My Experience with Gintani

Monster335is · 11-16-2011, 02:18 PM

Two years ago I was introduced to Alex and Arno, the owners of Gintani. At the time my car was running a JB3 2.0. After hanging out at the shop we started discussing the possibility of testing out their twin turbo setup for the N54 on my car. After some consideration I decided against it. Instead I proposed they create a complete turboback for 135i since their exhausts were really popular at the time and I was looking for a set of downpipes. We went back and forth for a week and I dropped my car off to have the exhaust fabricated and installed.

During this time I stopped by Gintani to check on the car’s progress. Upon arriving at Gintani I saw the engine bay was completely taken apart with wires hanging out everywhere. At that time I didn’t think anything was wrong so I left without asking any questions. I trusted Gintani, my first mistake. A few days later I came back to the shop to pick up the car. Upon arriving Arno informed me that they had removed my JB3 and installed their own custom flash on the car. He told me that they wanted me to test out the new flash to help them develop it for the N54 market by giving them my feedback.

Arno assured me that flash was completely safe. Again because I trusted Gintani I agreed to keep the flash on the car. After driving the car home I started immediately noticing problems. At full throttle the car would go into limp mode. So I called Alex and headed back down to Gintani to have Jeremy take a look at the car. During a test drive with Alex the car went into limp mode again. We went back to the shop and Jeremy reflashed the car assuring me that the problem had been fixed.

Upon pulling out of the Gintani’s driveway my passenger’s side fender completely buckled. This was a brand new car. The passenger side fender had not sustained any damage before this incident. After taking the car to a local body shop, the owner informed me that the fender had been hit and was straightened out to appear as if no damage had ever occurred. I paid $600 out of pocket to have the fender fixed. I never brought up the issue with Alex or Arno even though my car was in their possession, my second mistake.

After getting the car back from the body shop I continued testing their new flash. During this time the car went into limp mode several more times. Again Jeremy reflashed the car assuring me that the problem was fixed. Two weeks later my fuel pump gave out. So I went to Gintani to have flash removed so that I could take the car to the dealer. I also asked if they could remove the turboback so that I wouldn’t face any warranty issues. They grudgingly agreed.

Once my fuel pump was replaced I never went back to have the flash re-installed. Over the past year the car has been stock with the exception of the Gintani turboback. Several weeks ago my car started experiencing serious issues. The car would shut off and not turn back on. I thought that I experienced another fuel pump failure. So I had the car towed to a dealer where my friend works to have him take a look at it.

Two days later I received a call asking me if I had ever touched the DME. I informed him that I had not. He asked if anyone else might have touched the DME. I said the only time that the car was out of my control was when it was at Gintani. He informed me that my DME was throwing multiple error codes and that all the wiring had been taken out and was not properly reinstalled and/or was completely damaged. He attempted to fix the car, but informed me that the car might experience more problems in the future and may require a new DME due to all the damage it had sustained. Over the past several weeks the car has been in and out of the dealer due to the same problem. I’ve spent over $1,000.00 trying to get the car fixed.

Now you might be asking yourself how this is related to Gintani. Simple, Alex wanted to create a new tune for the N54 turbo kit he was looking to develop. He had another car lined up, a 335, to test out the kit besides mine. Jeremy needed a base file for the tune so they broke into my DME without my knowledge or consent and in the process severely damaged it. I never agreed to be a guinea pig. I trusted these guys because I thought they were professional and competent, that was my third mistake. At no time did they step forward and acknowledge damaging my fender or my DME.

Like many of you I used to believe Alex and Arno were good guys and that they could be trusted. I promoted their business every chance I got and defended their reputation whenever someone attacked them. Now, I truly regret that. I wrote this with no agenda. I’m sure after reading this Gintani and their fan boys will attempt to discredit me in any way they can. That’s fine. I’ve accepted that. I just wanted the community to see what I’ve gone through in dealing with Gintani. Hopefully no one else has to experience what I’ve experienced.

cooler2442 · 11-16-2011, 02:27 PM

You dropped off the car without having them sign a contract or you signing anything?

Whenever I drop off my car for development purposes I make the vendor sign a contract if they don't already have one drawn up. That is how you protect yourself from any problems arising in the future.

Monster335is · 11-16-2011, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooler2442

You dropped off the car without having them sign a contract or you signing anything?

Whenever I drop off my car for development purposes I make the vendor sign a contract if they don't already have one drawn up. That is how you protect yourself from any problems arising in the future.

In retrospect I have should have been more cautious, but I didn't think that by agreeing to test out a turboback my car would turn into science project. The tune was never discussed beforehand. I was only informed of the tune after it had been installed. They informed me the tune was safe. I took their word, again my mistake in trusting them.

Blessed1 · 11-16-2011, 02:37 PM

Contract or not .. Sorry to hear that they as professionals put you through so much. They'll never touch my car. I hope that you are able to get all matters sorted out.

infinitekidM2C · 11-16-2011, 02:38 PM

Totally unacceptable and unprofessional....they basically treated his car like Frankenstein.

miro2296 · 11-16-2011, 02:39 PM

So they are good with exhausts and suck at tuning! Thank you for the heads up!

Monster335is · 11-16-2011, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blessed1

Contract or not .. Sorry to hear that they as professionals put you through so much. They'll never touch my car. I hope that you are able to get all matters sorted out.

Thank bro. Appreciate that. Slowly but surely the car is getting sorted out.

RobM23 · 11-16-2011, 02:42 PM

not nice man.

nkadisha · 11-16-2011, 02:50 PM

That's a terrible experience, hope the car gets sorted out and you can get it back to 100% soon.

Best of luck

Black Sheep · 11-16-2011, 02:50 PM

That's some bullshit...

mkPOTO · 11-16-2011, 02:52 PM

man that sucks, lets hope that gintani sees this and can clear the air

Monster335is · 11-16-2011, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

man that sucks, lets hope that gintani sees this and can clear the air

What's there to sort out? They're gonna deny everything. Not like they're going to come forward and say hey it's true we messed this guy's car up, sorry about that.

HondaGoneRogue · 11-16-2011, 03:08 PM

Sorry to hear bout that man.

mkPOTO · 11-16-2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monster135

What's there to sort out? They're gonna deny everything. Not like they're going to come forward and say hey it's true we messed this guy's car up, sorry about that.

im not saying what you said is 100 percent legit or not, yes what happened to you sucks, just want to see what they say in regards to this situation.

BMW86 · 11-16-2011, 04:35 PM

Sorry to hear mate. Gintani sound very unprofessional and unethical. Not cool!

BSM 135i · 11-16-2011, 05:24 PM

WOW just wow....

Monster335is · 11-16-2011, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

im not saying what you said is 100 percent legit or not, yes what happened to you sucks, just want to see what they say in regards to this situation.

I told you I have no ulterior motives. The reason I posted this is for everyone to see what happened and to judge for themselves. I have nothing to hide. I disassociated myself from Gintani after the whole tune debacle. After having suffered all that aggravation over this past month, I couldn't let this slide. I don't want this to happen to anyone else.

Like you I would love to hear their explanation. Especially regarding why they needed to pull all my wiring out or how my brand new fender buckled. Still waiting for their explanation...

BPMSport · 11-16-2011, 08:40 PM

Sounds like a disaster. If they had no permission to flash your ECU, they should have never touched it.

And you made a mistake by allowing them to reflash it after you got it back from the dealer.

I don't understand why everything was ripped apart on an N54 car which would have the MSD80 or MSD81 - currently flash programmable through OBDII for awhile now.

Ever since I heard about the Gintani Ferrari story, I've known to stay far far away

I don't want to be involved, but I suggest taking a look at these threads:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=506528

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e90...r-gintani.html (particularly page 2 and up)

Good luck with getting everything resolved

Mike Benvo
(Formerly Mike@Powerchip)

Monster335is · 11-16-2011, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

Sounds like a disaster. If they had no permission to flash your ECU, they should have never touched it.

And you made a mistake by allowing them to reflash it after you got it back from the dealer.

I don't understand why everything was ripped apart on an N54 car which would have the MSD80 or MSD81 - currently flash programmable through OBDII for awhile now.

Ever since I heard about the Gintani Ferrari story, I've known to stay far far away

I don't want to be involved, but I suggest taking a look at these threads:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=506528

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e90...r-gintani.html (particularly page 2 and up)

Good luck with getting everything resolved

Mike Benvo
(Formerly Mike@Powerchip)

Mike I never allowed them to reflash the car once the fuel pump was replaced. A few months ago Alex asked me to bring the car in to test out their new tune and I refused. I cut my ties with them a long time ago and walked away. I was never going back to them under any circumstance.

BPMSport · 11-16-2011, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monster135

Mike I never allowed them to reflash the car once the fuel pump was replaced. A few months ago Alex asked me to bring the car in to test out their new tune and I refused. I cut my ties with them a long time ago and walked away. I was never going back to them under any circumstance.

Sorry about that, I was reading too fast.

I thought you brought it back to them after the fuel pump was fixed, but you clearly said that you didn't.

Is everything resolved now with your ECU? If not, I'm happy to help - free of charge. It's quite likely that your ECU still has some changes from the programming that was performed, even if he put it back to stock (unless he was using dealer tools, which I doubt). Hopefully the dealer reflashed your car to remove any traces of that mess.

Monster335is · 11-16-2011, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

Sorry about that, I was reading too fast.

I thought you brought it back to them after the fuel pump was fixed, but you clearly said that you didn't.

Is everything resolved now with your ECU? If not, I'm happy to help - free of charge. It's quite likely that your ECU still has some changes from the programming that was performed, even if he put it back to stock (unless he was using dealer tools, which I doubt). Hopefully the dealer reflashed your car to remove any traces of that mess.

Thank you Mike I really appreciate it. My tech reflashed the car and repaired all the connections. So far it's running smoothly (knock on wood). But if anything comes up I will definitely hit you up. Thanks bro.

m33 · 11-17-2011, 08:30 AM

i feel bad for you and i don't ....... all that time you defended these guys you had no positive ground in doing so , cause obviously you would have never put yourself in this situation.....
is this how you Vote too

11-16-2011, 02:18 PM	#1
Monster335is Waking up from hybernation 10 Rep 102 Posts Drives: 2012 335is Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Monica iTrader: (0)	My Experience with Gintani Two years ago I was introduced to Alex and Arno, the owners of Gintani. At the time my car was running a JB3 2.0. After hanging out at the shop we started discussing the possibility of testing out their twin turbo setup for the N54 on my car. After some consideration I decided against it. Instead I proposed they create a complete turboback for 135i since their exhausts were really popular at the time and I was looking for a set of downpipes. We went back and forth for a week and I dropped my car off to have the exhaust fabricated and installed. During this time I stopped by Gintani to check on the car’s progress. Upon arriving at Gintani I saw the engine bay was completely taken apart with wires hanging out everywhere. At that time I didn’t think anything was wrong so I left without asking any questions. I trusted Gintani, my first mistake. A few days later I came back to the shop to pick up the car. Upon arriving Arno informed me that they had removed my JB3 and installed their own custom flash on the car. He told me that they wanted me to test out the new flash to help them develop it for the N54 market by giving them my feedback. Arno assured me that flash was completely safe. Again because I trusted Gintani I agreed to keep the flash on the car. After driving the car home I started immediately noticing problems. At full throttle the car would go into limp mode. So I called Alex and headed back down to Gintani to have Jeremy take a look at the car. During a test drive with Alex the car went into limp mode again. We went back to the shop and Jeremy reflashed the car assuring me that the problem had been fixed. Upon pulling out of the Gintani’s driveway my passenger’s side fender completely buckled. This was a brand new car. The passenger side fender had not sustained any damage before this incident. After taking the car to a local body shop, the owner informed me that the fender had been hit and was straightened out to appear as if no damage had ever occurred. I paid $600 out of pocket to have the fender fixed. I never brought up the issue with Alex or Arno even though my car was in their possession, my second mistake. After getting the car back from the body shop I continued testing their new flash. During this time the car went into limp mode several more times. Again Jeremy reflashed the car assuring me that the problem was fixed. Two weeks later my fuel pump gave out. So I went to Gintani to have flash removed so that I could take the car to the dealer. I also asked if they could remove the turboback so that I wouldn’t face any warranty issues. They grudgingly agreed. Once my fuel pump was replaced I never went back to have the flash re-installed. Over the past year the car has been stock with the exception of the Gintani turboback. Several weeks ago my car started experiencing serious issues. The car would shut off and not turn back on. I thought that I experienced another fuel pump failure. So I had the car towed to a dealer where my friend works to have him take a look at it. Two days later I received a call asking me if I had ever touched the DME. I informed him that I had not. He asked if anyone else might have touched the DME. I said the only time that the car was out of my control was when it was at Gintani. He informed me that my DME was throwing multiple error codes and that all the wiring had been taken out and was not properly reinstalled and/or was completely damaged. He attempted to fix the car, but informed me that the car might experience more problems in the future and may require a new DME due to all the damage it had sustained. Over the past several weeks the car has been in and out of the dealer due to the same problem. I’ve spent over $1,000.00 trying to get the car fixed. Now you might be asking yourself how this is related to Gintani. Simple, Alex wanted to create a new tune for the N54 turbo kit he was looking to develop. He had another car lined up, a 335, to test out the kit besides mine. Jeremy needed a base file for the tune so they broke into my DME without my knowledge or consent and in the process severely damaged it. I never agreed to be a guinea pig. I trusted these guys because I thought they were professional and competent, that was my third mistake. At no time did they step forward and acknowledge damaging my fender or my DME. Like many of you I used to believe Alex and Arno were good guys and that they could be trusted. I promoted their business every chance I got and defended their reputation whenever someone attacked them. Now, I truly regret that. I wrote this with no agenda. I’m sure after reading this Gintani and their fan boys will attempt to discredit me in any way they can. That’s fine. I’ve accepted that. I just wanted the community to see what I’ve gone through in dealing with Gintani. Hopefully no one else has to experience what I’ve experienced. __________________ I hate you, you, and especially you and hope that all the bad things in life happen to you and only you!
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11-16-2011, 02:27 PM	#2
cooler2442 Brigadier General 477 Rep 4,154 Posts Drives: 1/18 Monte Carlo Blue E92 M3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (6) Garage List 2016 Porsche GT4 [0.00]	You dropped off the car without having them sign a contract or you signing anything? Whenever I drop off my car for development purposes I make the vendor sign a contract if they don't already have one drawn up. That is how you protect yourself from any problems arising in the future.
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11-16-2011, 02:37 PM	#4
Blessed1 New Member 0 Rep 25 Posts Drives: E92 M///,N55 DCT Join Date: May 2011 Location: Beast Coast iTrader: (0)	Contract or not .. Sorry to hear that they as professionals put you through so much. They'll never touch my car. I hope that you are able to get all matters sorted out.
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11-16-2011, 02:38 PM	#5
infinitekidM2C Major General 4206 Rep 5,728 Posts Drives: 2019 M2 Competition Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Orange County, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2019 M2 COMPETITION [9.50] 2008 135i (my old car) [7.39]	Totally unacceptable and unprofessional....they basically treated his car like Frankenstein.
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11-16-2011, 02:39 PM	#6
miro2296 Colonel 57 Rep 2,251 Posts Drives: '08 Montego Blue BMW 135i Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Round Rock, TX iTrader: (1)	So they are good with exhausts and suck at tuning! Thank you for the heads up! __________________ ------------------------------------- BMW 135i/6 Speed/Montego Blue/Formula One Ceramic Tint/JB4 G4/AA Sport Intercooler/19 inch Iconz 880Z(19X8.5 & 19X10)/PSS 225/35 & 265/30/E93 M3 front sway bar/TRW front and rear Control Arms/BMS Drop In Filter/Dinan Exhaust/BlackLines/Upgraded \\\M RSFB
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11-16-2011, 02:42 PM	#8
RobM23 Second Lieutenant 18 Rep 247 Posts Drives: E82 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Miami Lakes, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 BMW 135i [7.80] 2011 BMW 328i [0.00]	not nice man. __________________ 08' SGM/CR E82 N54 Active Autowerke/BMW Performance
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11-16-2011, 02:50 PM	#9
nkadisha Lieutenant 44 Rep 526 Posts Drives: N54 335 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (3)	That's a terrible experience, hope the car gets sorted out and you can get it back to 100% soon. Best of luck __________________
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11-16-2011, 02:50 PM	#10
Black Sheep A Zip an a Double Cup 80 Rep 4,462 Posts Drives: 2009 BMW 135i Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: McHenry, IL iTrader: (5)	That's some bullshit... __________________ PTF Tuned \| RB's \| AMS FMIC \| AR DP's \| HPF Exhaust \| CP-E DCI \| Apex Arc 8's \| 235/275 Star Specs \|
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11-16-2011, 02:52 PM	#11
mkPOTO Mr. Nice Says Hello 635 Rep 16,662 Posts Drives: BMW M3 \| X5 xdrive 35i MSport Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: USA iTrader: (25) Garage List 2002 Lexus GS300 [0.00] 2008 BMW E92 M3 [5.58]	man that sucks, lets hope that gintani sees this and can clear the air
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11-16-2011, 03:08 PM	#13
HondaGoneRogue They like my Swag... 433 Rep 3,762 Posts Drives: 15 GSM 435i GC Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: South Dakota iTrader: (4) Garage List 2015 435i Gran Coupe [0.00]	Sorry to hear bout that man. __________________ 2015 435i Gran Coupe - Current 2008 AW 135i - Sold
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11-16-2011, 04:35 PM	#15
BMW86 Major General 398 Rep 9,156 Posts Drives: RS3 Sedan / Macan S Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Australia iTrader: (0)	Sorry to hear mate. Gintani sound very unprofessional and unethical. Not cool!
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11-16-2011, 05:24 PM	#16
BSM 135i Colonel 206 Rep 2,229 Posts Drives: 08' BSM E82 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cali iTrader: (23)	WOW just wow....
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11-16-2011, 08:40 PM	#18
BPMSport 3387 Rep 7,541 Posts Drives: Harrop M3 / F10 M5 / F82 M4 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SoCal iTrader: (9) Garage List 2000 BMW M5 [0.00] 1990 BMW 735i Turbo [0.00] 2008 BMW M3 [7.50] 2015 BMW M3 [0.00] 2015 BMW M5 [0.00]	Sounds like a disaster. If they had no permission to flash your ECU, they should have never touched it. And you made a mistake by allowing them to reflash it after you got it back from the dealer. I don't understand why everything was ripped apart on an N54 car which would have the MSD80 or MSD81 - currently flash programmable through OBDII for awhile now. Ever since I heard about the Gintani Ferrari story, I've known to stay far far away I don't want to be involved, but I suggest taking a look at these threads: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=506528 http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e90...r-gintani.html (particularly page 2 and up) Good luck with getting everything resolved Mike Benvo (Formerly Mike@Powerchip) __________________ -----\| Like us on Facebook \| Instagram \|\| Tuning Information \| Remote Coding \|----- ----Visit us at www.BPMSport.com - Emotion. Driven. \| Toll Free: (888) 557-5133---- Last edited by BPMSport; 11-16-2011 at 08:54 PM..
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11-17-2011, 08:30 AM	#22
m33 Banned 114 Rep 2,682 Posts Drives: E92 VT650 MCB Individual Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: CT iTrader: (5)	i feel bad for you and i don't ....... all that time you defended these guys you had no positive ground in doing so , cause obviously you would have never put yourself in this situation..... is this how you Vote too
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