I lost contact with Jan (Revolution Mini Works) for two weeks both email and phone. He has my car (freighted to his shop) and my payment to install a new 1.7L stroker engine, supercharger, header, Link+ ECU.

Does anyone know where he is, and any method to reach him? I'm worried, first about him, then about my car & payment. Hope things will turn out fine.

 

I've been trying to get in contact with Jan for the last 1.5 years- I fully paid him for a built 1.8L motor and TVS kit 4 years ago (I have all the wire transfer transaction information from my bank). The motor took 6 months to receive and was flawless - runs like a champ. The TVS kit was in development and then he sent a partial kit with no instructions to Helix in Philly. It was sent back and I was sent many texts and FB messages about progress and delivery times. Last year Jan stopped responding, I know he's typically busy but now it's been too long. I want either the standard Harrop / Eaton TVS kit and refund the difference or a full refund for the TVS kit. I've posted for him to contact me on his FB page, and left multiple messages on voicemail this week. Feel free to DM me.

 

My case is a bit different but thanks for letting me know.

I was able to reach Jan today and it seemed that the previous phone number for messaging became incorrect somehow. I’m glad that everything seems to be fine.

Thanks all!

 

Glad to hear you got through. I just want to speak with him to work my situation out one way or the other.

 

Same problem had some bad repair work done by Jan on 03 mini R53. Nice guy and everything but getting the work complete on my mini will possibly never happen, and I paid in full. I actually had to report him to https://www.bar.ca.gov/ bureau of automotive repair and I live in orange county. The work was done may of this year, and I also found out that he was a unlicensed repair shop,

 

Wow...that's nuts. I think after that long I'd seriously start thinking about getting a lawyer to write a nice "give me my money back or it's court time" letter to him.

4 years???

 

Jan doest gives two craps if you sue him. He doesn't give two craps after he has your money. Jan does nothing himself at all. He doesn't turn wrenches and I have been told by former employees and his own friends he cant wrench for crap. He doesn't design things either. He tells others what he is wanting and they do it all. He has no actual skills other than taking money and farming out really bad tunes and trash talking. Just hard facts from others around him. So when people think he is designing on CAD or operating machinery or rebuilding engines he doesn't do any of this. The last few guys he has had building his engines are really bad too. Jan also knows nothing on this front. This was made apparent when he attempted to try to talk to me about building engines. When pressed about specs or measurements he has no idea. HEll, he once told me it doesn't matter what the side wall clearance is just have the shop bore it to 77.5 and they don't need to know side wall clearance. No shop worth a **** is gonna do that without a piston in hand to measure themselves. ITS BUILT INTO THE PISTON HE REPLIED lol. Well yes and no but again just proved he has no actual idea about building or machining. No builder is gonna assemble without checking stuff too. Asked about crank work before, run out and specing journals was also way over his head. Looking at his actual tunes also iffy at best. Most of the stuff he does on the Link tunes is legit band-aides to get around his shortcomings. VE using table axis variables to compensate for other issues he cant resolve etc. It's not creative it's just amateur hour. But the legions will defend him and unless your one of those few in that group no matter the money you spend with him you will always get crap service. All pretty common knowledge with those who have spent large amounts of cash with him like me. The parts RMW sells are the best out there. No doubt there. His skills and CS are the worst out there. You can spend 10k with him and still if your not in that group your screwed.

Jan has been sued so many times its not even funny. Long stories and lots of paperwork later I am done with him for sure. HE will attempt to say things like you don't want to go there I have all the emails lol. Maybe for some, this is a scary thing because they were dumb, etc. But in my case, I was always legit with the guy polite paid on time and there is no damning emails.....but others.......Watch what you say he will throw anything you give him back at you in an attempt to skirt his responsibilities. He will also lie about the stock and sell the same piece to multiple people when he only has one....he once told me if it was good enough for Carol Shelby to do why not me. I took both the stage one head I have from him and stage two to school and had it light mapped geometrically purely so I will never need to buy a head from him again.

Also when he tells you he is swamped has 16 cars in the shop etc......That has nothing to do with him as again...see above. HE just uses that as a means to avoid people. Plenty of people out here who will tell you the same. Not thumper people or 1320 people but people who dont post on forums or in groups. People who have spent serious cash. Not people that struggle to scrap money together to get a head. One and done etc. Legit people who spend serious cash.


To recap good products. Best you can legit get for your r53. TERRIBLE CS. TERRIBLE ACTUAL HARD KNOWLEDGE. Uses crap talking and childish games to cover that fact up. Basically, a loud mouth because he cant talk the talk or implement the talk.

 

I have no first hand experience at all.........but after being around MINI's for years, and being on this site and others for almost 10 years.....I always thought Jan was "THE" tuner when it came to R53 minis. If you search google for R53 Mini tuning, I guarantee you will find his name mentioned more than anyone elses, and from everything I've seen....(until now), people have nothing but great things to say about him and his tuning ability. Does he also have his own line of camshafts, and big valve heads?

What changed? How has he made such a great name for himself as far as being the authority when it comes to R53 Mini tuning?

Just wondering......

 

I think the stuff he does on the stock DME is ok. Dimpsort winols etc. But when you actually see his files on like the LINK you can start to see things falling apart. Does it work sure it does but it also is crude and you can see that. I have shown several of his link tunes to legit College level professors who teach this stuff who have worked for major manufactures scoff at his stuff. The reply is usually from the RMW camp this is a Mini its not the same. I am not referring to basic petrol type tunes. Talking head, cam, methanol, e85, tvs900 etc. The bottom line while it may work and others will say their fanboy stuff, it's been laughed at by anyone outside of the Mini RMW fanboy club I have shown it to. Now that people like Adrian are doing it for basically nothing more and more is coming out. Jan does have amazing products but there is lots of misinformation out there about it. Once you cut threw the noise the childlike behaviour and fanbois and talk to people you see the truth. Jans camshafts are Newman's camshafts. Who came up with those specs to give Newman? Who knows. I am sure Jan would like you to believe he did but knowing what everyone has told me I don't think it was. Likely someone he worked with. Again He is all bark and noise and again does sell a quality product but how much of that product has come from his prefrontal Coretex? from what I've been told not much. Also, remember my own experiences. The engine building stuff was the final thing I needed to not ask for technical information again. I used my own knowledge from years of building and went to the source to get info. In regards to the Mahle pistons that is. Alejandro created those. Again years of what you see from customers should dictate what you believe over those that swing from his nuts and the man himself. All it takes is digging around and in especially the court system. There is a reason why nobody works with him anymore and its not that he makes super awesome products and everyone else sucks.

Also one needs to know how bad the stock tune really is and how little is needed to clean it up and give people what they want. So many people are impressed purely with fly by wire adjustments fooling them. I am no expert in that field. I just know what I have seen in my experience and dealings with him. A level that was more expansive than most. You can see it in my sig. What others who have told me either from being in my spot or who have worked with and for him. Sure you weed out the statistical bull crap from petty revenger type stuff but when many people say the same thing............ I just popped in here out of pure random luck. It doesn't take much work to research what has happened since the car re-launched and today. Lots of drama lots of BS and name-calling etc. Banning name-calling and again did you know? Name-calling etc. SO again bottom line does RMW sell cool awesome stuff? YES! again best you can get. Is the CS at RMW good? Maybe at first but after the sale...well all it takes is again research. There is a small group of inner circle people who always get top-notch service. Hell at one point I thought I was in that range but sadly I fell victim to lots of the issues others have over the years. Fully prepared to have sh$t thrown at me after this post. I don't care though I come to so few mini-related things anymore I could care less what people on the internet say.

For example, I built an e85 setup for my car that mirrored his exactly. When I posted about it on some FB groups all the fanboys came out and trashed the setup the parts and anything involved with it. The irony is they didn't know it was the same parts and setup RMW sells. So all they did was trash RMW without knowing it. Just goes to show the level of ignornance.

 

Just playing devils advocate here (like I said, I have no dog in this fight)…….

….but when I read through your posts, it sounds like your main complaints are with his “fanboys” and the fact that some college professor doesn’t like the way he writes code. It also sounds like you assume a lot of things. You assume that all his designs and ideas come from other people, ok…is that fact? You don’t think he came up with his own cam specs, ok….is that fact? Just because you “heard” someone say this or that, doesn’t mean it’s actually true.

Like you said……..his tunning “works”. What more do you want? You said his parts are the best out there…..what more do you want? From all of the dyno shootouts I’ve seen with him tuning R53’s….he must know his stuff, because he can tune the stock DME to make more power than anyone else.

All that being said….I will agree with you on the legal stuff. If he really does have tons of lawsuits against him, people refuse to work with him anymore, and he has customers cars sitting in his shop for year(s) waiting on parts/service……that’s shady and not acceptable.

I know Jan is on here every now and then….maybe he will chime in. It’s not right to beat up on someone without them being able to defend themselves. But it sure sounds like there are some unhappy people that are waiting on him for parts/service/repair/etc, etc…..

Like I said…I have no dog in this fight.

 

I’ve talked with him a few times, have the tvs900 and link ECU in route. He doesn’t alsways respond promptly, but he response to my messages.

 

Did the guy just go rogue and turn into a hermit or something? He's still got his shop right? Has anyone tried to pick up the phone and call him?

 

ive tried to call him dozens of times in the last 4-6 months. He has my car, and I paid $20K+ for various parts. He’s not responding by phone, message, or email.

I called a paint shop near him two weeks ago, and the guy said he saw Jan.

What’s the next step? What is this? Did he sell my car??

 

what does your mini look like, I’ve been to his shop recently. I had E85 kit and Link ECU installed. He’s also having a 1.8 stroker built for mine.

 

This is your next step, i'd stop messing around and send the hounds of hell after em.

https://www.dca.ca.gov/webapps/bar/complaints.php

 

When did you go to his shop? Mine is dark grey mini with a red roof and GP kit.

 

Thank you, I want to try reach him a few more times and see what to do. I really want to trust him, as someone well known by the community for many many years.

 

You're more forgiving than me. I also could not find a BAR license for his name or doing business as Revolution Mini Works. Maybe Jan can chime in as to why that is. It's a requirement to have an automotive repair license in the state on top of your standard business license. https://search.dca.ca.gov

I'd be filing a complaint ASAP and buying a plane ticket to pay a visit.

 

I don't know why people keep doing business with him. It looks like a total craps shoot. Some people can't speak enough of how good he is at what he does while others have nightmare stories of him never getting back to or ghosting them. So, so flaky. Don't know about you guys, but I work too hard for my $ to just take a chance that Jan miiiiight give me good and prompt service.

 

If it was me, I would be calling the police and getting them involved.....at this point, it sounds like you could file charges for stolen property. If anything else, at least they could contact him and see what's going on.

 

The police are going to say it's a civil matter since he willfully shipped his car to him. The OP needs to file a complaint in the link i've given, they have the power to make his life miserable and get it sorted out.

The bureau of automotive repair in CA doesn't **** around. I'm not sure why the OP would want to keep calling it's been 9 months. A lot of things could have happened in that time, car could have been parted out

 

After Month(s) go buy with no communication from the shop he sent it too....I would think it would be considered more than a "civil matter". If it was me, I would at least try to get the cops involved......at least have them write up a report so that you have things documented. And, if you end up going to court...it will only help things out.

 

20k?
plane ticket for sure.

 

I'm curious as to what $20k of R53 parts even looks like........

 

FWIW, I don't consider myself a "fanboy" and am not in his "inner circle". Our GP did have his tune, cam and V1 header which were installed prior to our purchase. I met him at a "Tune Day a few years ago where we got a "refresh". Last year, after discussing my objective with Jan via e-mail, I ordered his V2 header with GESI cat to replace the V1. It was shipped promptly and I'm extremely pleased with the fit and performance. Over the past few years, I've asked for some technical advice and he's always responded to my e-mails promptly. Maybe I'm just lucky.