Before clicking on the link below please read this because it might save you some typing. Despite the paragraph below I still keep receiving emails asking for help with cars that aren't running right. I build engines - I don't service, tune or get involved in any way with vehicle electrics, fuel injection or any other aspect of general maintenance. I used to try and answer every email but time no longer allows that. Apologies in advance but emails asking for general car advice or tuning advice where it's clear you don't actually want to buy anything will not get answered so please post them to the car newsgroups. I also do not have time to enter into detailed correspondence with people wanting further discussion about technical issues of the type covered on my site. I am happy to receive brief suggestions for further articles but whether they get written or not depends on my spare time.
A fair proportion of emails are from people who say they have just read the tuning article relevant to their engine and then ask for prices and power outputs for head work or something else similar like cam choice that is already covered in detail in the article! One of the reasons for putting so much information in the articles was to save having to type it all out dozens of times a month for everyone who emails so if you fall at this first simple hurdle your email isn't going to get answered - sorry.
EMAILS
Please note before you email that I'm only taking enquiries when so listed on the main page. I can't deal with emails at other times.
Email address - David Baker @ pumaracing@aol.com
Please use an email title with the engine type or product/service you are enquiring about. Untitled or vaguely titled emails tend to get lost in amongst the reams of spam that invade my post box every day and are likely to get deleted. They are also much more difficult to find again later in amongst the thousands of documents in my email filing cabinet. Emails as enclosures are usually spam or contain something nasty so if your mail system does that rather than use straight html and there isn't a title which makes it obvious it's a genuine enquiry I won't open them. I try to deal with emails in my spare time in the evenings from Monday to Thursday. Emails received at a weekend or on a Friday probably won't get dealt with until the following Monday night. When I'm very busy or flooded with emails it may take longer to reply. Anything that starts "Hi Mate" or "pal" gets deleted before it gets read.
PAYMENTS
Please make cheques payable to D. Baker and NOT to Puma Race Engines or any other variant on that theme. I am looking into the possibility of taking credit card payments or maybe Paypal but the high charges levied by the credit card companies to small businesses (3% to 4%) don't make this cost effective at present. Cheques take at least a week to reach me and clear so please allow at least 14 days to get parts paid for that way. A bank transfer is quicker.
Online Bank Transfer
This is the easiest way to pay in the UK. Saves me a trip to the bank and the time it takes for a cheque to clear. Payments can be made to:
HSBC Bank,
31 St Peter's Court,
High Street,
Chalfont St Peter,
Buckinghamshire,
SL9 9QQ.
Account name: David R Baker
Bank Sort Code: 401769
Account Number: 81156284
International Bank Account Number (IBAN): GB32MIDL40176981156284
When making international transfers to me into pounds sterling please ensure you specify to pay all bank charges that the transfer incurs including those levied at the receiving end. This seems to be free at my end from europe but can be up to £8 from other parts of the world.
Transfers from another branch of HSBC clear immediately and from other banks in about 3 days.
ADDRESS
Feb 2007. I'm moving workshop at the moment so I'll notify the current delivery address for parts and/or mail as needed.
If you are sending a letter/cheque for items ordered please include an email address with the letter in case I need to get in touch. The fact that you may well have emailed an enquiry only recently won't help me because I'll never find it if it's more than a day or two old and already buried under hundreds of other emails.
There isn't much point paying a lot of money to send items (flywheels, cylinder heads etc) to me on a next day or special delivery service. All that happens is they'll arrive before I'm up in the morning, the courier leaves a card through the door and I then have to drive into the post office or arrange another delivery later in the week. In fact the extra cost pretty much guarantees a later delivery than normal post.
50% deposit in advance for cylinder head work. Deposit as advised for engine build work depending on materials/labour content. Full payment in advance for items ordered by post. For all jobs, cheque or bank transfer to clear before despatch for the balance due or cash on collection.
I charge for extra time spent on jobs answering emails asking me for advice on matters over and above those things covered in the agreed price. Some customers agree a price and specification and then leave me alone to get on with things until the job is finished. Others bombard me with emails asking for advice on every other aspect of the car and engine you could possibly imagine. Every hour I spend dealing with emails is an hour I'm not in the workshop earning a living so from now on I charge for my time spent answering anything that isn't strictly necessary for completion of the agreed job. Time spent on emails will therefore be charged at the prevailing workshop rate (currently £50 per hour, September 2005, and subject to change without notice) subject to a minimum charge of £10 per email answered. Interest will be charged on overdue balances and storage fees may be charged on items not collected after completion of work.
Please note: I do not have any facilities for working on cars - this is strictly an engine/cylinder head workshop. Engines need to be removed and refitted by the customer or their agent and delivered to me.