Commander Riker

lol Someone has to do the protecti-catin'

Nah. I'm not ok with that practice. Chuck... I know they are willing to fuckover whoever and wherever they can in the almighty name of profit... but is that honestly something to be proud of? I dislike that much of our world is people stepping on others for what they need or want. However, I do recognize that it has been that way for a long time and is not likely to change at all. Doesn't mean I am going to do it too just because. I'd rather help people where I can. For me personally, that makes me feel better then money. Yet, maybe I've just never had enough, right?

I guess that's a good point... since another ECU was physically required, I guess the ME7 stuff has be program to VINs and stuff. Was the car's original ECU used by ARD for the tune? I would have gotten a clone. Guess it's not as easy as I've experienced with 4.4. What I'm now curious about is the list of folks who have had problems, and there obviously are... but the metrics involved. How many people have had issues, and of those people, how many were M4.3/4.4 VS ME7

I'm just wondering if the ECU wasn't secured properly or was making a poor connection. I highly doubt they tried to install it upside down. lol Generally in electronics... when you have a poor connection... the same amount of power is trying to cross a smaller surface area... therefore it gets hot. This probably better explains it. https://sites.google.com/site/themasterelectricianssite/electrical-overheating

Under Lucky's spell. LOL Is that what I get called for questioning someone's ECU melting down? I've never heard of anyone having this issue before... thus why I asked. I'm a little not shocked that it was installed by a dealer. Typical SS.

As for this tune melting down in 2 weeks... this makes me wonder a few things. Who installed the ARD tune? I say that because the first reaction was to have it towed to a dealer and have them install a brandnew factory ECU?? Are there pictures of said melted tune?? The only thing I think would cause components to overheat like that would be poor electrical contact. Example... a bad laptop power adapter connection can cause components to get very hot.

But just so we're clear... Glenn Beck did totally kill that girl in 1990.

That's a strong accusation that Lucky is knowingly selling a faulty product. Especially when you're talking about TCV failures from years ago? You say it may sound petty to hold a grudge after all these years... but I don't see how he's doing the same to other people. You know... when it does come to the reviews of products on the internet... generally, most of the time you find more negative reviews then positive ones. This is greatly due to the fact that when something doesn't work, people want to make it known for multiple reasons... but when a product does well... people are just happy with it, enjoy it, and rarely share the positive experience. We're talking about a very fine line here that I personally thing Lucky is walking on. When you get into modifying cars, there are a TON of unknowns. You might be great at wrenching on your own car... or you might be super fucking terrible at it. No one knows. And if you throw a hotter tune in it, and it doesn't work well because you immediately develop a boost leak or other problem... you immediately blame a tune?? Granted, some of the arguments regarding poor tunes may have some validity, but as far as I know... he's worked to make it right. People are bitching about this 75 dollar diagnosis fee. However, you mean to tell me that if you took your car to a performance shop, and you had them do X amount of work, you think they're going to warranty their dyno tuning?? You do realize if you put your car on a dyno... and are tuning it... and it explodes... the tuner is not going to "warranty" your pieces of a car. That brings me to the other side of the thing line he walks, IMO. If he makes tunes so aggressive that they just pop your motor, and basically achieve the aforementioned exploded car result, he's going to have a gang of people here on the internet raising hell about "he's a bad tuner... his tunes are dangerous... I was going to get an ARD tune for my modified car, but now I'm scared." Speaking from personal experience, I'm running a 15psi tune specifically because I'm running a larger turbo on a LTP motor. He explained to me his reasoning behind this, and in the interest I have of keeping my car reliable (not exploded), I had to agree with him. At some point I am considering sending it back to move the goal post to 18psi once I add water/meth... and fully expect him to charge me 75 dollars to do it. Lucky isn't godly in my view. He isn't a thief either. For those who have had problems... I think it's important to hear them... and he should work to resolve the issues. Hell... we should all work together to resolve them, because that's what this is, isn't it? An enthusiast forum for modified cars?

I'm not attacking you because you're trying to tarnish Lucky's name... whatever that's about... However... are you giving a negative review of something you admittedly never purchased??

This makes me want to tackle tuning for myself. Might have to look for another M4.4 Turbo ECU... then I can compare against the ARD blue tune. However... I feel I have witnessed off the shelf plug n play tunes that did work. I know when scandalo got an IPD stage 3 tune for his 98 T5M with the 18T... I could smell a difference and feel it in the but dyne. Surely it's not a accurate as dyno or street tuning, for sure.

I've had nothing short of great experiences from ARD... especially in terms of customer service. Bought a blue tune for my K24/RN/M66 swapped 98.. and it was a quick turn around. Ran great the first go, and has since. Also, I've bought and purchased a larger K24 compressor wheel. Lucky took my inquiry call while he was at SEMA on the show room floor. He totally didn't have to do that... but he answered my questions. Most of the problems I've seen regard the ME7 cars... and I think there is a higher degree of complexity to those systems, especially in terms of security. I have yet to see a situation where he hasn't worked to make things right. This is just my personal experience and take on things FWIW.

Chuck I've been thinking about this quite a bit, and I believe I may be in the wrong mindset and want to apologize for being dense. I'm good at that sometimes. To attract business, I get the argument of not having taxation that drives business overseas. The global market has come on in a way that I believe our nation hasn't kept up with to accommodate these changes. Growing up in the Dayton Ohio area, I was witness to a city who was loosing businesses due to taxation, and doing nothing but raising taxes because they were loosing them. There should have been more to adapt to the market place that isn't anything like before. It's relatively recent that we can have goods made in china and shipped to our door for a fraction of what it costs to make it here. I'm extremely guilty of this too, even every time I shop at harbor freight. I know where it's going... but I enjoy it being cheap. What I don't like when it comes to corporations is how increasingly greedy and/or sleazy they become the larger they get, and I guess in my feeble mind taxation was some sort of way to keep them accountable. They aren't accountable to anyone but their shareholders. That is sad to me, but is just the way it is. Still... the people at the top of the food chain are taking as much as those at the bottom, IMO. I know there is a statistic that the top X amount of people pay the top X amount of taxes, and that's ok. However, I suspect they have the capital to shelter quite a bit of that too, and I'm certain people go without paying the closer they are to the top. /end rant.

I worked in fast food for 3 days... told them to keep the paycheck, because I quit. The most valuable thing I learned is that isn't what I wanted to do with my life.

Kinda drunk. Bored as fack

May I please request more exterior shots of the car?? I've always had a soft spot for some Turbo 5

I'm actually quite ok for the cost of fast food going up. It should cost more then food that is good for you.

What I wonder about is the view of people in true 3rd world countries who make pennies on the dollar for their work... often of which is likely more dangerous. To me, if you don't want to earn minimum wage... improve yourself beyond a minimum effort.

When it comes to taxation... I'm always left thinking there has to be a better way. Often I'm guilty of observing "all or nothing" viewpoints. I dislike systems where everyone is supposed pays into some sort of system (we're born into and therefore I guess agree upon?)... and it feels like those who are taking the most out of it aren't (scum bag citizens and corporations). So at either end, you have benefit of the hard working class. Eventually that hard working tax paying class will do the same as the business looking for lower taxation... they will eventually find themselves saying "why am I doing this?" Or maybe not... maybe they just plod along like good little cattle. By great employees... do you mean don't work for shit? That's the impression I generally get from China's workforce. They aren't making a whole lot.

It's cool. I appreciate you hashing it out with me. I always have stuff to learn as well, and enjoy learning. That is a very good point though... if the tax breaks aren't there, companies are going to go elsewhere. I just get caught up sometimes because I see that argument being made more as "I'll go where taxation isn't." I just would like to see it the same across the board, personally... but they aren't listening to this guy. It was naive of me to think of the US in a contained manor... as the global market has really outgrown nations. It just sucks to know that companies are leveraging to avoid taxes when I cannot. Guess that's the way it's always been, though.

I don't know if you know... but Obama and I haven't been talking lately. He's just another puppet... but it is simply hilarious to me those who voted for the guy and were such tools about it to see he is just like everyone before him!! lol But I digress: So (and we're using Apple here, but generally speaking) this company has 2 billion of product sold... sales tax is paid by the consumer to the government. I earn money working at my job. I am taxed on those earnings to pay for things like bullshit wars and a government I don't trust. Why again should companies not also pay tax on their earnings?? I thought you said they were people. I think big businesses are good as long as they don't start becoming grossly consumed by greed. So if you believe corporations shouldn't pay taxes... then you're ok with me not paying taxes and keeping 100% of my money. Is this point true?

By already taxed when it was made in the US are you referring to the federal reserve selling it to the US government with interest attached? What's happening with Apple and many other companies is that they are taking a large amount of money from sales... IE, money they have collected from the market... and shipping that off shore. So I'm not sure where they are paying the taxes there on that money... but then they hold it off shore until our government gives in and allows them to return it tax free. They are basically taking money out of the market... and holding it there saying "Oh look at all this money! It would really help the economy if we could bring it back in... but we don't like the interest rate so we won't until you make it the way we want." http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/may/21/apple-wants-single-digit-corporate-tax Correct me if I'm wrong... but isn't that a hostage situation? Also... I totally agree a person can be a sole proprietor... but I wasn't asking you about that. The context changes once there is a second person in the company... or a second owner. The dynamic changes greatly (or at least should) once you get up above an independent contractor.

Chuck... the idea of borders and how they delete taxation is actually quite the issue. My buddy in Afghanistan is making a mint over the last 3 years a private contractor. However, the lack of taxation is an incentive to go over. Just as you suggested it to me, right?? That being said... why are borders a filter for taxes. If I'm a corporation and I send my paycheck digitally to Ireland because that's where my thoughts are... but I send my paycheck to the caymans because that's where my vacation PO box is... why can't I just send it back to myself in the states devoid of all taxes. Right?? How in the fuck does that make sense? So is a corporation a person or not? Does it work the other way around?? I'm not going to sit here chuck and say "oh boo hoo... the people who don't have anything blah blah blah." You and I know there is a bunch of scum that doesn't work and just sits on their fat asses. I totally get that. However, if I am burdened by that societal trash tax, why isn't a company??

To be honest... I file some deductions, but I would say it's far from all I can. I say that because I'm likely ignorant to what is and isn't tax deductible. Having no state income tax here makes things simpler, IMO, and to be honest, I dislike doing my taxes so much I usually just file them as quickly as possible to get it over with and move past it. I dislike taxation without representation greatly, but live with the fact that it's just going to happen. This topic in general I'm often left thinking "there HAS got to be a better way." However, that way does not include exempting corporations from paying into the pot while everyone else does. Either everyone pays, or no one pays. I'm for either.

Hey chuck. Why should I pay my taxes if a corporation doesn't? I'm all for the fair tax, including removing the sales tax between companies. However, I am curious of the reasoning behind why a corporation shouldn't pay taxes on what it earns, but hard working people like myself should. Which, at this point, makes me wondering if corporations = a person... then person can equal a corporation. Or does that work only one way?? Isn't that what the twat romney said? Corporations are people? It seems like they want to have it one way... a pretty unfair way.