European Import Performance - Performance Tuning, Inc. - EIP Tuning, Inc, 1203 Baltimore Blvd. Westminster MD. 21157

[VWVORTEX]: EIP (Rich) the company and you. Do you really know what you are getting into? - digg it
This was first posted on the vortex... new link
OK this is all information gathered from my personal experiences and that of others that have sent me their own stories to tell in one large post so here you go.
Alright, after almost 3 years and over $20,000 spent at EIP it came to an end today. And once again it came with a last minute surprise, this time it was only another $200 but still a surprise.
First and formost, I was a happy EIP customer for a while until the lies and deceit just became overwhelming. I apologize for not being a true dubber and holding back all of these years and hope everyone can forgive me. I won't be surprised if you can't or if I lose a few friends after this post.
This most recent trip to EIP was for my turbo removal and sale to Andrew (pomme....) to benefit my father and the Operation THUMB fund. Well I spoke with and planned the removal out in May and set it up to occur June 2nd. On May 10th Rich and I finally agreed on a price of $1750 (all inculsive, and I have 3 different emails to prove this). One week later however I decided to see if I could lower the cost by purchasing oil/filter and all of the necessary parts so I wouldn't have to wait incase the parts weren't in EIP's stock. So I asked Rich if I supplied the parts could he do it for $1500? He said he couldn't so I said fine $1750 (all inclusive) but I already had oil/filter and head bolts so I sent them along and saved him money not having to buy those for me. Well after a week nothing was happening and I was getting angry PM's from Andrew in the UK because this was starting to get expensive for him (and I don't blame Andrew on bit). So John at EIP (Probably the absolute nicest guy and most helpful since Kyle left), did absolutely everything he could to get things right for me.

(JOHN, Please quit as you are too good for that place) .

Unfortunately John wasn't working on the car so he had to go by what Rich and Fred were capable of doing. Then I get the email that I have a bad O2 sensor (well, it won't come out), so I have to buy one. But I told them it wasn't bad, it was stripped by them the last time and they couldn't get it out so the put a CAT delete on my car and charged me for that like I got an upgrade. All they did was push the blame to me as they do with everyone and everything so they don't have to pay. But too make a long story short, John did everything he could to get the kit off to the UK and my car finished. But to date (June 28) the ECU is still not in the UK and the turbo system just arrived yesterday. It took less than a week to remove, but 3 weeks to do what ever it is that EIP does and poor Andrew (pomme....) is still without his ECU.

This is old news but now to the real reasons we are here, to unveil some truths.

Seriously I am very sorry to all, I have known about a few of these for a while and others I have just learned about so again I will assist anyone who wishes to take action.

jettin123 (Chris) Your turbo kit is a used kit that was taken off of Kyle Izzets car (and I am sure you paid full price).

Jeremy (rabbitgtibbar) who is no longer on this site, without his knowledge EIP blew his motor during testing and replaced his pistons with pistons lying around the shop.

Big lu: EIP blew your engine twice and just pieced it together for you to take and then blamed it on you when it blew a 3rd time.

Scharged: Your kit was put together with used parts, actually I am pretty sure they were my used Stg one parts when I went ball bearing and COMP FMIC if not than this was Les' car.

If any of you know Randy Sargent. Well his engine was blown and EIP used a used higher mileage engine to fix it without telling him.

[VWVORTEX]: 12/11/2006: Back to EIP Just One Week Later!
Cesar (MyblueR32Turbo): His motor blew less than 5 days after getting the stage 1 and EIP and I talked him into Stg 2 so nobody would know (many did and I apologized a million times for this). But hey his car is not bad except he gets 120miles to the tank and burns a quart of oil an week. It will be fixed this weekend as Chris and I are removing it.

Rob Faur (Green R32) His car is running 20lbs of boost and Rich wont fix it. So once it blows Rich will make money rebuilding it.

AZsightsound (Brandon): Your car really never made over 450 wheel HP and I just found this out today.

Every single R32 turbo has been back to RIP, sorry EIP for some issue or another (mine ended up with an oil leak and that "3 Year Warranty" is a joke and never honored. Smoke and mirrors my friend.

"My friend" received Cat cams and EIP said they were Schrick, and they still say it.

12V Turbo: You car caught on fire on the dyno just prior to the pick up. EIP cleaned it up and delivered it as ready to go.

Everyone and their mother knows: The race file was actually Nos and if you paid for that file demand your money back, oh and Rich's run at the track was of course NOS assisted.

Jessla: Your clutch was faulty and EIP made you pay for labor even though it wasn't anything he did.
At the first R32 GTG, r32mxspd (Aaron) your car broke down do to them messing up your ECU and you now have a different in your car.

Oh and the first (test) Stg 2 before mine EIP blew the engine twice and the guy sold it on ebay.

Don't get me wrong EIP did a lot of very nice things for me and I am grateful for that but the bad definitely out weighs the good in this case.
Hope you make the right choice and good luck with all of your modding.
This one's for the THUMB .
Steven edited content but you still get the picture. Oh and JJ fought for me harder than anyone other than Kyle and I am sorry not to have mentioned you earlier. My intentions are to rid myself of everything that is bothering me and move on and I have done so.

[VWVORTEX]: EIP Turbo Stage 1 Review – finally (long and detailed) [Archived]
Err hold up, what about the EIP Stage 1? Yeah what about that Turbo? Well a lot has happened to my poor car since Memorial Weekend (when it was first dropped off) Clogged cats, missing waste gate bolts, incorrectly installed components, SW updates needed, miss-firing and stalling ECU etc etc. Basically the car (kit) just never worked and ran correctly.

For anyone who has "read between the lines" or has been keeping up it’s no secret that my car had some serious install issues. Rich himself acknowledged this in earlier threads (including the EIP vs VF comparison Chris & I did on the way back from DATR. Such so that as a result of the problems Rich is no longer offering California installs until he can assure that he has someone to perform the install correctly. Something which I think is a wise and good move for Rich to ensure he can give the best support.

This whole ordeal started for me around Memorial Weekend and I was never really able to drive the car until I was coming back from CO. The car was making 4.5lbs of boost and was quick, but no where near as quick as I wanted it to be, or I feel it should be. I could hear the engine crying for air (the same sound I used to hear in my Audi TT with front mount also) The other strange thing happening was the ECU would die repeatedly (normally in 1st or 2nd gear) but this was becoming a concern as, well, that’s just not right.

OK let me know explain where I am at this point in time. My car’s been messed around with for about 2mths and I’m still not driving a 100% reliable kit. The car is now sat in my garage and I’m trying to work with EIP to get someone up to fix it - or get my car to them to fix it.

So I begin to question (call & PM) other EIP users on the Tex and begin to find out that I am not alone with the problems I’ve been having. Hmm, heat issues, stalling ECUs, programming not right and generally not 100%. Now ok, at this point some fixes can be made but hold on a minute. We’re talking about fixes to a kit that has been sold as 100% perfect, been tested for over 1yr with "no issues" yet here I am along with several other people who have got "issues" and who are not 100% happy?

I start to hear replies of "well v3 or v4 will fix that" and "well it’s in now so there is nothing we can do right?" I think to myself "hold up, I just shelled out $$$$s on a kit which is supposed to work and have little to no errors at all". I then begin to take a look with my VAG.COM at the timing on this SW and discover that there are some "serious" issues here. Take a look at this pic which shows some serious timing issues with the car being "maxed out" in terms of how rich & how lean it’s running.

The final straw came when I went to go to dinner with my wife and she refused to get in the R. She said she’s not getting in the car as she’s scared since it’s cuts out and is not running right. At that point there was nothing left to do but to remove the kit from my car. This is a car I have paid for (own title) and intend to keep for sometime Therefore I am not going to "“settle" for a kit which had problems (install or not)

[VWVORTEX]: I Sold My EIPR32 With a Blown Engine!! [Archived]
Dear Friends,

First of all, i want to thank all of you for your help and hospitality, you have been very truthful and faithful to me. thanks a million. To all EIP supporters, this is not to bash EIP or their products, i am simply telling my story. If any one needs documents i will Fax them to you i have every thing documented. Appetizer:
First of all, since EIP always gave me my car late, once upon a time it took them 3 months to get my car on the road and cost me $2500 in rental. i decided to buy a Caddie for $1800 and have my GF drive behind me. plus it was my bed on the highway and my bed on front of EIP store until they opened the day i dropped off my car. i had to Wait for 45 minutes to take the car for a test drive with one of the techs. Main Dish:My Trouble started when i decided to go to EIP and my car started 1)stuttering, 2)Grey smoke out of the exhaust, 3)the exhaust sounds like it is "bubbling", 4)CEL on, 5)cant go above 4Krpm and not beyond 60MPH. I pulled over and i Posted my known 911 thread. JJ Called me and asked me to reset the ECU (touch the (+) with (-), Suggested to unplug O2 sensor and see if the car will drive better with out it, and finally if non of the mentioned worked, i have to pull out the ECU and plug it in again. Luckily, touching (+) and(-) worked fine. i continue to drive to MD. Took my car for a test drive as mentioned in the Appetizer section. I had to Wait for almost a month to have my car back.
Things they changed:
7-24-2006
Parts:
Primary O2 sensor $160
Gas $50.26
Spark plugs $93.66
Waste-gate Free
Labor:
O2 Sensor replacement $225
Fix torn Waste-gate Diaphram$150
Replace Cat Free
Install spark plugs $75
Total parts $303.92
total labor $ 450
Supply $22.50
Sub Total $776.42
Tax $13.81
Total $790.23
Finally i drive my car back to VT, I still had almost the same trouble i had before. Lost of power, the Turbo sounds like it was working while the car was not going any faster. though the shaking and chocking on a steady gas paddle around 60mph is fixed!

I Arrive in VT the car starts acting just like when i reset(Past tense?! mine the language barrier) the ECU. Cant go beyond 50mph some smoke. RIGHT ON FRONT OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX i hear a boom noise, WHITE SMOKE COVERED THE STREET, The car was shutting down by it self, doesn't start, dripping oil and the battery is drained(no lights/power).

I had the car towed to a local mechanic that always worked in coordination with EIP tecks on the line to fix minor stuff that was happening to my car. they had a look inside all 6 pistons with a micro camera and did a compression test and here are the numbers and comments by the mechanics:

August 23 2006 Car was towed in customer said it was down on power and smoking. removed spark plugs four of the plugs were oil fouled-did compression test on vehicle Cyl1(140psi) Cyl2(145psi) Cyl3(30psi) Cyl4(60psi) Cyl5(85psi) Cyl6(65psi) Had bad compression in four cylinders looked in cylinders with a borescope cylinders 3-6 were scored badly-possible bad rings and or pistons. EIP response was, Ohh $hi^. "I am sorry man" Kyle Said. I told them that my engine is blown. they never called since then.

I decided to list my car on EBay and Ironically, some guy from Maryland bought it for $16100 with the kit,engine, and stock parts.

I filed a Claim with MD attorney General website Automotive repaid claims. A mediator was trying to find a solutions between both parties. After he contacted me and sent me a letter concerning my complaint and CC to Rich, I never heard any thing for almost 3 months now even though i called the mediator at least 3 times.

I tried to find a lawyer to file a complaint against EIP but no one would want to help me. I even posted my complaint on a lawyer finder website and i didn't get any responses!

Desert: After being choked by EIP and being short on cash, my family happened to give me a graduation gift and wired me some money. So i put a down payment on a DODGE VIPER SRT-10 and i am financing the rest over 72 months. and i still kept the RED COLOR.

My .:R had 35500Miles on it. before it went to EIP, i made sure to have the dealer do the 40,000 miles service on the car while the car had only around 20,000miles on it! the car was in a mint condition.

I have Videos of the CEL before they """FIXED""" the car for the last time, and i will have to dig out photos of the car when the engine went Kaboom.

Thank you to all the people that tried to help me out.

Filing Date:05/14/2007: Case #: 100200013052007 Amount $18000.00
Filing Date:06/30/2005: Case #: 100200016982005 Amount $10000.00
Filing Date:05/31/2005: Case #: 100200013562005 Amount $2536.55
Filing Date:09/30/2004: Case #: 100200030562004 Amount $5500.00
Filing Date:03/21/2003: Case #: 06C03038291
Filing Date:07/01/2002: Case #: 100200017672002 Amount $5173.16
Filing Date:04/02/2002: Case #: 100200009002002 Amount $500.00
Filing Date:01/15/2002: Case #: 06C02035464
Filing Date:08/07/2001: Case #: 100200020502001 Amount $1681.45
Filing Date:02/26/2001: Case #: 010100076782001 Amount $742.88
Filing Date:01/31/2001: Case #: 100200002702001 Amount $25000.00
Filing Date:12/19/2000: Case #: 100200031092000 Amount $3000.00
Filing Date:03/22/2000: Case #: 100200007812000 Amount $7812.17
Filing Date:03/21/2000: Case #: 100200007732000 Amount $982.00
Filing Date:02/18/2000: Case #: 100200004242000 Amount $2500.00
Filing Date:10/26/1999: Case #: 100200029201999 Amount $23508.46
Filing Date:08/16/1999: Case #: 100200022741999 Amount $3,139.76
Filing Date:08/02/1999: Case #: 100200021531999 Amount $600.00
Filing Date:08/09/1999: Case #: 100200022111999 Amount $4874.20
Filing Date:07/07/1999: Case #: 100200019271999 Amount $1314.00
Filing Date:10/06/1998: Case #: 080400280511998 Amount $2725.00

1998: [GTI-VR6]: EIP Wiki
1998-2002: [GTI-VR6]: EIP Opinions

09/27/2007: [NASIOC]: EIP Tuning?
08/10/2007: [NASIOC]: EIP tuning Subies?

08/1/2007: [VWVORTEX]: EIP TUNING finally closed down

07/22/2007: [VWVORTEX]: You get what you pay for !!!
06/28/2007: [VWVORTEX]: EIP (Rich) the company and you. Do you really know what you are getting into? - digg it
06/25/2007: [VWVORTEX]: EIP Stage 3 R34T Review (part 1 of 3) - UPDATE The final chapter! - C2 MOTORSPORTS SAVES THE DAY
05/22/2007: [ECODE204]: eip idiots
04/01/2007: [VWVORTEX]: Project EIP Stage III R34T
12/05/2006: [VWVORTEX]: I Sold My EIPR32 With a Blown Engine!!
10/16/2006: [VWVORTEX]: some questions i have that havent been answered
07/22/2006: [VWVORTEX]: 911 HELP ME.. I AM in NY i NEED HELP
07/12/2006: [VWVORTEX]: EIP tuning!!! This is not hating but I have a problem with them!!!
07/04/2006: [VWVORTEX]: BIG LU IS BACK and here is why i was gone Selling MY R!
05/26/2006: [VWVORTEX]: Anyone have experiences with EIP Tuning
12/29/2005: [VWVORTEX]: EIP Customer Service/Shipping question.
09/14/2005: [VWVORTEX]: enquires, how many people have problem with EIP TUNING
09/01/2005: [VWVORTEX]: EIP Turbo Stage 1 Review - finally
05/09/2005: [VWSPORT]: 3.5 years EIP
04/23/2005: [VWVORTEX]: FYI...EIP Lack of Customer Service
12/12/2002: [VWVORTEX]: Problem with EIP Tuning
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