Mech Tuning concerns

[Sticky]

I have not done any business with this vendor and really do not know anything about this vendor. In the interest of our members having information available to them before spending their hard earned dollars I am putting up a post that was brought to my attention. Better safe than sorry and all of that:

6/24 UPDATE (part two): After threatening police involvement, Andrew refunded the entire amount of the purchase of $360 via PayPal. That said, it is unfortunate that this situation should be present on these forums. I commend him for taking one step in the right direction to remedy the situation, despite him having no other option. I would recommend anyone else that has been duped by this guy to buy a fake/knockoff TiAL BOV or VRSF downpipe to reach out to username "Gon" directly, and let Tiago at VRSF know as well.

6/24 UPDATE (part one):
DO NOT do business with Andrew Benjamin Sofiakis aka: "Gon" on e90post, aka: "Mech Tuning" of 217 Hillandale Drive, Bloomingdale, IL 60108.



He is intentionally attempting to sell fraudulent/knockoff Chinese parts to unsuspecting buyers. He PM'd me regarding a WTB post with a new TiAL 50mm BOV and "Mech Tuning" charge pipe he was selling; both of which are imported Chinese garbage. TiAL confirmed that the BOV is in fact a knockoff, and Andrew was very deceitful making it sound like Mech Tuning was a company he had no affiliation with, when in fact it's one of multiple side businesses he runs out of his parents house. I originally gave him the benefit of the doubt believing that he unknowingly sold me chinese garbage, and extended him the opportunity to remedy the situation. After no response (after being extremely responsive prior to sale), I investigated him via Google. Ironically, the first result that popped up with his information was a Purchase Order for Chinese intercoolers last year (update: photo removed)

The authorities have been contacted and this scammer is currently under investigation by the Bloomingdale Police Dept. May this be a reminder to other aspiring scammers out there that intentionally defrauding another individual with fakes/knockoffs can result in a $1,000 fine and up to 1 year imprisonment for the seller.

AVOID DOING BUSINESS WITH MECH TUNING. And if you have been scammed by Andrew/Gon/Mech Tuning, PM me with details and I can forward to the authorities.

That said, be very careful about buying parts from unknown sellers on here. It is easier than ever to source cheap, low quality Chinese intercoolers, downpipes, chargepipes, bov's, intakes that look authentic but have no quality testing. STICK WITH REPUTABLE SELLERS!!

The forums should be a place of respect and trust amongst fellow enthusiasts and it's unfortunate when a few scumbags like this ruin it for everyone.



Also be careful of Craigslist, it appears as though he is trying to sell the same fake parts on there as well...



Original post:
Long story short: My 335i is a DD and it needs to retain a professional appearance. That said, I'm happy to install go fast goodies so long as it's professional appearance isn't jeopardized.

I ordered up a CM meth kit and needed an upgraded CP and DV/BOV for the meth bungs and increased boost. A local seller (a fellow e90post member) was selling his Mech Tuning Charge Pipe and 50mm TiAL BOV for a reasonable price.

Two comments:
1) I wasn't sure about this "Mech Tuning" since they had a website but it didn't have any contact info or even any reviews on here. The CP had two meth bungs, was powder coated black and looked to be of decent quality. Since it was a decent price, I was willing to take the risk to check it out.

2) Ideally I wanted a set of upgraded DV's, but absolutely did not want a set of Forge's that require "lubrication" every 10k miles. I wanted something that I could set and forget. After watching a dozen videos of TiAL BOVs on other 335's, I decided that it sounded stealth enough to fit the bill.

The MT CP came wrapped up with all of the parts needed to install, including black silicon couplers and quite a few hose clamps. Installation was a breeze, since the DCI leaves plenty of room. The TiAL mounted right up on the pipe, although I did notice that the mounting point was much closer to the front of the car than the other CP's (Stett, BMS, etc.). Because of the location and that the TiAL required 1/4" ID vacuum hose (vs the BMW OEM 1/8"), I had to get a hose adapted and some 1/8" ID tubing from Autozone ($5).

The kit came with two unpainted springs, one was firmer than the other though. The firmest one caused lots of compression surge. Instead of cutting or grinding it down, I went with the softer spring.

Impressions: The type of spring you use makes a world of difference on the sound the TiAL makes. With the softer spring I tried three setups:
1) Softer Spring only - made a higher pitch sound, like a scorpion was flicking its stinger (that's the closest I can compare??)

2) Softer Spring + 9 washers - much lower pitch sound and no more scorpion attacks. This would have been preferable, but I kept getting non-stop flutter/compression surge when letting off partial throttle (full throttle was fine). Decided that 9 washers might be too much.

3) Softer Spring + 4 washers - this was my final setup and it worked fairly well. Still a deeper WOOOOOSH sound and still had a little bit of flutter on partial throttle. I haven't yet heard the BOV outside of the car, but it sounds decent from inside. I'll try to post up a video of the sound of it shortly.

Anyways... The jury is still out on it. Immediately I wasn't very happy since my stock DV's were the epitome of stealth. I do like that having an AT transmission, allows you to shift gears without there being the WOOSH sound to constantly be a reminder. But even after getting on it, I can say that the TiAL wasn't ever obnoxious. It just sounds a little louder than stock. I'm going to give it a few days to see how it goes.

[DQE92]

Look at this guys name and the username of the recent mech tuning for sale thread. See any similarities?

[Sticky]

Look at this guys name and the username of the recent mech tuning for sale thread. See any similarities?

[email protected]

Closing that thread, editing his post out, and neg repping the user away from here.

[DQE92]

I'll add my few neg reps I can dish out as well.

[Tiago@VRSF]

We're planning on litigating, we're working on collecting more information from people who've been sold "VRSF" parts by this scum bag so we can build a proper case. If anyone has purchased any Tial or VRSF items from him, please forward over any information you have regarding the transaction (conversation/shipping label/contact info).

[Sticky]

We're planning on litigating, we're working on collecting more information from people who've been sold "VRSF" parts by this scum bag so we can build a proper case. If anyone has purchased any Tial or VRSF items from him, please forward over any information you have regarding the transaction (conversation/shipping label/contact info).

Damn this is serious. I wish you luck with this man.

[C///M]

Damn, I live like 5 minutes away from this D-Bag, or I should say I live 5 minutes from his parents house... If anybody needs some local help contacting or researching this guy, let me know. I'd be happy to go knock on a door with some questions. Hell, I'd even ask his parents if they know he's defrauding people from their house.

[Sticky]

Damn, I live like 5 minutes away from this D-Bag, or I should say I live 5 minutes from his parents house... If anybody needs some local help contacting or researching this guy, let me know. I'd be happy to go knock on a door with some questions. Hell, I'd even ask his parents if they know he's defrauding people from their house.

That's the kind of attitude I like to see. People shouldn't be allowed to get away with this stuff.

Why even defraud people or steal anyway? It's not that hard to make an honest living.