17/10/2026
โ๐๐โ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ, ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ.โ
Funny how โjust the actuatorโ came with a different turbo, an unknown remap, a reported MultiAir failure and an engine that might be forged but there is no paperwork!
But yes. Just the actuator.
And now weโve received negative feedback because we wouldnโt take the job on. Weโve never tuned or repaired this car, but apparently weโve still managed to get it wrong.
Letโs rewind.
An Alfa Romeo MiTo owner contacted us in 2025. Heโd bought the car already tuned, had no paperwork confirming the work and wanted a rolling-road power run to find out what it was making.
We exchanged messages, spent time explaining everything and discussed him coming down.
He never came in.
Fast-forward to this year. A different turbo had been fitted, the car was showing an actuator-related fault, and he wanted the turbo โcalibratedโ.
He told us heโd already contacted several other tuners and garages without getting the work taken on.
Weโve worked on plenty of modified MiTos and Abarths, including different turbo setups, so we said to pop down for a free consultation.
Thatโs when the job started growing legs.
First, it was the turbo.
Then we were told the MultiAir unit had failed and needed replacing. Could we do that as well? He was struggling to find somebody to take it on.
Then came other possible problems.
Then came the suggestion that the engine might have forged internals. No paperwork to confirm it.
๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ.
Every extra detail changed what we were being asked to assess. Yet the explanation kept coming back to:
โItโs just the actuator.โ
Well, weโd need to establish that. Along with whatโs actually fitted, what condition itโs in, what mechanical work it needs and whatโs been done to the existing calibration.
Calling it a quick adjustment doesnโt make the rest of that disappear.
It was also his only car, and he needed it sorted urgently. We understand that. But โI need it yesterdayโ doesnโt create space in the workshop diary.
We had no availability for the mechanical work being described. We explained that those repairs might need doing elsewhere before we could consider the tuning.
We didnโt take the job on.
Now weโve got the negative feedback.
Hereโs the thing:
๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐, ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ.
We canโt sensibly agree to โjust adjustโ something because thatโs what the owner has decided it needs.
We need a clear specification, proper diagnosis, an agreed scope and enough time to do the work properly. Especially when the list of unknowns keeps getting longer.
A free consultation is time spent understanding the job. It doesnโt automatically reserve workshop space for everything that comes out during the conversation.
Weโre happy to discuss complicated cars and custom turbo setups. We also have to recognise when a job is beyond the time we can give it.
Because we can already imagine how this one could end:
โ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟโฆโ
And that is precisely the conversation we wanted to avoid with problems that were already being reported before weโd touched it.
Sometimes a garage saying no is exercising a bit of judgement.
Apparently, that needs explaining too.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ โ๐ถ๐โ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐โฆโ ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐?
Whilst I didn't want to be rude, after receiving a message telling us we needed to remap his car or we'd get negative feedback clearly we didn't reply quick enough and he somehow thinks that he is going to get assistance from us now. lol
As I pointed out to him, I thought he was a moron and he proved the point.
I have to be honest with myself, after his completely childish review and his blackmail like message I enjoyed telling him he was a moron and the reason nobody wanted to help him was down to his own attitude. I pity anyone that does help him
