13 Dec Middle East Update: Day 4
We almost lost record of this day, thanks to an e-mail snafu. But thankfully, all is now right in the world.
Day 4’s post is entitled, “He Said, She Said, B.S.”
Still in the land of Nod… Looking forward to knocking out cars six through eight if all goes well. One of the many things I have learned while here is when plans are made, the only guarantee you have of getting them done, is that they won’t get done. It is frustrating to say the least but necessary to deal with when you’re in a culture this different.
I’ve taken a different approach with today’s post. Today I decided to write the post before an entire day of working and see if things come out any more coherent than the last few have. There is so much technical data being documented each day that by evening here, morning there, Craig and I are so blitzed by the day’s events it’s hard to regurgitate it all. By the time we get back to the Fluid penthouse-in-the-sky, the only thing sticking in our minds are the Ferrari Scuderia we just saw in the Applebee’s parking lot or the tea and milk we were just offered by one of our client’s servants on a silver platter. Yes, I said servants. And no, I didn’t get a pic of the Scuderia.
Each vehicle we obtain is taken through the checklist. Pictures of all electrical connections, fly-by-wire pedal controls, engine coils, throttle bodies, mass air flow sensors, engine numbers, VIN numbers, model numbers, intake mounting location, cat location, and investigation into a prime spot for the Fluid black box are all documented. Model and part numbers are important because all of the models we are looking at are not available back home in the states. Our goal is to find out what part numbers of these models coincide with part numbers of vehicles we have access to in the US and use that information to build performance packages for the vehicles here. OJ will be the man behind the electrical upgrades (black box) and Craig will be the man behind the exhaust and fabrication of intake, oil and trans cooler, and water meth kits for the SUV’s.
The fabrication upgrades are pretty self explanatory so let me elaborate a little on the black box. What we are looking for here is the best location for a small black (duh) control unit that will be within arms reach of the driver and contain switch controls for upgrades to the vehicle such as exhaust cut out switch, ignition relays, and other performance modifications that can be turned on and off at the touch of a button. However, this system will need to easily piggy back into the vehicle’s main control system ensuring a quick removal can be accomplished. One of the main concerns of car owners here is that any upgrade that will void their warranty.
In Qatar, there is no arguing with the dealer over warranty repairs. If they see any modifications to your vehicle they will blame the vehicle failure on it and charge you full price for the repairs. You may not have known but transmissions can go bad because of that custom carbon fiber steering wheel cover you’ve been driving around with. Tires can go flat because of the grade of gas you fueled up with. Or even sillier, an entire engine might have blown because of a custom set of headers you had installed. Here all common sense and self respect is thrown out the window when it comes to not paying for obligations.
So today we will trek on. More cars and more checklists are in our future. At the end of the day we log all the data and even come up with what hopefully will be a universal intake upgrade that can be easily used from car to car. This is a first draft rendering. Don’t laugh…I’m not even sure what day it is.
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