I work for Advanced Engine Management in Hawthorne, CA (near LAX). We are looking for a 2004 F-150 to use for intake system development. We would need the vehicle for about 2 to 3 weeks. I know most of you just picked them up, it has been difficult finding a person willing to give it up that long. We contacted the Ford P.R. Fleet manager and he sad they are all booked until Feb.
In exchange for letting us use your truck, you receive a free intake system. We can reimburse you for rental car charges if necessary. Take a look at our website to see what prodcuts we make. It is prefferred that the person be located in the los angeles area.
If you are interested or want further information, please contact me at: asuchy@aempower.com

 

I'm surprised AEM can't go out and buy a truck to work with. What does that say about your company? It looks pretty bad when you are on the internet asking to borrow somebody's truck to experiment on. I hope it works out though, I'm sure you'll make your money back if you went on down the dealer and bought a truck.

 

I don't think it looks bad at all, it is WAY more cost effective to do it the way they are asking. I remember reading awhile back that a 'Superchips' company was doing the same thing. What a waste of money it would be to shell out $20,000 to research and develop a product that will only be a fraction of that cost. It does not look bad for the company at all.

 

I believe K&N was doing the same thing a while back too.

 

Pretty common for aftermarket performance companies to borrow vehicles and comp by giving the owner free products. Intakes and exhausts most common I have heard about around the web for various vehicles.

 

It makes tons of sense to do it this way. There's no truck to depreciate over it's lifecycle. And rental fees paid to the truck owner can be written off. And this also keeps R&D costs down. It's really a win-win situation for both the truck owner and the company.

 

You are out of line, TruBluScru. As it was said, almost every aftermarket company does this, especially for small things like an intake. Think (or research) before you rip on a company.

-The Brew (in London)

 

Geez sorry

I guess you guys are in line for your free intake then.

 

I dont know about you, but I dont think I would want a company taking and putting who knows how many hours on the engine and running tests on it. Seems like it could endure a lot of wear in a couple weeks trying different setups and running it into the ground trying to determine the effects of the mods......and all this for a $200 intake? No thanks....

 

I dont know about you, but I dont think I would want a company taking and putting who knows how many hours on the engine and running tests on it. Seems like it could endure a lot of wear in a couple weeks trying different setups and running it into the ground trying to determine the effects of the mods......and all this for a $200 intake and a rental escort? No thanks....

 

We put usually less than 50 miles on the vehicle during testing. The vehicle does not experience any more abuse than normal driving. If you are concerned about your vehicle being dyno tested, just know that taking the engine to redline does not hurt it, the factory rev limiter limits the maximum revs well below the point at which damage may occur. Over the many years we have been doing this, we have never had a car "blow up" on the dyno, nor have we ever experienced problems resulting from the dyno testing. We can do a compression check before and after the vehicle is dropped off if you like.
If you are in our area (L.A.) and may be interested, please contact me.
Thanks.

 

As had been stated by many here it is “normal” for most all aftermarket manufactures to get loaner automobiles for research and development. Troyer Performance which is a supporting vendor here of the Super Chips, and Microtuner usually always ask for a truck to use when developing chip programs.

It is cost efficient and makes good business sense. Those cost savings are past on the consumers. Anybody that lends a vehicle always gets something out of it so it’s a win-win situation.

I would imagine, but can not speak for anybody in the business, but would think if the worse happen, say the motor blew up that it would be covered by the company using it for testing. To replace a motor or rebuild it is still much cheaper then buying every brand of vehicle you are attempting to market for.

It most likely is not for most people, but they are never looking for hundreds of vehicles, only one or two. There will always be someone out there willing to do it. I must say if I lived in Calif and had a 04 I would jump on the offer, if it was something I was looking to install on my truck…