Out of the ashes, rises a Phoenix
San Diego, California

Prelude

This is a long story of the creation of a Twin Turbo G35 coupe 6mt with the purpose of reaching the 500rwhp mark. There are many lessons to be learned in this story so don’t ask for cliff notes. I feel that in order to know the whole truth and to help others, the whole story must be told. We finally were able to do get a G past the 500rwhp mark, but not without getting fleeced to begin with. Thankfully these boards, a network of well informed G drivers, and reliable and a trustworthy and reliable specialty shop helped me get this done.

Part I – the Goal

In January 2007, my younger Brother had some disposable income. He was looking to buy a lot of super cars out there. One of the cars that he liked was a ZO6, however he never cared for its interior appeal. He’s very detailed. I have a 2005 6mt G35 coupe and he liked it a lot, so he bought a 2006 6mt G35 coupe, but he always wanted more power. He wanted a TT kit installed and wanted to see if he could get 500hp to the wheel. After frequenting these boards, I only knew of one company that did that sort of thing. And last year, they were well known and reputable: VRT. Coincidentally, I saw VRT when I raced my G at Willow Springs in January 2007. I saw the yellow 350z.com contend with Porsches and Z06s and I also saw another black VRT G coupe do the same. I was impressed to say the least.

I was them moving from Los Angeles to San Diego to start up a real estate company with my Brother, but my brother was getting more and more involved as an executive developer, so he was flying to Austin, Texas every week! Every Monday thru Friday, he was gone. And on weekends, he would go to Temecula, CA to see my parents. So he asked me to do him a favor and meet VRT, get the TT kit installed, and oversee the project for him. I thought sure, I know a little something of G’s and stuff, why not.

Michael Alvarez, owner of VRT, is an excellent salesman. When I met him, I had not known about the split between him and Scott and Mark (now Relentless Autosports), and being glib as Michael can be, he told me that a TT kit is the way to go and that I made the right choice in coming down to meet him. I consider myself to be a well informed G owner and know a lot about the G with regard to N/A bolt on modifications. Forced Induction however, is a completely different monster to me. Here, I had no experience with any of the modifications and gear-head talk that goes with Forced Induction. So I was at a slight disadvantage.

At first, and through my influence, my Brother went with a Jim Wolf BB530 Twin Turbo kit along with intercooler, fuel pump upgrade, upgraded lines and treatment, ball bearing turbos, split second piggyback, and gauges. My Brother wanted a sleeper of a G (don’t they all want a sleeper at first), so he wanted it somewhat low key. This first phase went okay. The turnaround time to completion was successful. She responded well, my Brother was satisfied, but not happy though. She was dyno’d at the dyno shop at around 340rwhp. He then had a conversation via phone with Michael Alvarez, and then my brother tells me that he wanted more power and to go with the BB700 JWT kit. Okay, Brother, if that’s what you want, but please be careful. I was really afraid for my Brother, I’ve tracked my G before and I know how easy it is to loose control. 500rwhp is no joke and I knew he would need track time. I was more concerned for his safety then anything else.

 

Part II - Shenanigans

So now we sell back the BB530 kit back to VRT, and give him more money for the big 700 Jim Wolf turbo kit. At this point, Michael encourages us to go ***** out with the car as in wheels, suspension, calipers, exhaust, clutch, test pipes, etc. etc etc. I also agreed with him since I know that suspension and tires would be instrumental to tame all that power. Moreover, Michael informed us that the engine would have to be re-built in order to sustain that kind of power. Okay, let’s do it. So we intended to have a supercar come out of VRT.

At this point, I’m starting to hear some rumors about VRT from previous clients. I asked a friend on 6mt.net (where I usually post *****) about VRT and his response was not positive. I was weary, but we had already sent a check and VRT already did work on the first phase of the G to success. So we proceeded with VRT. Meanwhile, I was planning a wedding with my wife, so I was going back and forth to Los Angeles every week. In the month of April alone, I was doing it 2 to 4 times a week!

Deadlines for my Brother’s G kept being postponed and postponed. I would call in or email to see what was going on and there was always a reason why it was delayed. Both my Brother and I were frustrated. It was supposed to be done by the end of March/beginning of April, but it wasn’t finished until the beginning of May. I remember picking it up at VRT and asking Michael to go on a test drive for me. I punched it once, and all this smoke came out of the exhaust. Went right back into the shop, it was a fuel leak and he took care of it. He then told me that we have to keep the RPM’s low when we take it home and keep it under 3k rpms for the first 1,000 miles.

… okay.

He repeatedly told us over and over again, that the delay in delivery was that it needed proper tuning and that VRT was going to break it in. Finally, he calls me up and says its ready. I said I wanted to be there at the dyno to see it and take pictures. Also the VRT coilovers and the new SF Winnings we wanted were to be put on.

When I get to his shop, I see the new wheels, but they are gold SF Challenges and I immediately tell him, “We did not want these wheels!” His response, “are you sure?” Now I know my Brother well, and I also know that him and I were at Michael’s house when we picked the wheels. It was one of the sets featured on his home page. I also know that my Brother would never – ever – pick Gold wheels. So I said, “oh yeah, I’m sure.” Michael then responded by saying, well we’ll take him off and make you happy. So then I followed him to the Dyno Shop in Santee, California.
They lock the G on the Dyno, gear it up, it makes noise and then there is a problem. I see Michael look and look and he tells me, that there’s a clutch problem and they’ll have to fix it immediately. Well crap, I had to go so I said “when will you dyno it again?” He told me that they would come back either later that afternoon, or the next day with it. Okay, take a video and let me see the sheet.

That was on May 2nd, 2007. On May 14th, 2007, Michael Alvarez sent me an email with this exact Dyno sheet embedded in it:


No doubt, I was pleased. I told my Brother the good news!

Went to go pick it up within a few days afterward, and it still had some slight problems. Sleeves would pop off, a leak here and there, and the check engine light would consistently come on.

Per our invoice, this is what we were expecting on my Brother’s G (second phase):
255 Fuel Pump and Fuel/Boost pressure regulator
Re-built VQ35 motor
Arias or low compression pistons
Headwork
Upgraded Nismo Injectors
Nissan Gasket/seals
AP Racing brakes
Coilover suspension/Strut Tower braces
Initial tuning as well as motor break in.

Ohhh, and there was that issue with the video that Michael took of the G at the Dyno Shop. He said he had it, he mentioned it to me, I repeatedly asked for it via email, phone, and several times face to face. Each time the answer was, "ohh, I'll send you the video" or "didn't I send you that? I'll send you the video right away." To date, no such video has ever been received by us.

A few weeks passed, and then I heard about the Very Ridiculous Techs thread posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 on my350z.com. I didn’t know about it until mid-week of the following week since I was in a final move from L.A. to San Diego So I checked it out and posted. I also sent the author a PM about my Brother’s G. I received a PM on June 29, 2007 saying that VRT had indeed installed used parts on my Brother’s G. Unfortunately, I had a plane to catch the very next day to Cancun, MX for my honeymoon so this issue had to wait.

 

Part III – Pandora’s Box

When I got back from my honeymoon, I immediately called Scott at Relentless Autosports to check out my Brother’s G. I told him that I had suspicions about used parts being put on it, and wondered what else is on it, or not on it. I told him about the dyno shop and what the HP was to the wheels. Scott heard me out but was reluctant to take on this project. He told me that there was a conflict of interest since he was a former partner of VRT. He felt he couldn’t take on this project for personal issues and asked that I look elsewhere to other reputable shops that were impartial.

I called a few people, asked about other shops, and a few weeks went by. Finally, I flat out pleaded for Scott to take a look and take it in like any other car. Forget that VRT was behind the work, just approach it with a clean slate. I needed his help and he agreed to take a look at it and charge me an hourly rate. First thing first was to check out its rear wheel horsepower.

He had Mark take a look at it upon further inspection, Mark noticed all kinds of errors, some critical, some obvious, and some that could have been easily avoided if one was thorough. The list I got back from Relentless was so long, I’ll just mention that it had fuel leak at back of Fuel Rail, brackets were missing, radiator mounts were missing, bolts were missing, the Cams were not from Jim Wolf Technology, the Hose Clamp on coolant Hose was cramped, Air Filter heat shield missing, etc. etc. etc.

On July 17, 2007, Scott took it to the Dyno Shop http://www.thedynoshop.com/ and since the Dyno Shop keeps records according to the VIN number or license plate, he asked that the Dynos be pulled up. The results were the following:


It’s best pull was 343rwhp and 373 ft. lbs./torque. (excuse the pen marks above, that was me sketching out the blue line with a pen.) Furthermore, Scott at Relentless remembered the numbers of that dyno sheet and said that this dyno sheet was the results of a previous G from over a year ago that VRT finished! It was re-submitted to me as authentic when it essentially was a complete forgery.

That night I had to tell my Brother over the phone, what occurred, what was missing, what we were lied to about. I might as well as told him that I had slept with his girlfriend over and over again, for he took it about the same way. He was furious and he wanted to sue VRT. He wanted the guy behind bars, bankrupt, punished – something – anything.

We had Relentless Autosports fix the leaks, the cramped hoses, anything that was critical and have it dynoed again. Here were the results:


401rwhp and 398 ft.lbs./torque.

Here was the good news: the G had a genuine JWT clutch, AP Racing Brakes (6 piston front, 4 rear), a JWT BB700 turbo kit, Eibach anti-roll sway bars, Stillen test pipes, gauges and intercooler.

The bad news: nearly everything else was used or totally stock. The cams were stock, the fuel pump and fuel filters were stock. Bolts were missing, shoddy work all the way around.

 

Part IV – Engage Lightspeed

From the beginning, there was one thing my Brother and I noticed at VRT: the working crew was extremely young, say approximately between the ages of 17 to 25. I never saw Michael Alvarez dirty but he was the only “old guy” there. Michael is in his early 30s. A client is spending upwards of $20,000 to $30,000 or more on his car, and someone under 25 is working on the client’s car. I’m not saying that is totally wrong, but without that senior guy of experience, without that overseer, foreman, whatever, you are going to make a lot of mistakes. On the contrary, Mark has years and years of Nissan experience. He’s humble, doesn’t say much, but is always dirty and looks like your gear head. The surgeon you want working on the guts of your car. These past few months has demonstrated something to me that I always knew, there is a huge value to experienced craftsmen.

So my Brother employs Relentless Autosports to fix everything that was wrong with his G and to continue the goal of getting it to the 500rwhp mark. Automatically, the cam work was the first priority. JWT cams were installed, Stance coilovers and Megan racing camber arms were installed. The CEL light that was coming on was a result of the Stillen Test Pipes. Those remained on the car, even though we considered going with Hi-Flow cats instead.

Also, a Snow Performance Methanol/Water injection system was installed with a 2 stage boost controller. Some pics of the Stance stuff:







It took about 3 to 4 weeks for Relentless to get everything right. Relentless wanted to be assured that this G would be right “out of the box” so it was taken to Jim Wolf own shop in El Cajon, CA. Believe me, that settled a lot of my nerves. His crew worked diligently for 3 days on the G to make sure it was right.



Here are the dyno results from Jim Wolf’s own dynopack at 12 psi:


At 14 and 16 psi:


Then, we took it to the infamous Dyno Shop in El Cajon, CA. Here are the results:


So far, the G runs great and Relentless Autosports has been very good to us. We are awaiting some new wheels and tires, I’ll post some pics when we get them later. Don’t ask what they are, I’ll update you later.

 

Part V – Lessons Learned

When you feel it in your gut that something is wrong, always trust your instinct. My Brother had his suspicions, and I had my suspicions. Problem is, we were knee deep in the hole with VRT and I had a wedding and a move to focus on while my Brother was out of state. I did what I could to make sure the G was right, and believe me, when I found out all the shenanigans that went on with my Brother’s G, I felt guilty as hell, for I was the one who recommended them.

Whenever you are going to spend all sorts of money like this, don’t take anything for granted and DO YOUR RESEARCH. Make sure you understand the gear head talk. Many times I didn’t, and that put me at a disadvantage when it came to questioning VRT. Question everything even if you don’t understand. Get it written down so you can check on it later.

With regards to VRT, we did contact a lawyer to sue them. However, one well established attorney that we knew of wanted a sizeable retainer to go after him. That’s fine if Michael Alvarez was still ripping off clients and had an open shop. Let’s say the retainer is $7,500, plus court costs, plus fees, to get what? How much money do you think we can squeeze out of a turnip? Would it be worth it to you after all the money you spent? You think you could get it back? He could file BK (and I’ve heard he has) and we get nothing. Maybe a legal victory in our favor that gives us the moral victory, but we don’t see a penny returned and we are further in the hole.

I did file a report with the BBB. He has more than one name one name, Verified Racing Technology, Violent Racing team, etc. etc. At this point, the only thing I can do is post and let others be aware when they raise a question about VRT. The funny thing is, I would of never ever known about the shadiness of VRT had it not been for these forums. And without these forums, I would of never known of Relentless Autosports either. So to conclude, keep your reputation up and follow the golden rule. We live in a world of cyberspace now, so people can find out who you are and how you practice business. Mess up, and the world will know. Serve honorably, and the people will follow.

Peace.

 

How the fck did you write all those posts and no one commented before you were done? haha...

 

^^^I had it all pre-written and laid out on a Word document. After that it was easy. I can cut and paste faster than you can read I knew it would be too hard to read in one single post, so I broke it up also. Did you actually read it?

 

Not yet...I'm still looking at it...

 

Dude, that's pretty f up...Why can't you take them to small claims court and get some money from it...At least 5k...If you can document everything...If not then just forget about it...but that's one hella crazy story...

 

wow interesting read. Sorry for what happened. Hope VRT gets sued for every penny they have!!

 

glad everything is better now, but Mr. A as they call him is an A**!!!! hope he gets what he deserves!!!!

 

Great read.

 

Sorry Gamma.

 

Yeah, I read a few stories like this over at my350z.com. Sorry to hear what happend to you. I hope VRT gets what they deserve.

 

There's talk about a class action lawsuit on my350z.com. Evidently, he's put on a JWT kit and used stock cams on some one else's ride as well.