[e30cabrio]

I must preface this with I get no pleasure posting this, I have tried all week not to post. Karl refused any solution other than suck it up.

This is a fully rebuilt, sub 1k mile S52, tuned by AA, never driven to full throttle, still working on a break in.

After a week asking for help, I said I would post to the forums, he assumed I meant e36 forums & said no problem, we are discontinuing that kit.

I paid north of 7,000 for a tuned supercharged engine, I have nothing but 2 dead engines & I am building the third.








Sorry for the long post.

In 11/2023 I made the mistake of buying an Active Autowerke SC kit for my ’97 Z3 2.8 it took until mid January to get the kit.

After it came, it was incomplete & I had to buy the missing parts, then none of the silicon hoses were right and I had to buy the hoses. Once it was together I had a nightmare with tensioners not keeping the belt on. I had to buy numerous tensioners and belts and ended up 3 sizes smaller and a hydraulic tensioner from a different motor, I got no support from Active except this has never happened.

Then the tune nightmare came, every revision was like pulling teeth, finally I get a revision that seemed ok but my M52 2.8 blew a ring land, I asked nothing from Active for the M52.

I had a brand new S52 built, I had to send my DME to be tuned for the S52 & paid 325 extra, the revisions were slow to come & towards the end, it was summer & 120 in Phoenix and I stopped driving but the last revision I was told the file looked good and was asked how the car ran. It was fine.

11/2024 it was 45 degrees and I went for a ride & melted a piston.

I have spent the last four days being run around with prove it’s their file, then did you modify the tune, then did I modify the hardware every response was no, finally, Karl, the OWNER says he has to discuss with MANAGEMENT. Then it is MANAGEMENT says I bought from a vendor, talk to them. I bought from a vendor because when I called to ask pre purchase questions, the salesman, Alan said I had to buy through a vendor.

I’m wondering if they are using the insurance company decline, delay system to run me around.

I am only asking for 2000.00 the cost to replace and machine the block, and the machining of the head and am getting nothing but nonsense.

The last tuning email I got from them said it looked ok:

"this is Karl-3 file from May 6th correct? Its not bad at all a tad lean as the engine starts to warm up, is the drive ability ok when cold moving off from a stand still? If it is not bad then I would say lets leave it there and evaluate some more as you drive the car more. "



During this back & forth I got these emails, this one he says he does not want to tune anymore, which I have paid for TWICE!!:

"ok either way we look at all this, I am deemed guilty even after you/we had so many issues with one bank not showing any any values, the TPS was not showing us 100% when the throttle is wide open.

The bottom line is even after 6 months I never got a call or email saying we should go further. The only email I got was "the car is running great". Nick is surprised as well that we did not go further.

Nick said you told him you dont drive the car in the summer so I guess maybe thats why we never heard from you during the summer months, is this true?

I dont mind taking responsibility if I am 100% at fault.

I have tuned hundreds of these L1 sc on the E36 M3 and Z3M and no issues , but 99% of them even in a remote situation had no issues like you were having with the TPS and we were replying on your feedback on top of this.



I have a gripe with all this.



So I am seriously gun shy with even tuning the car after you install the new motor, I believe the car still has issues with some hardware, I dont think we even have the TPS reading properly. I say this because all the logs we have from you dont show any with anything more than 40%-50% on the TPS /load values."



This one he says the file is corrupt (from the read currently on the DME he made me send proving I had not changed the tune:



"I am looking at the file and it is corrupted in a few areas, not sure why, the ignition map is showing 72 degrees of ignition in some places! This will surely melt the pistons! "



I wish I had never heard of Active Autowerke.

[NickyC]

Sorry for your misfortune, but this is terribly confusing to read. You go from an M52 to an S52 with the same supercharger setup? With all the tunes/new engines/back and forth I fear it's not realistic to expect anyone here to understand the full story.

If I were you, I'd take my loss, stop building engines for this thing, grab a used/cheap motor, throw it in there, then sell the car and move on to something more stout/reliable. With all the money you've thrown into this thing, you could have a much newer/more capable platform.

[e30cabrio]

Synopsys:

Bought a Z3 with M52, AA SC is for the M/S52.

Installed SC, drove for under 200 miles, blew a ring land, figured 158k motor couldn't take the strain, built a new S52, same SC applies, new tune needed. Paid additional 325 to get the new tune, blew up the new motor., thanks to the bad tune.

I fail to see what is confusing.

The vendor says the SC is for M/S52 engines, sells a 2 year warranty & tuning. It has been just over a year, I have never had a fully functioning SC'd motor & I am getting gtfo from Active.

This post is a cautionary tale about Active, Karl and his business practices.

He has literally offered nothing but gtfo.

[zx10guy]

Sorry but you're SOL in regards to the warranty they provide with their SC kit. Don't know if you've read the terms or not. But it's posted on their website.

https://store.activeautowerke.com/pa...s-and-warranty

In particular, this section of their warranty terms:

"This warranty is limited to repairs and/or replacement of the product or part found to be defective without charge. Active Autowerke reserves the right to refund the complete purchase price for the defective item and will not be held liable for losses or damages arising from the defect."

Many aftermarket performance companies have this policy. One of the few that go beyond this and will cover damage caused to any OEM component from their product is Dinan. And even Dinan has a limitation on this where this policy only applies if the car is still under the manufacturer's warranty. It's a big reason I went with Dinan's S2 tune when my car was still under BMW's factory warranty.

There was a situation a while back with MFactory's LSDs where they were grenading due to faulty bolts used in the diff. MFactory acknowledged it was a problem on their end. But they only fixed/replaced the diff. They didn't cover any labor required to pull the diff out and re-install the replacement. Don't even know if they even covered shipping the faulty diff back to them. I thought it was $hitty customer service but they were within their warranty terms.

Looks to me Active Autowerke did try to work with you initially on trying to resolve the problems you had with getting the system fully functional. I don't understand where you paid to replace missing parts. Why didn't you make them make it right? Also, the mention of using different belts and a different tensioner from a different motor would also cause me to pause the entire project. Did you check with them on what their recommendation/guidance is on this and get it in writing?

Don't mean to dunk on you but there are always risks when modifying a car; especially when it's an extensive project such as this. I DIY many of my projects but there is a point where I do make an assessment as to if it's better to have a shop do the work.

[pbonsalb]

I am not sure how that language would hold up in court if the defect is actually negligence. Generally, negligence cannot be waived. Is AA putting the wrong parts in the kit a defect or negligence? Is AA sending a bad tune a defect or negligence? Of course, any negligent conduct by AA must be proven and the OP bears the burden. As for proving negligence in the tune, an expert might be required and they can be expensive. Karl probably is an expert so the OP would need one to counter Karl.

That is if the case gets to court. In another thread in another forum, the OP said he was going to file in small claims court in AZ. Does that court have jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant? AA is in FL. Small claims in some states do, and in others they don’t, but you can file instead in a higher level court that is harder to navigate for the non lawyer.

As for the belt tensioner issue, there are two styles used on the M52, but that information has been around for 15 years so AA presumably knows. Hydraulic and mechanical tensioners, the former with an extra roller pulley and the latter without if I recall correctly. And that is for iron block M52. The Z3 as I recall has an aluminum block and I don’t know the differences, if any, for that motor.

I am a DIYer as well, and installed a few centrifugal and turbo systems on my E36 M3, plus a few engines, over the years. Years long past, so my knowledge is no longer up to date.

In general, I would say AA is not much interested in supporting the older cars. The money is in mods for the newer cars. Way back in the day, AA was a pioneer for turbo and centrifugal systems for the E36. Were I modding one today, I would look for a younger shop that is more interested in the platform. The OP wrote in another thread that he is now going with 22RPD, which is still active in the E36 mod scene. Maybe he will have better results there. There are a few other shops that are still into the E36 as well.

[zx10guy]

That's why I asked why did he choose to resolve the missing parts himself without getting AA to correct the problem. Any hope that the OP has to hold AA legally liable for the complications he's experienced is in my opinion gone now. All AA has to say is they didn't authorize or vet the parts he secured to continue with the installation.

Beyond the issue of jurisdiction in small claims, there's also the issue of collecting any judgement which from my understanding isn't so easy.

[BeEmVe]

Originally Posted by e30cabrio

I
In 11/2023 I made the mistake of buying an Active Autowerke SC kit for my ’97 Z3 2.8 it took until mid January to get the kit.

After it came, it was incomplete & I had to buy the missing parts, then none of the silicon hoses were right and I had to buy the hoses.

A two month delay might not bother me but when a kit comes incomplete and with wrong parts that is a major red flag.

I had a similar incident with an expensive, for me underwater photography housing. Received the housing and found several issues that I was just not going to deal with while on vacation and underwater. I boxed the whole thing back up and returned it to the vendor. I had to eat the cost of returning / restocking the camera purchased separately but that was better than the potential cost of a flooded camera.

I also sent the mfg a scathing letter that basically said their QA was crap. I posted an online review in a similar forum to XBimmers but for underwater photography. I got roasted by many that said I did give the mfg a chance to make it right. I called BS on that attitude that I paid for a product to be complete and work and not prototype. The coupe de grâce. With in the next few months two others posted "help I am on a trip and cannot get the housing to work."

A bit long winded but everyone can get blinded by really wanting to make something work when there are warning signs. That it happened to the OP and I feel bad for them. As hard as it, cutting one's loses can be harder but the necessary thing to do.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by BeEmVe

A two month delay might not bother me but when a kit comes incomplete and with wrong parts that is a major red flag.

Wrong parts is not a big deal. Mistakes are made everywhere, it's how the vendor solves it that matters.
When I bought my ESS twinscrew kit, I also got the wrong parts (turned out they shipped an E46 kit whereas I have a E85 Z4, these kits are apparently not 100% the same and their ordering process on their website had a fault). They were extremely helpful and knowledgeable on the phone and immediately shipped the right parts free of charge (didn't have to ship the wrong parts back).

I have a feeling there is more at play than is written here; I think it's very strange that 'the right parts' have to be paid for. Also, I don't see any Z3 kits on AA's website. Maybe an E36 kit was bought and the Z3 requires different parts (and tuning) that AA had to make as custom parts afterwards?

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

That's why I asked why did he choose to resolve the missing parts himself without getting AA to correct the problem. Any hope that the OP has to hold AA legally liable for the complications he's experienced is in my opinion gone now. All AA has to say is they didn't authorize or vet the parts he secured to continue with the installation.

Beyond the issue of jurisdiction in small claims, there's also the issue of collecting any judgement which from my understanding isn't so easy.

In the other thread, he wrote that he did have some back and forth with AA trying to resolve the issues. The extent of that would be facts to argue in court. I agree with you about the additional question of enforcing a judgment if one is obtained in AZ. Typically, you have to get the judicial system in the state where the assets are to recognize the foreign judgment. But that is routinely done, though if your judgment is not from a court with the correct jurisdiction, it can be closer to relitigation of the case than an easy to satisfy formality. I do not know AZ or FL law, but hopefully the OP has looked into the legal issues and determined they are not a problem.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by BeEmVe

A two month delay might not bother me but when a kit comes incomplete and with wrong parts that is a major red flag.

I had a similar incident with an expensive, for me underwater photography housing. Received the housing and found several issues that I was just not going to deal with while on vacation and underwater. I boxed the whole thing back up and returned it to the vendor. I had to eat the cost of returning / restocking the camera purchased separately but that was better than the potential cost of a flooded camera.

I also sent the mfg a scathing letter that basically said their QA was crap. I posted an online review in a similar forum to XBimmers but for underwater photography. I got roasted by many that said I did give the mfg a chance to make it right. I called BS on that attitude that I paid for a product to be complete and work and not prototype. The coupe de grâce. With in the next few months two others posted "help I am on a trip and cannot get the housing to work."

A bit long winded but everyone can get blinded by really wanting to make something work when there are warning signs. That it happened to the OP and I feel bad for them. As hard as it, cutting one's loses can be harder but the necessary thing to do.

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Wrong parts is not a big deal. Mistakes are made everywhere, it's how the vendor solves it that matters.
When I bought my ESS twinscrew kit, I also got the wrong parts (turned out they shipped an E46 kit whereas I have a E85 Z4, these kits are apparently not 100% the same and their ordering process on their website had a fault). They were extremely helpful and knowledgeable on the phone and immediately shipped the right parts free of charge (didn't have to ship the wrong parts back).

I have a feeling there is more at play than is written here; I think it's very strange that 'the right parts' have to be paid for. Also, I don't see any Z3 kits on AA's website. Maybe an E36 kit was bought and the Z3 requires different parts (and tuning) that AA had to make as custom parts afterwards?

I had a situation where the wrong parts were shipped to me. It's not to the scale as what you two state. But it was for a DIY watch kit. The wrong dial and movement was sent to me. I contacted the company located in Hong Kong. They requested pics which I provided. Then they shipped me the correct parts free of any extra shipping charge and told me I can keep the parts that were mistakenly shipped. That's customer service.

[BeEmVe]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Wrong parts is not a big deal. Mistakes are made everywhere, it's how the vendor solves it that matters.

It has been said the way to judge a company is not when they get it right but when they get it wrong. Which I agree but then again it is also at what level the mistake is made.

[M-technik-3]

OP sorry to hear of your issues. AA has been doing this for the better part of 2 decades. They have some good stuff but on the other hand they really lack in customer support.

Good Luck.

[e30cabrio]

I did not complain when it was missing parts, I did not complain when the tired M52 died, I am complaining ow when the new S52 died & he offers nothing.

I just spoke to Auto Talent, the vendor I was told to buy through, and said I have to work with AA says go ahead and sue, has offered nothing.

I will grant his wish!!

[e30cabrio]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Wrong parts is not a big deal. Mistakes are made everywhere, it's how the vendor solves it that matters.
When I bought my ESS twinscrew kit, I also got the wrong parts (turned out they shipped an E46 kit whereas I have a E85 Z4, these kits are apparently not 100% the same and their ordering process on their website had a fault). They were extremely helpful and knowledgeable on the phone and immediately shipped the right parts free of charge (didn't have to ship the wrong parts back).

I have a feeling there is more at play than is written here; I think it's very strange that 'the right parts' have to be paid for. Also, I don't see any Z3 kits on AA's website. Maybe an E36 kit was bought and the Z3 requires different parts (and tuning) that AA had to make as custom parts afterwards?

Pre purchase I called them, Alan their salesman said he will tell them I have a Z3 when the order came in, the hoses were wrong, the tensioner was wrong, it was missing a few parts they made me pay for. I never complained just said please help.

The issue is the tune was wrong all along.

I am no longer taking their bad treatment.

[e30cabrio]

As of 12/25 Karl has offered nothing but sue me. He refuses anything, offers no empathy and is the epidemy of a horrible vendor.

I would like nothing more than to be able to revise this review, that Karl offered something to assist me. At this point, it is clear that will not happen, sad.

[e30cabrio]

Not shockingly, Karl has done nothing, I picked up the new motor yesterday at least.

[pbonsalb]

Stock or built S52?