| tuner shops - Click HERE for Original Thread |
| bigpappa |
| can someone help me understand the word tuner?does that mean bodykits and spoilers ????okay it seems like ez,phat,autotoyz,jb's,matrix are not tunershops but use the word?why?prodrag,titan,and and toby's shop forgot the name are real tuner shops i think are.the three shops i named rip into motors and turbo charge cars but get digraced by the name tuner shop so we don't get labeled like the bolt on shops!please someone define the word so i have a better understanding thanks :wacko: |
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| redbaron303 |
here's how i see a tuner shop.... a place that can sell stuff for all of my performance needs, install them, and properlly tune the car so it's running it's best when I pick it up! They also guarantee their work and will fix their mistakes no matter how big as long is it is a result of something they did.... the offer reputable and friendly service to top it off... there is no way that I'll take my car to some arrogant asshole that thinks he knows everything about it when he may only specialize in honda's and it's not a honda that i'm driving....
I feel that all of the shops right now are just parts stores to me.... I haven't experienced getting my car modified by any of the shops. I take my car to a "specialist" a dedicated Z guy and he's the only one that will touch my car, next to the dealership. I'll just buy parts from the other places for him to instal! |
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| TheWask |
| Ive been to Pro Drag adn I liked what I saw. What about Titan and that othyer place? Where is Titan? |
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| bigpappa |
| 17340-107ave :wacko: |
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| 1mns13 |
I agree, Leno, tuner shops have been given a bad name because of the lack of people willing to learn. I hope in the years to come there will be places that I can trust my car to. The first place that i took my car to after the dealer in 96 was N1 Motorsports, who can be seen as a true tuner by some. The work I had done was typical butchery, but I didn't know it a the time. When I examined his work, I decided to learn how to do my own work and get educated. Now I do my own work, with the help of a journeyman friend, with his brother machinist and father welder. When I get in a hurry I go to Thrifty and they help. Now unless some shop has a few examples like the Japanese or European tuner shops that complete cars totally, engine and suspension, I'll continue to stay away. Most shops are just good to buy parts from when you're in a hurry. Otherwise I shop online.
Jared |
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| mrprecidia |
| Toby's shop = racing direction. |
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| KAOS41 |
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 7 2003, 11:13 AM
here's how i see a tuner shop.... a place that can sell stuff for all of my performance needs, install them, and properlly tune the car so it's running it's best when I pick it up! They also guarantee their work and will fix their mistakes no matter how big as long is it is a result of something they did.... the offer reputable and friendly service to top it off... there is no way that I'll take my car to some arrogant asshole that thinks he knows everything about it when he may only specialize in honda's and it's not a honda that i'm driving....
I feel that all of the shops right now are just parts stores to me.... I haven't experienced getting my car modified by any of the shops. I take my car to a "specialist" a dedicated Z guy and he's the only one that will touch my car, next to the dealership. I'll just buy parts from the other places for him to instal!
is canadian tire a tuner shop they seem to meet your critera? A tuner shop should sell hi performance parts, install them, tune and dyno your car to get the most out of your mods. |
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| mrprecidia |
| I think apex is going to be great. :D |
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| redbaron303 |
quote:
Originally posted by KAOS41@Mar 7 2003, 12:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 7 2003, 11:13 AM
here's how i see a tuner shop.... a place that can sell stuff for all of my performance needs, install them, and properlly tune the car so it's running it's best when I pick it up! They also guarantee their work and will fix their mistakes no matter how big as long is it is a result of something they did.... the offer reputable and friendly service to top it off... there is no way that I'll take my car to some arrogant asshole that thinks he knows everything about it when he may only specialize in honda's and it's not a honda that i'm driving....
I feel that all of the shops right now are just parts stores to me.... I haven't experienced getting my car modified by any of the shops. I take my car to a "specialist" a dedicated Z guy and he's the only one that will touch my car, next to the dealership. I'll just buy parts from the other places for him to instal!
is canadian tire a tuner shop they seem to meet your critera? A tuner shop should sell hi performance parts, install them, tune and dyno your car to get the most out of your mods.
Don't be a smart ass... we aren't talking about some hokus pokus general store.... We're talking about specialized shops and shops that claim they're able to meet that criteria! I wouldn't trust crappy tire w/ a 10foot pole... nore will I take my ride to any of these pro shops in the city for major work until I see some cool 10second or less proven race car of theirs.... and if it's not nissan in my case that doesn't cut it. I need ot know that the shop that I'm taking my ride to is a dependable and trustworthy to boot... they need to know my machine! I dont' care what they sell or what they claim they can do.... So far there isn't one shop in the city that will work well for me... maybe I"m just too picky but when I'm spending money I expect certain things! And BS isn't one of them!\
Sorry, I honestly feel frustrated that I only have one place that knows my ride well enough to take it to them... they however are "mechanics" and don't sell performance parts.... Frankly, I'll buy the parts I've researched and know will work on my car from whoever will give me the best price on that product, no questions asked and will take it to my mechanic and have them installed, until I learn enough to do the work myself!
Sorry for the rant, back to the topic: No canadian tire isn't a tuner shop... they don't sell "high" performance parts, I don't classify mufflers and exhaust as high performance! We're talking the big toys, turbo's and superchargers, nitrous, wheelie bars... what ever... As far as I know they don't sell that stuff, even if they did their apprentice style mechanics certianly aren't qualified for installing it in my books!Does that make sense? I think it does! |
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| KAOS41 |
| You can get anything from crappy tire AEM,Apex'i, etc. would i trust them with my car No i've been down the crappy tire road. I wasen't trying to be a smart ass. Turner shops are all about opinion some will say so snd so owns and others will disagree |
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| redbaron303 |
| Okay.... then it's your opinion and I'll respect that... still won't shop there except for oil or an oil pan or something like that.... Sorry man, didn't mean to come off as an Ass! |
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| bigpappa |
| .the work i do on certain customers cars do not exceed my ablity?the biggest is my own car which will come out this year?if i do what i think i can it will be awesome if not i will crush my car,hhahahaha thats funny :D could we as a group put all the shops on the same page and have them some how prove who is better?any ideas? |
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| redbaron303 |
| Leno. I don't think this is the place to prove who's better... just more nattering from everyone.... I think if you want to prove yourselves come out to Budpark, race our events and show us what your cars can do... The whinning on here about mine is faster than yours proves nothing, a true wheel to pavement run will! Whos up to that?! |
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| bigpappa |
| actually it like talkin to a retards on here but i wanna start some grudge matches you know hahahawho wants to take me on hahahah :D |
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| redbaron303 |
I'll take your slowazz r100 on... :D For fun though.... since i'm gonna run the stock setup on mine.... (poor college kid can't race for anything but fun...ahaha)
Maybe you ought to start a thread called grudge matches, and challenge blaine! haha! I dunno?! |
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| SRBURG13 |
A so called "tuner shop" can sell as much good shit as they can, and talk the talk. But what about the quality of the cars that roll out of the shops? They could be a true tuner shop, but if there are just K cars doing shit, then who are they trying to impress? If a shop can show some quality nice show cars and do that consistantly, then they have my respect as being a true tuning shop. And if a Tuner shop has the gear but not the clients, well, part of being a good tuner shop is being able to drag in the clients that wanna do this stuff to their cars.
Theres my 2 cents.
PEACE |
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| drastik |
the question of if a shop is a "tuner shop" is irrelevant to me. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. What matters is:
Are you satisfied when all is said and done?
(do you feel ripped off or happy with the work and/or product? Is the company concerned if you're satisfifed or not?)
Is the work QUALITY work?
(will it stand up to oem-style specs. These people ARE supposd to be proffesionals. Do they back-up what they do with any type of waranty on labour?)
and all this leads up to...
Are you going to shop there again?
Whether it be Candian Tire, or Titan, or Apex, or Matrix or any other automotive places. If I WANT to go back and get something else done then that means they did well. You can call your place what ever the hell you want....
and, to EVERY shop owner, because of boards like this, we as customers can let others now about service and pricing (good and bad). And we can ALWAYS find someplace else to go. |
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| JDC™ |
| my opinion of a tuner shop would be someone able to sell high performance parts, specialize in aftermarket performance, professionaly install what they sell, and then tune the car to perfection. Having a knowledge staff is also criteria. Now whether you trust the shop or not, is all opinion which will vary person to person. There are good and bad tuner shops, but those are my basic criteria. |
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| IH8V8S |
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 7 2003, 01:05 PM
quote:
Originally posted by KAOS41@Mar 7 2003, 12:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 7 2003, 11:13 AM
here's how i see a tuner shop.... a place that can sell stuff for all of my performance needs, install them, and properlly tune the car so it's running it's best when I pick it up! They also guarantee their work and will fix their mistakes no matter how big as long is it is a result of something they did.... the offer reputable and friendly service to top it off... there is no way that I'll take my car to some arrogant asshole that thinks he knows everything about it when he may only specialize in honda's and it's not a honda that i'm driving....
I feel that all of the shops right now are just parts stores to me.... I haven't experienced getting my car modified by any of the shops. I take my car to a "specialist" a dedicated Z guy and he's the only one that will touch my car, next to the dealership. I'll just buy parts from the other places for him to instal!
is canadian tire a tuner shop they seem to meet your critera? A tuner shop should sell hi performance parts, install them, tune and dyno your car to get the most out of your mods.
Don't be a smart ass... we aren't talking about some hokus pokus general store.... We're talking about specialized shops and shops that claim they're able to meet that criteria! I wouldn't trust crappy tire w/ a 10foot pole... nore will I take my ride to any of these pro shops in the city for major work until I see some cool 10second or less proven race car of theirs.... and if it's not nissan in my case that doesn't cut it. I need ot know that the shop that I'm taking my ride to is a dependable and trustworthy to boot... they need to know my machine! I dont' care what they sell or what they claim they can do.... So far there isn't one shop in the city that will work well for me... maybe I"m just too picky but when I'm spending money I expect certain things! And BS isn't one of them!\
Sorry, I honestly feel frustrated that I only have one place that knows my ride well enough to take it to them... they however are "mechanics" and don't sell performance parts.... Frankly, I'll buy the parts I've researched and know will work on my car from whoever will give me the best price on that product, no questions asked and will take it to my mechanic and have them installed, until I learn enough to do the work myself!
Sorry for the rant, back to the topic: No canadian tire isn't a tuner shop... they don't sell "high" performance parts, I don't classify mufflers and exhaust as high performance! We're talking the big toys, turbo's and superchargers, nitrous, wheelie bars... what ever... As far as I know they don't sell that stuff, even if they did their apprentice style mechanics certianly aren't qualified for installing it in my books!Does that make sense? I think it does!
:o Why does a shop have to produce 10 second race cars for you to trust them with your 15 second street car? There's a huge difference!!!!!
Krazy Karl :wacko: |
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| redbaron303 |
Karl are you talking about my car...? FYI it does or has ran 14's.... which isn't that much of a difference...
Anyways, they don't ahve to build 10 second cars for my business... but it sure does help and it's encouraging! gotta get off the comp... will finish this comment later... |
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| IH8V8S |
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 9 2003, 08:05 PM
Karl are you talking about my car...? FYI it does or has ran 14's.... which isn't that much of a difference...
Anyways, they don't ahve to build 10 second cars for my business... but it sure does help and it's encouraging! gotta get off the comp... will finish this comment later...
Chris! :o There's a HUGE difference between running 10 and running 14s! Come on Chris! You know that! :blink: A car with 200hp can run 14s, but that same car nees about 600hp and a lot of traction to run 10s! Not even in the same ballpark! :blink: I'm fairly confident that you trust most of what I tell you about performance stuff and I don't run a 10sec. car. Hell, I don't even run fuel injection! Does that mean I don't know my stuff?
Krazy Karl :wacko: |
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| Focus Guy |
| So it seems that there is no tuner shop here, How many true tuner shops like what is being asked about are in North America? not many, all local shops in edmonton have there highs and lows and some say they do alot more then what they realy do. Until somebody with the 1,000,000 investment is ready and willing to put up the funds to build a so-called tuner shop we just wont have one, I say go where you are happy. I don't talk up our shop why because talk is shit the work going out the door is were its at. Coming from a guy who sells parts and labour to put food on the table... the guys who pull wrenchs on there own cars deserve repect take on the challange and if or when you get stuck or F*$& up just call. |
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| IH8V8S |
quote:
Originally posted by MIDAS GUY@Mar 9 2003, 08:29 PM
So it seems that there is no tuner shop here, How many true tuner shops like what is being asked about are in North America? not many, all local shops in edmonton have there highs and lows and some say they do alot more then what they realy do. Until somebody with the 1,000,000 investment is ready and willing to put up the funds to build a so-called tuner shop we just wont have one, I say go where you are happy. I don't talk up our shop why because talk is shit the work going out the door is were its at. Coming from a guy who sells parts and labour to put food on the table... the guys who pull wrenchs on there own cars deserve repect take on the challange and if or when you get stuck or F*$& up just call.
:bow:
Werd Steve! :D Go where you're happy and if you're not happy then go to someone you know you can trust...... YOURSELF! All be it with the right self-education. You guys all know who built my car for me! ;)
Krazy Karl :wacko: |
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| THEONE |
| Trust NO ONE but yourself! :wacko: |
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| redbaron303 |
| I would really like to learn how to do all my own work... Karl you're right, I do trust what you say especially w/ rotaries... same w/ Conroy and Richard! Anyways I know there is HUGE difference between a 10 second car and my 14 second car.... :) I can dream to run 9s or 10's or 11's even 12's but without some serious money and knowhow it won't happen. The reason why I would like to have somebody work on my car that has built a proven "10 second" car is because they've built a proven ten second car and therefore can probably help me understand and chose and then build my basic ugraded performance setup! I wouldn't want to take my car to some JOE that has no clue or even builds proven 15 second cars that look nice... that just doesn't cut it in my books! It's not that I'm naive or anything like that, I just trust very few people with my car right now, since it's the only car I can afford and if something breaks because somebody doesn't know what they're doing I would be pissed.... at least if I break it, I ahve no one to blame.... wow, I ramble way to much... oh well... |
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| IH8V8S |
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 9 2003, 09:20 PM
I would really like to learn how to do all my own work... Karl you're right, I do trust what you say especially w/ rotaries... same w/ Conroy and Richard! Anyways I know there is HUGE difference between a 10 second car and my 14 second car.... :) I can dream to run 9s or 10's or 11's even 12's but without some serious money and knowhow it won't happen. The reason why I would like to have somebody work on my car that has built a proven "10 second" car is because they've built a proven ten second car and therefore can probably help me understand and chose and then build my basic ugraded performance setup! I wouldn't want to take my car to some JOE that has no clue or even builds proven 15 second cars that look nice... that just doesn't cut it in my books! It's not that I'm naive or anything like that, I just trust very few people with my car right now, since it's the only car I can afford and if something breaks because somebody doesn't know what they're doing I would be pissed.... at least if I break it, I ahve no one to blame.... wow, I ramble way to much... oh well...
I hear ya! I guess the point is..... we need a shop that pumps out really fast cars in town. Right now I don't think there is one. :unsure: One day! Hopefully :bigthumbup:
Krazy Karl :wacko: |
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| redbaron303 |
| Exactly.... :D I have an idea... |
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| THEONE |
| What's the idea? :wacko: |
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| vr6T |
I can't see a shop in town lasting that is a "tuner shop". I guess Jb's is the closest we will ever see to a "tuner shop". How many other shops have millions of dollars in inventory? I know Jim was talking about doing installations of the parts he is selling, but I don't think its happened yet.
we don't have enough people in edmonton who are willing to spend $10,000+ on their cars to support a "tuner shop".
I think what everyone thinks of a "tuner shop" is a shop with 10 of everything in stock to build their car, and 100 proven examples of it running down the track. It would be great, but its not going to happen. Most people into modifying cars around here are either in their teens, or just outta them. How many of them have $1,000's to throw around??? just the ones who are into illegal activities, and who wants them as customers?
ps. Zippy's is the only shop I can think of that has been around for more than a couple years that has a "legitimate" income, and do you think Andrew has survived by doing "performance" mods??? |
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| SlowAzzPorsche911T |
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 7 2003, 01:53 PM
I'll take your slowazz r100 on... :D For fun though.... since i'm gonna run the stock setup on mine.... (poor college kid can't race for anything but fun...ahaha)
Maybe you ought to start a thread called grudge matches, and challenge blaine! haha! I dunno?!
umm his slowazz r100 would rape you if it blew all the oil lines and lost pressure :mellow: Can't forget Extreme Velocity either, they work on cars, what about Street Gear?
How well the car does at the track depends on the driver too you gotta know how to drive and you gotta know your car... there's a big difference between saying your car can run 13's b/c of the h.p/torque, wind tunnel etc... it's another thing to sit in there and shift at peaks and not sit there burnin out, etc. |
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| redbaron303 |
We'll see.... I would like to race against a "ten second" car... :)
I'm game for racing anybody this year.... I only race for fun.... usually at the budpark... It's just fun to get the car on the track, I don't care if I win or lose... no biggie, I won't lose sleep over it cause I won't be in the game for money/prizes... the car isn't fast enough for that, yet! |
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| bigpappa |
| redbaron you have the right attitude it's all for fun,let's have some this year.now that the cat is outta the bag it a little stress relief.now i gotta make it work and do it's job.but i gotta have fun like you said or i will have a heart attack or die or something fun :D |
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| redbaron303 |
Stress is gone..... now the only part left before fun comes... is getting rid of this bloody snow... something tells me that if my tires are no good in this weather, you're tires will be crap :P :)
I can't wait till the snow is gone.... the fun starts April 1st, then it gets even more fun may 18th when we have our first v8less drag event! :)( |
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| FingerPuppet |
quote:
Originally posted by KAOS41@Mar 7 2003, 12:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by redbaron303@Mar 7 2003, 11:13 AM
here's how i see a tuner shop.... a place that can sell stuff for all of my performance needs, install them, and properlly tune the car so it's running it's best when I pick it up! They also guarantee their work and will fix their mistakes no matter how big as long is it is a result of something they did.... the offer reputable and friendly service to top it off... there is no way that I'll take my car to some arrogant asshole that thinks he knows everything about it when he may only specialize in honda's and it's not a honda that i'm driving....
I feel that all of the shops right now are just parts stores to me.... I haven't experienced getting my car modified by any of the shops. I take my car to a "specialist" a dedicated Z guy and he's the only one that will touch my car, next to the dealership. I'll just buy parts from the other places for him to instal!
is canadian tire a tuner shop they seem to meet your critera? A tuner shop should sell hi performance parts, install them, tune and dyno your car to get the most out of your mods.
Crappy tire?
:wtf:
Are goddam kidding?
That place is run by a bunch of novice kids, I wouldn't take my car there to get an oil change!!
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| bigpappa |
| my tires suck in this snow hahahah i hope it stays like this for 2months i have a voodoo doll that is a snow man he's workin perfect hahahaha :bow: |
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| redbaron303 |
| Na... Leno you want th esnow to melt! You'll still have two months before the v8less races then anyhow... and the rest of us can drive our cars.... (march, april, may...) |
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| THEONE |
| It doesn't seem so bad to have your car ripped apart when theres snow so you know you couldn't be driving it anyway! :wacko: |
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| Dr. Lightspeed |
Ok my turn I am a professional and I turn out first quality work ask anyone who has ever had stuff done in my shop. Oh I know you don't want to hear we built the engine and drivetrain for the Kenwood stereo car because it was a domestic Lumina, but knowone else wanted to tackle a 3.4 DOHC so the guy took it out of town. By the way that car made Performance Auto and Sound.
So you all want a pro shop with knowledge and good inventory with best price in town. It don't happen you see the guy that has got 500k invested still has to feed his family. Everyone wants price let me quote some qutes I find on this site
"Call to Calgary and get the best price then get someone here to beat it"
"I shop on the Internet it is cheaper"
"Until they do a 10 sec car they can't work on my 17 sec civic"
It pisses me off that you guys will go out of town to save 25 bucks on a part and not support your local shop. Then you want dyno tuning and professionalism at 50 bucks an hour. In my little city only the serious guys come to me I am $76 an hour and going up. Dyno tuning in the US cost $250 US an hour at a good shop and people are lined up.
Let me give an example of a recent episode.
We custom fit a rollcage into a 68 Firebird. The end cost $1100 in labor alone. If you guys supported pro shops no little garage guys would survive but it is not about quality it is always about price. I have never met a crowd so cheap as the import crowd. Most domestic guys will drop 50k for a fast ride and not even think about it. It absolutely amazes me that people will even put drop springs on a car. It is the most expensive thing you can do "CAUSE YOU WILL KEEP HAVING TO REPLACE STRUTS" rather than spend a couplek and put on a good set of coil overs. You buy ZEX kits instead of NX why because they are cheaper. YOU BUY RACTIVE it sucks but you buyit because it is cheap.
Wake up support a shop pay the few dollars extra so some retailler isn't competing with JOEIMPORT.com who has no overhead just his website. If you don't support the shops who do this. They won't be there for you. I love the fact we distribute INJEN if you price ho INJEN they shut you done no more supply.
Shops like clients. Clients want good work good parts at a fair price. Before we do any project I make an appointment with a client to sit down and talk if at anytime price becomes an issue I will recommend they go somewhere else. The guy who wants it the cheapest will be the biggest pain in the butt. So buck up and pay for quality. |
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| drastik |
Question for you Dr. Lightspeed, when money is tight for your family, where do you shop for groceries? The cheapest store or the local higher-priced store?Just like you my money goes towards living first, so if I find a better deal on a part from Toronto, cali, japan, where-ever, I'll take it.
Import drivers are cheap. Yeah, your probably right, they are. They drive economy cars that they love. They love them so much that they want to spend more money on them. And you're DISCOURAGING them? Most of them are driving cars worth under 10k. WHY? Because they're young for the most part, and there's so much other shit to pay for out there that we've learned to shop for the best price. If I ran a shop I'd be happier with 100 customers spending $1000, then 10 customers spending $9000.
"Most domestic guys will drop 50k for a fast ride and not even think about it."
- what's the average age of these guys? How many of them are still in school that's costing them more than 50k? ;) Where do they work that they can drop 50k and not even worry about it, coz I'm in the wrong industry.
$25 bucks is an hour of my time at work, if 3 phone calls will save me that much, and I have to wait for a shipment, I'll consider it. It all depends on how much I'm saving compared to the time it takes to get it to me. And how badly I want it. B)
I'd love a place in town that did all three of these for me:
1. quality
2. fast
3. cheap
Truth of the matter is that you'll never get that. We all know that. You can choose 2 out of the three in a best case senerio. I think what most people are complaining when they say there aren't really any shops, is that it's difficult to find a shop that'll even get you 2 out of the three.
meh - Just my opinion. I haven't tried a lot of the shops yet, I do my own work. But if/when I do ... I will be doing my homework. This board will have a huge impact on where I go. |
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| drastik |
| I write too much :wacko: ;) |
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| vr6T |
| $50,000 on a domestic? Can't you get them into the 7's for $10,000 :D |
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| Dr. Lightspeed |
[QUOTE]I'd love a place in town that did all three of these for me:
1. quality
2. fast
3. cheap
[QUOTE]
Well you can have any of the two above. Until you decide to support the shops that are in your local area you have absolutely no room to complain. You can go to MOPAC tho oh yea they know absoluitely frig all. Canadian Tire has all your part oh yea they are complete friggen idiots too. Gee I guess keep buying from Jonnyspeed.com. I hope the guys in Edmonton charge extra when you buy your parts elsewhere. Oh yea hope Jonnyspeed is still in business when you need your warranty. Or maybe you will get nice knockoff parts. The big reputable companies are shutting down and soon won't be selling to Jonnyspeed.com because they know that Jonny won't be able to properly represent their parts. Go ahead keep supporting people far away and pretty soon all the good shops will say frig ya. You can get Grungygarage to properly install and tune your speed parts. There is a saying "Play with the Boys Pay with thye Boys". Well you are almost right about this you don't own a shop ans obviously didn't major in business.
1.) It costs way more in staff and labor to service 100 people then the 10
2.) The reason they are at your shop is because they are cheap they all say I don't care if it is ractive until it breaks then you are spending large time servicing them and the crap product you sold them.
3.) Those same people that buy that crap always want to put it on themselves and half the tiume frig it up and waste another half hour of your time explaining to them how to put it on.
4.) You have your sticker on a whole bunch of really crappy homebilt cars driving around advertising for you.
5.) The guy that just wants a fast car pays gets it built by you and because you sat down with him at the beginning knows pretty close to where the project is going but that final number can float around if extras are needed because he wants it done right.
6.) Those same ten cars are fast have your name on it and there is alot of pride there.
As for where I buy my groceries. Every week when I need something I go to the little store in my little town and pick up my groceries the guy is a friend and I support him he also has his car repaired at my shop. When I need tires I go to the guy down the street. The body shop guy is also a friend.
You keep loking for cheap you will get it your car will reflect it. Now this is not to say that there aren't some good guys who do good work on their own.
Let me put it into perspective building 200k to 300k. Oh yes you want stock always nother 500k the guy needs to tune so 100k for dyno and five gas. Oh yea staff to run the place. Now he is suppose to compete for your 20 or 30 dollars on a part with Jonnyspeed.com who operates out of his basement with an internet site as his business. He doesn't care if he only makes 5 bucks on a 400 dollar part. does that 10 times a day nice side living. Oh yea and how honest is Jonny well you ask him to put a value of $10 dollars on the part so it will slide through customs. If he will lie for you he would probally screw you over just as fast. When rev Canada catches up to you it will cost you more they control customs. So keep this attitude soon you will have no experts to tune as they will have all gone elsewhere or closed the door to work in the oilfield.
[QUOTE]They drive economy cars that they love. They love them so much that they want to spend more money on them. And you're DISCOURAGING them?[QUOTE]
On the contrary I am disgusted with how cheap people are and how much it actually costs them extra for being cheap. I can't tell you how many S_AFC I have seen improperly tuned heck one of them came down to me was installed by the local lexus dealership. The thing was so rich it was almost washing the rings the out. The kid was lucky he brought it down. This is one example backyard John will do it cheaper but who pays for the squeaked motor thas right the client(hehe that be you) I am trying to clean up this industry and get the respect it deserves.
[QUOTE]This board will have a huge impact on where I go.[QUOTE]
So what does it take to impress you another person who really doesn't know what they are doing telling you. Heck most of this board is just a big advertising platform. I get guys in my shop all the time trying to tell me what they have heard on the internet. I call them "webtuners". Heck half the people on these boards are hoping they soon will have a drivers license and the other half is BS. Like the 1100 horse 2.3 built by Esslinger hehe I know the guys down there very well.
I have said my piece but do as you please. Maybe a few guys havin their motors squeaked will open the eyes. Yes thas right you said most guys are in school costing 50k well where are they going to find 5k to put a motor back in their car after backyard Jon or even they themselves squeak a motor by making a mistake. Guess I should have paid the 500 to have it properly dyno tuned. |
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| djshortys |
| wow....... :blink: |
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| redbaron303 |
Seems like good advertising.... I think I know the kid w/ the lexus btw, I'll have to ask him what he thought of your shop... :) I honestly can't seem to see what you're getting at? That etown shops are BS and you're the guy to go to, or that we expect to much for nothing like any consumer?
What import projects have you worked on that are real head turners and tuned properlly? I'll have to check out the shop next time I'm out your way... do you have any experience w/ the VG30ET motor by Nissan from their 84-86 300ZX? |
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| Dr. Lightspeed |
[QUOTE]That etown shops are BS and you're the guy to go to[QUOTE]
Oh that is not what I am saying at all I am saying support your local guy that is what I am saying.
[QUOTE]or that we expect to much for nothing like any consumer?
[QUOTE]
Bingo you nailed it and by not supporting your local guys they will not be able to survive.
I have in the past owned a 300zx 86 turbo but did nothing with it Just bought it to resell. |
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| 2000z |
| I will vouch for at least one of Cam`s cars. Some of you may have seen a red Z34 Lumina in West edmonton Mall the last couple of years with a lot of custom, show car quality equipment. the owner was a rep for kenwood and had his engine/drivetrain built by Diablo. This year it will be much less of a show car and much more of a race car. In it`s current form, it is ungodly fast with a lot of naturally aspirated horsepower and a rather large shot of nitrous. The owner is currently doing some weight reduction, and hoping to bring it in at 3000lbs. It is FAST and the owner is very happy with it, in all regards. He has reccomended I see Cam for any performance needs and I will do so when time/funds permit. |
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| drastik |
Dr. Lightspeed, one last (multi-facetted) question:
You're saying continuosly that we should support our local little shop, the ones that don't make a lot of money selling large volumes of stuff, right?
And you'd rather have the big guy, the guy with lots of money come in and buy large volumes of stuff from your shop right?
Isn't that somewhat of a double standard? I mean, the support should come from the other side of the fence as well, shouldn't it?
The same shops that want the support fom local modifiers, should be the ones supporting them, not bashing the fact that can't afford exactly what they want just yet. I'd love to drop 50k into my car (like everyone else here), and one day I probably will. For now however, I try to make do with what money I have. Most of the time that means doing some smart shopping and learning how to install it myself. And that's where the pride I have in my car comes from. If I can't do it, I'll take it to a shop. If they treat me like I'm a one-time customer with just a small install of an intake from "Jonnyspeed.com", that's all I'll ever be to them. If they treat me with respect, do qaulity work and at a resonable price, when it comes time to spend 20-50k on my car, it'll be with them.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing your work (sounds pretty good), I'm just wondering if it makes sense to tell these potential customers that just because they're young and cheap (and shop that way at the moment), that they're not worth it? Don't forget, these kids will become the hotrodders of they're generation. Long term thinking: they'll be the ones droping 50k in about 10 years. |
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| Dr. Lightspeed |
| I think I am being misunderstood here. My main point is support your local guy and always do it the right way with the absolutely best parts you can afford at the time. If you have to save an extra couple months to buy the good stuff do it. As an business man I should be promoting Ractive because there is almost 150 percent markup in it. I chose for my clients to do the best they can do and will talk someone out of a ractive intake for a 200 bucks into saving for the good one. Unfortunately the same guy runs into a hot salesman and owns the ractive and I never see him again but I kept my integrity of always doing the best. My comment of 10 at 9000 was purely as a response to a post before it stating that from a business point of view that is a bad idea. When someone comes into me with a project I always sit them down and explain the ups and the downs not just big horse numbers. My first thing I always say is I am not the cheapest and if you are looking for the cheap quote you will not get it here. That solves what the real purpose of the meeting is. Talk to anyone the guy that comes infor an oil change is treated with the same respect as the guy doin the big project. Maybe I come off a little hard I just shoot from the hip thas all. |
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| vr6T |
Living in Canada, we have no choice but to look for the best price. After the government takes 75% of our money, there isn't much left. :)
I can see both angles of this converstion having been a shop owner, and a enthusiast.
The reality of this situation is that its human nature to try to get the absolute most for what you can afford. I know I couldn't have 1/2 the car I have if I would have paid someone to build it. I also know that its VERY hard to own a shop because everyone that comes in wants an 11 second car for $1000, that is going to start/run like stock, and last for atleast 10 years.
As a business man, I never charged NEARLY as much as I should have because I knew what I paid for a part, and couldn't bring myself to charge 150% more then I paid.
But as a consumer, I will shop around until I've exhausted every possible seller for every single part. I'm sure I'm like everyone else in the world that has some experience in building a car, and has the foresight to know how the project will turn out. I know what the final result will be. I make NO sacrifices along the way(finances permitting). I have a list of 150 items to buy, and I search for the cheapest place to get each one of them. I assume that I'm not alone with this either because all of the fastest imports have ALL been built by the owner of the car.
Is there a shop that would want to build a 10 second import for a customer? Here is the way I see it. If you don't have the knowledge to build your 10 second car yourself, you don't have the knowledge to maintain your 10 second car. It's not like the work stops once the car leaves the shop. The work has just begun.
I can only think of a couple fast cars that were built by shops, and all of the cars I'm thinking of blew up within the first month. Why? because the owners didn't know how to maintain the car. You can build a car, dyno it, tune it all you want. The car can leave the shop running the best its ever ran. When buddy comes back 2 weeks later cause his car is smoking, and you go for a ride, and the detonation is so loud that you can't believe its actually accelerating, this is something that you can't control. Something changed, and for someone with enough knowledge to hear or feel the change immediately it would be a quick 5 minute trip into the garage or on the laptop making a slight adjustment, but for someone with no knowledge, it will most likely be engine failure.
anyways, I'm just bored. |
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| scooby_dooby |
I don't buy the excuse that I should give my hard earned money to somebody because they are so cheap that they need to take a $150% markup to pay ther staff/bills/rent whatever, I don't care!
In any other city in Canada, including Calgary only 2 hours away, you can pick up a AEM CAI for $350, that's what they're worth, that's what people charge and that's just the going rate. Hmmm, now what are they in Edmonton? $400+ Everywhere I look!
That's BS, if the local shops want my business, they can prove it to me buy offering competitive prices.
And there are a lot of reliable, reputible johnnyspeeds.com. Many of these places handle dozens or hundreds of orders a day, have a large staff, a web design team and database that must be maintained, merchant account fees to the bank in order to accept credit cards, rent, web hosting, etc etc
There's lots of fees in operating any business, I don't give any extra credit cause you own a building, doesn't matter to me, I want the best price(or at least close to it), that's the bottom line. |
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