Stephen from Imagine posted about this a few weeks ago but i fear that it wasn't given enough attention. ImagineAuto, EVO Motorsports, and PES are THE ONLY tuners that can legally sell you GIAC Stage IV (600hp) tuning.

I just bought my chip from Stephen and am extremely happy. However, while trying to get my exhaust and dv's installed every installer i talked to asked who i bought my chip from, how much i paid, and then proceded to tell me they could have sold me the stage 4 for less money. These people are either selling something they are not authorized to sell, or selling people stage 3 and tellng them it is stage 4.

I was not going to post anything but i thought it was my duty to inform everyone. This is a very serious problem. If we as consumers are not aware and do not demand integrity from our vendors then we are going to lose all the good people from the business and be stuck dealing with liars and thieves.

If you are looking to do this mod, do not be fooled or lured by the possibility of saving a few bucks. Todd and Stephen are standup guys working hard to provide us with the best possible products for our cars. Support the good guys and let the others get what they deserve.

-Steve

 

good post, it's a shame people are trying to make money off false claims or products. Unfortunately it's pretty common in this industry I only hope people like Stephen and Todd were more abundant

 

As far as I know only Stephen Todd and PES are allowed to sell the real stage IV....

 

yes, that's the point. what i'm saying is that there are shops with very good reputations and commonly lauded on these sites that are either lying or stealing. Basically just beware. We as consumers are in command of who gets are money and therefore who profits and who fails.

-Steve

 

Damn that's some shady stuffs..

 

Check out this thread. This subject was brought up a week or two ago.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...threadid=82969

Many of the GIAC Distributors do have proprietary software for certain kits they may sell. Also, an actual GIAC Distributor will refer you to the company that it belongs to.

The problem is when you have a GIAC "reseller" that does not have all of the facts and is unaware that certain software is proprietary.

 

Thanks Mike, that is correct and it seems not to be a problem with the GIAC network.

FYI, Meridian is now a reseller for EVO products as well and will be able to install Stage 4 and Stage 4 GT for those of you who are in LA.

 

In my humble opinion GIAC has to bear some of the blame for this. When you are distributing a product you can decide to go "open" or "closed". In open you make it available to everyone who is a reseller. The net result of this is that sometimes you compete with yourself and sometimes you lose your exclusivity and control in the after market. But, at least everyone knows where they stand.

If you go closed you select a group of vendors and give them exclusivity, typically in exchange for the territory on the market they are working in. This keeps control of the product and the manufacturer can also make sure the vendor meets some standards and monitor them to maintain quality and image. These last two items are harder to do in an "open" system.

The WORST of all worlds is to try to do both because you have vendors (who want to earn a living after all) competing with each other eroding street price and credibility.

I'm making some assumptions here and would be glad to hear I am wrong but from the outside it looks like GIAC is not being careful enough with their marketing strategy, which is now costing them in quality and customer perception.

 

i agree 100% Garey.

However, that does not change the fact that there are honest dealers and there are dishonest dealers. The point of my post is to just make people aware that there are more dishonest dealers than you would think, even some that are very big and very well respected.

bottom line is that the only dealers who are certainly honorable are Imagine, EVO, and PES.

 

Is this just a Stage IV issue? Is the Stage I-III ecu upgrade available from everyone (ByDesign, Meridian, et.al>) ligitimate?

 

yes only an issue for stage 4.

 

I don't think that is a fair statement. You are confusing the Distributors and resellers.

IMO the proper course of action would have been to contact GIAC directly to alert them of this type of behavior.

 

I'll be the devils advocate, could it be the GIAC Stage IV that the others are claiming actually the same program with slight changes that are not even noticeable still getting the same HP/Tq, And repackaging? Technically different but similar? To appease the other distributor? All they would need to do is change some small grid or table not even performance related and legally be different, but performance wise the same.

I would say the only way to really find out is to dyno the supposed "same Stage IV"

 

it is perfectly fair. the only dealers who can truly say to me that they can sell me this product are those 3. not saying other dealers aren't honest, but if they tell me that they can sell me that then they aren't.

it is not my job to contact GIAC. they are on the production and distribution end which is not for me to clean up. i am a consumer speaking to other consumers.

 

Are the other dealers honest or dishonest? You are saying two different things in your posts.

Bottom line.

If there is a dishonest "reseller," please email me privately and I will contact GIAC to fill them in on what's happening.

mike@awe-tuning.com


Is your point that the only honorable people that are to be selling the GIAC PES/EVO Stg. 4 are PES, EVO and Imagine?