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Enginer PHEV Conversion.

Discussion in 'Prius c Accessories and Modifications' started by vinny1575, Apr 13, 2013.

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  1. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    Guys I really do understand where you're coming from, I feel the same way, I'm not really sure whether they're legit or not. But all the signs that you're pointing out are tell tail signs of a change of owners.

    I'm going to keep calling some of the installers and see what they have to say.
     
    #41 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  2. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    Well, I went ahead and called and I spoke to Demetrio. And he was incredibly defensive I guess he thought that I was a couple of you guys who had called. I believe he is getting defensive because they're probably not a legitimate business. He kept interrupting me when I was asking how I can go about purchasing a kit saying that he thinks I am messing with him. All I did was asked him to prove that they are a legit plugin conversion supplier. Honestly it was a rudest person I've ever spoken to on the phone. I would definitely not recommend trying to buy anything from them the only people who get that defensive are people that have something to hide.
     
    #42 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  3. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    Is there anybody selling legitimate plugin kits anymore?
     
    #43 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  4. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    Email from the supposed Enginer Company. Not even sure what he is talking about. I had told him that it would be good for business if I where to document an install in the C. Like I said he was beyond defensive.

    "Do not contact this company or staff members again by email or by telephone or any other means.

    We are not interested in doing business with you.

    Please be advised I have alerted the staff to you email threats.

    Your actions are extreme and are considered dangerous.

    Our lawyer has been alerted to your email threats in the emails sent today.

    In the event you make any malicious statements online at any forum or any other website, we will seek all legal actions available for enforcement."
     
    #44 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
    lopezjm2001 likes this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yikes! i guess you did your due dilegence.:) makes you wonder how these guys actually earn a living?
     
    #45 bisco, Apr 17, 2013
    vinny1575 likes this.
  6. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    Ya, I got the vibe that it was just one guy. I have a feeling that its a scam and that these guys are located outside of the US as to avoid the legal ramifications. It's funny, all the scams I have encountered always seem to have a guy/girl talking about their lawyer constantly. It's like they are trying to overcompensate.
     
    #46 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  7. lopezjm2001

    lopezjm2001 Senior Member

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    Yeah, their lawyers have applied for an AVO. You will not be allowed to go within a 20 metre radius of a computer forum!!! :) :)
     
    #47 lopezjm2001, Apr 17, 2013
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  8. lopezjm2001

    lopezjm2001 Senior Member

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    They are all legitimate, just that some are more honest than others.
     
    #48 lopezjm2001, Apr 17, 2013
  9. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    Ya I love it. I know my rights as a consumer ;) Such idiots out there.
     
    #49 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  10. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    So who has the most integrity then? That's the million dollar question.
     
    #50 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  11. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    I had been an installer with Enginer from the beginning. I have not been contacted by them about any new services or products.

    In fact, I have customers who would be happy to get followup on their thousands of dollars of outstanding warranty claims if they are in business.

    Last official message was that ownership was changing and that parts for prior systems would not be available from the company.

    I would agree: Buyer Beware

    Tell them they can call me any time at 608-729-4082 to see how to help there previously-ignored customer base.
     
    #51 ericbecky, Apr 17, 2013
  12. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    Who would you recommend purchasing a conversion kit from?
     
    #52 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  13. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Do not purchase an Enginer kit until things have been verified fully.

    I am not aware of any kits for the Prius C that have had a solid record at this time.
    Would be great if someone had something reliable. We'd install it.

    If you had a Gen 2 Prius, I'd say check out something like Boulder Hybrid Conversions.
    It's somewhere around $12,000 and it does exactly what you'd expect a PHEV system to do. All-EV mode, etc.
     
    #53 ericbecky, Apr 17, 2013
  14. 3prongpaul

    3prongpaul Hybrid Shop Owner, worked on 100's of Prius's

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    I agree with Ericbecky. I would be very careful with the *NEW* Enginer.

    Jack Chen from the original Enginer was a great guy, but the product had a 100% failure rate within the first few months. (at least in our experience) I think between 3ProngPower and Boulder Hybrids we installed more Enginer systems than anyone else in the US. When it worked, it was OK, not great, but OK for the money. We always suggested Enginer increase quality and increase the price if necessary. Improvements were made over the years, but overall lots of people experienced more downtime than uptime.

    You cannot get good quality for cheap, especially stuff made in China (i.e. look at Harbor Freight)

    While Enginer existed, we got free replacement parts under warranty. This was good (although still a PITA with customers and for us since we had to eat the labor) Once Jack went bankrupt, everyone was screwed, even customers in Colorado and California that paid a premium for an extended warranty. All those systems are essentially orphans unless you want to pay for support. Many customers asked us to rip out their systems because they were tired of all the repairs and didn't want to throw "good money after bad".

    If you do business with NEW Enginer, what is to prevent the same thing (bankruptcy and abandoning customers/warranty) from happening?

    If you are gambler go ahead and take a chance.
    You have been warned.
     
    #54 3prongpaul, Apr 17, 2013
    lopezjm2001 likes this.
  15. vinny1575

    vinny1575 Junior Member

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    I don't know if you saw the email that I posted from them but I don't plan on doing business with Enginer. In fact I've been banned for questioning there motives.
     
    #55 vinny1575, Apr 17, 2013
  16. goitalone

    goitalone Member

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    I'd better just forget conversion kits and concentrate on getting my OE battery pack rebuilt/replaced. I can tell it has lost quite a bit of it's capacity/performance.

    If anyone here can help me figure out the best, least expensive solution, please let know!

    Will travel!

    Thanks!
     
    #56 goitalone, Apr 17, 2013
  17. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    You can start a new thread, or simply give me a call. 608-729-4082.

    Whatever you do, do not buy an untested one out of a junkyard. Instead, there are options for refurbished ones that have the reliability you need.
     
    #57 ericbecky, Apr 17, 2013
  18. goitalone

    goitalone Member

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    BTW, what would you guys think my HOT Florida pack's capacity might be @ 10 years w/121,000 miles?
     
    #58 goitalone, Apr 17, 2013
  19. goitalone

    goitalone Member

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    nm, I'll start new thread
     
    #59 goitalone, Apr 17, 2013
  20. cyeremian

    cyeremian Member

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    I agree! EV mode at higher speed would be awesome. I wonder if there is a hack for this??
     
    #60 cyeremian, Apr 18, 2013
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