Well over the past few days I have been experiencing random boost issues (6.8lb, 6.1lb, 5.2lb). I took my car to Grubbs Infiniti for inspection (they preformed the SC install). They determined that my main serpentine belt needed to be replaced due to excessive wear. Please note this was after 3500 miles. After the replacement of the belt things seemed fine for a few days and then upon startup my belts would squeak for about 5 seconds and then would stop. This concerned me so I returned the car to the dealership for inspection again. This time they determined that the SC unit and possibly the Jackshaft were having issues. After removal they also discovered that the jackshaft was turning blue in color on the shaft itself. Grubbs called Vortech and they requested that they send the SC and the jackshaft back for inspection. Then here is the real *** kicker they said they must have the front mount plate for the SC as well. They said they want to check it for being true and straight / aligned. I am not sure if Vortech realizes the costs associated with this but it’s about $1,000.00 in labor to perform this complete procedure. It’s basically a removal/reinstall of the unit. I was in shock to say the least. So now I am left with my car in pieces and a large labor charge. I am hoping that Vortech will either pickup part of the cost associated with the de/re install or at the very least give me a completely new unit.

In closing I want to say Grubbs has been nothing but helpful in this issue. How Vortech handles this is yet to be seen.

Your comments are welcome.

 

Good luck with that. I doubt Vortech is going to reimburse you, but who knows they could.

 

Good luck--hope everything gets worked out.

 

If Grubbs is charging you a $1000 to unbolt the supercharger then thats a RIP OFF. I can unbolt and remove the Supercharger and plate in 30 minutes. MAX you should have to pay is $150 or so in labor. Are they giving you a loaner?

Heck if Grubbs is doing it for $1000, Ill do it for $500

 

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The 1000 is for the following.
1. Removal - SC / Jackshaft / Main plate + piping
2. Shipping
Then - Complete re-install + new belt

 

that is ridiculous.... There is MAYBE 2 hours labor there, and $100 so in shipping. $1000 is robbery...

 

yes $1,000...is over kill...I talk to John at Grubbs today, about timing maps . He seems to be a very nice and helpful guy . At a $1000 buck , thats over 10 hours of labor ...wow

 

Yeah, I'm not very mechanically inclined and it only took me about an hour and a half to remove those items. Admittedly, you're paying something for Grubbs' investigation but $1000 does seem pretty steep.

--Steve

 

Yeah, this price seems really high. I doubt that the mounting plate could be bowed enough to cause any problems but, I am no engineer. Where on the jack shaft was it turning blue?

 

I had to have my plate replaced 1 1/2 months ago. I was charged a total of 3hr's to take the plate, supercharger, and belt off and then reinstalled. It was $195.00 labor. I payed around $1000.00 to install the kit with over 20 dyno pulls when I first got the kit. Good Luck.

 

Why did you have to have the plate removed?

 

The barring housing was bad. It sounded like there were rocks in the housing. Thats the front pully that has a shaft and go's to the cog belt on the blower side.

 

My local dealer charged roughly 700 to remove the ENTIRE s/c kit, reconnected all hose fittings and wiring, that includes removing the bumper to remove the i/c and everything. A loaner car can make up the difference sometimes if you need a car/G35 to drive.

 

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I am paying a reduced 90.00/h shop rate. What have you guys been paying?

 

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Yes - on the shaft itself.

 

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Thats what they quoted me 10 hours - 5 for removal and 5 for install.

And yes - John is a very nice guy and helps me with lots of stuff.

 

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They did provide me a free loaner car.

 

Find a local performance shop you can trust to do minor things w/o charging an arm and a leg. Seriously, the shop I use would have charged a grand total of 3 hours at $65/hour.

--Steve

 

A little update for your guys. I spoke to Vortech today and they agreed to rebuild my SC for free. They also said the SC did not have any visible damage fins etc. They also agreed to replace my jackshaft. I will have to say they handled this situation correctly in my mind. After the return I will update this thread with boost numbers.

 

I uninstalled my blower and main bracket in about 35 minutes, let the car sit for a few days and sent all the pulleys and shafts back to ATI Procharger and they sent me an entire new main bracket and pulleys and belts for FREE..That is customer service pal...I am curious to see how Vortech handles it..