well terry has another one but its not the exactly correct ecu for my engine .. Also i didn't want to risk it , if its faulty as well or time assuming swapping around . or worse if it gets lost in the mail. 
So its best to repair instead. 

"So you were sold a $5500 engine conversion with a faulty ECU?
And then had to spend another $750 to fix it?"
 
"yes thats right ....."
 
Ah, excuse me a moment, let's re-play that . . .
 
"So you were sold a $5500 engine conversion with a faulty ECU?
And then had to spend another $750 to fix it?"
 
"yes thats right ....."
 
That's what I thought I heard . . . There HAS to be more to the story than that.  You got the car back, it had a problem, you let him know it had a problem, and it's STILL costing YOU ?????

Yes that's right!
I did let him know what's wrong with it . But still he wants the ecu sent to him then he was going to send his other incorrect ecu back to me ( I didn't bother to ask if he wanted money for that)
Also you can't know if his other ecu working or faulty. I can't leave my car sitting at the workshop for another week . I need to have it running and ready for my rego this week .
I have emailed him re the update and politely ask him for some reimburse bill.

Unfortunately, and I know its an absolute ****, but if you have a problem with a product you usually need to return it to the same place to get warranty work.  If you buy a computer from JB Hifi and try returning it to Harvey Norman under warranty I dont think it works out.  I would have at least given Terry's ecu a go, even if it wasn't a direct match up, obviously, I'd probably be able to work out if it'd work or not prior to getting it sent so it'd be less of a screw around for me. 

time for a reply from us...........
 
the customer decided to fit a used engine & LSD gearbox conversion beacuse they not want to spend $ to properly recondition their tired units. This does not qualify as "NEW" as suggested in 1st message
 
other work was done apart from just fitting a used engine & box. eg fixing air con.
 
the engine , loom & ECU was removed from a car some months previously and ran fine. we checked compression, oil pressure ,etc to satisfy ourselves it was fit for re-use. our clearly started (written) warranty was against major internal mechanical fault. 
 
the customer test drove the car at hand-over and went fine.
 
a few days later there was a complaint over erratic idling. we got it back and checked/re-set everything relevant. several hours work. no charge to customer.
 
the email trail over this job indicated the car had experienced idling problem in the past and that was linked to a/c use. we could find no fault in this regard as the air-con idel valve appeared to work as intended
 
after various emails, customer agreed to have us order a new  throttlebody idle control valve which she would pay for and  we would fit at no charge. 
 
after a couple of months, Toyota still could not supply (still a good part number, but zero stock in japan). ciustomer emails and tells us to cancel order, which we do
 
customer starts this complaint thread
 
customer emails and says car is broken down, been advised dead ECU. I chase around and find same generation 4 plug ECU but from UK spec car. I organsie to get this , remove cover, check it seems OK. I email and ask for old ECU to be sent to me to double check the pin out. I also call and talk to Toyota dealer handling it and tell them the same thing.
 
No reply from owner or Toyota, but owner clearly sees fit to advise everyone else via this forum, with a clear aim of discrediting us. 
 
whislt all businesses dont have a 100% success rate, we are getting a bit tired of unreasonable complaints especially dealing with used parts. 
 
finally, we would suggest all the stakeholders , including the forum moderators, you get a real clear understanding of the laws related to defamation and your personal liabilites. there are already cases against people that post defamatory comments on forums . we understand a key test is the comments include errors of fact and set out to create a negative opinion. 

". . . That's what I thought I heard . . . There HAS to be more to the story than that.  You got the car back, it had a problem, you let him know it had a problem, and it's STILL costing YOU ????? "
 
" . . . unreasonable complaints especially dealing with used parts . . . "
 
This is where I was heading with my earlier post.  We've been presented with one set of "facts" that taken at face value suggest a dodgy deal.  There are hints within the facts ( comments about the idle performance and a/c control, in this case) that suggest there is more detail required. Now we've got more of the background. Terry (Road and Track) has taken time out from his business to give us the missing details - top marks, Terry!

Ummmm I'm a little unsure how DTM see this as top marks to Terry.
 
So Road and Track, just dealing with facts that you have written, this is how I read it, from exactly your post.
 
Customer came in and had a engine change done as they did not want to have there old engine reco'd.
They also had some other work done at the same time.
You fitted a used engine YOU supplied from another car. You checked the engine prior and offer a 3month warrently on the mechanicals of the engine.
You believed everything to be perfect with the conversion you did. Customer test drives and takes the car, they are happy.
Within 3 days time they have an issue with the idle.
You get it back can't find any faults, want to order a new throttlebody idle control valve which she would pay for and you would fit at no charge?
This takes several months so the customer starts a complain thread.......
Customer goes to toyota they advise her the ECU is faulty, repair the ECU and problem is solved.......
 
So what exactly do you beleive the customer should have done? Waited even longer for a new throttlebody idle control valve to be delivered? Send you the ECU when Toyota told them it had failed so you can send them another ECU with no warrenty?
If I gave my car to a garage to have major work done and am paying a lot of money I would be upset also if it takes several months to rectify the issue......I would be under the impression, i'm having my engine swapped I expect that my car is comming back perfect.

I'll have to take Terry's view here. He mentioned that they were unsure of the issue and couldn't find any faults. I personally know how hard it is to diagnose some problems, and can guarantee that he did probably offered advise no different to any other place. I.e - We don't know 100% what the cause of the problem is, however it 'could' be caused by...(In this case idle control valve). Part replacement is always charged to the client. I don't know of any other garage where this is any different, just goto any commercial dealership and see what they do when a misc problem comes in. They charge the client every part under the sun to resolve the problem.
 
The other thing to take note of. Manufacturers can't always give timelines of when the part will be available. I've been stuffed around by suppliers many times telling me it would only be one week away to find nothing.
 
This is an unfortunate circumstance for hotmr2, but people must also realise these are now 20 year old vehicles with average diagnostics support. Most places cannot test these ECU's, and generally I've found the ECU to be pretty bullet proof, the faults are usually something else.

throttlebody idle control valve are pretty bullet proof also, they just usually need to be cleaned properly and they are good to go. Most people solve idle issues by cleaning the carbon out of the throttlebody idle control. They are easy to test also to see if they are working, i've had to do it.....

Nice of you to comment this time around Terry. Wish you had the bandwidth to comment on the other issues that have surfaced over the years too. But I'll keep this on case/topic.
 
It's pretty simple in my eyes & can honestly happen to anyone dealing with used parts:
 
Customer wants engine changed & a few other issues sorted (AC & whatever)
R&T happily oblige & supply/fit Gen3 3SGE (~$5500)
Unknowingly there's a pesky/difficult to diagnose fault with the ECU
R&T suspects faulty Throttle ICV & wants customer to pay (also a stocking issue)
Customer not charged additional labour
Customer makes public complaint (on the grounds of responsiveness)
1.5 months on, car has broken down, Toyota have gotten involved & saved the day (at a cost of $500 course)
 
My 2 cents:
 
Don't blame R&T for having trouble diagnosing the fault up front (electrics suck), Toyota may have shined but have also gotten things wrong in the past - luck of the draw with the engine they provided (this caused unfortunate delay).
 
R&T were selling a solution/service (replace tired engine), so I don't believe it would've been right for the customer to pay for the throttle ICV in the first place - that part's debatable.
 
Customer has a hearing disability so can only communicate via email - how responsive were you Terry? Maybe not your strong suit but that doesn't make it right.
 
R&T were willing to purchase a replacement ecu free of charge, but due to time restrictions, customer paid Toyota to repair. How much was the replacement ecu going to cost you Terry? In a perfect world, you'd reimburse the money Toyota charged to repair, but that's understandably not viable, so at the very least you should reimburse the customer for the amount you'd have paid for the replacement ecu (total cost inc delivery, not overseas buy). I think that's fair.