From A to Zed

Thanks Chris, I have tried using those email addresses in the past and despite my read receipts coming back as confirmed I have never back. I am possibly too polite for my own good or these guys really have their heads in the sand! I will drop them a final note today threatening to chase payment via the small claims court. Oh and Dan thanks for the telephone number. I have seen that tread but the number bounces to voicemail and you can probably guess what happens… Radio silence. Nice wheels by the way :-) Matt

You're spot on Mike, however I was in a rush and foolishly trusted them. Sadly there are no contact details given on their site, just this; http://www.jperformance.co.uk/contact_us.php … which is of little use as they never respond!! At least this serves as a warning to others. Matt

Hi all, I am not one to complain, more the type of person who will take my business elsewhere and move on. However, on this occasion I have stumbled across a right bunch cowboys so I thought I should share my experience with my fellow members. The bottom line is, do not buy anything from this company; http://www.jperformance.co.uk/ Upon scraping a low kerb to make room for an emergency response vehicle Last September I was desperate for a new Y pipe to get through my MOT as it was damaged. Unfortunately there was a major shortage of Y pipes around at the time so I opted to install my original cats and buy a cheapo Y pipe as speed was of the essence. Jperformance advertised Y pipes as ‘in stock’ on their website and promised a 24 hour turnaround. Foolishly I ordered on-line using my debit card without carrying out any further due diligence on the company. The website seemed professional enough so no problem right… How naive am I? After a week, and then another week of waiting I had heard nothing and my car was now off the road as the MOT ticket had expired. When I visited the ‘contact us’ section of Jperformance’s website it become apparent that things were looking a little ‘odd’ as they did not quote a telephone number, address or even a VAT or company number. The only option available is to use their own ‘on screen messaging portal’ which apparently sends them a communication. I sent four very polite and courteous emails but never heard back from them, not a word. On each occasion their website confirmed that my message has been sent successfully. Obviously you have record of this. Before anyone asks, yes I did check my junk email folder and I have used the same hotmail address for over ten years with no such problems to date. 18 days after submitting my order I received the following email from Jperformance: > Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2010 08:46:19 +0100 > Subject: Re: Enquiry from JPerformance > From: sales@jperformance.co.uk > To: matt_XXXXXXXXX@hotmail.com > > Hi Matthew > > I have sent you an email last week from our accounts address; accounts@jp... > > as i couldnt open the last email you sent, it went to the spam box. > > did you get this email? > > yours > Zara Odd that my message sent through their web portal (not from my email) should be sent to their spam box… I followed up with another polite email and used their portal again but I never heard from them since. After five months I think it’s safe to assume that they have stolen my money. Aside from referencing their website my Google and Yahoo searches have proved fruitless in attempting to contact Jperformance. I have found similar issues reported on the Lancer forum so be warned. I am not particularly savvy (or indeed street-smart) when it comes to tracking people or firms down so I have given up. I have traded with Abbey Motorsport and Sarah at Chilli Red since and both transactions (as always) have been a pleasure. Please take note and stick with our tried, tested and trusted traders. Best regards, Matt Mods - I have not posted a 'moan' before so I apologise if this is in the wrong section or not appropriate.

Hi all, I am after a pair of new or used HFCs pleased. I replaced my test pipes with the OEM cats a few weeks back (as my MOT is due soon) but I've managed to ground the car this morning, mounting a kerb for an ambulance. The dreaded MOT expires next week. One cat is cracked and leaking - you can hear and smell this. I am not interested in test pipes, OEM cats or trying to weld the victim. Cash waiting, please do drop me a PM. Cheers, Matt

This should not be funny... But it so is! The Football Association today proudly unveiled Total, **** and UPS as the new sponsors of the England football team. "The combination of these three corporate giants perfectly captures the ethos of the England side" said an FA spokesman. "After all, they had nothing in the tank when it counted, and they’ve proved themselves to be a bunch of expensive posers who always fail to deliver." The announcement followed the news that Nationwide building society would be ending its sponsorship of the national side after the FA rejected its pre-World Cup offer of a new £20m deal. "Not so f**king cocky now, are you?" said Nationwide in a prepared statement yesterday, before respectfully suggesting that the FA "Can shove its sponsorship deal right up it’s a@se". Pundits noted that if the FA followed Nationwide’s advice, it would be the second time in a fortnight that England had been laid wide open at the back. The new shirts come in a range of bright ‘easy to spot’ colours after claims from some England players that the old kit was painted in "magic invisible ink" which made it impossible to pick out an easy and obvious pass to a team mate. The new shirts are also made of a super lightweight material, unlike the old tops which were apparently made of extra-heavy chain mail which left the Premiership stars lumbering around looking exhausted and unfit. However, one criticism has been made of the design of the new England kit with claims that the neck hole was inexplicably too small for the heads of the Premiership stars. Players say this will make it very hard to pull the shirt off during any over-exuberant goal celebrations, but a spokesman for the kit manufacturers said "We don’t envisage this being a problem"

Good to hear, Dan is never afraid to put someone right when stepping out of line! Congrats Dan, Matt.

Awesome photos, how did you get so close to the track? I missed out this year but I'll be back in '11 for sure. Thanks for sharing, Matt

It's great fun lol I got my diff shimmed to tighten it up, so both my rear wheels can lock up, when I want to have a bit of fun. You can’t have fun with a one wheeler lol So it’s either, buy a good two way diff or the cheaper option, and get your diff shimmed. Basically to shim a diff, you remove it from its casing, break it down and then add some shims, these are really just washers, it’s always trial and error, It can end up to tight, which can make every day driving very hard, as both rear wheels turn at the same speed, so it’s better to have a wee bit of give. A few points to note. 1 : shimming a diff can decrease the life of a diff. But I’ve yet to see or find out by how much, most of my friends drive R33 skylines and S14s, the ones with out 2 way diffs, shim their diffs too and have had no problems since I’ve know them. 2 : The shims will not last, I’ve had mine shimmed twice in 8 months, the tighter the diff – the quicker the shims wear. 3 : It’s very hard to get it right, it’s a case of shimming the diff and trying it out. 4 : If you have two shims that are half the width of a larger one and you put the two thinner ones in, this will not give the same tightness as using one thick one that’s the same thickness as the two thinner ones, if you know what I mean lol Here’s a wee bit of reading. http://www.driftworks.com/forum/technic ... -diff.html Thanks Martin, probably not for me but a good write up Matt

Looks like good fun Martin and nice to see this kind of behaviour in a controlled environment for a change I am sure others are thinking the same but what does getting your diff shimmed mean/involve? Cheers, Matt

If you're looking at a budget option the Falken or Toyo are both good choices. Lots of members are running them with little or no complaints. Cheers, Matt

Hi Colin, yes I had exactly the same set up as the OP. The front was glued to the road but the rear was extremely unpredictable. There was no progression at all, just a sudden and total loss of grip under no acceleration. The 350z was my first RWD car and I had read about the ‘lively rear’ so I initially put this down to my lack of my experience / the new car. Incidents such as the above made it apparent that new tyres were needed. Go a for a new set of new boots mate. A few hundred quid now is far better than ending up in an armco or a ditch. Matt.

I totally concur with Dan’s comments on a mixed axle set up. I had the same problem with my 350z when I bought it. The dealer ‘kindly’ agreed to replace the rear tyres (the front Bridgestones were fine) but they fitted a pair of Avon Z33's to rear. The car was a death trap, simple as that. The first time I drove the car out in the wet I found myself correcting a slide at less than 40mph on a closed throttle i.e. total loss of mechanical grip, not oversteer. I am talking about turn in a 40mph street not here, not throwing the car into a T-junction or a 90 degree bend. I replaced all four tyres immediately and although the Falkens are not perfect they’re leagues ahead of a mixed set up.

Hi Nurrish, Can I give you a call tomorrow morning and take first dibs from there? I would call tonight but I am rushing off to a concert after work and won't be home until late. Thanks, Matt

mine at le mans last year cheers, Matt

All I can add is go for it lads! Explain the MPG piece the wife / girlfriend and job done

Hi all, It was my turn for some uprev action this weekend! I was very impressed with the service at Abbey which is both professional and thorough; they will certainly see some repeat custom from me. To aid in comparison; VQ35. 59k on the clock. Plugs – oem NGK but less than 1,000 miles old. Fuel - Tesco 99. temp – scorcher which must have cost me a good 10bhp Intake; HKS racing suction (aka mushroom) induction kit. HKS polished intake pipe. Motordyne plenum spacer. Exhaust; Megan racing resonated test pipes. ESR Y pipe. Scorpion exhaust. The car made 258 BHP and 244 torques at the hubs on the final run. Up 16BHP and 16 ftlb pre tuning. The results on the road are all the more impressive; throttle response is much improved at low RPM (see AFRs). The mid range is nice and punchy (but now smoother) and the top end is far more eager than before. Despite Mark's concerns my economy was 6mpg better on the way home too! I’ve never floored it in first gear so I can't comment but the 100% WOT in 2nd is glorious, 3rd and 4th offer fantastic punch so I am very pleased. Please see attached graphs and fire away with any questions you might have. Matt.

James, try abbey motorsport (surrey) or Ross at Japex (Herts but v close to the M25). Both can be found in the trader's section and are tried and tested by many of the forum members. I've not seen a bad post about either Matt

My parents are walking distance mate, it's either that or their focus can take a battering and it will squeeze in!

Thanks Sarah, sounds like I will do manage to the car / bumper than the hassle is worth... Then again I was pretty mean at Tetris Redeliver to good Mum & Dad's place sounds like a plan.

Hi mate, I've already paid to have it delivered but I am out of the house between 7am and 7pm daily. Hence dithering up between choices a). accept redelivery at the cost of one days leave or . attempt to collect it from the local depot (they are open until 8pm) IF if it will fit in the Zed. Matt.

I have one to collect from a depot... Or suck it up and book a days holiday! Thanks, Matt

I spotted a very tidy GM with grey 5 spokes & polished rims today. The reg was GJ54 XXX and I also noted a stubby as you pulled into the carpark under Waitrose / The Rebook Sports Club. I only seem to spot non members but I live in hope Matt

Sold to the man in the blue shirt. PM on the way! Thanks, Matt

Hi lotuscc, Where are you roughly located? Thanks, Matthew

Thanks andlid, everyone loves a pic! Matt.