TSR so called performance

[slimjimvw 0]

This is a warning to anybody who is considering using them !

I had a fully built 9A of them , fitted it , run everything in properly and 1500 miles down the line i had the worst knocking you have heard ,

 

Basically i removed the sump and found that the shell on No3 had fallen to bits , my oil looked like glitter and there were even large pieces of the shell in the bottom of my sump.

 

Between myself and two friends they have f**ked up 4 engines , for the following cases of bad workmanship:

 

No1: they painted the inside of the sump , the paint blocked the oil pump.

 

No2: they used 8v crank bearings in a 16v and they fell to bits causing the crank to move sidways.

 

No3:they painted the inside of the dipstick tube , the paint blocked the crank oil way and dertroyed the shell.

 

No4: they used std fitment shells on a reground crank . . . . you get the picture !

 

And this is just with in my circle of friends , i hate to think how many of these "cowboy" builds other people have had problems with.

 

4 for crying out loud ! :x :x

 

They are completly incapable of building an engine correctly if there lives depended on it !

 

When approached about the problems they just make up poo excuses and try and fob you off , quite possibly the most unhelpful , useless tuning company in the land !

 

And breath . . . . . . do yourselves a favour

 

Do not use TSR !

:x :x

[Trig 0]

Interesting. :?

 

Was thinking about trying them out at one point myself, don't think i'll bother now. RK in St Agnes are very good in my expereince, really nice guys as well. :)

[Blue_Joe 0]

They also use Diesel lumps for their 2 Ltr conversions.

 

Use Race Power Motorsport. Jim is far better - actually probably one of the best there is. And when the guy there doing the head broke a bearing cap, replaced it with a machined out one, but still the camshaft siezed. Rang him up and explained, no excuses were given they instead accepted full responsability and sorted it all!!!! Ok they are a bit slow but I can live (just) with that!!!!

[Talc 0]

Sounds pretty bad...

 

Are they going to be doing anything to resolve the issue?

[W3RKD 0]

Are you sure they actually painted the sump and inside the dipstick tube ? Surley these parts would of been new items and not needed to be painted by themselves ? Why the hell would anyone paint the inside of the dipstick tube. :roll:

[andy 0]

I was wondering that. I have never heard of anyone painting the inside of a dipstick tube. Why would anyone. How would you. Is this a wind up?

[Furkz 0]

Are you sure they actually painted the sump and inside the dipstick tube ? Surley these parts would of been new items and not needed to be painted by themselves ? Why the hell would anyone paint the inside of the dipstick tube. :roll:

 

surely their doing dodgy refurbs on bits rather then replacing with new.... not everyone is honest and correct like you

[slimjimvw 0]

Sounds pretty bad...

 

Are they going to be doing anything to resolve the issue?

 

Nope , i got the engine from a friend about a year or so ago , even though its brand new and should be under warrenty (12,000miles) and they just fobbed me off ! :cry:

 

As for the painted dipstick , i thought the same , but when i checked the oil on a couple of occasions the dipstick was covered in flakes of paint and they can drop straight down to the sump - not good for crank oil ways ! :cry:

[steve_16v 0]

Hmm, that's yet another unhappy TSR customer then! I was thinking about using them myself since they're pretty close, but looked into it and have heard nothing but bad things about them since Tim Stiles sold it.

[h100vw 0]

Aren't they ISO 9001 and BS5750 still? Maybe you can involve the authorities. Trading standards etc.

 

As for painting the inside of a dipstick tube or sump, that doesn't sound right. Maybe the finish from manufacture was bad/incorrect, if so then they should be sorting it out.

 

I worked there for a week on a work placement when I left the RAF in 1996. I didn't see anyone painting anything except the blocks in that nasty, but distinctive blue! (Where's the puking smiley when you need it??)

 

In fact at the time they seemed nearly as keen as the RAF. Admittedly Tim was still the gaffer back then.

 

They only warrant the engines for 12 months/12000 miles if they fit them themselves. Even still if you can prove bad workmanship or substandard parts were used then the 'law' should be on your side.

 

Gavin

[Jim 2]

I can only go on my own personal experience with TSR. My G60 had most of the expensive work done with them (when brookescourt owned it) - I looked through the reciepts file when I got the car and he had a considerable amount of work done there including suspension, the Golf G60 intercooler, g-lader refurbish (though that was outsourced to Jabba) and a number of other things.

 

My car was bomb proof and ran very well and I certainly never experienced problems relating to the work they did - and in fact Vince said, when I rollered the car at Stealth, that it was a great advert for TSR.

 

Just my humble opinion :)

[24V Renshaw 0]

All these things make me want to start my own tuning business and do this stuff properly for people...

 

Jay

[Jim 2]

But then as PhatVR6 was trying to say, it becomes a job and not a hobby!

 

But i've often felt that a few of the more knowledgeable folk on here could get together and make a great company doing stuff like that.. you'd certainly get my business.

[24V Renshaw 0]

Or you could look at it as doing your hobby as a job....

Well I am doing a few bits and pieces at the mo so will see how that goes......then maybe...

 

Jay

[Trig 0]

Yeh do it! But make sure you're based in Cornwall! ;)

[24V Renshaw 0]

Would be a bit of a commute everyday from manchester :)

[DaveVR6 0]

No, definitly stay up north, theres not enough vw tuning specialist round this way (and its better! )

[H8RRA 0]

Aren't they ISO 9001 and BS5750 still? Maybe you can involve the authorities. Trading standards etc.

 

Gavin

 

this only shows that they have an approved procedure and does not ensure good workmanship and would not provide a legal basis on which to take action

 

ps - what did you do in the air force? i was a sootie for 9 years :wink: and built engines to the highest of standards, as you say 8)

[corradophil 3]

Or you could look at it as doing your hobby as a job....

Well I am doing a few bits and pieces at the mo so will see how that goes......then maybe...

 

Jay

 

Give it a go, you certainly seem to have the ability and enthusiasm to be a real success. But after a year or two I suspect it could become just a job, no longer a hobby. You can always find new hobbies though...

 

I have always loved cars and from a young age, way before I could legaly drive have enjoyed working on them. I did engineering at college and got bored of that, I then got a job working at a small family run bodyshop, we did some very interesting cars; Complete restoration of a Caddilac, Camaro, lots of old English stuff, Bedford CF van with a small block Chevy, show prepped RS Turbo which was a cover car in Fast Ford, a couple of drag cars and lots of other interesting projects. After three and a half years of that I hated working on cars, I had no interest in doing it as work or a hobby. I left and went back into engineering doing CAD and then estimating which I do now.

 

It took about 3 or 4 years to regain my interest in working on my own car again, so all I would say is be prepared for your interest levels to change and maybe have a backup plan in mind.

[olly elworthy 0]

only way to get paint in the tube would of been if they did not mask it off when they painted the block ?

[mgbv8mike 0]

I've got nothing but praise for TSR....they did an excellent job on my VR6 engine.....I had the full works done, and it runs like a dream, and they were most insistant that I contacted them if anything at all went wrong, or if I was unhappy with anything.

 

I'm too am not sure about the RAF blue paint job on the engine, but I suppose it identifies it as one of theirs.

 

I would be quite happy to recommend them to anyone.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Every business gets the occasional fly in the ointment but this is about the umpteenth story I've read about shoddy workmanship from TSR!

 

There is absolutely no excuse for cr@p work when you're charging £40+ per hour (and the VAT!), but it seems quite common place in the UK, as a whole, at the moment, not just the tuning industry. There's just no faith or trust in getting a good job done any more.

 

There's no way I'd do car stuff as a job. The tuning industry can be quite fickle and as well as the enjoyable aspects of it, you also have negatives to deal with.... customer complaints and rectifications, cost of premises, Inland Feckin Revenue, Customs and Bast@rd Excise, accountants, materials, advertising etc etc......but the worst thing.....if you've got very high standards, working to a lower standard and budget than you're used to would be hard for me, despite it being a customers car....otherwise customers end up getting a 4 figure bill.

[corradophil 3]

but the worst thing.....if you've got very high standards, working to a lower standard and budget than you're used to would be hard for me, despite it being a customers car....otherwise customers end up getting a 4 figure bill.

 

Yes a very fine line between working to your own personal standards and making a profitable company charging what people "think" is fair.

 

Also running a business in this sort of trade appears to demand working 12 hours a day 6 days a week.

 

So maybe TSR are not making huge piles of cash for a rubbish job, maybe they are struggling like the rest of us, which becomes appartent in some jobs and not others. My only experience of them is a phonecall for advise years ago, so I cannot comment on them from personal experience.

 

I think I'd be going to Stealth or G werks if I didn't do all the work myself.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

charging what people "think" is fair.

 

Yep. Trouble is, few people appreciate what labour actually means these days.

 

I've spent 10 hours on my water injection install so far and it's not done yet. Can you imagine billing a customer, say, 15 hours at £40 p/h to install something that would take, maybe 4 hours if you just lashed it in any old how? They'd be moaning about it on a forum.

 

Audioscape get that problem all the time. Guys turn up with a boot full of ICE they got cheap off the net and a design brief. A week of 10 hours a day later, they wonder why the bill is 4 figures :roll: So they have to swallow a lot of their outlay and time unfortunately.

 

I personally think labour should be classified when you get a job done, i.e. -

 

Do it any old how, quick as you can - £15 p/h

Don't go too mad - £25 p/h

A quality job - £40 p/h

Military - £60 p/h

 

If you can get varying quality tangible goods, why not labour?

 

People wouldn't begrudge bodges so much if they were on the cheap skate labour rate, but would be livid if errors were made on the Military rate.

[VAG-hag 0]

No, definitly stay up north, theres not enough vw tuning specialist round this way (and its better! )

 

indeeed!!

 

:twisted: