Haltech PS500 on 4G93 and PS1000 on EVo 8

Hi ,

Just a small update. Recently just tune a 4G93 that had PS500 . Wiring done by owner and i just help the owner do those setting. And just done 90% tuning . Below is the result. The best part is this car was featured with 4 throttles from toyota. :)





And also an evo 8 with borg warner S366 turbo unit . Boosted 30 psi or 2 bar plus. Installed haltech PS 1000 and tuned done by myself. Last dyno 680 hp at ST wangan .

Can I Bring In My Own Auto Parts?

This question will save you quite a bit of money. You will find out that if you can find an automotive repair shop that will let you bring in your own auto parts you struck it rich!

Your next step is to see if they do good work. Now that I am out of the repair world I always ask this question before I have my car serviced. The reason is, parts mark up these days can be almost against the law if you only knew how much you were being charged for your parts. There are only a few shops out there that will accommodate you. I can remember every shop had their own formula they used when it came to marking up customer parts. In some cases, parts were marked up 150% from what you can actually buy it from your self at any auto parts store.

Now don't get me wrong here the repair shops do get a discount before they mark up your prices but its usually only a few dollars. I could remember a customer asking me who regulates these practices and I honestly could not give him an answer. I then asked the owner this question and he instructed me to tell people that it was none of their business! Everything was marked up such as parts store items, special dealership ordered items, and even some times junk yard parts.


Okay now the down side to bringing in your own auto parts. Yea that is right there’s always a downside to everything right? First of all, if you bring in the wrong part that will upset the shop and their mechanics. I don't know if you want to do that since they have your car in their possession. I can remember at one shop I was instructed to tell the customer that if this happens they will be charged twice for pulling the part again and again each time a wrong part was brought in. That can really add up. So make sure you have the right auto part the first time! Next, remember that the auto part that you bring in will not be warranteed through the repair shop. So keep your receipt just in case the part fails and it has to be replaced again which means being charged labor again to remove and replace  your auto part. I know it sounds like it just keeps getting worse and worse right?

On the other hand if the auto part you brought in does its job then you came out ahead! I know a lot of people including me don't have the time to keep running around making sure the mechanic has the right part. So please weigh the pros and the cons before you try to bring in your own auto part. But when this strategy works out which most of the time it does, like I said before the savings will be unbelievable!


Be sure to check my other online articles at Associated Content

Good Luck and Happy Driving!

More On "Your Check Engine Light" - What Do I Do?

What do you do when you are driving down the busy high way and all of a sudden this check engine light pops on unexpectedly? Well, first of all don't panic. It could be a very simple solution to fix or, it can also be something very drastic. Let me explain what I mean here. Your power control module, (PCM) is the main computer which controls how your car operates as far as power, performance, and gas consumption. The PCM monitors and regulates various sensors through out your car's engine. When ever your vehicle's check engine light comes on, your computer has picked up a problem with your engine control system. It is then designed to alert the driver there is a problem.

At this point you need to determine if the car is drivable and will get you to a service station or possibly home. You would want to drive the car a few miles and see if you notice or smell any type of dangerous gas smells or fuel vapors. If this is the point then call a tow truck immediately and stop driving! You do not want to drive that vehicle any further and put your life at risk. On the other hand if you think the car is drivable then, watch your other gauges such as the temperature, battery, and oil pressure to make sure you see no irregularities. In my experience if I don't smell gas or see excessive smoke coming from the engine or tail pipe then I would suggest driving it. Keep in mind a small glitch such as an oxygen sensor that is getting old and is not regulating the proper exhaust readings as fast as it should could cause this light to come on. That would be considered a simple solution fix and could be possibly driven a long time with out any kind of service or repairs. Most mechanics would call this an intermittent problem.


If the car is drivable and you are in a hurry you would want consider pulling into your nearest auto parts store. You might be wondering why I suggest you doing this. Well let me explain. Most major auto supply chains stores offer a free diagnostic check which includes hooking up their scan tool under your dash and pulling a code from your PCM to find out just why your check engine light came on. I have noticed the parts store guys look forward to using their scanner and performing this check for you very quickly. I think they just want to get out of their daily routines and actually help people in need. It is a great feeling for them! So do not feel you are asking to much from them. Besides they are also thinking they can maybe make a quick sale and impress the boss. Of course there are down sides to their free service too. They are not properly trained to diagnose and fix a real problem. They can only speculate and make a guess to you as to what is causing your problem. Briefly, let me explain what I mean. For instance if they pull a throttle position sensor code they might suggest to you that you need to purchase one from them and install it your self. In reality a proper sequence needs to be followed to accurately diagnose what kind of problem the throttle position sensor is having. It would involve at least an hour of diagnostic time using special equipment and tools to verify the TPS is the actual problem.


I hope this content will educate you, the consumer a little bit more on what it means when that pesky check engine light comes on unexpectedly. My over all suggestion would be to take it to a reputable repair shop who is known for good honest work. Make sure the mechanic working on your car is ASE Certified in preferably Engine Performance.

Careers Automotive Mechanics

When I was younger I used to watch my Uncle Dave work on his and other people's cars. We never had hot rods or anything expensive to work on. It was always just ordinary every days cars. He never charged anybody a cent, just a hot cup of coffee would suffice.

I guess that is why I love to help people with car problems. After completing my training for 3 years as a automotive tech. I was sent off into the world with my credentials! I think I only had $500 worth of tools to get started. But boy was i wrong thinking that was more than enough. My first job offer was in Reno Nevada. A far cry from the state of Kansas. From there I learned I needed more hands on experience and a whole heck of a lot of more tools. We had a very aggressive shop manager! Mechanics are generally quite humble people with no ambition to deal with the public. But in order to get ahead they need to be more out going and an ability to speak to the public. But me, I was open for anything. Jim the manager saw that in me and put me on the front line right from the get go. I moved up from a trainee to Service Manager. I liked dealing and talking to different types of people.



It was great for awhile. The other guys in the shop was kinda upset that Jim promoted me within a couple weeks after arriving in Reno. Jim was a great Manager. I actually looked up to him and i think I wanted to be like him. He had me over for dinner a few times to meet his wife and family. Things were going great!



After time things seemed to change for me. Jim wanted me to be the best service writer out of all of the other Franchise shops on the west coast. He wanted me to push the mechanics harder and faster and to get more aggressive with my selling practices. Which included fibbing a lot to them. I wasn't just quite ready to trade my tie in for a pair of working clothes. I had at times over 12 cars in the parking lot with their hoods waiting for me to do my preliminary inspections before we pull them into the shop. This was exciting for me coming from a small Kansas town.



From that experience I came back home and continued my career working on cars. I thought from being employed at specialty shops i could learn more about a particular types of services such as, brakes, tuneups and quick oil change places as mentioned in my previous contents.



I wanna give you now some advice if you want to pursue a career in the automotive repair Industry. If that is what you wanna do then go for it and stay dedicated as I have for over 20 years. There are a lot of ups and down depending on the economy. When your first starting out, and there is no business for the day expect to be sent home early so they can save on their payrolls. Plan on acquiring at least $20,000 in your personal tools. Become ASE certified as soon as possible for more pay. Attend night classes to stay updated on the new cars coming out every year. Love what your doing and plan on being a real people person dealing with customers. If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would! Best wishes on your career move!

Women Gouged For Car Repairs

It seems to me women are not taken very serious when it comes to car repairs. I am sorry to say that, since I come from a family of five brothers, four sisters, and a very strong minded mother who always taught us to
respect the opposite sex. I understand that lot of single mothers are concentrating on other things such as raising their children and having a dependable car to get them where they are going. So please pass my articles along to them and hopefully they might feel a little bit of stress relief when it comes to having their cars repaired.
As a single father my self, I can now see how much time and effort they put into raising their children and a must have dependable vehicle to get around! With this is in mind, I hope I have their support since I know a lot of mechanics and repair shops might give me a bad review exposing this content. It is not like we took an oath to be hush hush on how to treat women customers in the shop! I know I never took one! But sad to say, they are treated a lot different then the Male customers. They may deny it but it's like a secret shop taboo where it's never to be repeated and talked about. But here I go.
Women customers have always been easy targets for the repair shop guys! The reason I say that is, their knowledge of car repairs are the last thing on their minds. They have more important things to worry about. When a woman pulls up in the service bay she is already identified as a woman customer. Having children in the car tells the guys she is concerned for her and her children's safety in that car. They may view this sight and use it against them scaring them into a sale. They visually inspect how she presents herself by the type of car she drives, and the clothes she wears. They find out if she is married or alone so the shop won't hear any slack from her husband about selling her more services. They will see how knowledgeable she is on preventive maintenance services and they will reassure her they will take very good care of her by giving her confidence she is doing the right thing bringing her car in to them. Once she has passed all their tests of being an easy victim, they will ask her how long they can keep her car. This is a signal to them how long and how big they can write her repair order for. If she passes, They won and big commissions are on the way! The bragging in the shop begins on how easy that was and when will I get my commission on my pay check!
Here are a few tips for women drivers! Tell the shop you have a friend that will make sure the car is now up to working order after their repairs are made and completed. They will think twice about over selling and over charging you. Tell them how much money you budgeted to have to spend just to fix the car. Ask them if they will have a certified tech. performing the repairs and what his name will be if you have any questions. Even though you don't know what you are looking at, ask them to show you the parts that are going to be replaced. So you will be able to see the before and after parts. Ask if it's possible if they can clean and wrap up the old part so you can take it with you
If you have a car that is not running right, then just ask what it will take to fix the problem. Keeping these few tips in mind could save you a lot of money and avoid being ripped off in the future. Keep in mind, not all shops act accordingly, but some do!

Haltech platinum sport 1000 installed !!

Hi all ,

Sorry for no post quite some time. I am being busy with haltech platinum sport 1000 installation on an evo 8. Some much of problems arise during installation. Took me so many days to resolve the problem. All main wiring fixed , cranking engine won't start. Oh god ... What i am missing ... Got base map , but still can not start ... I have nearly 5 batteries dead and recharge .. Until today i manage to start the engine .... very happy when hearing engine vrooommmmmm .... Finally the engine back to live , and going to fix other wiring tomorrow .. Shall update some photos of the installation process ...