A "how to" for idiots....

Mr 5 0 · 10-01-2001, 05:01 PM

'High-Performance shops can be a great deal or a total rip-off; you have to be careful and it helps - a lot - to know what you're talking about before you O.K. any job.

If you're unfamiliar with car repair, a shifty 'Performance' shop can screw you royally with huge labor overcharges and tell you it's because they do 'speciality' work.

I've seen $125. hour performance shops that did really beautiful work in a pristine environment with the best of everything, and they backed up the work. Good people, but expensive.

I've also seen $60. hour Performance shops that were a little dirty, not in the good part of town and the mechanics were rough around the edges but did equally excellent work because they were racers and knew what worked and what didn't. I like these guys.

Then, there are the thieves who don't know squat, talk a ton of BS and throw numbers around, then keep your car for a month, drive it like a rental, do half-arsed work, screw up your car royally and charge you a fortune to do it. When you complain, they often say 'sue me' and go out of business the next month. We've had some rather sad stories about places like this right here on the forums at Mustang Works.

'Performance Shop' doesn't mean much.
I always recommend you ask other guys with fast cars who does their work (if they don't do it themselves) and when you find a good shop, be respectful to the people who will work on your car, buy them a cup of coffee and give them - not the owner - a tip when they deliver your car (unless it's a one-man shop, of course).

Know what's going to be done, agree on a parts & labor price, have them call you for approval if it goes much over or if a problem comes up that no one anticipated and pay the bill with a smile.

10-01-2001, 05:01 PM	#2
Mr 5 0 Conservative Individualist Join Date: May 1997 Location: Wherever I need to be Posts: 7,487	'High-Performance shops can be a great deal or a total rip-off; you have to be careful and it helps - a lot - to know what you're talking about before you O.K. any job. If you're unfamiliar with car repair, a shifty 'Performance' shop can screw you royally with huge labor overcharges and tell you it's because they do 'speciality' work. I've seen $125. hour performance shops that did really beautiful work in a pristine environment with the best of everything, and they backed up the work. Good people, but expensive. I've also seen $60. hour Performance shops that were a little dirty, not in the good part of town and the mechanics were rough around the edges but did equally excellent work because they were racers and knew what worked and what didn't. I like these guys. Then, there are the thieves who don't know squat, talk a ton of BS and throw numbers around, then keep your car for a month, drive it like a rental, do half-arsed work, screw up your car royally and charge you a fortune to do it. When you complain, they often say 'sue me' and go out of business the next month. We've had some rather sad stories about places like this right here on the forums at Mustang Works. 'Performance Shop' doesn't mean much. I always recommend you ask other guys with fast cars who does their work (if they don't do it themselves) and when you find a good shop, be respectful to the people who will work on your car, buy them a cup of coffee and give them - not the owner - a tip when they deliver your car (unless it's a one-man shop, of course). Know what's going to be done, agree on a parts & labor price, have them call you for approval if it goes much over or if a problem comes up that no one anticipated and pay the bill with a smile.