Closing TRT - Maybe?!

[Tombie]

Well, I always said whilst it was fun I'd run my hobby business.

I said I would continue to strive to provide fair deals to fellow LR lovers and the best service possible.

My job is chaos and I've failed to keep up with peoples requests between family & work commitments.

So I've decided to wind back and consider my options. One of which is based around my enjoyment of modding LRs.

Unless something changes again I'm seriously considering stopping my TRT gear.

>sorry folks, just venting as the enjoyment is fading and I don't know what to do

[klappers]

:(..... :(

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

Why not limit it to the components easier to manage ie, chipping etc.
You could also talk to PaulP38a and get together to open new oportunities to each other....
Making all the bits that bolt on is the hardest part and is time consuming doing it yourself having to tool up everytime unless you batch produce, then you need to fork out and carry stock etc etc.

Plus I ain't got that chip yet and you can't go until I do!!!! I jus have a few other things to do before it gets done.... :(

Cheers

Andrew


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[Redback]

Phil and I will share the load;)

Baz.

[froryan]

It would be a shame (that is me speaking personally - only becasue I am after an SLS Spacer kit ;)) but if it isn't enjoyable for you anymore and you aren't really getting any reward out of it, you do have to look after number one - yourself!

[crash]

Is their enough work to do TRT full time?? Or the possibility of out sourcing some of the work?

[strangy]

Sorry to hear that your hobby isnt really doing what a hobby should.
May I say though, that I would rather wait for a quality item in a couple of months than get an average item in a few weeks.

I think your head is in the right place and it is good to evaluate things from time to time.
Hope you get some clarity soon. So long as you dont deprive us of your wealth of knowledge and experience on the forum... I suppose we will still talk to you.:angel:

All the best

[Tombie]

TRT could possibly be a full-time concern, however the remoteness of where I live would take away from main stream "bread and butter" type business.

Also, I have no machining facility in-house so all parts developed take time as I get a subby to do the machining.

However, My biggest problem is me :(

I spend 12+ hours a day on a computer with multiple screens and the last thing I want at night is more computer time, my eyes are sore and I just feel destroyed.

Combined with a problem that I cannot solve for a customer, and my poor handling of his issue I feel I'm doing the wrong thing.


Please allow me this time to clarify something too. I run an independent private enterprise.
My mapping is provided to me, as requested by me from Pete at BAS.
Pete is a friend who has skills making him THE best LR upgrade bloke on the planet, bar none.
He provides my mapping, at a cost to me, which is optimised to suit the local market. He tweaks mapping for me upon my request to suit the miriad of different factors experienced with these products.
To attack Pete directly for the lacking of myself is NOT on.
To harass him, when it is not him who should be responsible is also NOT on.

I'm in a Catch-22 here... I have a customer whose vehicle is running & performing fine, but his ECU is showing ghost faults which cannot be cleared. A stock standard map doesnt remove these faults, nor does a Re-write to his ECU.
Nothing I've checked indicates a problem, the mapping is fine, the files are fine... The vehicle runs fine..
So is it the Mapping? The ECU itself? Or something different?
The ECU is after all, a computer system, maybe its got a hardware problem.
I cant give the guy an answer because I cant find the answer... (at this stage)

Now if the guy was off the road here is what would happen..
1. I would send the guy a tested functional ECU
2. I would check out his current ECU till I found the fault
3. I would fix it!

But he's not off the road, his mapping looks fine, his vehicle performs ok.
Its just full of ghost faults...

I've let the guy down. I've let me down...

And I feel like I cant give people the service they deserve.

[strangy]

I feel your disappointment.
A person with integrity will always desire the best outcome for their customer and their own personal peformance.

I wish I had an answer for the problem, However believe you have and are, doing the right thing. No doubt, when the answer becomes apparent it will be fixed. You can only continue to pursue the problem as best you can (as you are). Its not like this a regular occurrence caused by poor practice or cheap junk etc.
Sometime stuff just happens. I hope your guy comes to understand the reality of the situation.
For what its worth, one of the little boxes on my aircraft decided to be silly and randomly attempt to roll us onto our back at the most inoportune time, it was probed and tested and prodded by experts around the world for nearly six months. Ultimately it was a hardware problem and it was put in the bin with the realisation that this was just a poxy bit of gear that couldnt be fixed. A big sigh and it was replaced.
cheers

[PAT303]

All I can say Tombie is I wish there was more people with your attitude to customer satisfaction,mate step back from it for awhile and take a breath,If your not enjoying it your not where you want to be. Pat

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

Well Mike, whoever your "customer" is, he should pull his head in and be happy that you are actually trying to work thru it. It may well be an issue with the ECU or in fact with his vehicle.
Don't let it get you down and to the customer, try helping rather than hindering the process as if it comes down to a fault and it's not Mikes issue, you will look like a fool and will be on the end of one large apology.
Mike, I cop a lot of people like this everyday with $400,000+ trucks with CAT, Detroit, Cummins and Eaton ECU issues that have nothing to do with us as they are supplied by the manufacturer as an OEM, yet it's our fault as it's in our truck and frankly the OEMS couldn't care less :(
But once fixed, no thanks from 80% of them.
Every action has a reaction, it's up to you how positive you make it!

Cheers

Andrew

[Banjo_pluker]

Tombie2,

I don't know you however from reading your posts and from the contact I have had with you through PM, You seem to have knowledge second to none, what I personally could only dream of when it comes to LR's, and you seem like a very passionate great bloke.

This all said I am a firm believer that loyalty lies at home 1st with what is best for yourself and your family.

I wish I could say that I feel your pain but I can only imagine what it would be like to be so passionate about your hobby and feel it is not giving you any joy anymore and the pain of not being able to fix issues that logically could be fixed. I owned a D2 that I sold as it was having almost exact issues as you mentioned except it would periodically put itself off the road.

I do understand what it is like to stare at computer screens all day and then come home and have to do it again, except I do it at home as I am studying.

Hang in there and don't forget that there is a lot of support at AULRO,

Jeremy

[waz]

All I can say Tombie is I wish there was more people with your attitude to customer satisfaction,mate step back from it for awhile and take a breath,If your not enjoying it your not where you want to be. Pat

X2.

[5teve]

Well as a customer.. twice.. and also wanting a future work.. i'd of course not want you to give it up, you do a great job at a great price and put a lot of smiles on peoples faces.

Of course thats only me being a happy customer and being selfish. If it isnt fun any more then as some have said, step back wait until it is fun again, then carry on. or scale it back, its not really for any of us to say... except that those of us that have dealt with you know how hard you try to make us happy which is why we keep coming back, so asking us will result in a "No dont give it up!"

With regard the issues.. it doesnt matter what industy you are in your always going to have something wierd like that happen, Especially where computers are concerned. I'm guessing you have tried a different ecu? i have a spare manual disco 2003 one lying around not being used (currently) if you dont have any to try? your more than welcome to use it...

I know what you mean about sitting in front of a computer.. i do that currently for 10 hours at work then get home and continue for about another 5 hours for the business we are running... sometimes isnt fun!

Just make sure you stick around here ;)

Steve

[Basil135]

Mike,

No matter what you decide, and that has to be what is best for you and your family, know that you will always have the support of everyone here.

But - not yet...:o

There are still a couple of things that I have to get from you first...;):p

[steve_35]

I know nothing about the ECU subject but i do know someone that had a very similar problem

He had changed the ecu in his VT commodore after it got soaked and the next time he too it for a service they told him he had faults showing on the computer that weren't there
It turned out the it had something to do with the ecu reading the info from the odometer
Witch was wrong i dont know how they fixed it

Useless info sometimes come in handy

[LandyAndy]

ONYA Mike
Chin up mate.
Its hard burning the work and pleasure end of the candle.Hope you sort it out.
Andrew

[Slunnie]

An issue...... you'll always get that. Don't let one thing which is a negative in your mind spoil another 1000 positives. There are no Superman's, but everybody loves what you are doing Mike! BTW, you turned this negative into a positive, your attitude is exemplary.

[digger]

Tombie,

Maybe scale back to just SA customers!!!!

(just ****e stirring!)

Mate, I have no vehicles I love that have a computer... hell at the moment one has no (unburnt) wiring!

so take this as a neutral view!

Follow your heart, work when you can, easily!

people here are constantly commenting on the quality and value of your work
and if they are serious will wait.. I hope that you can work out the ghosting...take heart from the Phantom (the GHOST who walks), an old jungle saying is "he who does and means well is always true to himself"

but even better
The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour. ~Japanese Proverb

so far your reps OK!

keep plugging, remember yourself and your family first...

cheers
digger

[Signal1]

From what you've described I would suggest you are doing everything possible and then some. It is refreshing to hear you spruke a level of customer service and satisfaction sorely missed these days. You've assisted me with advice so on a selfish note, I haven't saved enough for my ECU and Intercooler so no, you can't pull the pin!! :p

Do what you need to do, family is number one. Consider extending your turn-around times on products and services so customers know upfront how long to wait and should give you and your agents more time to achieve such high standards.

Peter Phillips

[justinc]

Phil and I will share the load;)

Baz.

...And me!!:D:)


(Answer your phone!:p I bet the battery is flat AGAIN......:p)


JC

[discowhite]

yep what they said!!

ive got 6months off looking after our 7mth old.
its 2 weeks in and i for the first time in 15 working years have finally found the answer to my ''wheres my life going'' question.
and it aint working for someone else.
its more along the lines of small buisness grant and an engineering/fabrication shop...

stick with it mike, relax have a coldie, buy a bike...scrap that...and it will all fall into place.

cheers phil

[Redback]

yep what they said!!

ive got 6months off looking after our 7mth old.
its 2 weeks in and i for the first time in 15 working years have finally found the answer to my ''wheres my life going'' question.
and it aint working for someone else.
its more along the lines of small buisness grant and an engineering/fabrication shop...

stick with it mike, relax have a coldie, buy a bike...scrap that...and it will all fall into place.

cheers phil

Can I be your NSW distributor when you bugger off to QLD and do this;)

Have to agree with Phil, all will OK in time, but I think you know this.

Baz.

[dullbird]

Can I be your NSW distributor
when you bugger off to QLD and do this;)

Have to agree with Phil, all will OK in time, but I think you know this.

Baz.

Phil is not going to Qld...he is not allowed, by order of ME:mad:

[slug_burner]

Can I be your NSW distributor when you bugger off to QLD and do this;)

Have to agree with Phil, all will OK in time, but I think you know this.

Baz.

I bags the Vic franchise if one is going. Although we might end up selling to ourselves.

Tombie,

When your hobby becomes your work it is no longer fun. I hope you can work through what is currently causing you concerns and that you can get some balance and fun back into your life.

[sniegy]

Mike,
That would be a shame, BUT totally understandable.
I know your work ethic is outstanding, you aim is to satisfy & by no means in all cases i see/hear you exceeding what you set out to do.
Yes, you will get a bad circumstance happen once in a while, nut it out & get it sorted & your dilema's will suffice.

Look after yourself & Family.
Thats what counts & Importantly Have fun with life.

Cheers big fella, now tuffen up ya big sook.:wasntme::D:D

[justinc]

I bags the Vic franchise if one is going. Although we might end up selling to ourselves.

Tombie,

When your hobby becomes your work it is no longer fun. I hope you can work through what is currently causing you concerns and that you can get some balance and fun back into your life.

Slug, not always the case, It is rare though to find that what you love to do is also a job:). I'm fortunate to have found that is the case. As regards Mikes dilemma, yes it can be overwhelming at times but I bet he wouldn't swap it for quids, overall.

JC.

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

Can I be your NSW distributor when you bugger off to QLD and do this;)

Have to agree with Phil, all will OK in time, but I think you know this.

Baz.

I'll split WA with LandyAndy unless he's not interested.....
Then it's mine mine all mine BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!


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[slug_burner]

Slug, not always the case, It is rare though to find that what you love to do is also a job:). I'm fortunate to have found that is the case. As regards Mikes dilemma, yes it can be overwhelming at times but I bet he wouldn't swap it for quids, overall.

JC.

Justin,

I guess I was a little too quick with the generalisation. There are always exceptions, that is why it is a generalisation and not always a good way to get your point across. More often than not it gets the point across without being a water tight argument.

I am happy for every man (person, not to be sexist) who can make his hobby or passion his work for that makes one happy and satisfied person. There are a few on this forum like you who are not only doing something they love but also sharing with the rest of us and their paying clients. Not to steal Mike's thread, I just hope that Mike too can get back to a situation where he can see his way back to enjoying what he does whatever that is. I just hope that it still involves the stuff that has provided so many people with a smile on their face when they drive their TD5.

[Tombie]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support....

I'm trying a new approach - Resetting my life (again) and coming at my hobby from a refreshed angle.

Currently mapping out a new business plan and discussing with Emma (my lovely bride) how to go about it without affecting my home and other work life.

Will let you know how it pans out :)

[Basil135]

Good to hear that you are at least considering your options.

Like you said in the beginning, as long as you are enjoying it...

[big guy]

Tombie, I have not met you but by all accounts you seem like a good bloke.

Look from the outside in mate.

There is a problem, one way or another it will get sorted.
You are trying your best and that is good enough.
Thats more than most would do.

Life is way too short to worry about the little things in life, and believe me, most are very minor.

Wish you all the best.;)

[blitz]

for what it's worth there is a handful of people on here that I have the utmost respect for their knowledge and their openess to share it with others of lesser knowledge and ability, you are one of them. I hope all pans out for you

Blythe

[Signal1]

Great to hear you've worked out a plan forward.

[waz]

You sound like you have your priorities in the right order.

I wish you and yours all the best.

Waz

[PaulP38a]

Hey Tombie - I wish you well mate, whatever you decide to do. I know how it gets with a "day job" and then trying to keep the hobby/other business running at night and any spare time.

If us blokes at Hard Range can help out in terms of spreading the load, give me or "Andrew e" a call or PM.

Cheers, Paul.

[Cosmic Tourist]

Hey Tombie, you did a great job sending me the remapped ECU, I was pretty impresed.
Now just to get it installed, with a working nanocom and a cosmic tourist with a brain and a spare hour.
Sounds to me like a responsibility thing. You have a hard job, as well as a family and all these things take a lot of responsibility. Its really really great the help we get from you, but I can see that being a decent bloke and bringing that level of responsibility to that as well can lead to a stretch on you thats maybe a bit too much.
I know all about over-responsibility, its the name of my job. And Im sorry I havent found a workable solution in my life. I think that what the others have written, about taking a step back and prioritising whats important to you, can help.
Family is desperately important, work is there, and fun is important because otherwise whats the point? The fact your business at TRT is so in demand is a real testament to how good you are, and you've helped a real lot of people. Dont sweat the small stuff, dont get hung up on the one or twos that couldve turned out otherwise. But dont get caught up in something that gets in the way of your life and the right way to live it. TRT wont be finished, it will be resting after a particularly loud sqwuak

[Barefoot Dave]

G'Day Tombie! Mate, I can empathise with you about the frustration of not meeeting ones self imposed levels of performance. Bloke, if the worlds largest automotive company can stuff up so bad with the prius etc elec throttle, you can at least put yourself in their league ; )) At least you don't have blood on your hands.
As the fellas have suggested, scale back to the work you can do easily with the resources you have and licence/ outsource the rest. After all, Quality NOT Quantity is the cornerstone of your enterprise, yeh?
All the best mate.
Dave.