In my quest to get my pulley/intake installed (already have the parts), I've faced some seemingly pretty high prices ($350/$420) here. But before I got either of those quotes, the first place I tried to contact was Euroquipe based on their good reputation here on NAM. Unfortunately, they didn't return either of my November emails.

Today, I gave them one final chance. When I finally got in touch with them (had to call back after not getting a reply to my voice mail for a few hours), the conversation went like this:

"Hello this is Euroquipe"
"Hi - I'm looking to have a couple of mods done on my Mini"
"What are you looking to do"
"Well, I have the parts already, and just need the installation -it's an M7 DDM intake and a Webb Pulley"
[silence]
"I presume you do this kind of thing, right?"
"well, maybe during our slow time in December we would have done it... but now that we're busy we won't install user-supplied parts for the rest of the year"
[disbelievingly] "you won't install user supplied parts for the rest of the year"
"correct"
[pause] "this is January"
"correct"
"thanks - you've been very helpful"

The funny thing is - if they would have replied to either of my emails in November, I might have been able to get the job done. Their failure to respond in a timely way bit me twice.

So, if you're thinking of having Euroquipe do your mods, you'll need to buy their parts. I'm not sure how common this is. I can see how you would prefer to get the additional cost markup on your own parts, but I would think you could account for this in the price of installation rather than closing the door on the job altogether (and possibly future work).

Are they uncomfortable installing parts besides those they stock because of unfamiliarity? Perhaps... but they are an M7 shop and should know that intake pretty well, and most pulleys are pretty similar. Maybe they are so busy with high $$$$ BMW upgrades that they don't want to mess with a smallish Mini job.

Obviously that have every right to refuse service for whatever reason they see fit. I just never considered that trying to pick out the best parts for my own situation (from different manufacturers) would cause problems later on when trying to get them installed. I have very specific reasons for picking out each component, and wouldn't want to disregard all of my research to stick with a specific product line.

In case any of you are looking for someone to do modifications on your MINI, keep this in mind.

 

Sadly, I think ignorance or arrogance is far more commonplace than I had thought.

I went to some shops local to me here in Phoenix:
- one shop with a great street rep and a major MINI tuner's rep behind it said oh we're in a meeting, just talk to M***.
Turns out he's a fat-*** teen apprentice who couldn't be bothered to look up any pricing, and about passed out when I asked if he could give me a call with my wish list.
Screw you and your rep.

- one shop said oh BMW knows what they are doing, and NOT to mod the Cooper. This is from a guy running dynos on 600HP Mustangs, race team Mazdas, and a few exotics in the shop.
Gee thanks Mister... I have to leave now and do my paper route and homework before it gets too dark.

- one shop says we do it all the time. Yay! Get down there, find out they did one Cooper.
Very extensive mods: an exhaust and a pulley. Rock on brothas. I'll get back to you.

- another shop has done them, but they charge even MORE than list for MiniMania parts. Nice enough people, but I don't need my ego stroked at a "Princess" shop that caters to older men with fancy race toys and way too much money.
I don't fit that bill and I ain't paying to be Yessir'd.

- I'm waiting to hear back from another shop now. The good thing is my wife is this guy's dentist, so if he doesn't pull thru... guess who's gonna be the dental assistant? Me.
And since I sharpen all her instruments, he will definitely remember my needs.

So don't feel taken; at least not yet. There are great shops out there, and many are well-spoken for by forum members. I just wish to hell that one was here local to me too.

keep the faith!

 

wow, that sucks. the more reasons why you guys need agokart over here.

 

Exactly. I wish we could find a shop for Chad to do his mod magic. I have no leads and no facilities at my disposal...

 

Bonmot,

You might try calling and asking for the owner, assuming that you werent speaking to the owner. Sometimes the answer from the hired help and the answer from the owner is vastly different. Some shops make more from parts mark-up than they do from service. I would say the least they could have done was quote you a price, explaining it was higher than normal since they werent making any money on the parts. I dont consider that unreasonable, IF I am notified up front.

 

That's a really good idea, but I actually talked to one of the co-owners listed on their about page.http://www.euroquipe.com/about/

I wouldn't mind a markup on labor to help offset a loss in profit off of parts, but that wasn't offered.

bonmot

 

Well, it sounds as though they either are swamped with business or arent concerned about the impression they leave. Of course, not being concerned about the impression you leave is the quickest way to find yourself not swamped with business. I doubt a threat of spreading the word about poor service will do much good. And if someone demonstrates that much of a poor attitude about a potential sale then I really wouldnt want them working on my car since I think a similar lack of care would show itself in the work they did on the car.

 

I would wait for a mod party or something. I had fun having Randy Webb install my mods and I learned a lot too. And these types of gatherings attracts people who care.

 

thanks for your comments, bjerk

That would be my preference - I would love to watch one of the maestros at work and learn from them and other enthusiasts. Unfortunately, I think the last one that happened was when Randy was in town in 2006 during his farewell to pulley parties tour, right? I wish I had my MCS then so I could have taken advantage of it.

The current mod party thread seems to have stalled as nobody can offer the use of a facility for longer than a single evening.

If I knew for sure one was happening in the next month, I'd be happy to wait... otherwise, I'm going to have to figure something else out.

 

Perhaps they feel the BMW, Porsche and Benz lines are more profitable than MINI and hence their refusal to work with you. Personally, it's not a good way to potentially build a following for local MINI's who need repair.

It's a posting like yours that makes me think, that's a place I will avoid even though they're local to me. It's not like you were asking that much from them.

 

Bonmot,
Sorry for the tough times your running into with your mod installs. Maybe your prayers will be answered with AutoXCooper.com's announcement of providing new/more service. Check it out: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=126524

Also, I did decide to check my receipts, but could not find them. So I e-mailed WayMotorWorks to and requested how much the cost of parts and labor would be for the pulley and CAI. I have a feeling the prices I told you about in a previous post were a little high. So let's just wait and see.

I am excited to see what becomes of AutoXCooper's efforts.....SOON!

 

Well I had a somewhat similar experence with Euroquipe, however I ended up pleased with the results. I called them (in June) wanting to see when I could get a pulley installed. They told me that the summer is their busy time and to call back in the fall. I was a little confused but I called back in a few months and they told me to bring it in. I had already purchased a pulley from Helix because I wanted a 17% pulley. When I went into the shop they asked me what pulley I wanted and that is when I pulled out mine and they looked at me like oh why did you do that. They told me that they do not like to install customer supplied parts because if they do they cannot warrent the quality of the product. I can understand where they are comming from, if they put a part on your car that they supplied then they should be responsible for it. Long story short they installed the pulley and belt I provided and I have been very satisfied with the work. Oh side note while they were working on my car they broke my dip-stick and replaced that for free. I wouldn't let one bad experence tarnish the reputation of Euroquipe.

 

I wasn't expecting them to warranty the pulley and my car, Randy Webb provides that service. I just want someone to do a competent job and to stand behind the labor portion of their installation.

I don't want a 16% pulley [M7] in my car, so there's no way I would have taken it to them under their "busy time" rules, and there's no way I'm going to wait several months for them to clear their dance card for me. More generally, I refuse to be limited to modify using a single company's parts, be it Dinan, M7, JCW, Helix, Webb, or any of the other players. I don't buy rack stereo systems; I buy individual components which I can tailor to my individual needs.

I'm not convinced by their argument of being unable to warranty the quality of the product. Especially, when their willingness to stick to their policy seems to vary depending on how busy the shop is - either they are committed to the total quality control that they get by controlling the supply of parts, or they aren't. What does being busy or being slow have to do with it? Situational standards?

Let me present an alternate theory. What if they are committed to getting the maximum profit from each job? This would become possible if they institute the requirement that you to buy parts from them (at an above-market price). Under this system, when things become slow, they can afford to accept the lower profit margins on user supplied parts because that keeps some money flowing in. This seems much more likely to me. And I fully support their right to do this. That's capitalism.

It doesn't mean I will take my business to them after being treated this way (they've pretty much lost any chance of doing work for me in the future). And, clearly, it doesn't mean I won't tell others about my experience (who could be potential customers).

I'm going through the process of buying some winter tires to go on a set of holies. Tire dealers obviously prefer to have you buy tires from them, because it lets them charge higher prices on the parts (the tires). However, all of the tire shops I've talked to are willing to let you ship Tirerack (or other vendor) tires to their shop for installation on your car.

Do they give you the same deal on mounting/balancing as if you had purchased the tires from them? No way. But they will invariably do the work if you are willing to pay the premium for bringing your own tires. That seems entirely reasonable to me, and I'm more than happy to pay extra for the labor. That's what I expect when I go to a mechanic.

Anyway, I'm glad your mods turned out well.

 

Hey bonmot,

I don't know if you wrench on your own cars or not, but if you do I can help guide and give you a helping hand. I just did mine 2 weeks ago and it really wasn't that bad. It just took some time. It can be a mini mod party . If you don't have a garage to do it in, we can do it in mine.

 

rberga1,

Thanks for the offer. Wrenching my own car is not something I'm very good at. I'm impressed that you tackled the pulley at home. Since this car is my only ride, I am way cautious about doing things that impact driveability.

bonmot

 

you guys ever check out PerfectPower up north in Libertyville?
they use to be a vendor here...

http://www.perfectpowerinc.com/

 

Yeah, they were the second place I contacted. Sol responded quickly and was very friendly. Price for intake + pulley install (labor only) was $420. Patrick mini's price was $350 for labor.

bonmot

 

yah, ive spoken to sol over the phone. seems like a real nice guy.

$350 at the dealer sounds like a bargain. at that rate i'd just ask
for blake's help.

 

No problem...if you ever change your mind, just let me know.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=126695
$320 for labor AND parts (pulley, belt, sparkplugs). Too bad we aren't in Cali...

 

Just keep in mind that shops around here don't do pulleys everyday (which reduces time of job) and most do not sell the parts where they make up profit lost on labor rates. It's going to be hard to find a shop to beat the Patrick price for a pulley and CAI.

I'm working with one shop now and looking for others to offer MINI owners quality service at a good price for all service on our MINI's not just mods.

 

Odd. i contacted them in September for some mods. I let them know I already ordered the parts, etc. They did tell me they do not install parts that are handed over, and they must be ordered thru them (and he did mention I would pay the same price as I did on the web site i ordered from).

He did return my call several times, to keep me up to date while he was placing the order etc.

And in the end, it turned out the mods i wanted done could not be be installed on the R56 at that time (I was not aware of this obviously).

So my experience was the exact opposite.