I thought this might be the best place to ask this.

We at Neetronics are moving into a bigger facility and wanted to do things a little differently this time around. What kind of rules have you guys seen at dyno shops that keeps the customer happy and allows the tuner to get the job done faster.

As with all shops there is the customer who wants to look over your shoulder and ask questions about whats going on, to some extent that is perfectly alright. What kind of rules can you guys suggest? We are thinking of putting Xbox and Playstations to keep the customers comfortable in the waiting area and I guess only allowing the customer (no friends) hang around the dyno.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

<U>UPDATE MAY 30, 2005</U>

This is what we came up with, thanks for everyone's suggestions We have added the door to the room and a sliding door for the front that seals the room with overhead fans and fans to pull out the exhaust fumes. These are old pictures, I will update with new pictures soon.







Modified by int3gra at 12:38 PM 5/30/2005

 

the only true way to get work done is to restrict them completely, but that never works

ideally you could have a window they could see through so at least you didnt have to listen to them and walk around them

entertainment is a good start though

maybe actually enforcing the signs with varying rates if they want to help would be a solution

 

Half the fun of going to a dyno is to watch (and hear) the cars run.

I say allow the friends to watch, but rope off an area where they can stand and watch, like a few feet around the dyno just so you can get around without bumping into them all the time. I would only allow the customer to even come near the car on the dyno. Most customers are DIYers and just want to know how the car's doing before/during/and after a run. Personally, I'm always checking for oil/coolant leaks or any other signs of something that could go wrong. And I'm pretty sure most guys are as picky as me too.

 

I personally won't go anywhere that I'm left out of the tuning of my car, and expected to sit and read magazines in a waiting room. Would a rule be if you blew it up you bought it, while I play video games?

 

http://www.rageimports.com/zimage.asp?imageid=46

We set our dyno room up so that people could see or even video the cars thru the window in the front of the room

We also allow and set up chairs for peolpe to watch during the tuning - Like someone said 1/2 the fun of having the car dyno'd is to see it.

But for safty you have to keep your customers out of the area during the passes, simply explain to them the damgers of having a car going over 80+mph in third gear in a 20x20 room strapped down by 4 or 6 straps - They will understand after the first pass. Good Luck

 

When I go to the dyno, I'm there with the car, I trust emphatically the guys tuning me, but at the same time, I as a second pair of eyes helps to keep everything under total control...... What better way to learn than hands on experience.... I am learning......

 

I dont like going anywhere where i cant get involved. I know my setup and what my car can do more than anyone else does. So i like to be in the driver seat and making suggestions to the tuner on how things feeel and how i want them and what i notice ect ect ect. I have a very close working relationship with my tuner and the dyno shop so its not a prob. But i hate to be left out while my cars are being tuned.

ANother thing i hate is when shops block people out. People like to see sick cars on the dyno . At worse set up like roped off area around the car so everyone can see and hear and feel whats going on , but cant pass a certain point withing X amount of feet of the vehicle. Thats how my friends new shop is doing it.
Rado's shop has the dyno encased with all windows around. and the computer is outside the room. So at least the people can see in and see whats going on so thats cool too. kinda feels like a Nasa lab or something

 

I use "streetflight" here in Mesa, Arizona. They let you tune your own car. They just run the dyno brake. The owner of the vehicle drives the vehicle and makes all the adjustment to fuel, timeing, cam gears etc..
That way your responsible for blowing up your own car.

 

I understand that everyone likes to be involved in the proceses of thier cars build up and tuning,but for safety reasons I wouldn't ever let a customer into the dyno room.I'd put windows and an intercom setup so they can see and answer questions,and give suggestions,but thats it.tell them that insurance reason prohibit you from allowing them inside the room.For the people who say that they wouldn't go to a shop that didn't let them be involved,I don't know.Would you choose an engine shop on the fact that they let you watch the machine work?Or not cause they don't,if you go to a competant shop you shouldn't even have to be there for the work to be done right.

 

I don't know if you guys ever got a chance to see Are 51's facilities before the closed down. But they had a upstairs viewing room with leather couches, big screen TV's and every magazine you could think of.

 

alot of people wont go to shops where its drop your car off and cme back later when were done tuning . or sit in this room until we're done. How many times have people gotten hurt from being in the same room as the car dynoing . I have been at the dyno hundreds and hundreds of times and never saw an issue.

 

our dyno is set up inground at the end of one of our bays. this is the closest you will get to tuning outside in the open air( so the car can breathe as it would on the road) we chain off the bay and use metal posts sunk in concrete in case of a strap failure. Most of our customers video tape there cars because like was stated before 1/2 of the fun is the visual and audio. every now and then you get the customer that is upset because he cannot be in the bay watching but we back the cars isn(fwd) so that the customer can see every thing that we are adjusting on the car.

 

I would totally reccomend Xotic Motorsports as a place to tune your vehicle. I was down there 3 weekends ago with my SRT4 and those guys are totally cool. I've never met them before and they left me tweek my car inbetween runs and even left me run it on the dyno.

However, The spectators were behind the car off the side in a roped off area. It was still in the shop and you can hear/see the car being dynoed but it was far enough away for safty purposes and there was a huge monitor there so u can see whats going on...

If i owned a shop i would have the same setup as Xtoic just cause safty comes first. U dont want more people then needed around a car when its being dynoed.

http://www.xoticmotorsports.com

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itr206 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How many times have people gotten hurt from being in the same room as the car dynoing . I have been at the dyno hundreds and hundreds of times and never saw an issue. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Ageed it's prob not gonna happen,but the fact that it only takes 1 time to put you out of biz.Try to get reinsured after an accident ,it won't happen.

 

Remember running a biz is all about keeping customers happy and the doors OPEN.It's always a compromise,but my biz comes first before anything else.

 

TRUST ME , Xotic doesnt like people in the shop when they dyno . I have went thru it with them toooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many times.

FNKD , I understand the liability fully. It only takes one mistake. But if you can do a nice set up and have the graphs up on like a projector and maybe put glass or lexan in front for spectators. that would be ideal. Exceptions should be made IMO for the owner if they are knowledgable enuff to help with or do the tuning them selves and ordrive the vehicle on the dyno while the tuner does his thing.

The dyno's i go to i stick with for the reason that they are flexible,and the understand that i need to be in the loop on my vehicle, so i have my hands in on things tooo

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fkned &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'd put windows and an intercom setup so they can see and answer questions,and give suggestions,but thats it.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Thats why I said this.Let them see and hear everything,just from another room.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Trooper &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't know if you guys ever got a chance to see Are 51's facilities before the closed down. But they had a upstairs viewing room with leather couches, big screen TV's and every magazine you could think of. </TD></TR></TABLE>

dude that place was by far the nicest shop i ever set foot in...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fkned &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Thats why I said this.Let them see and hear everything,just from another room.</TD></TR></TABLE>i agree to a point.i think the owner should be there because it his car and he should of signed a waiver but not 500 of his budies. i have seen a few motors blow on the dyno its very messy. iv allso had a drive shaft break on a older domestic car and rip the whole tail shaft off the tranny the exhaust of the car and threw metal all over the place just think if that would of hurt some body. ask boostfed on her about straps breaking hell tell you .it pretty much comes down to a safety issue

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dahatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i agree to a point.i think the owner should be there because it his car and he should of signed a waiver but not 500 of his budies.</TD></TR></TABLE>
My point is why risk a jury deciding on your fate in a sueable situation.Not even a waiver protects you enough.Like I said it's your biz and livelyhood,you have to protect yourself it real out there.

 

If my tuner made me sit in another room while he tuned my car I would never go back.. I want to be face to face w/ my tuner. I want him to explain to me what he is doing to the car and why. If I don't talk w/ my tuner how do I know he is competant? Tuning isn't a strait forward process like bolting on some suspension or an intake. Not everyone out there tuning knows what they are doing.. As a tuner, you need to prove to your customer that you know what your doing. What better way then educating them while you do it? Handing me a dyno sheet and my keys doesn't prove anything to me.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fkned &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I understand that everyone likes to be involved in the proceses of thier cars build up and tuning,but for safety reasons I wouldn't ever let a customer into the dyno room.I'd put windows and an intercom setup so they can see and answer questions,and give suggestions,but thats it.tell them that insurance reason prohibit you from allowing them inside the room.For the people who say that they wouldn't go to a shop that didn't let them be involved,I don't know.Would you choose an engine shop on the fact that they let you watch the machine work?Or not cause they don't,if you go to a competant shop you shouldn't even have to be there for the work to be done right.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I never said you couldn't watch,I said in another windowed room w/intercom.And yes If you haven't tuned a car how would you even know w/your looking at anyway??You go to a shop w/a good rep and talk to the guy whoose gonna tune it.thats how you know.I don't mean this as an insult to people who don't know whats involed in tuning,but really just being in the room DOESN'T mean that quality work is being done.Most of the time I promise you being in the room will slow down the process and cost you more $. Did you all see every part of the machining processes and assembly of your engine?If not isn't it the same situation??

 

I've seen too many cars come off the dyno at 120+mph and too many motors throw things across the room. If it were my dyno, nobody would be allowed in harms way. Just too much liability. If you don't trust your dyno tuner, then find another one...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tony1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've seen too many cars come off the dyno at 120mph.</TD></TR></TABLE>kinda fun when your driving ive seen a spark plung come out of the motor and stick in a 30ft sealing the burn marks still there any thing can happen but most people dont understand that

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tony1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've seen too many cars come off the dyno at 120+mph and too many motors throw things across the room. If it were my dyno, nobody would be allowed in harms way. Just too much liability. If you don't trust your dyno tuner, then find another one...</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is a great quote from someone that knows