Capabilities
Six engagements.
Most projects use several, in sequence.
Each is priced as direction work. Physical work — fabrication, mechanical, wiring, paint, trim, assembly, testing — is quoted separately by whoever performs it.
Every engagement starts from the same place: a paid technical consultation, from RM160 depending on scope and the time required. It is not free, and it is not a quotation. It is the first piece of work.
Project definition
- What it is
- Turning an intention into a brief the project can actually be built from. What the vehicle is for, how it will be used, what it must not become, and what “finished” means.
- What you receive
- A written project brief: objectives, intended use, non-negotiables, constraints, the governing idea, and the questions that still need answering.
- When it applies
- Before specification, before parts, and ideally before purchase. This is the stage most projects skip, and skipping it is why the parts list changes three times.
- How it is priced
- Fixed fee against an agreed scope, following the initial consultation.
Condition and technical review
- What it is
- Establishing what the vehicle actually is, as opposed to what it was described as. Structure, systems, previous work, and what any of it means for the project you have in mind.
- What you receive
- A written review of condition and technical position, the issues that will affect the specification, and a clear statement of what is unknown and what it would cost to find out.
- When it applies
- Before purchase, before committing to a direction, or when a vehicle’s history is unclear. Available remotely for selected cases where photographs, video and documents allow a proper assessment — with the limits of a remote review stated plainly in the report.
- How it is priced
- By scope. Remote reviews are quoted on the material available; on-site reviews include travel.
Whole-vehicle specification
- What it is
- Deciding every system against every other system: powertrain, chassis, brakes, cooling, electrical, interior, body and compliance. The decisions, the reasoning, the dependencies between them, and what is deliberately retained.
- What you receive
- A full specification document with decisions recorded by system, dependencies mapped, trade-offs stated, and a retained list. It is the document every supplier on the project works from.
- When it applies
- Once the brief is settled, and before parts are bought or a workshop is committed to.
- How it is priced
- Fixed fee against the agreed brief.
Parts curation and sourcing
- What it is
- Selecting components against the specification, and deciding how they are obtained — new, used, remanufactured, fabricated, or left alone. Compatibility, availability, lead time, cost, and the consequence of each choice for the rest of the vehicle.
- What you receive
- A curated parts schedule tied to the specification, with sourcing strategy, sequencing against the build plan, and the reasoning for each significant choice.
- When it applies
- After specification. Also on its own, where an existing project has accumulated parts that need auditing against a plan.
- How it is priced
- Fixed fee or staged, depending on the size of the schedule. Parts are charged at a fixed rate, not as a margin on the part — see below.
Build planning and oversight
- What it is
- Turning a specification into a sequence: what happens in what order, which partner does what, what has to be decided before each stage starts, and how the budget is staged across it.
- What you receive
- A staged build plan, a partner and scope allocation, decision points with dates, and ongoing technical oversight during execution — including reviewing work against the specification and resolving technical questions between suppliers.
- When it applies
- From the point work begins until validation and handover.
- How it is priced
- Ongoing, against the length and complexity of the build.
Project recovery
- What it is
- For projects that have stalled, overrun, lost direction, or produced a vehicle that does not do what it was supposed to do. An independent assessment of where the project actually stands, what the previous decisions have committed you to, and the realistic routes forward.
- What you receive
- An honest position statement: what is sound, what is not, what money already spent can still be used, what has to be undone, and the options — with costs and consequences — including the option of stopping.
- When it applies
- Whenever the project has stopped moving, or when the answers you are getting no longer add up. There is nothing unusual about a project going wrong, and no part of this engagement requires you to justify how it happened.
- How it is priced
- Assessment first, at a fixed fee. Anything beyond it is quoted once the position is actually known.
How parts are charged
Sourcing a part for a twenty- or thirty-year-old vehicle means going from the chassis number to a part number to an original-equipment supplier, and the chain between you and that supplier is not always willing to show its working. Part numbers are not a secret. Anyone can put a chassis number in and get one out, and there are reputable suppliers who publish their prices.
So parts are not a margin business here. Vehicle Lab Zone charges a fixed rate for sourcing, and the part costs what the part costs. Where something is genuinely available locally and immediately, paying a premium for that is reasonable and I will say so. Where it has to be ordered in anyway, a premium buys you nothing.
One thing worth knowing before you spend: in Malaysia, an original part generally carries no warranty unless it is installed by a dealer. That is not a reason to avoid original parts. It is a reason to know what you are buying.
Not sure which applies
That is what the consultation is for. Describe the vehicle and what you want from it, and I will tell you what the project actually involves — including if the answer is that you do not need me.