i only shop online for 2 reasons

1) only a couple of shops around here and
2) the shops that are around here are run by some snot-nosed-know-it-all-******.

I prefer to go into a store and see what i'm actually buying better than just a picture but because of that, i hate going into my local shop. These ***** will try to sell you something you don't want, sell you the wrong thing and rip you off.

 

There is no local shops worth a damn where I am from. Closest shop that is worth a damn is probably Alamo Motorsports in Dallas....and that is 3 hours away.

 

i don't really like people so hanging out at a local shop is really uncomfortable, with the internet i can avoid human contact, which is the way i like it.

 

haha i absolutely agree with you. i dont mind hanging out with friends...but if its ppl i dont know..eh...i try to keep my distance and stuff.

there are about 4 local 'ricer' shops in my area, Rush Hour is probably the worst from wut i've heard, Midwest Customs is where everyone usually goes to. Might go there for tinting etc.

 

I agree with what you are saying. Not only is it the experience of hanging out and seeing first hand, but it is also being able to talk to professionals who can advise you the best upgrade path, as well as locate those hard to find parts for you. It is the customer service factor that you don't receive with the point and click ordering off the internet. Plus not to mention if for some reason a part was not to fit or a part was to go bad, you can just go down to the shop and exchange it rite then and there. You dont have to pay to ship it back and you dont have the down time.

Plus not to mention most places do not do installs on parts that were not purchased from them. In my opinion that is the best way for a shop to combat internet buying. If someone buys it on the internet or from a competitor dont offer install for it! Then next time they are concidering buying on the net they might think twice! It works for us!

Tom

www.radicalride.com

 

Usually you get what you pay for man! I would have no problem with paying a little more to go to a professional facility with actual race engineers instead of a bunch of kids working out of a storage unit that will do it for $150.00. Have you ever instsalled cams in an EVO? It isnt exactly an easy install that takes an hour. It is usually an all day job. And to have someone that will fully gaurentee their work on your $30,000 car to pay a little extra for that peice of mind isnt a lot to ask.

I always tell my customers that I am not out to be the cheapest installer.... I am out to be the best...and there is a huge difference between the two! We race in the Rolex series and I have the same engineers that build and crew my 2 Rolex Series cars working on my customers cars. To have someone with that knowledge and experience is not cheap! But you tend to NEVER have any issues on anything they install. And that is worth it!

Tom

www.radicalride.com

 

These were some kids working out of what looked like a storage unit but called it a shop. I don't mind paying top $ for quality work. There are just no quality shops here in Vegas. $695 is way to high imo to do a cam install on an Evo even at a high quality shop which this was not. About 3-4 hours at $100hr is still only $400. If you are a high quality shop and have correct tools you should be able to do it in 3-4 hours no?

Take care,
mojo

 

Some local shops can be punks on the price that they have. I understand that they must make a profit to continue being in business , But not went they have overkill prices. On line you can purchase from companies that also have a lot more experience then what you have available local wise. As far as the development of a product . An still get a decent price on an item. I don't mine spending the money on a product went i know is worth it . But went theyre doing it cause they think there the only ones available then theyre wrong for that , or their customer service sucks . I prefer to take my business some place else..

 

In that situation I would agree that the price is high for what you are getting. As far as 3 or 4 hours. It is actually closer to 5. Do I feel that $695 is high... Yes... I would charge about $500.00 for labor and materials and tuning.

Tom

 

I am fortunate that my local shop is also an online vendor (Quantum-Racing). But because of the shop, I get tons of free information, advice, and help. I buy local to support that, but the online competition keeps the prices low anyway. The shop rate is only $55, but the best thing is total customer support. The local shops are evolving, they have to to stay in business. It's too bad that many areas don't have a good local shop to support.

 

There is a shop in Las Vegas it's called Factor X, they build some 5-600 HP nsx's as well as other race cars,

http://www.factorxengineering.com/

 

I am lucky my local shop owner is an EVO guy. He is currently driving a 500 hp at the wheels and 751 lbs of tourque.He has a lot of knowledge and he can do anything with an EVO. This is a small town in SOuth Carolina.

 

Uh that's an awful lot of torque for that kind of horsepower.. I'd like to see such a dyno graph.. stump puller for sure.

 

I have to admit there doesn't seem to be alot of local shops in my area that are technically adept enough to perform some of the more complex installations (Many people come to me for info and help, and I'm pretty much a moron.. hehe.. j/k) There are one or two exceptions.. Z1 Performance is a small shop about 30 minutes from me, but their knowledgable and professional. Most of the other shops are either Import appearance only, or focus only on hondas or american cars.

I'd LOVE to purchase my parts locally.. I'm an impulse buyer and when I'm out during the day on a day off, and I'm bored, I'll stop by somewhere, ask a few questions, and buy something to play with.

Only one problem.. Every shop I've been to has NEVER had anything in stock that I was looking for. Now that the car has become more prevalant I'm sure that isn't as much the case.

If anyone on Long Island knows of a killer shop ON LONG ISLAND, that stocks alot of the parts, perhaps even has an AWD Chassis dyno, PM me.. Road tuning is the only way to go around here since it can be prohibitive to take a 3 hour trip to the closest dyno shop. I was even considering leasing AWD dyno hardware myself and working closely with a shop interested in housing it.

 

Hey thanks for the info Dynoking. I'll check them out. You have any personal experience with them? You in Vegas?

Take care,
Scott