never dealt with them. But have heard the stories

 

Well that's what it amounted to really! I will never forget the day I got the car shipped to Harveys. The look on his face was priceless! I arrive about 20 mins after the car did! He popped the bonnet and I looked at the camcover! I asked him what the chunk of metal was by the spark plug lead. He said "its a bit of your block mate!!". And to think that Harvey then built me an engine for less than half the cost of the EA one, including a full fuel system, and engine dyno, that's with every major part of the engine being replaced with new! Less than half the cost......for a better engine!

 

Ian, im sorry if this offends, and I dont mean to.

but seriosuly, from reading your story.. MUG dprings to mind!

did you not even check/query his prices?

compare to other companies?

enquire about proof!?

and why pay him MORE cash to fix his mistakes!?

to just hand over what he asked for, screams idiotic in my eyes!

 

someone in this vast thread mentiend that we should feel sorry for him as he's lost his job and income etc

if you were that person, i'd say "i'd feel sory for him if he wasn't such a cunt" if the information here is anything to go by

if he was honest and did what he could do and told peole he couldn't do what he couldn't do, then yes, i'd feel sorry for him because he was an honest bloke tryin to do an honest days graft

but he seems to be like my wife, she can wield a spanner, knows what it does, but wouldn't have the foggiest idea on what to do with one when presented with a nut and bolt arrangement to undo, even junior, who's not yet 3 years old, know what to do with a srcrewdriver and a spanner and how to diferintiate between their 2 uses (although his definition of screwdriver/spanner is that one is used to poke with and one is used to hit with )

 

Well at least there gone now. This post is shocking reading.. I wonder who will do all ABC work now. I was told he did all there engines and mapping .Thank god im going to M.A.D

 

No offence taken.

He was very convincing. A blagger!!

I had my car mapped by him privately on recommendation by my previous engine builder and it seemed to go ok. It was a high compression rally type engine on 8 greens and a T35 with ALS all run by a T6.

I kept in contact with him and when he left AER (where he now works again) he just talked a good story and seemed to come out with the right numbers and very technical words.

With regards to his prices, he never gave a fixed price at the start of a job. And the end amount was ALWAYS higher than the original quote! When I picked the car up from his original engine build the EXTRA's bill alone was over Ł6,300.00. I knew it was around 3 grand but never know he would double it. I think he just assumed I was wealthy and would pay whatever he asked! He did this with a few others who are probably afraid to admit it!!

Regarding giving him more money to fix his mistakes, I paid him to do the headgasket fair enough but that was it, I drew the line when he asked for money to fix the engine when it blew apart!

I have a breakdown of that extras bill somewhere. It really did make funny reading! But when someone does work, presents a bill I assumed that was the amount they wanted!!

I think differently now. I question everything and anything!! all because of that lol

 

I know I can say hand on heart you will have no problems with MAD!! Dont even worry a stitch! You have had a lucky escape!

 

Sounds to me like Paul Hills didn't even have a basic understanding of how a wastegate works. In fact judging by his mapping it looked like he didn't have a basic understaning of how a 4 stroke engine works.

Seems he was a big pretender and the lie finally caught up with him.

What i can't understand is he might have been truelly shocking at the beginning but you would imagine that in all the time he was running he would have had the chance to do some learning/homework and pick up the right skills. He even had a dyno to help him develop but he seemed as bad, if not worse at the end.

I guess the lesson is even if you are going to a tuner get yourself some basic knowledge so you can spot the cowboys.

 

Didnt he really damage a very quick monte engine aswell or was that just a rumour

 

there some crazy prices Ian, iv heard the stroies but never read the breakdown of events..

I paid harvey just over 11k for my engine and thats built to take 550+ bhp if and when i want to.

Paul charged some shocking prices..they have that saying all good salesman are full of shit.

 

Well the shocking thing is that not only did he wreck engines other people built, he also wrecked engines that his own company built. Including mine!

Now I have just learned on good authority from someone who recently left their employment with EA that Paul recently built a YB engine and put the thrust washers in the wrong way round?? Now I dont confess to be an expert engine builder myself but is this actually possible??

 

Those are not the crazy prices...I need to dig the extras list out!

It was Ł6300 and included:

Ł140 for fuel to map the car - even though it was left there with near 3/4 of a tank!

Ł30 for jubilee clips - even though he had already quoted me Ł5000 to rebuild the bottom end on my engine - drive in and drive out. I admit I added a few bits on top (Mountune Inlet and EGR etc) but to charge me 30 quid extra on jubilee clips is a bit steep?

Ł250 to change the chip in a Stack Dash. I supplied a Stack Dash which I bought second hand off Steve Scott. Paul said it had the wrong chip in it.....

Several hundred for the Stack Loom which he said was missing. Since then I have learned that this Stack Dash fed directly from the T6 which is a distance of about 3 feet. Seems a bit steep for a bit of cable and a plug.

There was a length of silicone piping which came from the EGR recirc valve across the Intercooler to the Throttle Body Pipe. Basically it was a straight piece of silicone about 30mm dia about 3 ft long. That was about 70 quid!!

I mailed the list at the time to Stu at MSD. Now I know he wont want to comment as hes very diplomatic but Im sure again he will recall this list!! If I find it I will put it up. Loads of things that he just made up I recon! Like the graph for 576bhp....made up!!

 

christ mate im suprised you didnt go round and strangle him

 

Ian, you are a calmer man than I, as I would have killed him!

 

Lol...that's not the 1st time someone has said that to me.

I can remember Vince Osborne of Universal/CR Turbos fame saying that Harvey at the time asked him if I was mental or a bit stupid because I had just shrugged my shoulders and didnt bother doing anything about EA at the time, given that I had all the evidence and info to bury him! I think he was more frustrated than I was. But after the ordeal I had been through I just wanted rid of any dealings with EA! One very prominent tuner off here (who I shall not name) even offered to be my expert witness in any court case as he was also annoyed that i'd sat on my ass and did nothing!

One thing I forgot to mention was that I did get a bit shitty with EA one day afterwards and his missus rang me up crying saying I was going to ruin their business because of the bad publicity....so i backed off. There was talk of him giving me some parts to sell to raise some funds towards my new SCS engine but it never happened. I did have 3 Eproms off him but they were all faulty and one of them for RS Bowks off this forum (I drop his name in here because he will witness my comments) made his car run on what sounded like 2 cylinders and wouldnt tick over. So EA couldnt even send out a chip to run an Escort Cosworth on greens that ran properly.

So I actually had nothing towards the ten grand engine repair bill. Not a bean. Not to this day. I must have got him business worth well over six figures in his first year of trading, got him on the cover of Performance Ford 3 times in 2003 alone yet he tells me to fuck off when he fucks my engine that he built himself. Gratitude eh?

Anyway, enough of my car and self pity. Im sure you've all heard enough of me ramble on now.

Any other EA horror stories? Lol.

 

LOL, touch Ian's beer and he will smack you

 

Lol.....you know I wont. You are mixing me up with Dave Pritchard, bless him lol.

 

ohh dear, anyone know this fella?

looks like some people have already been warning him!, i noticed that car has a surrey RSOC sticker, someone should warn him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8zaWd4UD8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEr2J...eature=channel

 

im supposed to be looking at a 400+ bhp focus rs that these fuckers have worked on tomorrow..........
supposed to be huge spec engine,gt30,pectel,420 bhp.....now im not so sure i want to.....may have to be a visit to msd towers if i do get it for a check up.

 

Sounds like thats "Nimmy's" old Focus as it was the only FRS EA bolted a GT30 onto

Expired at a number of mag thrash days & went home on a flat bed but he persisted & kept giving EA more ŁŁŁŁ to rebuild it everytime it went pop Apparantly built with "bulletproof" focus WRC parts though

Its been rebuilt more times than a whore drops her knickers

 

Dear fucking Lord. When will these people learn.

Benni.

 

If that is a true 420bhp then my bum's a geranium!

If you buy that....proceed at driving test speed to somewhere of decent reputation for thorough examination.

 

When EA have have taken all of their money!!

(fortunately they wont be taking any more but I'm sure there are a few more ticking timebombs waiting to go off!!. Wait for the bang. WAAAAAAAP, change gear...WAAAAAAAAP.........BOOM!!!!! TINKLE !!!!!!!)

 

Sounds all too familiar!!

Mine was also built with bulletproof WRC components. When the rods snapped and tried to escape from the engine bay, upon examination they were in fact found to be quite brittle and quite shite!! And not WRC rods at all!!

 

yes it did belong to someone called nim so its defo the same car........one to avoid then?

 

One to avoid i would say unless you are going to take it somewhere that knows what they are doing Jay

 

Only if you are scared of imminent major engine failure, constant running problems and related issues and a continuous drain on your wallet!

Only purchase if you want to have it and undo everything EA has done to the car!! In fact, fuck it.....ring the guy and say "Hello mate, Im interested in the car....I see it's been worked on by Engine Advantages....so will you take 5 grand off the asking price cos Im gonna need it".

After my own "experiences" I changed his mobile number name title on my mobile phone from Paul Hills to "More Bills". Its still on there as that to this day!! Oh and of course his landline was Engine DisAdvantages!! There was no further room for tosser and greedy fuckwits in the characters allowed!

 

Ian,

you are obviously and understandably still wound up about this. You really should do something about it on a more personal level

 

Lol.....when I started to read your thread I thought you were going to say......"You really should get counselling!!".

Well, I am still toying with the option of a private county court judgement! He never gave me the parts he said that he would that I could sell to raise some funds. Plus, I never ever had a receipt for the massive amount of money I gave him. It was kind of outside the formal purchase method and it was all cash! Massive amounts of it!! He could actually deny ever knowing me lol!

Not only did he over charge me (bit late to moan about that) but the workmanship was seriously questionable!!

But I understand EA was a limited company and that they are now closed so what can I do??

 

ive just sent the seller of the focus a text to tell him im not interested.

even if it is running ok(ish) i just cant take the chance if it isnt built as it is supposed to be with "wrc" components etc.........

quite fancied the idea of getting into a focus rs again too.....

 

I know it sounds harsh but I am convinced you have done the right thing!!

EA's wrc rods in my car were Saenz items from France, sourced through Jacquemin Tuning via a middle man near to him!! When you pinged them with your fingernail they sounded almost like they were made of china!! Im sure he would get the focus ones from the same source. Probably because he got a good deal!! But I can assure you if you took the parts out of this focus rs and compared them to genuine wrc stuff they would not be of the same quality!! The rods harvey put in my car looked, felt and sounded much stronger!! Oh...and were cheaper!! Work that out!!

If the car is still for same in a few months, maybe go and take a punt and knock him down, but I'd want that engine out of there for examination in the first instance!!

 

Just to let you know, Nim took the car to be mapped by Tommy Field (after years of me nagging him NOT to go back to Paul!) and once he got it back he had never been happier with it! Drove better, used less fuel, was faster and ran less boost. The fact it didnt blow up ever week was a plus also....

He used it hard and it never skipped a beat. Only sold it due to kids needing lots of money to run

Nims a very good friend of mine, was horrible seeing him ripped off by EA.

But like I say, once it came back from FM it was transformed, solid, fast and reliable.

 

ok i am another engine advantages casualty after being 'ripped' by them. I stuck up for them but after reading allthis its all clicked!!! theyve blatanly nicked my injectorsd and rail fucked up my down pipe and turbo and charged me 2500 for top end rebuild.

i run a business aswell and we do not skank people!!!

ANYWAYS....WHERE DO I GO NOW?? NOW IM SUFFERING MORE PROBLEMS WHO WOULD YOU RECCOMEND I GO TO WITH A MODIFIED ZETEC TURBO IN LONDON THAT ISNT GONNA NICK PARTS OFF MY RIDE???? PLEASE HELP AS I THINK THEYVE BODDGED UP MY ACTUATOR INSTALL AND IS NOW OVERBOOSTING.....BOLLOCKS TO YOU PAUL AND MOST OF ALL LEON...

I REALISE WHY NOW IT TOOKE THEM 3 DAYS TO CHECK IF I HAD A DRIVESHAFT PROBLEM CAUSE THEY PROBABLY STRIPPING IT....

 

 

oh dear, my mate was there only the other week to have his 3door
tuned. i best tell him to take a look at this thread.

his already worried as some one on youtube has got him spooked
about EA not being very good.

 

thats my mate, just got off the phone to him.
his half way through ian's letter on p3, his not to happy
judging by the tone of his voise.

 

I went there some years ago with my escort cosworth,was getting anti-lag fitted,live map, timing belt. After spending 5 days in a b+b the car was ready, the car went in running perfect on greys/turbosystems chip. firstly the group a fuel pump failed(which i kept and got tested later, working perfect), replaced 3 sensors, was 373bhp/361lb/ft now 320bhp/265lb/ft. He then told me loom was gone and ecu on its way out,tried to flog me a t6 and loom,so i left Ł875 out of pocket+ diggs and a car running rough as hell. The next day ripped off everything he'd touched and went back to my previous set up and it ran great, roling road the next week 379bhp/369lbft. so yes im glad he's gone out of business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Power Engineering or SCC in St Albans. Both top companies, and easily reachable from London.

 

thats me going to have to pay out again now to have it sorted before it all goes tits up, am gutted i must of been one of the last customers as it was only set up at the end of january, EA was recomended to me , if only i knew about this sooner, anyway thanks to the fella who contacted me on you tube and everyone on passion ford i might be one of the lucky ones. i was thinking of using TOTD or power enginearing to look at it as there local ish to me as i have used them before , will they be able to remap? anyone know?
cheers garry

 

wouldnt go totd by some comments ive seen on here myself.but never had any experience. matt at power engineering is spot on,but other wise i will stick to reyland and harvey at scs.