Mod-Wise Hot Start Kit - Anyone Fitted One/Had One fitted?

[im]

Hmmm...just had an interesting conversation with an Auto-sparky.

I explained the hot-start problem that I had and that I would be purchasing the modwise hot-start kit and asked if he would fit it. I said that it should only take an hour or so but he laughed and said that in his experience companies sell these 'solutions' boasting that they are quick fixes and it turns out in reality that they are not.

He said they wouldn't sell any of these kits if they told the truth about how long the install really was going to take. He also said that they boast about how even someone with little electrical knowledge can fit them and then he gets to do the tidy-up job after the customer has made a real mess of it.

He said he gets people giving him kit off the internet which the manufacturer says takes an hour to fit and then the customer gets upset when it turns out it took 5 or 6 hours and sometimes even longer.

He doesn't want to do the job unless I'm sure of how long the job takes. I've seen the piece of kit mod-wise supply and it looks pretty...insubstantial and if I had to guess it surely couldnt take more than an hour to fit unless of course panels or other obstructions need to be removed.

So...has anyone fitted one of these kits? How long did it take you or how many hours labour were you charged?

[Slacey]

They really are a doddle to fit - show him the instructions and if he still insists it will take hours, find a new electrician

[Cider Andy]

I haven't seen or fitted it but I know there are only four connections to make that are all in the footwell (and so are all easily accessible): a +12V supply, a ground, plus one wire that has to be cut to make the other two connections.

A competent autoelectrician should be able to fit it in a lot less than an hour, including the time taken to identifiy the connection points.

[thegman]

how about somebody who has wired a few plugs and light sockets. i.e: me

[blujay10]

Walldenway fitted mine and only charged me half an hours labour.....guess the more you do the quicker they are to fit.

[sapper]

I fitted one a few months ago, im by no means a sparky and it took me half an hour. Cured the starting problem straight away. The instructions are very easy to follow, get the kit and do it yourself there really isnt much you can do wrong.

[bigdods]

I can wire a socket in the house and change a lightbulb but not mess with cars and even I managed to do it in 20 minutes. And I was being very careful as I get nervous around 12V and high amps. It really is simple. Just make sure that when you are fitting the live feed you use insulated tools OR disconnect the battery first. I used an insualted spanner and it worked fine.

The instructions are on the chimaerapages here http://www.chimaerapages.com/resources_hotstart.ph...

In the modwise instructions there is an alternatvie live feed available in the fusebox and he provides a bolt to fit into it - I used that instead of wiring to the battery and it fitted perfectly.

Edited by bigdods on Monday 28th January 12:49

[spend]

bigdods said:

...I get nervous around 12V and high amps...
...there is an alternatvie live feed available in the fusebox and he provides a bolt to fit into it...

That fusebox was originally designed to have cover. Since the strip fuse holder you mention is very live and TVR didn't fit a cover it should be encapsulated in silicone. That particular thing has always struck me as an area to take particular care with.

Dave

[bigdods]

spend said:

bigdods said:

...I get nervous around 12V and high amps...
...there is an alternatvie live feed available in the fusebox and he provides a bolt to fit into it...

That fusebox was originally designed to have cover. Since the strip fuse holder you mention is very live and TVR didn't fit a cover it should be encapsulated in silicone. That particular thing has always struck me as an area to take particular care with.

Dave

It is an area to take care, to be safe its best to disconnect the battery. There are 2 live feeds that can be used for the hot start +ve connection, both are prtoected by silicon which is removed from one connection to take the bolt supplied. I used this connection as it was easy and provided a good contact. I wasnt sure of the best approach to use for connecting direct to the battery and this solution is very neat and easy to implement. I hadnt considered re-siliconing it once fitted , didnt seem an issue at the time. Next time i am under the dash I will take a look and see if its something that should be done.

[thegman]

bigdods said:

spend said:

bigdods said:

...I get nervous around 12V and high amps...
...there is an alternatvie live feed available in the fusebox and he provides a bolt to fit into it...

That fusebox was originally designed to have cover. Since the strip fuse holder you mention is very live and TVR didn't fit a cover it should be encapsulated in silicone. That particular thing has always struck me as an area to take particular care with.

Dave

It is an area to take care, to be safe its best to disconnect the battery. There are 2 live feeds that can be used for the hot start +ve connection, both are prtoected by silicon which is removed from one connection to take the bolt supplied. I used this connection as it was easy and provided a good contact. I wasnt sure of the best approach to use for connecting direct to the battery and this solution is very neat and easy to implement. I hadnt considered re-siliconing it once fitted , didnt seem an issue at the time. Next time i am under the dash I will take a look and see if its something that should be done.

sorry if this is stupid but can you just use bathroom type clear silicon?

[paulathome]

Don't use bath sealant. It contains acetic acid and will corrode all your wiring.
As for working on electrics on any car. Before you start DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY!
Cheers.
Paul

[spend]

paulathome said:

As for working on electrics on any car. Before you start DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY!

Those bits are essentially an extension of the battery terminal, and carry just as much risk....

You want a sealant that will cope with heat more than anything - its very close to the heater pipework etc. Get a decent automotive sealant - you will be surprised how often it is needed

Dave

[clive f]

Dave Beer is a top fella, his kits come with simple to follow instructions, I`m definately no sparky, and even pausing for a coffee and a couple of fags it took me no longer than an hour........perhaps your electrician is trying to get more work??

[im]

clive f said:

Dave Beer is a top fella, his kits come with simple to follow instructions, I`m definately no sparky, and even pausing for a coffee and a couple of fags it took me no longer than an hour........perhaps your electrician is trying to get more work??

To be honest, he'd never heard of the Hot-start problem and I think was just ranting about people buying e-bay stuff cos they'd been told it only took "an hour to fit". They pass the job to him and when it turns out to take longer ie 2 or 3 hours, they have a go at him.

He says it's the companies selling stuff on e-bay/interweb playing down the install time thats now leading to these customer disputes/problems for a lot of small garages.

He said he'd do it but that generally he wont take this kind of job any more.

I just wanted to reassure him that, yes - it will REALLY will only take (at most) an hours labour and thats with a coffee break.

He actually seems like a nice bloke who's been caught just once too often in this scenario.

[V8 Devil]

It really is a doddle to do, even I managed to fit it in half and hour. Dave was on hand on his mobile if needed. I did phone him as I had connected to the wrong part of the battery and simply moved the connecter on his advice as the car wouldn't start. Once you read the instructions it is plain as day.
Ian, on the next run take a look at the fitted kit on my car and you'll see how simple it is. I've had no hot start problem since fitting it

Edited by V8 Devil on Monday 28th January 23:13

[Vixpy1]

Had the hot start problem countless times.

Bought the kit

took 25 mins to fit

Never had the hot start problem ever again.

Briliant.

[im]

Thanks to everybody for their feedback to this thread.

I'm gonna e-mail him the link to this thread so that he can see for himself that what I say is true.

Again...thanks for all your posts.

im

[crackedfinger]

im said:

Hmmm...just had an interesting conversation with an Auto-sparky.

I explained the hot-start problem that I had and that I would be purchasing the modwise hot-start kit and asked if he would fit it. I said that it should only take an hour or so but he laughed and said that in his experience companies sell these 'solutions' boasting that they are quick fixes and it turns out in reality that they are not.

I've fitted it and it is unbelievable how easy it is to fit, considering the affect it has on the starting. It does sound too simple & too much like a 'magical' fix, but it is indeed as described. The challenge I have found is that sometimes the relay can come unplugged, need to secure the fittings so that this does not happen.

[thegman]

crackedfinger said:

im said:

Hmmm...just had an interesting conversation with an Auto-sparky.

I explained the hot-start problem that I had and that I would be purchasing the modwise hot-start kit and asked if he would fit it. I said that it should only take an hour or so but he laughed and said that in his experience companies sell these 'solutions' boasting that they are quick fixes and it turns out in reality that they are not.

I've fitted it and it is unbelievable how easy it is to fit, considering the affect it has on the starting. It does sound too simple & too much like a 'magical' fix, but it is indeed as described. The challenge I have found is that sometimes the relay can come unplugged, need to secure the fittings so that this does not happen.

insulating tape?

[ATG]

Vixpy1 said:

Had the hot start problem countless times.

Bought the kit

took 25 mins to fit

Never had the hot start problem ever again.

Briliant.

Ditto.

What the kit does is simple and sensible. The only potential source of confusion is trying to figure out where you attach it into the loom, as the loom seems to be pretty much undocumented. I found the description in the instructions provided weren't entirely clear, but the description on the Chim/Griff pages or wherever the hell it was (probabaly in the link already provided in this thread) cleared up any potential confusion. Even without those better instructions, a few minutes tarting around with a multimetre would suffice to figure it out.