Re: Quattro Quaterly ethical conflict....

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

On Thu, 4 Feb 1999 10:03:57 EST, a  mysterious QCUSA member wrote:
>[ ... ]
>I am somewhat disappointed in the last issue of the Quattro Quarterly...it
>seems they have a serious ethical conflict going on.  They are publishing a
>column ("Tech Talk") and a Q&A article ("Ask Uncle John"), both by John
>Beckius, from Sport Wheels in Colorado. [ ... ]

Well, maybe John is getting a little too comfortable in his most-favored
techie guy role in the Club. I think a large percentage of the members are
inclined to cut him a lot of slack out of gratitude for the hundreds of
hours he has donated to supporting quattro events all over the country.

In general, seeking specialized information from an expert who earns a
living by selling services based on applications of that information is always
problematic. "Doctor, Doctor, tell me the cure!" One wants the expert's
opinion but is offended by the self-interest built into the act of
dispensing it.
A fair amount of skill is needed to play that role well and the average person
is bound to screw it up more often than not.

I guess I'm willing to be exposed to a little promotion in exchange for an
occasional tidbit of good data. My complaint about Mr. Sport Wheels is
that he doesn't let very much good data actually leak out and usually speaks
about technical issues in sweeping generalities. I thought it was kind of
refreshing to read his opinion (colored though it may have been) about a
specific mod.

The tone of the "Ask Uncle John" article you cite does suggest to me that John
should take a fresh look at achieving the proper balance. I think the line was
crossed because he wasn't shy enough about letting us know his shop does
throttle body mods.

I wouldn't cancel my membership over it though. It's a small price to pay
for that occasional but invaluable  track side helping hand from Uncle John
when you toast your brake pads or pop that radiator hose. Cheers,

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq
QCUSA #184