who slaps a 'this page is best viewed with Browser X' label on a Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another computer, another word processor, or another network." -- Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review, July 1996