What shops do you use and why?

[Paul]

What shops do you use and why?

***NOTE*** THIS IS NOT A THREAD RANT FOR SHOP BS OR NEGATIVE SHIT... I WANT TO SEE WHO PEOPLE ARE USING AND LIKE TO USE. POST UP ANSWER + EXPLAIN. IF YOU START SHIT IN THIS THREAD I WILL BAN YOU.

(poll coming)

[RL...]

the one I go to is called DIY

[BKgen®]

Rockstar Motorsports.

[Njobe]

ebay and get ppl to install it for you?

[DynamicSound]

For all maintenance, I go to Certified Performance on Lawrenceville Highway in Lawrenceville, GA...right above Pleasant Hill.

I use them because from day one they have had great customer service, super fast turnaround time on completing jobs and their prices are great. I have even had 2 times where I ended up paying less than quoted. Plus, now they know me and will get me in right away when I come in.

[JJSPEC Racing]

JJspec...i've never trusted anyone to touch my car and always did stuff on my own, i had a warranty claim on the first axle i busted in the GTO and the warranty company would only let an ase certified tech fix the car, took it jjspec, after careful consideration and checking out the shop and his work, and i was over impressed by Jimmy's knowledge in the racing world, and the fact that he had fresh ideas when i had flat run out of them, and 2 years later i'm now a customer and employee, and if it's something i can't do, or don't want to Jimmy and Justin are the only people that touch my cars

-Evil Goat:goodjob:

[Z0_o6]

I do every bit of my own work, and for tuning I have a friend who owns a shop call Showzone in Charleston,SC. He is the only person who didn't try to pick apart my setup when I contacted him about having my STi tuned on a standalone EMS. All the shops in GA that I tried wanted to tell me what parts I shouldn't have bought, and what they would do differently instead of just tuning the damn thing.

[Paul]

i've been using the same shops for years...

Mahdavi being the first shop I ever used and I've been using them since 1999; the Mahdavi brothers have always stood by their work and have done more swaps than probably any shop in Atlanta. They do all of my general maintenance and some performance upgrades.

Eurotech I would use a lot more if they were closer to me as they are the best European shop in Atlanta. Brian is such a stand up guy; one time he couldn't finish my car he gave me his personal ride to use. I use them for all major upgrades to my dubs.

Batlground, they do all of my dynoing... i would use them for other work but again they are on the opposite side of the world for me. Dan is a mad scientist though if you asked him to shoot your car to the moon he could figure out a way!

Traffic Jams Motorsports, I use them for audio work and they have always done a good job, both of my rides sound good and hit hard.

Sprayglo (duluth), known the owners for a long time and they are good people. They get a bad rep but you get what you pay for... they will do their best to work w/ anyone on any type of budget. If you got $ to spend they can do a excellent job.


i do very little DIY shit as i don't have the time, tools, nor would i when i have all of these good shops in my area.

[Tracy]

Gran Turismo East for alignments and tire junk.

[BKgen®]

Catlground.

[roxie911]

Allspeed in PTC...because they do Porsche work on a daily basis so I trust them :)

[Formally...]

Main Stream

Reason - I get one hell of a discount. (because I sleep with the owner's wife :D )

[Paul]

Main Stream

Reason - I get one hell of a discount. (because I sleep with the owner's wife :D )

LIRL ... thats a hell of the deal.

[ep9716]

DYNAMIC SOUND CAR AUDIO FTMFW!!

[1NonlyAccord]

MAHDAVI MOTORSPORTS

Because they are the closest performance shop around. I feel comfortable leaving my car with them-that is saying alot. The Price tag is decent,But for performance and custom items cant complain.
They Installed my turbo on my accord and will be installing my stg 3 Clutch next week.

[FlipKing]

Retired military guy with a mech license does my work for me.

[TS240]

Mainstream, because they are stand up guys and will go far out of their way to make sure the job is done right.

[MachNU]

Zen - Mostly parts allocation
Eagle Oil Change - Elberton, GA - For extreme exhaust work
Kinsey Drivetrain - Most mechanic stuff
MV Performance - once and never again
C&M Music - Speaker equipment
DIY

[Friggintitsman]

Photoshop because it brings the lulz

[Schugg]

DIY


no need to waste money to have something done that you can do yourself. and i dont trust other people working on my cars. if something goes wrong with my work later, its going to be a lot less hassle for me to figure out what happen cause i did the work, if i have to wait around and depend on a shop that would be a pain with no benefit, doing things myself and fixing it later at least gives you experience on top of saving anyway.

[Vteckidd]

MainStream Performance because i know the guys pretty well. Always go above and beyond. Great prices,great customer service. Scotty does all my honda tuning. i dont get the former employee discount though :P

ZEN- They have done some work to my RX8 and ive bought parts through them too. I know the owner pretty well and again they go above an beyond. Excellent customer service.

Killswitch Performance- Known tyler and carina for awhile. They did a bunch of work to my 180SX when i had it and i couldnt ask for more. Quick work, great prices, very friendly.

Batlground- Brandon is one of my favorite techs ive ever worked with. Super nice guy, always goes above and beyond. Dan is an awesome tuner and i wouldnt hesitate to have him tune anything i owned. On a personal level, I admire Tracys instinct and ambition. Never dealt with her professionally (as in when she worked at the shop because she was out of the shop by the time i got there) but despite everything i have never had any problems with her or the guys at BG.

Thats who i have dealt with and gone too. Other shops i cant comment on because ive never had work done. I like to stick to what i know.

[vinayak]

DIY


no need to waste money to have something done that you can do yourself. and i dont trust other people working on my cars. if something goes wrong with my work later, its going to be a lot less hassle for me to figure out what happen cause i did the work, if i have to wait around and depend on a shop that would be a pain with no benefit, doing things myself and fixing it later at least gives you experience on top of saving anyway.


I could not agree more. I do my own work. If I can not figure it out I probably know someone that does. I really do not trust anyone to work on my cars but me and a few select friends.

[Julio]

Had work done to my Old TT @ Mainstream .. Charles did an amazing job

Had work done to my Old TT @ Eurotech.. Kick ass job there as well.

But I have dealt mostly with Mahdavi.. Been going there since 1999.
They were the 1st to Drop my old EK in 99. Been going to them ever since.

Body Work

Ultimate Auto.. Always did great work with my Cars.


I had work done at Yellow River One time.. They did an amazing job as well.

[Julio]

BTW - No Offense to people who DYI..

But I can probably count in one hand how many cars ive seen "DYI" that actually looked good..

The rest ... Trash.

Somethings are better left to the Pro's.

How can you not trust a shop?

Not all shops are perfect, But you are paying for service.. a shop survives by doing great work. Do you really think they want to mess up?
I mean, Mistake happens. But if handled correctly, Im sure it can be taken care of.

Think about it, you sign ( The customer ) there checks pretty much.

Just a thought.

[jnv255]

JJSPEC.... They have done more for me than i can list.. I have been to many other shops and never was happy,im happy now..

[JJSPEC Racing]

Ed @ Balanced took really good care of one of my customers today. He is a very knowledgeable professional.

[Elbow]

I've NEVER taken my car to a shop, not that I have anything against them, I just usually do the work myself to save money and so I know EXACTLY what and how it was done. If something that I was unable to do came up I would take it to a shop, but I enjoy trying new things.

[redrumracer]

im a fan of the diy shop

[sogood]

Gran Turismo East for alignments and tire junk.

+1

RWL German Imports for BMW related stuff.

[redrumracer]

BTW - No Offense to people who DYI..

But I can probably count in one hand how many cars ive seen "DYI" that actually looked good..

The rest ... Trash.

Somethings are better left to the Pro's.

How can you not trust a shop?

Not all shops are perfect, But you are paying for service.. a shop survives by doing great work. Do you really think they want to mess up?
I mean, Mistake happens. But if handled correctly, Im sure it can be taken care of.

Think about it, you sign ( The customer ) there checks pretty much.

Just a thought.
but can it really be considered diy when youve had specific training in your diy stuff? i diy, but ive had training in it sooooo

[Vteckidd]

nothing wrong with DIY. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences.

[redrumracer]

but im just wondering, how the hell isnt lethal injection even up there? lol

[Paul]

i think there are car guys and mechanics... i love cars know alot about them but i still take my car to guys who do it for a living as they know best and are equipped for the situations at hand.

[MachNU]

i think there are car guys and mechanics... i love cars know alot about them but i still take my car to guys who do it for a living as they know best and are equipped for the situations at hand.

i am the same way, i have a good bit of mech. knowledge, very little hands on, so i would trust someone else to do it! least you get a warrenty that way!

[1439/2000]

4gperformance does my fabwork most of the time and Batlground tunes it. Been using this combo the last few years and it has worked out.

[Donati03gt]

ray freyer racing and development. cumming georgia

his motto- if you can dream it he can do it.

[DieselNuts]

I go to Spartan Performance. He knows his shit and is a god when it comes to LSx V8 engines. PM me for additional information

[GGPIS3]

hmmm i wonder who i should vote for..........

[Vteckidd]

4gperformance does my fabwork most of the time and Batlground tunes it. Been using this combo the last few years and it has worked out.
they did some work to my buddys talon, Josel (SP?) and mike and chris are cool people

[EmminoDaGreat]

Main Stream

Reason - I get one hell of a discount. (because I sleep with the owner's wife :D )



ME TOO!! :boobies:



jkjkjk:taun:

[Me86Rob]

Garage Zero. Not only the only people i trust to work on my car, but some of my closest friends as well. Always been there for me when i needed them.

[TS240]

but im just wondering, how the hell isnt lethal injection even up there? lol

They built me a rock solid bottom end, nearly two years of daily driving, almost 100 pulls on the dyno, lots of drag passes, as well as tons of "spirited driving." Dave is a good dude, and know tons about nissans!

Killswitch did a good job on my head gasket install last year too! Tyler and Carina are really helpful.

lol Im going to stop before I start sounding like Mike.:D

[SampaGuy]

DIY, but over the years I've visited 5 or 6 shops around atlanta, not all of them are on that list, to either buy parts, meet up with people, or even do some small work back in the day when I was a noob. All of them were nice people and what not, but only one was not a complete grease pit. Its easy to notice that some shops were not able to invest as much into their facilities than others, which is completely OK, but there is no excuse for not keeping shit clean and organized. This doesn't reflect mechanical knowledge/skills, but if I ever need a shop Ill go back to that clean one, which is on that list.

Not being negative here, just a reminder not to overlook the smaller things....

[BanginJimmy]

no motor work done on my truck, but rear suspension was done by flawless fabrication in backwoods GA. They will also be doing my body drop and suicides when it comes time.

[SPOOLIN]

Main Stream Performance. They have helped me out so much and i've been with them pretty much since their beginning. Anytime i want to try something or do something we always figure out a way to do it.

I obviously do a lot of my own work but when it comes to building and fabbing and making sure my tunes are correct, they are always there for me.

[Bigt8aford]

MV Performance - once and never again




I had a friend that worked there during high school. Why won't you go there again?

[sumixali]

well haven't used them yet but balanced performance because they tell you straight up what needs to happen for anything you want done.
in other words they want you to know everything that is going to have to be done and taken care of!
they do not want to build your car the way they want to, but build it the way you want it to be done.

that and they are like .5 miles down the road

this is all when i have money for some serious modding = ]

[uproot]

Mainstream - These guys are always a good sport about having meets at their shop, do a great job, and really know hondas!

Mahdavi - Probably the closest shop to me that I would trust with our cars. These guys do an awesome job, totally stand by all their work 100%, are totally honest with you about everything, and have the best customer service you'll find.

Dynamic Sound - Definitely the best local prices i've seen in lighting and accessories, plus the warranties are great.

[Seymour222]

Mainstream. Because...Ive seen all side of all the guys there. Good, bad and ugly. Ive seen them bend over backwards to help people, get shafted, and keep on trucking. I ve seen them fix problems for people on their vehicles,-not even relating to the work they were hired to perform-just so "Timmy" could enjoy the fruits of his labor. Im sure, that there several other shops that would do the same, I've seen these things here, and that's why I use them.

Examples:
Dude thinks something is wrong with the car he just got tuned, gets 20 miles up the road at 12:00am, Mainstream is concerned and sends someone out to check out whats goin' on. ........The car needed gas, it was empty. The shop hooks the guy up with some petro.

Guy wants to get his vehicle worked on but doesn't have a way to get the vehicle to the shop....Mainstream sends someone with a truck and trailer to pick up the vehicle and bring it to the shop-I CANNOT tell you how many times Ive seen this.

Customer brings car in for tuning. There are issues on with the vehicle to prevent tuning. Mainstream trouble-shoots and fixes the problem to continue with tuning, all without breaking the customers wallet. Im not saying they would replace a head gasket on the spot, although Ive seen it done, but they definitely go out of there way to make it work out for the customer. Ive heard that some tuners will remove the car from the dyno say, "fix it, and bring it back."

Batlground,- helped me find missing parts for my Eclipse, even though they didn't have to. They could have been like, "Yea, you need some more shit, figure it out." Plus Tracy was totally cool with me stalking her and setting up a deer stand outside her bedroom window. What more could you ask for?... Besides a kiddy pool, baby oil and an inflatable seal?

[AFSil80]

JJSpec. I was a customer before being an employee. As Josh said, Jimmy's knowledge impressed me, but more importantly, he didn't have a 'holier than thou' attitude that I've seen on a few occasions. Having worked for him, I can truly say that he is more concerned with customer satisfaction than anything else. After being an employee of his, I am still a faithful customer and he has always been there for logical advice. When I was in the USAF, I wasn't near a local shop that I could trust for things beyond my tech ability, but after moving back, I've regained trust in local shops strictly due to him.

[qwick]

JJSpec. I have a thing for bald, sweaty guys.


:ninja:

no homo.


But in all seriousness AFSil80 basicaly summed it up.

[AnthonyF]

DIY. I have my own shop so I am in no need to use another one when I am clearly capable of doing the work.

Besides...no one can yank a 4.0L mustang engine like I can. LOLOL...so sad. :(

-Ant.

[Barefoot]

my own shop

[Kasper]

well i always went threw The Modhouse. but thats cause i basically worked there. and until scott died and i moved thats where. i mostly do it all myself now.. once i start tuneing and stuff again imma be takeing it to a place down here called jet black performance. awsome buncha guys. but for the most part imma do it on my own (if i can yet) havent been able to really work on a car since scott died.. anywho but yeah thats who i go threw..

[Paul]

ttt

[Tracy]

I forgot to vote for myself!!!!! I didn't notice the multiple choice and thought voting for yourself was lame-o anyways.

On a side note, what happened to Turbo Dave? Is he still with MSPi?

[Formally...]

On a side note, what happened to Turbo Dave? Is he still with MSPi?

http://www.importatlanta.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233141

As you know MSPi and Turbo Dave were always two seperate companies that complimented eachother and shared facilities. MSPi decided that we wanted a new location and Turbo Dave decided to stay at the current location. We still hang out and go to events together.

[Vteckidd]

Turbo Dave no longer works with mainstream he has his own shop now called r+d motorsports or something

[Tracy]

Yea, I knew it was 2 separate deals. I just hadn't heard of him in a while and just realized it.

[Ilikemineclean]

i usually do it myself of do it at work(honda) with co-workers.

[David88vert]

Most regular maintenance, and non-engine mods I do myself.

I use different shops for different vehicles, since some shops specialize in particular work.

For the Mustang mechanical work, I either take the car to Scott at Coupe Performance, or I have a friend of mine do the work, depending on what needs to be done.

For the bikes, I usually go to MSP Cycle or Marietta Motorsports for any specialty work, like fork revalving or carb synching.

For general stuff that I just don't feel like doing, I usually take the car over to my neighbor's house. He is a mechanic and does side work a lot cheaper than a shop would.

[Big Baller]

Ive heard nothing but good stuff about Coupe and Marietta Motorsports

[baby50]

Been around a while, have friends that turn wrenches for Honda, VW and North Gwinett Mercedes dealership but for me it is HANDS DOWN, Scott at Assist Motorsports. Not hating on these younger guys but Scott has been there and done that with all builds I have seen here in the South East and Northeast for that fact. Most knowledgeble person in regards to building or troubleshooting and has taken care of my VW and Honda every time. I generally do most of my work, head gasket, rebuild etc but if I get stumped I take it to Assist to fix my fubar.

[Firefightin_tC]

As of September 15th, it'll be Mainstream.

[choiiiiiiiii]

speedy wrench in lawrenceville

[mushroom_toy]

The shop on my carport...because I trust my work. :)

[Buttons]

I go to R&D Automotive :) Turbo dave is just the nicest guy ever. And he has helped me out already twice! I mean he had a show to leave for that night and still found time to help me out so i could have my car before the weekend. I'm thankful that he was suggested to me, because collins & i forgot he had a shop.


I forgot to vote for myself!!!!! I didn't notice the multiple choice and thought voting for yourself was lame-o anyways.

On a side note, what happened to Turbo Dave? Is he still with MSPi?


Turbo Dave no longer works with mainstream he has his own shop now called r+d motorsports or something

It's R&D automotive :)

[XanRules]

Dynamic Sound for the pricing, TopSpeed for their Subaru specialteez, Spray-glo and Zen for the pricing and awesome work they do, and I do most of the rest of my shit myself!

[Nemesis]

For anything I cant do in my own garage, SprayGlo Duluth and BatlGround

[95alty]

Global Imports for Repairs

Performing Imports for Extras

Butler Tire (Buckhead) for Alignments

[BABY J]

Depends on what I need done. You can almost always get general maint done cheaper w/out going to a "speed" shop.

You're likely to find me at MSPi as well as BG for installs and changes to a setup that I spec'd out or need freshened up. You're not likely to find me getting port-work, engine assembly, or machine work done in GA - I don't trust any1 in GA for that (sadly).

HOWEVER, I am running an engine assembled by MSS Racing this season and so far I'm happy. Other than that most of my stuff goes out of state.


Mainstream Performance
Batlground
MSS Racing
Mallen Alley Racing (conyers) (Adam is THE shit)

[alpine_aw11]

The only shop I've had work done at was Audio Wizards, they used to have a good performance guy there that hooked me up on my clutch install that I couldn't do. Everything else I do myself.

[DVSRX-7]

DIY (or myself) Cause I'd rather do it myself because a shop won't pay for a blown engine, even if it is their fault. Plus I'm a Auto Tech so why bother paying someone when I can do it myself?

[2003Accord]

gwinnett place honda :ninja:

[swimshark]

DIY at my friends garage or in the parking lot at school. My J is currently at my friends garage on his lift doing my manual swap. Its much cheaper to DIY! ;)

[skacore]

mainstream

[teh_mugen18]

DIY, and I've been to Mahdavi a couple times just for things that i couldn't figure out myself, and the other shop that i use not listed is Import Experts. That's where I got dyno tuned. :goodjob:

[Double_0_Rusty]

DYI- why?

I am a former GM Tech, and now a Nissan Tech. I can pretty much do whatever, minus alignments ( never done one).

[Double_0_Rusty]

DIY, and I've been to Mahdavi a couple times just for things that i couldn't figure out myself, and the other shop that i use not listed is Import Experts. That's where I got dyno tuned. :goodjob:


Hey does John still own that? Chinese dude?

[BABY J]

I keep hearing about Import Experts --- any1 have details on that shop? I know they are out in the boonies - but other than that I don't know much about the techs/owners and their specialties.

[teh_mugen18]

Hey does John still own that? Chinese dude?


I think so.. I see his name is still on the website's "official" email address.


I keep hearing about Import Experts --- any1 have details on that shop? I know they are out in the boonies - but other than that I don't know much about the techs/owners and their specialties.

I dont really know all THAT much about them either, just that.. a friend of mine had his Integra completely built over there, a fully built/boosted LSvtec with a JDM front end that was/is pushing power in the high 400whp range. All the work was done by them, its a beautiful car. lol. And they've got a few other all-motor k swapped cars running in the 12s and a boosted crx that was running in the 11's last time i saw it at Commerce.

And me personally, i've never had any kind of problems with them, and they always seem like they're willing to help with whatever.

[Double_0_Rusty]

I keep hearing about Import Experts --- any1 have details on that shop? I know they are out in the boonies - but other than that I don't know much about the techs/owners and their specialties.


I think so.. I see his name is still on the website's "official" email address.



I dont really know all THAT much about them either, just that.. a friend of mine had his Integra completely built over there, a fully built/boosted LSvtec with a JDM front end that was/is pushing power in the high 400whp range. All the work was done by them, its a beautiful car. lol. And they've got a few other all-motor k swapped cars running in the 12s and a boosted crx that was running in the 11's last time i saw it at Commerce.

And me personally, i've never had any kind of problems with them, and they always seem like they're willing to help with whatever.

Yeah, if it's the same guy Im thinking about, he used to be out in Brasleton off of 85. He did some work on my brother's 2k SI, and a buddies 97 Civic. This was a few years ago. Stand up dude. He had a couple Turbo MR2's up there making over 500whp, that he built. Freaking sick.

[Whiteboy572]

Hunter's Performance Solutions. Good guy that doesnt hide behing a company name. Does great lsx work.

[Dr.G35]

Z1 MOTORSPORTS!!!

Because it doesn't matter if you spend $20 or $20000, they treat you the same. Plus they are cool to hang out with.

[BABY J]

Z1 MOTORSPORTS!!!

Because it does matter if you spend $20 or $20000, they treat you the same. Plus they are cool to hang out with.

FUnny thing is... when I was "something-teen" and had no money I didn't give a shit about customer service - you take my money, I get parts/service - the rest I didn't care about bc I never went to a shop looking for friends. Now that I can pretty much buy what I want I DO look at customer service - and quite honestly not many shops

1) care
2) have time for
3) have the man/woman-power for
4) can afford

great customer service. For the people that do have money to spend that DOES matter so I think that's where a lot of shops could improve.

A lot of times they forget that they are providing a service and they are on the hook to be nice/cordial - not the other way around. A customers money spends just as easily at Shop A as it does Shop B. If you're a shop owner and you read that sentence and your 1st thoughts were "well go to Shop B my doors will stay open" you're the guy that shouldn't have your doors open - PERIOD. And yes - there are some unruly and shitty customers that aren't worth having -- I know that as well.

I've walked into shops w/ a wad of cash on tap and got treated like they are doing ME a favor by saying hi or asking me what I need. Those places don't last long in the contacts on my phone.

[bdydrpdmazda]

Im about to have my car dropped off and Btlground because Im here and cant work on my car myself right now, after I get back I will be mostly DIY though except in some extreme cases...

[cm7k24]

Mainstream. Because...Ive seen all side of all the guys there. Good, bad and ugly. Ive seen them bend over backwards to help people, get shafted, and keep on trucking. I ve seen them fix problems for people on their vehicles,-not even relating to the work they were hired to perform-just so "Timmy" could enjoy the fruits of his labor. Im sure, that there several other shops that would do the same, I've seen these things here, and that's why I use them.

Examples:
Dude thinks something is wrong with the car he just got tuned, gets 20 miles up the road at 12:00am, Mainstream is concerned and sends someone out to check out whats goin' on. ........The car needed gas, it was empty. The shop hooks the guy up with some petro.

Guy wants to get his vehicle worked on but doesn't have a way to get the vehicle to the shop....Mainstream sends someone with a truck and trailer to pick up the vehicle and bring it to the shop-I CANNOT tell you how many times Ive seen this.

Customer brings car in for tuning. There are issues on with the vehicle to prevent tuning. Mainstream trouble-shoots and fixes the problem to continue with tuning, all without breaking the customers wallet. Im not saying they would replace a head gasket on the spot, although Ive seen it done, but they definitely go out of there way to make it work out for the customer. Ive heard that some tuners will remove the car from the dyno say, "fix it, and bring it back."

Batlground,- helped me find missing parts for my Eclipse, even though they didn't have to. They could have been like, "Yea, you need some more shit, figure it out." Plus Tracy was totally cool with me stalking her and setting up a deer stand outside her bedroom window. What more could you ask for?... Besides a kiddy pool, baby oil and an inflatable seal?


This! couldnt have said it better my self.

[Kourt]

Friends work on my car, or JJSPEC cause they have this pretty awesome person that works there on Wednesdays.