Bought Faulty SAFC

[nostalgik]

My mate bought an SAFC through me on the forum. He bought it from the user "usuckpoo" from Sydney. Well he gets the unit and once hooked up (properly) doesnt work. The rpm and calibration settings completely dont function. Apparently this SAFC came out of this guys car after it was written off in a bad accident. After a long argument he said it was in an accident and no he wont be taking reponsibility. Its quite obvious who is liable here. Ive sent a PM to this guy asking him to do the right thing. Is there anything else I can do cos this is ridiculous and Im getting seriously pist off. My friend Shane has gone phuckin crazy.

Cheers, Mark

[PSIKO]

sorry to hear it mate I ***n hate getting caught up in dodgy deals!

Pretty much the only thing you can do is give him a bad trader rating, but people probably don't check that, or he'll make a new username

What's his actual name (so we know who not to deal with)?

[nostalgik]

Not sure on their real names. The username 'usauckpoo" I think is called Lou and the guy who owned the SAFC (from the wrecked car) is Mark.

[25GTT]

That certainly is some dodgy stuff, i guess as sad as it is to say this we have to learn from others and ourselves mistakes, when i have bought 2nd hand i have always met up with that person before hand at there house or something so if something goes wrong you can deal with it face to face kinda of thing not meaning aggresion or fights but i am sure both sides would be more willing to sort something out if it were in the same state.

As mentioned 1 of the probs that the forums do have when buying 2nd hand is when a dodgy dealer is sprung all that happens is that the thread is locked then basically the user just changes names and does it all over again.

Is there any one in WA who can fix it kinda like an apexi distributer?

Is anybody friends with usuckpoo who could perhaps help convince him to maybe try and sort something out? which state is he from and then perhaps let the mods know from that state of the dealing that have happened.

[nostalgik]

Ive had another reply from this dodgy dealer and he said because my mate didnt fit the SAFC straight away then because of the time he is not liable. There was no way to know whether it was fuct until he got it installed. I know for a fact that this SAFC was rooted before my friend recieved it and as it came out of a car that was in a serious accident it is quite clear why it is not working. My advice is to not buy anything off this ***wit. Anyone know someone in Sydney who can hunt him down????

[G0DF4Th3R]

post in the NSW forums, im sure someone knows him / could help...

[rob77]

2nd hand goods through a private sale... buyer beware. Unfortunately there is not much that can be done. Just flag his trader rating and maybe setup a thread in the NSW forums, as earlier suggested. If it was bought through a business 2nd hand, or sold on consignment, then thats a different story You can speak to the ACCC/fair trading and they can point you in the direction of what to do next, but for private sales there is no legistration.

[rs73]

One of the most common ailments of SAFC is they accidentally pulled too hard on the cord when removing it. In the unit there is a plug, where it can get unplugged. Open the unit carefully and inspect if the plug inside is still there. Don't try to touch anything else.

Considering the car it came from was in an accident, it may have been removed hastily (before insurance company find out or

before the car is towed away to be written off), so this is very likely the cause.

If all else fails, there's an official Apex distributor here in Nunawading VIC, but you gotta pay the repair cost. Get them to quote you, if its anywhere near $250-300, you'd better off buying another SAFC.

Sorry to hear another deal gone bad in this forum, guys... generally I haven't had much problem as I believe most ppl here are honest and helping each other except some dodgy individuals who'll ruin the whole trading community.

Rianto

[ModYourCar]

Sorry to hear about that.... this is why I tell people all the time that sometimes it's better to buy brand new so that you get a warranty. I know at ModYourCar we offer a complete 12-month manufacturer warranty on most items available.

Sometimes it pays to spend that little bit extra...

[Guest RedLineGTR]

some mates have brought some stuff of others in different states got abit stuffed around too....but thats one of the risk from buying stuff from other states.

[nostalgik]

Well, Ive been havin a look inside the unit to check some of the connections. It looks like there is some damage to the cable and some of the wires. Hopefully I will be able to fix it. Some of the functions are now working. Personally I wouldnt buy something like this from the Eastern states and would only buy from a WA seller. My friend wanted to take the risk and got burnt. Fingers crossed I can get it completely working again.

Cheers, Mark

[nostalgik]

Well I got the stoopid thing working and everything seems fine now after a little re-wireing. ANyone know what would be the most probable cause of an un-calibrated rpm input????. The black/red wire is where you attach the rpm input wire. Could this cuase an incorrect reading on the safc???

[rs73]

Nothing wrong with buying from eastern states. Your friend just happens to come accross a scrupulous seller... his bad luck. I've bought stuffs from WA, QLD, NSW, and so long has never been stuffed. Of course buying from the same city would help as you can inspect before you buy not just through some pictures.

Check the car setting in the SAFC, if he got an R33 it should be 6 cylinder. This may help to calibrate the rpm sensing wire. My SAFC is a little bit off too, like showing 1900rpm when my speedo shows 2000rpm. I think it's normal and not such a big deal, 100rpm out should not be such a big problem. The speedo from the factory not 100% accurate anyway... try doing 100km/h according your car speedo you may only be doing 93-96km/h in the real world. That's where the discrepancy creeps in.

[rob77]

Originally posted by ModYourCar

Sorry to hear about that.... this is why I tell people all the time that sometimes it's better to buy brand new so that you get a warranty. I know at ModYourCar we offer a complete 12-month manufacturer warranty on most items available.

Sometimes it pays to spend that little bit extra...

Pfft, plug and a half, take it elsewhere.

[ModYourCar]

Rob.... LOL.... only trying to make a point dude.

[rob77]

Most of the guys here use contacts in japan for their parts. I've used 2 guys for several parts, nothing large like an exhaust or an intercooler just small parts like a strut brace, gauges etc. I can tell you your prices arent even in the ball park.

[ModYourCar]

Yes you are right... but you are buying direct from Japan with no real warranties or guarantees. You are also bypassing Australian taxation laws which is illegal.

Our Japanese products come from Australian distributors where they should. They are imported into the country correctly and that's why they cost more than your "Japanese contacts".

I'd also like to see the service your "contacts" give you.

At the end of the day you shop where you want.

[Hiroshima Screamer]

hard to believe that ppl can come and collaborate together on what is SAU, and have this kind of thing going on .we would like to think that not all of us are like this , that the majority of the people are honest and wouldnt go and purposely deface someone by ripping them off , i would also like to think that the ppl i deal with have respect for my car as much they have for their one and wouldnt want me to destroy mine as much I wouldn’t want any harm come to theirs. Hopefully this guy can be flushed out of the woodworks. i have seen this guy on past threads cant say and happy to say that i dont know him personally but hopefully this attitude will not go past this incident , sorry to hear about your experience .

[rob77]

Service is over-rated, price is what drives most people to buy. As I said I've only bought small stuff through these contacts in japan, I probably wouldnt buy a turbo through them, rather buy something like a garrett.

[hippy]

its true .. car stuff is hell expensive and if u can save a bit of course u will .. why pay 700 bucks or whatever for a safc when u can get it same condition for almost half the price, i always take the risk, u just gotta do ur research and be wary ... i've gotten so much stuff from overseas now and thats not just car stuff .. u'll be amazed at the amount of money u save ..!! theres a risk of things not goin as planned but its a risk i am glad to take.