# Minnesota shop (Imola) testimonial



## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

All, 

I apologize in advance if I'm posting in the wrong place. I searched the FAQ and forums directory for any particular forum for postings for dealer/service/parts testimonials. 

That said, I have a 2001 Audi TT 180hp and wanted to install an APR Stage 3+ kit, rebuild the engine properly, rebuild the transmission and convert to a six speed with LSD, and upgrade the clutch & flywheel. The car already had an ECS Tuning BBK, Bilstein shocks, the Defcon 4 kit, the performance Haldex controller, Neuspeed rear AWB, among other things. 

I took the car to Imola Motorsports in Golden Valley, MN (near the Twin Cities) 

Imola had my car for 380 days (one year, two weeks, and one day). 

During that time, the following [non-exhaustive list of] mishaps occured: 



They plugged a 12VDC power cable into my amplifier (apparently mistaking it for a subwoofer cable). The amp was immediately blown.* They paid for a used replacement, but I --not they-- had to find that replacement, and will now have to do the installation.
 


They left the transmission drain plug finger loose --not once, but twice (even after being advised it was loose)-- which required the transmission to be rebuilt a second time (at their expense of over $4K, and which added five months to the project)
 


They kept the N75 valve that came with the APR kit and re-installed my old one, until I asked for an explanation
 


They removed and then lost the headlight front-leveling sensor and bracketry (which they replaced at my request)
 


They forgot to reinstall the subframe cross-brace (replaced after I pointed it out)
 


They forgot to reinstall the flywheel timing inspection cover/seal
 


They forgot to hook up the PCV breather hose, so the engine was sucking in unfiltered air (bypassing the air filter), which I discovered and fixed
 


They delivered the car with a subframe bolt loose
 


They delivered the car with a recurring fault code (No. 17608 - Boost Pressure Control Valve (N249): Mechanical Malfunction), but claimed it was throwing no codes [*6/30/2012 edit:* turns out that Imola actually introduced this error. Although they charged me additional hours of labor to photograph and document the customizations under my hood (a pretty lame pretext to charge more), they decided to relocate the t-fitting for my turbo gauge. The relocated it to in between the N249 and the vacuum reservoir. Because the T-fitting has openings of only 1.5 or 2mm (required for the gauge), the vacuum reservoir wasn't getting enough vacuum fast enough.
 


They were stymied for an entire week, trying to figure out how to getting the timing of the cams set to zero, even after I advised them to take pictures and scribe marks or to do whatever necessary to make sure everything went back in the way it came out. They ultimately addressed this by removing my Autotech adjustable cam gear off the zero setting, but they cannot explain why this is now necessary to avoid a cam/crank correlation code, when it wasn't necessary during the 250 miles the car was driven (before the transmission debacle was discovered). Initially, they blamed the technician in California who applied the WPC treatment to the cams, accusing him of pulling and repressing the cam chain gear incorrectly. I confirmed, after I obtaining photos from Autotech of a cam sitting on their shelf, the gears had not been pulled on either cam.
 


They lost (and had to replace) my spare MAP sensor. The replacement MAP they supplied is not correct part
 


Although I had provided a charger and extension cord, and asked them to keep the battery charged, the battery (an Optima that had only a few years use) became depleted while in their care, and I (not they) had to buy a new one.
 


They somehow lost (and had to replace) a new battery.
 


Although they charged me a few extra hours of labor to photograph and document some non-standard customizations on the car, several of the car's parts (like the oil catch can and plastic fasteners for the belly pan and engine covers) were either returned to me in a box of miscellaneous parts, or were simply lost* -- now I will have to remember and figure out where they all go
 


Because the APR kit no longer includes a downpipe for quattro TTs, they referred me to Beeline Automotive in Wyoming, Minnesota, to have a downpipe fabricated.* I had the car towed there, only to learn that the owner has never worked on turbos before and has no experience with downpipes whatever. I had to tow (at my expense) it to yet a third shop.
 


They sold me an APR front-mount intercooler.* It doesn't fit the Audi TT without having to remove the washer nozzles (they claimed).* I, not they, had to figure out how to make it work.* I had to pay another shop $650 to fabricate intercooler piping and modify the front aluminum bumper support to get it to fit.* (My option, if I didn't like this outcome, was to return the APR intercooler and --I guess-- make do with the factory SMIC).
 


The first time I took the car home (before the transmission leak was discovered), I stopped at Tires Plus for an alignment check (I have a lifetime alignment contract there, so it doesn't cost any extra).* They found that one front tire had 27 Lbs, and the other had 40.* And, although Imola was supposed to have realigned the car (after removing the subframe), TiresPlus found that the toe was off significantly
 


An employee of the shop admitted (in writing) what I had long suspected, which was that because my car became a warranty project, it was at the bottom of the priority list.* Because techs are paid by the job (some kind of hourly/commission rate), whenever a new-money project came in the door, my car would wait (sometimes days at a time).
 


Now, only after removing and reinstalling the cams, there is an oil leak coming from the VVT, which they had to remove in order to do the cam job.* The VVT is a brand-new OEM part that was part of the cylinder head rebuild done at HeadWerks (awesome shop, by the way).* Although it didn't leak during the 250 miles put on the car until the transmission leak was discovered, they now claim that it is simply a defective part (my responsibility), and that their work on the camshafts is purely coincidental.
 


When I proposed the idea of taking the car to a different shop for a second opinion regarding the VVT leak, they tried to get me to sign a document stating that they want nothing further to do with me, in exchange for release of the car and in exchange for the previously-agreed-to compensation of $75 per week for loss of the use of the car while the transmission was being rebuilt a second time, and for compensation for the blown amplifier.* This, in effect, is an anticipatory repudiation of their stated 12 mos./12K mile parts & labor warranty (which is built in to their shop labor rate and list price on parts).
 


For six out of the last twelve months, they left one of the windows down on the car.* The amount of shop dust and grime that accumulated was absurd. The whole interior had to be detailed
 


After leaving it there for a year, the car had three (3) new dings on it that weren't there before.* Imola agreed to repair two of them.
 


the car now makes worrisome noise from the front end when going over bumps that it didn't used to make when I delivered the car in June, 2011.* Another loose subframe bolt?* I don't know -- I asked them to check it out. They didn't.* Now, it's my problem to figure out what they did.
 


Regarding the transmission, they didn't know that the shop that made the downpipe and discovered the transmission leak drained the fluid and measured it: 12 ounces of black fluid.* Imola told me, however, that it was closer to two quarts.* This was a misrepresentation -- when confronted with the truth, they admitted that their answer was based on adding the fluid that came out of the transmission with that which came out of the transfer case (a separate resevoir).
 


7/12/2012 update: Brought the car in last Saturday to Tires Plus for a tire rotation. By then, I had the car for about a week, I guess. When the tech tried to start the car, it was pouring gasoline out on the pavement. Turns out a quick-connect fuel fitting by the passenger-side rear tire wasn't properly inserted all the way in. I guess I was lucky it happened in their parking lot, rather than at work or while driving down the highway.
 


While working on the car, I've so far found approximately ten (10) missing fasteners for the belly pan, driver's side front wheel liner. Haven't even gotten to the other fender liners or examined the engine/transmission, yet
 


7/30/2012 update:The folks at Nür Technik discovered that Imola forgot one of the engine-to-transmission bolts
 


Several vacuum lines (the 3mm variety) were clamped on not with the VAG one-time clamps (Auveco/Oetiker rolled-edge hose clamps), not with small worm-gear claims, but with zip-ties. Yes, Zip ties.
 


Someone (Brian, I assume) at Imola decided that one of the timing belt cover clips could co-exist with the APR turbo-intlet-pipe. So, he yanked it off, leaving only one clip to hold the plastic cover on. Fortunately, I have a spare cover, removed a clip therefrom, grinded off some excess metal from the tab that was rubbing against the TIP, and reinstalled it. I guess Imola doesn't have a grinder in their shop, or their techs are just lazy.
 


I have two horns installed. One of them is difficult (tight) to get at the connection wires. So, apparently, the Imola tech decided not to bother trying. I discovered and fixed it.
 


The Imola tech installed the extension cord for the N75 valve (supplied by APR) to dangle back by the turbo. Needless to say, it melted.
 


8/18/2012 update: Note the 7/12 update (above). After filling up with gas, I brought the car to Full Blown Motorsports for a couple of dyno pulls. After it was finished, the car was inexplicably leaking a substantial amount of gas again. Turns out, there's a VAG specialist there, Chuck. After describing the problem, including a persistent EVAP small leak error code (No. 16826) I've been dealing with for the last couple of weeks, he asked if the fuel pump had been replaced. I explained that Imola pulled the pump and tried to install the pump that came with the APR kit, only to discover that it didn't have enough fittings as required for a Quattro. APR had told them the OE pump would be fine, so they put it all back together. Apparently, they were in such a great hurry, they didn't put the gasket back. About 1.5 inches of the gasket was folded over (not round). Consequently, there was a puddle of gas on top of the fuel tank just under my rear seat. This, of course, explains the EVAP leak (i.e., air was leaking in to the car). Another $92 spent fixing Imola's handiwork ($85 labor plus $7 for a lost gallon of race gas)
 


Usually, there are two sides to every story. Here, there really isn't. These facts (above) are not in dispute. 

I am confident Imola will counter that I presented them with a difficult project, and that I bought some of the parts (like the shrink-wrapped APR kit in a box) elsewhere before I approached them with the project. I don't deny that. 

I am also confident Imola will contend that I am a difficult customer. I suppose that's true, too: I expect _not_ to have a puddle of oil on my garage floor each of the two times I have drive a purportedly-ready car home. I suppose I am a little picky in that I expect to have all of my car's parts put back on when I leave the shop. I suppose that I am a bit anal when I go over a bump on the drive home from a shop and I look in the rear view mirror and see unidentified parts that just came off my car bouncing along the road. 

That said, I would recommend Sam Stone of Imola for employment at any shop. He has the patience of Job, and has been put in a difficult place where I believe his personal integrity was at odds by decisions made by the management of the shop. 

Sean


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

Feel better? Why people that have multiple cars and money to mod cars don't take the time to learn how to mod cars themselves, and know its done right, but instead overpay for horrible work, is BEYOND me.


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## 96AAAjetta (Jul 7, 2008)

Wow, thats pretty rough stuff. How are they still in business? Are you the first person that you know of thats gotten this kind of treatment from this shop?


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## 18T_BT (Sep 15, 2005)

20v master said:


> Feel better? Why people that have multiple cars and money to mod cars don't take the time to learn how to mod cars themselves, and know its done right, but instead overpay for horrible work, is BEYOND me.


 
Not everyone has the time and abilities you do


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## Tempes_TT (Oct 24, 2010)

Imola is one of the bigger shops here in the twin cities and I personally feel like theyre only so popular because a lot of Audi owners here dont do there own maintenance/mods and go there because "every one else does." I tend to stay away. 

Ive always felt judged the very few times I went. Never felt welcome or treated like a valued customer... Unless I was paying them the big bucks for a large project. Not to say theyre a bad bunch of people necessarily, specially Sam, but for a performance shop, you can count me out. 

I personally go to Stellar Autoworks in Plymouth, or my buddies shop Nur Technik in Burnsville. 

Both are very knowledgeable and honest shops and recognize what kind of responsibility it takes to step up to the plate when/if an issue or mistake arises, shop at fault. Both have also built and are currently building large project cars. 

Sorry to hear about all the issues man. We'll need to get a MN TT meet once its up and running! :thumbup:


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## ttwsm (Feb 27, 2011)

That sucks big time. 

Not top pile on Imola, but I took my TT there for an alignment when I first bought it (I live only a mile or two away). They were not able to get the back wheels in spec. They said they were at the end of the slot and had no more room to adjust things. Their suggestion was to somehow mill a longer slot. :sly: 

Personally I wonder if it is perhaps run by someone who is really into Audi and Porsche, and doesn't care whether his shop makes money or not. Someone who can afford the business losses to be a big player in the scene. I sincerely doubt that the place covers its overhead and makes enough to support their race car. But that's just me speculating.


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

18T_BT said:


> Not everyone has the time and abilities you do


 Time? I work 60-65 hours a week. I don't have time, which is why two of my cars are on jack stands. Abilities? Righty tighty lefty loosey? Ability to read a Bentley manual? I'm not sure which of these is beyond the abilities of an adult. 



ttwsm said:


> I sincerely doubt that the place covers its overhead and makes enough to support their race car. But that's just me speculating.


 There are a lot more of those types of places than most people realize. A tax right off is a great way to fund a race team. :screwy:


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

> Feel better? Why people that have multiple cars and money to mod cars don't take the time to learn how to mod cars themselves, and know its done right, but instead overpay for horrible work, is BEYOND me.


Thanks for your kindness and understanding.

Yes, I do much of my own work. I installed a big brake kit, changed out the rear calipers from solid rotors to support vented-rotors, installed the rear anti sway bar, replaced the front struts, added a second (driver-side) SMIC, installed a complete surround stereo system, and have painted some panels on the car myself. 

Part of maturity and wisdom is knowing one's limitations. I don't have a cherry-picker or air tools or the requisite knowledge, equipment, or supporting staff to pull and rebuild a motor and transmission. 

Although you pride yourself in being able to do this kind of work yourself, I imagine there are myriad activities that you cannot do yourself (such as, perhaps, representing yourself in court, writing an appellate brief, performing gastro-intestinal surgery on yourself, building a computer forensics lab, post-tensioning a cable in a concrete slab, properly installing windshield glass, preparing taxes for a small business, reupholstering a leather couch, among other things). For one or more of these things, you --like the rest of us-- would have to entrust them to an expert.


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Tempes_TT said:


> Imola is one of the bigger shops here in the twin cities and I personally feel like theyre only so popular because a lot of Audi owners here dont do there own maintenance/mods and go there because "every one else does." I tend to stay away . . . I personally go to . . . my buddies shop Nur Technik in Burnsville . . . We'll need to get a MN TT meet once its up and running! :thumbup:


Absolutely! Looks like David at Nur Technik will be finished with the car later today. Shoot me a PM.

Sean


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## elgringogillao (Jun 1, 2005)

I feel your pain...

I did my build with a "reputable" shop her in the NYC area. They were expensive. The line the owner gave me was "We not cheap but we're worth it... we do quality work." I decided to go get the car dyno'd and found out that the inline fuel pump was never hooked up correctly. I also started having issues with the oil light coming on... Come to find out I was sold coated main bearings and the stock used bearings were put back in the motor.

It cost me a new crank...

The moral of the story... Now who you are dealing with. Ask a lot of questions and get references.


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## LagoCaddy (Nov 11, 2011)




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## elgringogillao (Jun 1, 2005)

projektmk1vr6 said:


>


Yes indeed...


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## darrenbyrnes (Jan 4, 2005)

FWIW: I have taken mine to both SCI and Further Performance and prefer Mike over at Further Performance...

He's a real stand-up guy and they do good work.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## nilreb (Mar 17, 2012)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/imola-motor-sports-inc-golden-valley


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

6/30/2012 edit (above, added to original post) regarding cause of N249 valve (17608) error code

In addition, had to pay new/different shop to redo the engine timing and VVT.

As it turns out, the VVT (that Imola removed and reinstalled as part of the job of R&R on the cams to be sent out for WPC treatment) collapsed. The VVT requires oil pressure to properly expand the cam chain and maintain the correct chain length between intake and exhaust cam on the 1.8t motor. After a week of fiddling, Imola couldn't figure out why the cams couldn't be timed right. Instead, they elected to change my Autotech peg vernier adjustable cam gear in order to fool the ECU into thinking the timing was correct, because only one cam (the intake) has a sensor. This meant that the exhaust cam was not properly timed. Imola then misrepresented to me that the cams were properly timed (after all, how would a customer ever know, without a crank/cam correlation code, and without removing the valve cover to inspect?). Here's an excerpt from the e-mail: 



> Jeff [Demeules] got it back together this afternoon and it runs and drives with no code. They ended up getting the pin out of the [Autotech] timing gear, rotated it until the cams lined up, and put everything back together. With the crank at TDC the cams are lined up perfectly but the gear is not at its own zero point. The bottom line is no fault code and everything seems happy.


In fact, the cams weren't lined up properly (which is common sense -- as I had asked several times, "Why does the adjustable cam gear need to be offset now to get everything to zero, but didn't need to previously?" They couldn't answer that). David at Nür Technik pulled the valve cover, realized within a minute of analysis that the VVT was collapsed (which Imola was unable to do in one week), replaced it, and retimed the engine. In the end, I had to pay Nür Technik 6 or 7 hours of redo labor for what I had already paid Imola.


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Update: I've had the car back now for several days. Aside from the annoying N249 valve intervening to dump boost during partial throttle (a situation which, apparently, can only be relieved by deleting the N249 valve, as documented throughout the Vortex threads), *the car runs great!* And, I'd like to thank David Trumble of *Nür Technik* in Burnesville, MN, for being understanding and taking a difficult situation and turning it around, and I would without reservation refer friends and family to him and his brother, Mike.

Here's a breakdown of the build (I should've started a build thread over a year ago):

*suspension mods:​*


Bilstein HD shocks (not lowered)
Neuspeed rear anti-sway bar & poly bushings
Steve Schwing's Defcon 4 bushings in front control arms
034motorsports "street density" motor mounts
034motorsports strut mounts


*braking​*

"Stage 3" big brake kit from Porsche Boxster (4-pot monoblock caliper, >13" floating rotors)
225hp TTQ vented Zimmerman rear rotors


*1.8t motor​*

built by Clay at Tuned Port Injection Specialities, Inc. ("TPiS"), in Chaska, MN
block from 180hp AWP motor
nitrided, knife-edged, balanced forged crank from ATC motor
Carillo rods
.5 mm over OEM Mahle pistons, 9.5:1 compression ratio (thanks, Bob at QEDpower, for having these hard-to-find pistons on the shelf!)
Fluidampr crankshaft pulley
20mm diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated wrist-pins
piston tops coated with thermal barrier coating


*Cylinder head*​

built by Steve at Headwerks in Bloomington, MN (best-of-breed, skilled artisan)
Ferrea valves (not oversized) & springs, titanium retainers, multi-angle ground
pocketwork (but not ported/polished)
valve faces, combustion chamber, intake & exhaust ports coated with thermal barrier coating
Autotech "Sport 195" intake camshaft, as recommended by Chris Teague of APR for use with Stage 3+ kit, and WPC-treated
OEM exhaust camshaft, WPC-treated
Autotech peg vernier adjustable cam gear


*02M transmission*​

built (twice, thanks to Imola) by Scotty at Advanced AutoMotion (excellent work)
all new gears from Germany
all gears cryo-treated
all gears WPC-treated (this stuff works, I'll post the pictures of treated gears vs. non-treated gears in my oil-starved transmission)
converted from 5-spd to 6-spd (retaining 1st & 2nd gear from the former FBC-code 02M transmission, 6-spd was a DQB-code donor from Jeff Bipes)
 updated synchros and shift-forks
Peloquin LSD


*Other​*
APR Stage 3+ GT2860RS kit (340hp)

APR exhaust manifold, turbo hot-side, and custom 2.5" downpipe all coated with thermal barrier coating

Spec Stage 3+ clutch & lighter steel flywheel

Performance Haldex controller

Race Diagnostics Liquid TT gauge

APR front-mount intercooler and custom aluminum intercooler piping, both sprayed with heat dispersant coating

HJS Hi-flow 200 C.P.S. catalytic converter

BlueFlame (formerly Forge) cat back stainless exhaust

ABD intake manifold & Evo phenolic heat spacer


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## wrestler4life521 (Aug 12, 2010)

esoxlucios said:


> Thanks for your kindness and understanding.
> 
> Yes, I do much of my own work. I installed a big brake kit, changed out the rear calipers from solid rotors to support vented-rotors, installed the rear anti sway bar, replaced the front struts, added a second (driver-side) SMIC, installed a complete surround stereo system, and have painted some panels on the car myself.
> 
> ...


Couldn't have said it better.


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Opening post updated (two bullet points added at bottom).

After spending numerous hours working on the car since I've gotten it back, and paying another shop to redo work, and considering that I paid extra money to Imola Motorsports for allegedly documenting, removing, and reinstallling customizations (all or most of which they never actually reinstalled), I am confident of publishing here, without fear of defamation liability, that Imola Motorsports is incompetent and grossly negligent.

On the other hand, if you have Bentley Continental (rather than an eleven year old Audi TT), you'll certainly receive better service than I did, even if you hadn't paid Imola nearly $8K (as I did).


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## Audiguy84 (Nov 14, 2006)

I feel your pain... Took my car to a shop in az for them to do work to while i was in the military and after having to car for 5 months to install a apr kit and rods... My car had problems just to say, well one of them was a/c not working. Took it to the shop to have them fix it and ended up with a blown engine... Was going to sue them but az small claims limit is 2500, with lawyer cost and everything else that could happen i said f it and took the car to another shop and right now i'm at 12k for a new build.. But this one is more done up then the last so that's why i'm that deep in it


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## Tempes_TT (Oct 24, 2010)

esoxlucios said:


> Opening post updated (two bullet points added at bottom).
> 
> After spending numerous hours working on the car since I've gotten it back, and paying another shop to redo work, and considering that I paid extra money to Imola Motorsports for allegedly documenting, removing, and reinstallling customizations (all or most of which they never actually reinstalled), I am confident of publishing here, without fear of defamation liability, that Imola Motorsports is incompetent and grossly negligent.
> 
> On the other hand, if you have Bentley Continental (rather than an eleven year old Audi TT), you'll certainly receive better service than I did, even if you hadn't paid Imola nearly $8K (as I did).


Thats just crazy dude. Glad to hear you were finally able to get things figured out and that David and Mike took good care of you! :thumbup:


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## TTC2k5 (May 23, 2008)

20v master said:


> .... Abilities? Righty tighty lefty loosey? Ability to read a Bentley manual? I'm not sure which of these is beyond the abilities of an adult.



ROTFLMFAO on this one. :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: Thank You.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

TTC2k5 said:


> ROTFLMFAO on this one. :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: Thank You.
> 
> :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


Yeah, what he said was funny, but unrealistic.

Let's take just one example from the build, above: the motor (or, more specifically, rebuiding it correctly): As I mentioned above, I don't have a cherry picker or an assistant to get the engine & transmission out of the car. I also don't have enough room in my garage to do it. 

As for the cylinder walls, do you have enough experienc to feel the lip to determine if you need .5mm or 1mm oversized pistons? Do you have enough experience to determine whether oversized rings, rather than pistons, is the right answer? Does the Bentley manual supply the answer to either question? And, on a quality build, would you be happy with a using a dingle-berry attachment on your Craftsman cordless drill to hone the cylinder walls? No. To hone them properly, you need the right machine, and a torque plate for a 1.8t motor. Do you have a torque plate for a 1.8t motor in your toolbox at home (assuming you're not a prof'l engine rebuilding shop)? Can you rent one from AutoZone or O'Reilly's? I'll go out on a limb and say, "No." And, there's something to be said for having a seasoned artisan, who has many years of honing cylinders and rebuilding engines.

And, what about knife-edging and balancing the crank? Is that covered in the Bentley manual? No, it's not. What about installing Carillo rods and aftermarket main bearings and checking that the tolerances are all within spec? Is that in the Bentley manual? Perhaps, but do I trust my "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey" skills to put it all back together properly? Probably not.

And we're still talking about just the motor here. These principles apply to the rest of the build. Can I replace coil packs or an intake manifold or throttle body? Yes. Can I rebuild a motor with my tools and skills? No.


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## TTC2k5 (May 23, 2008)

esoxlucios said:


> Yeah, what he said was funny, but unrealistic.
> 
> Let's take just one example from the build, above: the motor (or, more specifically, rebuiding it correctly): As I mentioned above, I don't have a cherry picker or an assistant to get the engine & transmission out of the car. I also don't have enough room in my garage to do it.
> 
> ...


Dude, you lost me at "Yeah,". Hey, my comments were only addressed at the funniness of his, not at the merits of his comments nor your pain. 

Honestly, i feel your pain and no TT owner should go through so much agony, but his retort (yes i said "retort" ) was hilarious.

cheers and good luck.


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Yes, you're right, and thanks for the well wishes!!!

I guess, more than anything, I was just defending the decision to have a porportedly-expert shop do this job. On more than one forum, I've been criticized for not doing the work myself, or for expecting it to be done in less than a year.


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Update:

Since the car was first delivered to me in January, and then redelivered (after the second transmission rebuild) in June, I had a terrible chafing/scuffing noise coming from the clutch or transmission, which went away whenever the clutch pedal was depressed. Even though this is a Spec SA81S 18 Lb flywheel, I was told by Imola that this noise is normal when eliminating the dual mass flywheel.

So, I have since taken it to four other shops for an opinion. All four thought something was wrong -- that the noise is NOT normal, esp. for a steel flywheel.

Yesterday, David at Nür Technik pulled the transmission and discovered that, not only was one of the engine-to-transmission bolts missing (discovered and rectified a few months ago), but another bolt was not torqued, and none of the engine-to-transmission alignment dowels were reinstalled by Imola. This means that Bryan and/or Jeff at Imola reinstalled this transmission not once, but twice without the essential locating pins. As a result, the clutch was not centered on the flywheel, and the last 3,500 miles of driving has torn up the clutch and destroyed the throw-out bearing (and we don't yet know if the tranny input shaft bearing or flywheel was damaged).

Nice going, fellas.

Also, the car still runs like crap when cold (while the SAI pump is running) and throws misfire codes (which it didn't do before the rebuild), and overheats during idle because the fans don't kick in at the right temp (Imola broke off the aux. fan switch when replacing the radiator, and the replacement may be the cause).


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

This whole thread is funny. Sorry for your troubles, but you're a self proclaimed non expert that has formed inaccurate theories on a lot of things. No need for me to correct them though, you've got it all covered. Good luck. :beer:


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

20v master said:


> This whole thread is funny. Sorry for your troubles, but you're a self proclaimed non expert that has formed inaccurate theories on a lot of things. No need for me to correct them though, you've got it all covered. Good luck. :beer:


Oh, of course, you are the erudite expert. Please correct at least some of my misgivings:

Perhaps transmission drain plugs do not need to be torqued by the shop installing it, and it's okay to drive them without fluid?

Perhaps transmission-to-engine locating dowels and bolts are optional? And Scotty DeWitt and David Trumble and Chuck at Full Blown Motorsports and all the mechanics who've advised me on this matter are wrong -- I shouldn't be listening to them?

Perhaps it's perfectly ordinary for a shop to not install a fuel pump gasket properly, to prevent gas from leaking out all over the garage, or to profess to understand how to --but fail to-- remove and reinstall camshafts with proper timing?

Perhaps it's perfectly ordinary for a shop to lose a battery and a number of other parts?

Perhaps it's perfectly ordinary for a shop to return a car to a customer claiming that "All is well, no fault codes," when in fact the car throws fault codes on the drive home and a puddle of oil is on the garage floor the very next day?

Maybe if you run a shop, this is how you run it? And you would prefer customers too ignorant to know the difference.


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

Like I said.....



20v master said:


> you've got it all covered. Good luck. :beer:


You and your band of experts, that you keep rattling off names of, even though I doubt anyone knows who they are, will get it taken care of. :beer:


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## Tempes_TT (Oct 24, 2010)

20v master said:


> You and your band of experts, that you keep rattling off names of, even though I doubt anyone knows who they are, will get it taken care of. :beer:


With all due respect, I personally know David T at Nur Technik. Hes quite the stand up guy and him and his crew are definitely competent and knowledgeable enough to take advice from. :thumbup:


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

Tempes_TT said:


> With all due respect, I personally know David T at Nur Technik. Hes quite the stand up guy and him and his crew are definitely competent and knowledgeable enough to take advice from. :thumbup:


Well then Mr. Esox is in good hands. :beer:


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Here for more details.


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## darrenbyrnes (Jan 4, 2005)

You'll have to have it entered into District Court to have a chance of collecting on that. 

:beer::beer::beer:


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Nah. Imola's attorney already contacted me to make payment arrangements in exchange for a Satisfaction of Judgment. Would be cost-prohibitive to appeal it to district court (attorney fees would eclipse the judgment very quickly). 



> "Never sue on 'principle,' unless it's 'principal' and interest!"


 Not only that, I've got a pal who's a debt-collection attorney who knows every trick and statute and technique for collecting from both individuals and businesses.


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## Dowski12 (Nov 2, 2011)

Don't know if you have been following my build thread, but I had a similiar situation. After towing the car to another shop, I found out that 7 months worth of time, money and parts, was pretty much wasted and I ended up starting my build completely over. We had agreed on a $2400 refund (which I wasn't happy with), but after coming to that dollar amount, I haven't been able to get in touch with my mechanic. I went by his shop dozens of times to try and collect, but I'm pretty sure he moved shops. How did you go about submitting your claim? Is there a time limit for when the claim has to be filed?


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Dowski12 said:


> Don't know if you have been following my build thread, but I had a similiar situation. After towing the car to another shop, I found out that 7 months worth of time, money and parts, was pretty much wasted and I ended up starting my build completely over. We had agreed on a $2400 refund (which I wasn't happy with), but after coming to that dollar amount, I haven't been able to get in touch with my mechanic. I went by his shop dozens of times to try and collect, but I'm pretty sure he moved shops. How did you go about submitting your claim? Is there a time limit for when the claim has to be filed?


 I'm sorry, I haven't seen your build thread. But, I'm really sorry for your difficulties. And, although everyone here gives out all kinds of [usually good] advice, the one kind of advice I cannot give is legal (unauthorized practice of law ("UPL")), for which I could get into big trouble. Hope you obtained your agreement in writing (even text msg or e-mail), and that you can obtain a a judgment on it (in time), find the debtor, and collect.


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## Dowski12 (Nov 2, 2011)

The agreement was made via text, and I saved all the text messages that were swapped over the entire 7 month period (263 in all). I just don't know where to start, being as that I cant even get a hold of the guy. Thanks anyway :thumbup:


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## warranty225cpe (Dec 3, 2008)

20v master said:


> Feel better? Why people that have multiple cars and money to mod cars don't take the time to learn how to mod cars themselves, and know its done right, but instead overpay for horrible work, is BEYOND me.





20v master said:


> Time? I work 60-65 hours a week. I don't have time, which is why two of my cars are on jack stands. Abilities? Righty tighty lefty loosey? Ability to read a Bentley manual? I'm not sure which of these is beyond the abilities of an adult.
> 
> 
> 
> There are a lot more of those types of places than most people realize. A tax right off is a great way to fund a race team. :screwy:





20v master said:


> This whole thread is funny. Sorry for your troubles, but you're a self proclaimed non expert that has formed inaccurate theories on a lot of things. No need for me to correct them though, you've got it all covered. Good luck. :beer:





20v master said:


> Like I said.....
> 
> 
> 
> You and your band of experts, that you keep rattling off names of, even though I doubt anyone knows who they are, will get it taken care of. :beer:





20v master said:


> Well then Mr. Esox is in good hands. :beer:


 More friend making by the resident Know it all douchebag:thumbup:


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

warranty225cpe said:


> More friend making by the resident Know it all douchebag:thumbup:


 Is this Facebook?


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## Audiguy84 (Nov 14, 2006)

Well as someone who works on cars for a living and having dealt with the customers who enjoy their car but don't know how to work on them I've had to educate them on the basics.. NOT everyone has even a simple understanding of the how to when modding their cars and theres nothing wrong with that... Just because someone is into cars and wants to customize their vehicle doesn't mean they have to know how to work on them... THAT's why there are aftermarket shops, RIGHT??


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)




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## warranty225cpe (Dec 3, 2008)

esoxlucios said:


>


 Good for you dude. No matter what the jackass says, good luck to you :beer:


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## luchos (Feb 23, 2012)

i would either take that image down or at least black out the shop's account# and routing#... pretty sure you can get in some trouble for that since someone can make electronic withdrawals from their account with that information


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## esoxlucios (Sep 17, 2009)

Yet another update:

So, for the past 1.5 years since the Imola rebuild, my car has running hot at idle, and I've thrown about $650 at it trying to figure out why. (The thermostat, water pump, etc. were all new with rebuild). So, we replaced the fan control module, radiator fan switch, temp sensor, etc.

Turns out that, in addition to the absurdly huge list of avoidable, egregious mistakes enumerated in the original post, Imola installed the thermostat incorrectly. Cost to correct that mistake is about $250 in parts & labor, payable to another shop.

Unfortunately, I can't think of any one thing they did correctly. Not even one.


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## Converted2VW (Apr 8, 2009)

Glad you were able to settle to recover at least some of your $$
My advice is to move on and be happy you dont have to deal with those ****ers anymore.

I think the key to a happy TT ownership is to Enjoy the car and every step it takes to make it better and keep it running.


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