James, I'll install the suspension for you if you'd like.

 

I am happy ATI wrote a reply on this thread. I would be happier if they told us they were working with the ATI certified installer and that they would make sure that the customer was taken care of. Lets face it, when an engine blows up at 300 miles, it is either the installer or the ATI product. Either way, both are related to ATI. I would be 100 percent a believer in the ATI product if I knew they got on a plane and were there at the installers place figuring out how to fix his car. That is customer service and that is how you win and keep customers.

I was 99% sure I was going to get an ATI SC. Now, I am less than 50% sure. Now I will watch others blow up their cars and see how ATI services those issues. How they back their design/product will determine if i buy it or not. I bet many others feel the same with their new cars. ATI, now is time to show us what type of company you are....

Research and development is not properly done by watching customers cars blow up and then watch them fix it on their own time and with their own money. Two cars have blown up with ATI SC units on them (on this site alone and I am sure we are more into modding than the norm so we are their customer base). I am not sure if it is installer or product issues. I do know that if I select a certified installer of ATI, it should not matter because it should be fixed without the customer having to engineeer the problem.

Sorry if I sound harsh but I am ready to spend $5000 + on a SC and I want assurances I will not ruin my $35,000 car by doing it.

 

I agree with what your saying 100%. I'll tell you what, I'm still waiting for yesterday's phone call today! All I know is they better call me today, and it better be soon and not 7pm again.

James: Those Tein Coilovers did look sweet at the shop

-Bill

 

ravaz:

I admire your patience in this situation



Ditto...

 

I would not put a ati sc on my car if it were free.I am sickened by all the BS & lack of customer service.Blown motors, squealing belts,blowing oil,noises,& a 5at ,that won't shift.It seems you could drop Nissan's V8 into the Z & have fewer problems.I am for mods & increasing HP/TQ.But, I like driving my Z to much to take chances of a motor melt down.How much R&D went into this probcharger?I hope all problems with this situation get worked out.I am sorry for your loss.Regards,TK

 

If the problem was a defect in the engine. Say a bad piston from Nissan that only would present it self under FI conditions. Can the installer identify this by looking at the piston or rings? I am not sure what the exact problem was with the car, as ravaz is not also to date per this tread, but if there are some bad components in the engine can you figure that out from an installers stand point, or would it take a Nissan dealer to figure this out? I know that when you aftermarket mod your car you take some risks. But, if Nissan had some faulty rings or pistons that would fail under FI how could we (Z owners) prove this? And should these components on ravaz’s car be sent to Nissan for inspection? Just a thought.

 

Don't you think you are going a little overboard here?

I mean, ATI has sold scores of these kits to 350Z owners who have had NO PROBLEMS whatsoever and who are very happy with their kits. We have heard of TWO blower owners who have had problems. One was apparently due to installer error and the second (ravaz) still doesn't know for sure what happened to his. It doesn't seem to be a problem with the KIT itself though.

The ATI kit has undergone EXTENSIVE R&D. They have test cars with over 10K miles on them with the ATI Procharger installed. And these are running WAY more boost than they even sell to regular Z owners.

My ATI customer service experience has been superlative! They have answered my EVERY question via e-mail or telephone within 12 hours EVERY TIME. Their tech guys have been very helpful and cooperative. I have had no problems with them at all.

 

Hey Dr. Bonz,

How many miles do you have on your kit? And what's the fastest you have taken it?

 

I have about 900 miles on mine. I did 130 on an open 3 lane highway (no other cars in sight) in a neighboring state (Ohio) in case I got busted so no points on my PA license

 

I think the premise "there is no such thing as a free lunch" applies here. If it were that easy to install a supercharger for less than $5000 and produce a reliable car with 400+ horsepower at the crank, Nissan would have done it. Think about the marketing. You could have an enthusiast Z with optional $5000 supercharger for 33K that runs head to head with a 911 turbo? The actual cost of the procharger is probably alot less if you take away the middle man.

Sooner or later, all engines fail. FI obviously will speed up the process, some faster than others.

Ravaz, best of luck to you. I hope you get everything settled to your best interests.

 

Yes, Nissan could do it. The production cost for a large company like Nissan to make a SC would be much less than $5000. The fact is Nissan is not trying to make the optimal performing sports car, it is trying to make a well perfoming sports car compared to the competition at a much cheaper price using a majority of parts used in their line up.

The VQ motor is found in many of Nissans cars/SUV's thus good performance with low production cost. The FM chassis works for a number of Nissan products, again good performance but not world class thus low production cost.

We did not buy a $400,000 exotic, we got a car that provides above average performance and looks for a below the competition price. Nissan is being careful to make the Z successful yet profitable. They must feel the market for a TT or SC must not be significant enough for Nissan to make one and make money. I wish they did because i am sure it would be more reliable and better resale value than us having to mod our Z's.

It will be interesting to see if the skyline will sell well in America. Maybe after the acceptance of products such as Lexas, Americans are willing to pay more for a Japanese car. Have we changed our attitudes towards Japanse products now and if so, would a TT Z sell or would it bomb like the 300TT did due to high prices? Thus far, Nissan is betting it would not sell well thus no TT.

 

10k testing is nothing compared to a motor that should live 200k.I hope you have a long life with your ati/pc.I will continue to stay out of the boat .Regards,TK

 

Dr. Bonz,

You better check PA driving laws. I think a ticket in Ohio counts against you.

 

Correct, most states share information with neighboring states regarding traffic violations.

Now, what I am unsure of is when you get a ticket in a state like, uh, say, South Dakota, and your insurance is registered in a state like, errr, Virginia. (This happened to me last weekend) Hopefully my insurance company won't find out...

 

points on your DMV record wont show up but insurance will find out if you get a ticket in Japan!!!

 

I don't understand how people have ran nitrous and still don't understand it's n2o

 

Completely agree, I think 8.5:1 is way to low for this car as it's a daily driver street car. You would be totally safe w/ 9.5:1 and I gurantee the car will run better. I don't see you wanting to push anymore then 12 lbs of boost. At 9.5:1 the car will run perfect




- Just a hot rod guy checking in

 

it sounds like someone who hasn't experienced much in this industry. THere are always mistakes, things always go wrong, you will NEVER EVER find a fool proof kit out there. Things happen, motors blow. You learn from mistakes and build on them as they will in this experience.


Even if it does turn out to be ATI's fault, you can't knock them for it, they will make the problem right, which is extremely rare in this industry. They are a stand up shop and even they make mistakes. It's how they handle the situation that shows what a company they are. Look at how much sucess they've had w/ ever application they have available.

 

why even post this? Any form of modification is most likely going to take away from long term engine life. But how many people here will really keep this car to 200K let alone 100K

 

Well, I know if it is me, and I put FI on the car, I expect to be able to drive it around for at least 4 more years. We are talking a pretty big investment, and if I can only get a couple of years out of it, then there is no reason to do it for me. The guy who spends all that money on FI, then gets rid of the car a year later, isn't making a very good investment to me.

Guys with FI in the past on cars, how long have they lasted you without you having to give up on them??