yep, one of my first engines went bye bye after he mapped it, I found out the guy had enabled some kind of automatic trans feature within the map (manual car!) and it activated at 5000rpm... and he was curious why it misfired! By the time I self diagnosed/read the map, it was too late.
I tried to resolve the issue with him, but he ignored my calls. Thor are not regarded as very good by quite a few folk on IMOC also...
curious...., did pete actually talk to you in straight sentances? because when I went down there with a friend, it was like talking to a diseased monkey... even his receptionist at the time used to constantly rip the **** out of him!
Pete is actually a good friend of mine and a very articulate, knowledgable guy. The whole mapping process was very straightforward and they use maps written by a company that supplies base maps to a number of other tuners too - the maps are then individually tailored for the car on the dyno. I oversaw the whole process and nothing made me think things were being overlooked or shortcuts made.
I can't comment on your experiences with them, but I'm certain that if Thor had any inclination that there was some variable in the map that could cause catastrophic damage then they wouldn't have let you drive away. Unfortunately when remapping cars and taking them away from standard manufacturers spec, you always raise the stakes of things potentially going wrong.
Rogue Motorsport have a very good relationship with Thor and they currently have two of their cars at the workshop now, an MR2 in for ECU work and a Z4 roadster.
I'm learning more and more that there's a whole lot of armchair experts on these forums (just read this thread) and most of their information is sourced second, third, fourth hand from other similar troglodytes that believe anything they read on the internets.
Watch the video, see the gains and then take from it what you will. It's a shame your engine blew after Thor mapped it, but that's the luck of the draw. I've been in a number of Pete's personal cars (900bhp Skyline, V8 Sura, V8 Altezza, 3S-GTE 1970's Celica...) and know that they've all performed great and been very reliable.
Anyway, back on topic!