Kessel's Tuning Vehicle Preparedness Checklist
At Kessel’s Tuning, our goal is to provide you with a tune that will extract the most WHP from your vehicle, while maintaining reliability and as much drivability as possible. In order to do that, your car must be in good operating condition and be ready for the tuning process. To help achieve this goal and keep your costs to a minimum, we put together this Vehicle Preparedness Checklist for the benefit of our customers who are coming in for tuning and/or dyno pulls. The list has been compiled to explain some of the routine issues we have encountered, as well as how to avoid them. It’s important to note that it is the customer's responsibility to make certain their vehicle is healthy and ready to tune.
Any issues that make your car untunable will cost you extra to have fixed @ $200.00/hr
If your vehicle has a spill that stops our day you will be charged hourly @ $200.00/hr until cleanup is complete plus materials.
IF YOU HAVE SECURITY STYLE LUG NUTS BE SURE TO BRING THE KEY TO REMOVE THEM AND/OR THE SPLINE TOOL TO REMOVE SPLINED LUG NUTS. WE HAVE SOME BUT NOT ALL. DO NOT DEPEND ON US TO REMOVE YOUR WHEEL LOCKS.
If you come to an appointment with a car that is not in proper working order there are two options: The first is you have informed us that there are additional issues. In this case, we will assess the required repairs and give you an estimate. The repairs will then be made and your vehicle will be tuned. By scheduling extra time to address the additional repairs, we can finish your vehicle in a reasonable time frame. In the second option, if you are unaware of, or don’t inform us about potential problems, we will start uncovering them as we tune your car. In this case, we will stop and give you an estimate of what the cost will be. Customers will be charged a portion of the tuning rate and/or the shop's hourly rate for the time spent diagnosing why the car could not be tuned or could not be tuned completely. Additionally, since we were not aware of additional problems, and did not schedule extra time, we may not be able to finish your tune on the same day. In this case, customers may find it more cost/time effective to leave the car with Kessel’s Tuning for repairs. Many of the issues that surface are simple to fix and we may very well be able to do so on the same day as the appointment.
Wiring:
The engine harness should be free from breaks and have no exposed wires. Breaks or exposed wires should not be twisted and taped together. Loose connections and stray wires in the engine bay can be hard to track down, costing time and money, so make sure your wiring is correct and secure.
Charging System:
A proper operating system should be charging at 13.5-14.8 Volts under all operating conditions
Grounds:
Make sure your vehicle has good, clean grounds. Older vehicles that have surface rust in and or around the ground strap connection area may benefit from additional grounds.
Fuel Level:
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST A HALF TANK OF GAS – or better yet, fill your tank - if we have to put fuel in your car you will be charged for the fuel and time to do it.
Fuel Pump:
Know what fuel pump is in the vehicle and how old it is. If you have any doubt, check it or replace it. Lack of fuel will show up at the least opportune time.
Fuel Injectors:
Be sure that there are no vacuum and/ or fuel leaks at or around the injectors. Also, make sure your fuel injectors are sized appropriately for the power that you are trying to make.
Vacuum/ Boost Issues:
Vacuum Lines - Make sure that your intake, vacuum lines, and intercooler piping are sealed when under vacuum as well as sealed when under pressure.
Exhaust Issues:
Exhaust Length – Tuning a car with an open header or open downpipe is sometimes a challenge - depending on the size and length. We have seen compromises in part throttle tunes due to O2 sensor readings and prefer that the car come in with a full exhaust. We can tune either way, but if the car is to be run open header or open downpipe, here are the recommendations for a great tune: O2 sensor bung should be mounted at least 10-14 inches from the turbo and at least 24-30 inches from the exit on turbo cars; and in the collector and at least 24 inches from the outlet on N/A and supercharged cars.
O2 Sensor:
If the vehicle is not equipped with a wideband we will need to remove the narrowband sensor so that we can install ours. Please make sure that the O2 sensor comes out easily, avoiding costly damage due to the sensor being installed without anti-seize. If the sensor must be replaced, you will be charged for the cost of the sensor as well as the additional labor needed to chase the threads. If the bung is ruined beyond repair, we sometimes need to remove that section of pipe to weld a new section of pipe, with a new bung in place.
Clutch Issues:
Make sure the clutch you are using is rated for the torque capacity that your vehicle WILL BE MAKING not the power it is currently making. Don’t use a stock clutch or equivalent if you're running a supercharger, turbocharger, or nitrous-equipped engine.
At Kessel’s Tuning, our goal is to provide you with a tune that will extract the most WHP from your vehicle, while maintaining reliability and as much drivability as possible. In order to do that, your car must be in good operating condition and be ready for the tuning process. To help achieve this goal and keep your costs to a minimum, we put together this Vehicle Preparedness Checklist for the benefit of our customers who are coming in for tuning and/or dyno pulls. The list has been compiled to explain some of the routine issues we have encountered, as well as how to avoid them. It’s important to note that it is the customer's responsibility to make certain their vehicle is healthy and ready to tune.
Any issues that make your car untunable will cost you extra to have fixed @ $200.00/hr
If your vehicle has a spill that stops our day you will be charged hourly @ $200.00/hr until cleanup is complete plus materials.
IF YOU HAVE SECURITY STYLE LUG NUTS BE SURE TO BRING THE KEY TO REMOVE THEM AND/OR THE SPLINE TOOL TO REMOVE SPLINED LUG NUTS. WE HAVE SOME BUT NOT ALL. DO NOT DEPEND ON US TO REMOVE YOUR WHEEL LOCKS.
If you come to an appointment with a car that is not in proper working order there are two options: The first is you have informed us that there are additional issues. In this case, we will assess the required repairs and give you an estimate. The repairs will then be made and your vehicle will be tuned. By scheduling extra time to address the additional repairs, we can finish your vehicle in a reasonable time frame. In the second option, if you are unaware of, or don’t inform us about potential problems, we will start uncovering them as we tune your car. In this case, we will stop and give you an estimate of what the cost will be. Customers will be charged a portion of the tuning rate and/or the shop's hourly rate for the time spent diagnosing why the car could not be tuned or could not be tuned completely. Additionally, since we were not aware of additional problems, and did not schedule extra time, we may not be able to finish your tune on the same day. In this case, customers may find it more cost/time effective to leave the car with Kessel’s Tuning for repairs. Many of the issues that surface are simple to fix and we may very well be able to do so on the same day as the appointment.
Wiring:
The engine harness should be free from breaks and have no exposed wires. Breaks or exposed wires should not be twisted and taped together. Loose connections and stray wires in the engine bay can be hard to track down, costing time and money, so make sure your wiring is correct and secure.
Charging System:
A proper operating system should be charging at 13.5-14.8 Volts under all operating conditions
Grounds:
Make sure your vehicle has good, clean grounds. Older vehicles that have surface rust in and or around the ground strap connection area may benefit from additional grounds.
Fuel Level:
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST A HALF TANK OF GAS – or better yet, fill your tank - if we have to put fuel in your car you will be charged for the fuel and time to do it.
Fuel Pump:
Know what fuel pump is in the vehicle and how old it is. If you have any doubt, check it or replace it. Lack of fuel will show up at the least opportune time.
Fuel Injectors:
Be sure that there are no vacuum and/ or fuel leaks at or around the injectors. Also, make sure your fuel injectors are sized appropriately for the power that you are trying to make.
Vacuum/ Boost Issues:
Vacuum Lines - Make sure that your intake, vacuum lines, and intercooler piping are sealed when under vacuum as well as sealed when under pressure.
Exhaust Issues:
Exhaust Length – Tuning a car with an open header or open downpipe is sometimes a challenge - depending on the size and length. We have seen compromises in part throttle tunes due to O2 sensor readings and prefer that the car come in with a full exhaust. We can tune either way, but if the car is to be run open header or open downpipe, here are the recommendations for a great tune: O2 sensor bung should be mounted at least 10-14 inches from the turbo and at least 24-30 inches from the exit on turbo cars; and in the collector and at least 24 inches from the outlet on N/A and supercharged cars.
O2 Sensor:
If the vehicle is not equipped with a wideband we will need to remove the narrowband sensor so that we can install ours. Please make sure that the O2 sensor comes out easily, avoiding costly damage due to the sensor being installed without anti-seize. If the sensor must be replaced, you will be charged for the cost of the sensor as well as the additional labor needed to chase the threads. If the bung is ruined beyond repair, we sometimes need to remove that section of pipe to weld a new section of pipe, with a new bung in place.
Clutch Issues:
Make sure the clutch you are using is rated for the torque capacity that your vehicle WILL BE MAKING not the power it is currently making. Don’t use a stock clutch or equivalent if you're running a supercharger, turbocharger, or nitrous-equipped engine.