It's OK.... Duncan and I know the score. :D

Frayz,
I will hold you to that one when I eventually move to race fuel and NOS. :D Then of course I still have the toe by the Veyron to come after that! :D

Have to agree there, mine's been on the road for approx 3-6 months ever year for 2.5 years approx just for further mods. Get one bit sorted, then something else needs to be uprated, having someone in the know would of saved me a load of time and effort but then guess I couldn't say the build was mine and all my doing alone. I'm almost there but then again something new always seems to spring up on such a powerful scooby. Get all the advice you can from experts, not just API (I'd not go there again but then that's just my one bad experience, got feeling they just thought my wallet was open cheque book which no longer is).

If I bought say a std sti car with circa 280bhp.... and then said I want 450-500 bhp it would be great if a tuning outfit existed where within the course of a few days you could drop your car off and collect it again a couple of weeks later for a semi-decent price without any issue and rag it..........

Fact is thats fantasy land in this country

There are not many decent garages that can do the work.... even if they can its......... ''no way mate, were booked up solid for weeks... we can do in 3-4 weeks''...... that then becomes 2 months........ (this is no-one particular). It depends on the work - some have immediate availability - others take month

Some gararges say.... we cant fit you in for 6 months..... then it becomes at least a year

Then theres the...... we couldnt get that bit - you need to come back for that one, or.... that needs mapping and you need to let the engine settle in for a couple of thousand miles and dont take the revs over 4000rpm in the first 1k - for me thats over 6 months driving in a Scoob!

Or nah....... mate you need these brakes, that exhaust, this suspension

I'm obviously exagerrating a little on the above........ but I've had my car for 9 years and the amount of time its been off the road is a nonsense

I recall when I needed some new AP Discs and it took AP nearly 2 months to get me new ones (the original quote was about 3-4 weeks).... I mean 2 fcuking months to get discs!

Its funny.. you change the suspension and then you have to let it settle down, get it sorted out for geometry and then probably have another look at the ride heights, then book it in for Geometry again...... I'm kind of exagerating but I lose count of the amount of mods I've done, the mapping sessions, the rebuilds for ****ty Head Gaskets and companies that dont fit ARP Rod bolts as Std.... not that this helped on 1 occasion

Fortunately I have fairly deep pockets..... but I dont have time on my side.......

If someone is earning #20k its not a good place to start...... Over 100k a year is a better place to start for bottomless money pits like Subaru's ;-)

Maybe I havent followed everyones advice over the years - Turbo choice is certainly critical as is Fuel additives...........

I sound bitter ;-)

Not all tuners are the same.

Would you want to take your car to a tuner that wasn't busy ? It is not a great advert for them if they can fit you in the next day for that kind of build.

In my experience of tuners, the good ones will advise you against spending money more often that advising you to spend more. Area 52 are like this with me, as are Zen Performance and Mocom Racing. It is refreshing and very welcome.

pmsl, my car is usually off the road for months at a time when my mods get changed. I run a tad over standard but if I had the choice of spending my cash on lots of power or spend the money on holidays? I think I would spend it on holidays now :D

Fangoria is bitter but can totally understand that, I've had similar and about 3 times now I went to major tuning "specialists" and been taken for a ride...wont name names, no point as will only get slanging match, but just want to say you'll end up with "we'll do it cheapest", then later "got problems here, there", then "final bill is..." x3 of original price and not all work complete plus what work done is questionable/sometimes its been dangerous to engine (not funny when spent 9k on building one).
Get a garage you know well and wont take you for a ride soon as they see scooby with potential for big power, most rub their hands together as you walk in.
Mappers, quality ones that wont take you for green stuff, are hard to find, I'm still waiting for mine as need final remap on blow through setup...prob another month yet as he's on world travels with mapping requests!
Dont be surprised if it becomes a never ending spending pit as it usually does, couple of times from specialist visits I've thought of selling the bloody car as I was sick of the work/costs and p*ss take at times.

I have been also messed about by specialist garages which in turn has cost me a fortune to put right. I now take my car to an accountant to do the mods and I trust him more than anyone :D

Dynamix
Well of course wouldnt be great if a good Tuners wasnt busy...... the issue I guess is that there are very few that I'd trust......I could name them on a few fingers and that doesnt look good for the sake of the Tuning community.....(best tuners I've known are not even based here but over in the States!) - its also saddening when you hear the dodgy **** going on around a Tuning company going bankrupt big style

I guess though having been to over 400bhp in an Escort Cosworth then saying I'd never do it again then a couple of months after buying an sti5 I'm starting again :-)............

The key thing to conclude is that I think some people (the ones that have not ventured down the tuning route, I mean over 350bhp.... as thats only lightly modded) dont realise the fact that the hassle, cost, time factor can be quite a drain

Thats why I'm looking at the Nissan GTR.... especially as the deposits I'm sure will start to trade at very low values given people simply wont be able to get the finance/HP now.....

Its funny - I used to think I'll start off with a much cheaper car and mildly mod to say 400bhp..... the reality is that I've spent twice the price of a GTR over the years and my car probably would struggle to beat this car on track (or so the magazines would have you believe)

At least having been down the Scoob route I know what to do and not do generally..... I certainly wouldnt try and get over 450bhp with a 2 Litre when there were much cheaper higher capacity options out there with far improved driveability..........

I can trust my mechanic for basic stuff (he's my cousin) but unfortunately is in India the last year.........