Alright, before I go post in the Vendor Reviews forum I wanted to sound you guys out.

Here is the story:

Last week (February 19th) I decided to order the Vishnu underdrive pulley and IC hoses. Before calling to find out if they had them in stock, I ordered them.

Shortly thereafter (same day) I received a receipt from them telling me that they had received my order. I then realized that I would need a Unichip harness. I called them (got the machine) and sent them an email asking to add the harness to my order if they had it. The next day (the 20th) I got an email from them telling me they did not carry it anymore.

This Saturday (the 22nd), I had still not heard anything from them regarding my order, so I emailed them simply asking if they had the items in stock, and if they were going to ship.

This morning (the 26th) I called them and left a message asking the same thing: Do you have my items in stock, and what is my order status?

I still have not heard ANYTHING regarding my order.

Caveats
1. I know I should have called first to see if they had the parts in stock. Their website does not state as such, so therefore, me being a responsible consumer should find out before ordering.

2. I know that Vishnu is primarily a tuner. Not a parts vendor. They have people coming in and out all day, and their priority is to tune people's vehicles.

Rebuttals
1. Absolutely I should have called first. However, I have now sent 2 emails regarding my order, one specifically asking for the status, and made two phone calls, one specifically asking for the status, and it's a week later and I have heard nothing. I was polite. I only asked whether the parts were in stock and if they are going to be shipped any time soon.

2. Yes, Vishnu is a tuner. However, they still sell parts and have a sales staff. Therefore, a question about the status of a customers parts should be EXPECTED and promptly (within two days) be answered. I do not expect a vendor to have all the parts in at all times. I am not complaining about that. My problem is with a total lack of communication other than one computer-generated email telling me they received my order, and one quick email saying they do not carry the Unichip harness anymore.

Other issues

I have the utmost respect for Vishnu as a tuning company and for the owner Shiv. They make a great product, and I have been looking to get one of their stage kits since I got my WRX.

I also know that Shiv is a standup guy (coming out here to tune some folks' cars and all) and I am not badmouthing him or his company. I am simply stating my case that there has been a distinct lack of communication with a customer (me).

All I want to know is what is the status of my parts.

v/r
Greg

 

Greg,
I can understand your frustration. In my dealings with Vishnu I've found it best to use the telephone and to keep calling until I got a warm body (usually Shiv or Brett).

I did have to wait around 1 1/2 months for my SAMCO IC hoses, but I think a lot of places had them on BO at that time. Every time I call Shiv was straight up on the status. I know they also had a demand for the EMI Adapter that surpassed their supply. I think I lucked out and got an early one with my Stage 1 upgrade.

Other then that I've been very happy with their stuff and the support I received. Hope you can get this resolved and figure where your order stands.

 

I just keep hearing they are so slow and the service pretty much sucks. I mean if its in stock cant they send it to you quicker than over a month? I dont have the patience to wait so will probably go with some TXS stuff instead.

Whats Farids username here? Going to head back to Speed Gear tomorrow to hopefully catch him and see what he can get me.

 

Farid is usually never in the store. Talk to Dylan.

You guys might as well get used to vendors being slow, that is a part of life (well, a car fanatic's anyway).
High demand items are rarely in stock, and when they are, you better be on the list.

Finding an honest, fair priced, and Knowlegable shop is what you wnat to try and do.
Vishnu is just that. They are Super busy though, so Calling repeatedly is best. If you don't feel like doing that, well, I guess you don't want those parts for your car bad enough, and you can always take your chances elsewhere.

Of course, Some places are MUCH quicker with email and phone message responses, but they are usually just a store, not everything-in-one like Vishnu is.

 

The doorbell just rang. It was the UPS guy. He had my Vishnu stuff. Good thing I didn't order the replacement parts from Somewhere else.

It's nice to see them, I just wish they had let me know they were on the way

If I hadn't gotten them this weekend I was already pricing other vendors and was going to cancel my order.

My STAGE 1 is complete. I just need to install it all.

Greg

 

Originally posted by EtchyLives
I have the utmost respect for Vishnu as a tuning company and for the owner Shiv. They make a great product, and I have been looking to get one of their stage kits since I got my WRX.

I also know that Shiv is a standup guy (coming out here to tune some folks' cars and all) and I am not badmouthing him or his company. I am simply stating my case that there has been a distinct lack of communication with a customer (me).

All I want to know is what is the status of my parts.

Fair enough. We are customers, after all.

I've heard some similar accounts from other i-Club members. Personally, I've called Vishnu on two occasions and they answered my questions both times. I've also e-mailed them on two occasions and received replies in a couple of days. Last November I ordered the old Stage Sub-Zero kit and it arrived in one week. I can't really address the problems that other people are having.

I visited Vishnu Performance on 01-Mar-2003 to check out their Dyno Day open house. Lots of fun, good folks, and nice cars! Shiv will make as many dyno pulls as necessary to get a good, solid torque curve. The shop reeked of exhaust fumes after the many hours of baseline dyno pulls and tuning sessions I witnessed while there. I hope those guys aren't getting carbon monoxide poisoning...

Let's hope that Vishnu's customer service becomes more consistent for anyone that has had problems. They come up with such innovative solutions that I would really try to be patient before giving up on them. They really are a great bunch of guys, too.

--
^ww^
"…axles of evil…" - George W. Bush

 

Yeah Ive decided to go with Vishnu Stage 2 and then order the APS FMIC and whatever intake/bow they require. Just do it and be done and then reflash the ecu. Crossing my fingers the whole time.

APS still says cutting the air dam is required eventhough their site says NO CUTTING. Grr...

 

Originally posted by DaveWRX
Yeah Ive decided to go with Vishnu Stage 2 and then order the APS FMIC and whatever intake/bow they require. Just do it and be done and then reflash the ecu. Crossing my fingers the whole time.

Dave, modified air intakes can screw up the readings from the mass air flow sensor. If the FMIC does not utilize the factory intake and MAF location, there will likely be a problem. Shiv showed us the air/fuel ratio graph of a dyno pull from a car with a slightly modified intake that illustrated his point. It can be compensated for with dyno tuning, but that will be difficult when you're more than a couple of thousand miles away. If Shiv has a map for it, no problem, but normally he doesn't sell re-flashed ECUs for cars with cold air intakes. Shiv can give you the lowdown over the phone about whether or not a re-flash by mail for this setup is do-able.

Shiv also mentioned one customer who had driveability woes and discovered that his drop-in K&N air filter element had caused the MAF to become coated with the filter oil, thereby wreaking havoc with the readings. A thorough cleaning and all was well. The accuracy of the MAF readings are critical to proper engine operation.

--
^ww^
"…axles of evil…" - George W. Bush

 

Dave,
If you plan to go Vishnu Stage 2 you may want to talk to Shiv about his top mount IC (shipping), or his let to be releases front mount. The key thing is that they both use the stock airbox which is a requirement for a Shiv tuned ECUTEK. Unless of course you want to ship your car to the Bay area for a tune.

 

Ack ok, I am set on a FMIC and thats what I want to go with. I will get a hold of Shiv and figure out what is the best solution. Hmm...

Seems everyone has a mismatch of parts in their cars and everyone seems to be doing ok. Guess I figured it would still work ok, but apparently not. Whats the best way to get in touch with Shiv anyways?

 

1-925-924-9800

 

Thx Wes will call tomorrow. The fun begins...

 

"Ok" is a subjective term For example, an okay-running car at last night's dyno day put down less than 200 wheel hp (on our dyno) with upgraded injectors, big turbo, full exhaust, etc,. While okay, it was about 50 wheel hp down on power from what it should have been. The fact of the matter is that you never know how much power you're car is capable of with proper tuning UNTIL you get properly tuned

Cheers,
Shiv
________
Ryoko tani

 

Shiv,

Awaiting your return.

 

Makes sense. So the above number will get me in touch with you guys and someone I can chat with about what I want to do to the car and how to best do it?

Thanks.