['07 MCS with stage II by Mario] RE: Traction Control

Posted earlier / echoing great feedback as others.. but forgot to mention Traction Control.
While Mario wasn't able to turn it completely off - he was able to bring it down to it's lowest setting.

With factory tune, I felt the car 'nannied' too hard. It'd just cut power in a vexing way when pushing limits of traction.. especially in winter when I'd rather 'traction control' with the gas pedal.

With Mario's touch, I'll occasionally see the Traction Control light flicker - but I never get that vexing power cut off.

Something to keep in mind.

Cheers !

 

I had (left) knee surgery and hadn't been able to drive the car after Stage 2 tune by Mario. I finally had a chance today - I absolutely love it, especially how it pulls continuously as opposed to flattening around 4k RPM. Paired with the JCW it also sounds awesome. Highly recommend Stage 2.

Mario was personable, not pushy, helpful and overall a great professional.

 

This question seems dumb, but I'll ask it: I got my 2013 JCW a few months ago and have installed the JB+ which is nice, but eventually I want to install a downpipe and get a tune. How does one get a hold of Mario? HaHa. Is there a website? I always see stuff on the forum, but I wouldn't know how to get a hold of him.

 

He posted his email address here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4529916

If you email, he is pretty responsive.

 

Sending My ECU to Mario tomorrow I messaged him through IG and he responded very promptly even with the time difference I’m in Florida. Seems like a great guy answered all my questions and gave clear instructions. I’m going with a stage 2 for my R56 that has all the supporting mods except the spark plugs that he’s gonna throw in gapped for a small fee.. thus far Iv had a great experience I’m super excited as to how the tune is gonna feel I’m new to the mini world and it’s nice to have someone like Mario to answer questions the guy knows his stuff.. I’ll keep everyone updated on how it goes..

 

You'll love it and you'll be asking why doesn't the car came like that straight from the factory. Be careful early on as it pulls hard around 4-5k and the torque steer is exacerbated a bit.

 

ok so the whole process was 2 1/2 days from sending the ECU to getting it back. Since I had the down time I did the valve cover gasket on my mini as it was the only leak I had.

the process was super easy I contacted Mario chatted a bit on Instagram he have me the price for the Stage 2 with the sport button option which is awesome. I sent him payment on cashapp and sent off my ECU.. Got it back with some candies and decals Mario communicated great through the whole process..

as for the tune.. ooh man the car is a completely different car it pulls hard spins all through 2nd the car feels wicked fast.. I suggest bite the bullet it’s a bit pricey but worth every dollar.. I am super happy with the outcome I would not hesitate to use Mario again..

 

I had Mario tune my 2012 r56 about 3 months ago and I couldn’t be happier! I love how linear the boost is through the entire rpm range. The car pulls hard and keeps up with most other cars on the road. I had the stage 2 tune put on my car with flames and the sport button option. The sport button option is nice for driving in and out of your neighborhood or others since it turns off the pops and bangs. If I need any other coopers tuned or decide to go stage 3 with this one I’ll definitely go with Mario!

 

I just got my car tuned by Mario two days ago. I went up to see him with my buddy. I got rpm powers stage 2 tune with some coding done by him. My buddy got his n55 f10 tuned with mhd stage 1. Both of our cars pull so much better and run flawlessly after he worked his magic. I also had two coil packs that went out and just so happened to have some extra laying around so that helped me out a ton on the convenience. Definitely will be going back to him for stage 3 in the future. Also I look forward to sending all my buddies to him for tuning!

 

I'm just starting to read these mods being done to several member vehicles. I'm really loving all the post that everyone has put
up commenting on the satisfaction that they received from these products and services rendered to them. I have a question about
that awesome looking intake who made that?

 

That's an older M7 intake. I don't think they make that one anymore.

 

I believe my customer combined 3 different intakes together to make his own Frankstein
Mario
Mini/BMW Tuning
MarioPalza@gmail.com

 

Huge thank you Mario for building my mini to stage 2 over these past couple weeks. The parts and tune from him amount to an insane difference: an extra 60 whp, 7k redline, overboost, an insane sound, instant throttle response, and an overall completely different feeling car. I could not recommend his business enough, and anyone thinking of getting a tune should go to him. He killed it with all the fabrication and his customer service is top notch. Mario is super informative, extremely helpful, and knows his **** through and through. I could not say enough good words for him and his services. Even when I was just thinking about getting a tune a few months ago, I did not feel ignored and Mario offered a lot of advice until I pulled the trigger. I will hopefully put updates as I continue to enjoy the car!

 

Having a Mini for more than a year now, and I have been upgrading to a stage 2. I had been in talks with Mario for a about 4-5 months and he has been amazing, communication, attention to detail and just helpful! so a HUGE thank you Mario for building my mini to A TRUE stage 2. I was a bit concerned to ship my ECU to CA, since I would like to have a local garage to do the upgrade but I would never consider anyone else but Mario, anyone and I mean ANYONE thinking of getting a tune, look no further than Mario. You can have the ECU back in less than 48h!!! He killed it with all the fabrication and his customer service is top notch. Mario is super informative, extremely helpful, and knows his **** through and through. I could not say enough good words for him and his services. Even when I was just thinking about getting a tune a few months ago, I did not feel ignored and Mario offered a lot of advice until I pulled the trigger. I can assure you for one thing, I am going back for either a big turbo tune/kit or for a different car! Top class man, very knowledgable and here to help, what more could you ask for?

Ruby

 

MarioKart, mQubed Motorsport, 43mm quickspool turbo review.



Bottom line up front: Know what you are buying. This turbo will not hold up to motorsport or fast road use. It is made of cheap Chinese components, sometimes in a used BorgWarner housing, sometimes in a cheap Chinese housing.

I have been a customer of Mario’s for a few years now. He is a super nice guy, but he misses some marks on the technical side of things. When I initially contacted him my car was pretty stock. Muffler delete, cat-less downpipe, intake, and an intercooler. Since the car was my daily, we decided stage 2 would be ideal. He sold me Manic Stage 2 with an SPS and took my NM Performance Module in return. He was super helpful and even though USPS lost my DME for a few days, everything went well. Things went so well, that I ordered his downpipe to replace the cheap CNT downpipe I had been using.

A little over a year later, I decided that I wanted more. I had begun tracking the car and found the S turbo just could not perform above 5500 RPM. I reached out to Mario to talk turbos and tunes. He recommend the “43mm Quick Spool” because “all of the track guys like it”. I made it very clear that the turbo would see a lot of track time and that it needs to work. He assured me that it would be fine and that I’d be happy with it. By this time Manic was closing its doors, so he recommended RPM Power. He said that I could retain the SPS and we could load multiple maps to the RPM tune in the same way that Manic had multiple maps. He also recommended ARP connecting rod bolts. This seemed like a no-brainer, so I added those to the order.

This time the DME arrive safely. The turbo swap and rod bolts were straightforward, and he was available via text for any questions I had. There was one issue, however. Despite the fact that I paid for a new turbo, I received a used Borg Warner. I assumed that he installed new components in a used housing, which makes sense except that I paid for a new turbo. I let this go. It didn’t really matter at the time.

The first test run with the turbo had two issues. The turbo was hitting 27 psi, and the map switching function didn’t work. When I switched maps, the car sputtered and died like it wasn’t getting fuel. While the map switching issue is an inconvenience, the over-boost to 27 psi is deadly to my motor. Had I not installed a mechanical boos gauge, I would have never known. My Scanguage was reading 22.5, while the real gauge was showing 27. I have beaten this into the ground on this forum and on Facebook: get a mechanical boost gauge!

Mario’s instructed me to adjust the wastegate until I reached the correct boost. As you can imagine, there was a lot of trial and error here. After the boost was sorted I had to send the DME back to him to correct the “tune”. He replaced the mapping function, so I lost the option. (Did I mention that I paid full price for Manic Stage 2 and then Had to pay full price (stage 1 to 3) for RPM Power? That’s not his fault, Manic did that to themselves, but it still sucked.)

Third times the charm I guess, when I got my DME back everything was great, and it was just in time for a track weekend. Needless to say, the car was like night and day. The 43mm turbo was awesome, had a ton of power and pulled all the way to redline at 6800 RPM. Well, at least on the first day it did. On the second day, I notice the turbo was not hitting 22 psi and it felt and looked like it was spooling slowly. It would max out at around 18 psi, and I had to be above 4000 RPM to get it to spool in a reasonable manner.

When I got home after the track weekend, I reached out to Mario to let him know how happy I was and to get his advice on the boost issue. This would be the first of many times that I would hear him ask “have you checked the diverter valve?” Well, he was right, I had a bad diverter valve. He sent me the updated one and everything was good to go again. For about a week. Then the same slow spool, low boost started again. I followed his advice and adjusted the wastegate. I also checked for boost leaks, because to be honest, that’s what it looked like. I replace the diverter with a new OEM diverter and then a Forge recirculating valve and then another new OEM valve. I replaced every hose clamp with t-bolt clamps. I replaced all of the fittings on my WMI system with compression fittings. I checked and rechecked everything. I spent countless hours wrenching and troubleshooting. He kept telling me to adjust the wastegate to reach the right boost, so I did. And finally, after nearly a year of this, the wastegate stopped sealing. That’s 8000 street miles and six track days.

When I contacted Mario about the failed wastegate, he was really understanding. I reached out to him as a courtesy to give him a heads up. I didn’t expect anything, and he certainly didn’t have to do anything. But he did. He sent me a new turbo as a replacement, and I sent the old one back to him. While waiting for the new turbo to arrive, I noticed something odd about the failed turbo. The wastegate actuator arm was noticeably longer than the arm on my sock turbo. Obviously, the arm was an incorrect part and was probably the source of my frustration.

The replacement turbo arrived in a matter of days; Mario was really quick with that. But there was another red flag. This turbo was brand new, but it had no markings. No casting marks, no data plate, no markings whatsoever. I didn’t really mind, Mario’s a standup guy, right? I went ahead and installed it along with new OEM hollow bolts, washers, studs, and gaskets. The first test drive was magical. 22 psi quickly and the car just pulled hard. I was ready to get back on track and really put it to the test.

About a month later we headed to Roebling Road Raceway. The turbo was great for the first day. By Sunday morning, I knew something was not right. The boost leak symptoms were back. So back to square one. Replace the Forge diverter valve with OEM. Checked for leaks, replaced a few rubber vacuum lines with a silicon tube. Checked the wastegate, no changes. And then I stumbled across a thread where another guy was having the same issues as me.

As it turns out, this is an issue with the turbine housing leaking boost pressure. Apparently, it is common with cheap Chinese turbos. At this point, I decided Mario was my problem. I bought a new OEM JCW turbo and decided to start over. Low and behold, zero boost leaks. Zero issues. It. Just. Works. I had a boost leak, I replaced a turbo and the boost leak is gone. Simple as that. I have taken his replacement turbo apart and it is gnarly. The turbine housing is very rough on the inside, it should be smooth. The “360 bearing” is a gated bearing, and I’m still not certain about the origin of the turbo, but my best guess puts it between eBay and Amazon.

That’s what you get for $1300. A $300 Chinese turbo. Thanks, Mario. I’m now in the process of getting the car re-tuned and buying a different downpipe. I want nothing to do with Mario or RPM.

 

Who do you recommend for a tune? Thanks.

 

I'm currently working with Prototype-R. We're still in the initial stages, so I cannot really comment too much about it.

 

Good luck!

 

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have recently after looking at every post I could find decided to talk to Mario about a tune.

I started talking to him in January but other things came up and finally was able to get this done over the last couple weeks.

I ended up going with Stage 1 for now and decided on the having the sport button work so without it pressed it is almost stock but when pressed the stage 1 is on.

I sent him my ECU and there was something done to it previously but overall it ran fine. Mario was able to correct whatever was done before and set it up the way I wanted.

I have to say it is a pleasure to deal with him he is very professional and has no problem answering question even if that means explaining things so you can understand.

I will gladly recommend him and already have to other Mini enthusiasts.

I am very happy with the outcome and look forward to working toward the next stage.

I would say if you are considering a tune to at least contact him and see what he can do for you. you will not regret it.

 

All,

I recently asked Mario for an update to the custom Stage 3 tune he created for Buzz, and I received it in 24 hours. Easy install via the PowerGate, and now Buzz is running as smooth and strong as ever. He's a pleasure to work with, and I highly recommend him.

- Keith

 

Nope, they dont make it anymore. But I did let them know their is interest.

 

California pains:
https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/07/13...led-smog-test/

 

Being fairly new to car tuning I didn't really know too much going into this. I saw that Mario had some pretty good reviews which made me feel comfortable spending my money with him. And I'm so glad that I did. Mario is one of the most friendly people I have ever met tuning aside. He's just one of those people that you can talk to for hours. He was extremely happy to answer all my probably annoying questions about tuning and went above and beyond to make sure that I was another one of his satisfied customers. Like I said I didn't know anything going into this and he informed me that I already had the colder spark plugs installed and could've easily ripped me off because I had no idea what I was looking at. These days especially in this industry it is hard to find someone who is honest and not money hungry. Besides Mario's friendly attitude and outstanding customer service, the tune he did was amazing. I feel like it was totally worth the money! The tune made my car so much more fun to drive and I love it so much. YOU WILL FEEL A BIG DIFFERENCE FROM STOCK. If you are on the fence whether to get this tune please do not wait another minute. Mario was even kind enough to answer my questions I still had after the tune was done and helping me find an E85 mixture that worked with my car. Overall my experience with Mario is 10 out of 10 and if you go with him you will not regret it!

 

I am another happy customer of MarioKart.

I signed up for NAM after recently purchasing my wife a 09 JCW Chili for her to scoot around in. The car was previously modified, but not by the person i purchased it from so information/details on the modifications were limited.
The vehicle had
CTS Turbo intake
CTS Turbo intercooler
CTS Turbo blow off
CTS Turbo ignition coils
Catless downpipe
And a "tune" by who knows where

The car ran with issues and the annoying gurgle/pops from the exhaust even at every day driving shifts. Could not reach full boost, and would back off at full throttle and throw CEL lights all day. Ran codes and determined it was the common ignition coil or spark plug problem so planned to get the car dialed by someone i could have more trust in the tune and how the car runs from the beginning to "start over". Found threads about MarioKart and read extensively about what plugs to buy that were preferred, get rid of the aftermarket coils for OEM, and then contacted Mario after placing an order for the parts. This guy was RESPONSIVE, never do you get this kind of service from someone. In our first conversation he confirmed all my thoughts on the ignition parts and agreed to mail him the ECU. I requested that we try to smooth out the power band looking for a linear pull from each gear, and please try to remove the gurgle/pops from the exhaust if at all possible as its obnoxious. I didn't ask for top power, i simply wanted a tune that made the car run smooth and provide a more reliable feel as previously there was zero confidence in knowing who did what with the ECU previously. Turn around was approximately 4-5 days from ship out to return, but i also told him i wasn't in a rush i wanted it simply done correctly. When i got the ECU back and took the car back out for its first test drive i wish i had a camera on me for a video review as the smile from ear to ear would speak volumes, my wife was similarly pleased in the passenger seat. Expectations of just how well the car ran were far exceeded. I said it while driving several times that it was money well spent and the car now feels as it should.

If you are thinking about trusting in the tuning services, just do it and its pretty likely you will be similarly satisfied as i am.

 

It has been three years now, car is still reliable and fun as it was first tune loving every minute behind the wheel. There was a late model 430 beamer trying to catch up, I slow down just to let him see me waving bye bye to him, dropped to third gear, I was gone. He was trying but no luck ..haha so happy and so much fun.