Recommended Shops and Yards

[vristang]

Due to my recent problems with R&D in Marysville I would like to see a new sticky in this forum.

Where do you take your cars for work?
Where have you had problems?
Where will you never go again?

All of the same can be done for wrecking yards.
Who has decent prices?
Where will you never go back to?

Basically, I would like create 2 lists.
One that is of recommended shops.
The other for problem shops.

Tell your stories here.
All good and bad experiences are welcome.

jason

 

[vristang]

Here is my original post on the R&D issue.


I went in to pick up my heads from the shop last week, after being checked/cleaned for an oil control problem (I suspect the valve seals are bad).
The machinist had only decked the block surface and cleaned them. I had asked that if the heads were milled, for them to cc atleast one of the chambers, but that was not done.
They did not replace the seals, just checked that the valves/seats sealed.

I still have oil control problems.

To top it all off...
The machinist tried to tell me that the TrickFlow heads I have are known for having a porous casting. According to my (ex) machinist the porousity is so bad that oil is allowed to seap through the Aluminum and into the combustion chamber.
I was already irked that they had tossed the original work order I had left when I dropped off the heads, in favor of a much shorter work order, so I just smiled and left as quick as I could.
This guy thinks I am a blathering idiot, so I won't go back.
Not having any respect for your customer is bad business, and a sign of poor character.

 

[duner]

This is a good idea. But it won't work in this forum. Too much history with different shops posting in here. There is too much potential for shenanigans and headaches for the staff. There are legal liabilities to consider as well.

 

[wythors]

Recommended shop: Brad's Custom Auto. Brad, Dane and the guys are great. Don't go there looking for the cheapest price, but if you want quality work done for less than the dealer, go for it. They'll even sell you parts at a price cometitive to internet pricing.

Recommended dealer: Olympic Lincoln-Mercury. Leigh Bavin is a very good service advisor that has always gone out of his way to take care of me and treated me very fairly. Any warranty repair has been done with no hassles. They've recently been taken over by Jack Carroll, but hopefully the service won't change.

Stay away from the Pierre Ford and Harris Ford service departments. PM me for details.

 

[S351Saleen77]

Jason,

A friend of mine took some GT40 heads to R&D in Marysville after they opened to have them ported and 3 angle grind and to be checked out since he bought them used. When he gets them back he brings them by to show me and all the heights of the valves were uneven to start with. We take a vlave out and they didn't do a 3 angle grind but charged for it and they needed guides but they didn't replace them. He took them back and anyway it's a long story. The place is a joke!! I wouldn't go near the place! "From Mild to Wild" is their motto. They can't even line hone a block there. They don't have the machine to do it. Yeah I'm going to have a "Wild" motor machined there but they can't line hone and deck the block to make sure it's square before they bore it. I have other stories about the place but anyway if you want a place you can trust up north go to "Ed's Automotive and Machine" They are by Boeing in Everett. This is where I have all my machine work done. They build alot of blown big cube boat motors and you might even get to see one run on their engine dyno, which is Caroll Shelbys old dyno.

 

[vristang]

Duner -
I do appreciate your concerns, but would still like to give this a try.

If I had been able to see a post similar to that just provided by S351Saleen77, then I would have made a different choice in where I had taken my heads.

I had them do some work on my block as well. I can only imagine what may happen there.

I do not intend this to be a BASH thread.
Comments like shop abilities and reputation are what we need.

Please do not make personal comments about shop owners, or others for that matter.

The sad truth is that there are some businesses that do not put forth the effort to do highest quality work. When we want highest quality work, we need to know what shops have such reputations.

I will start 2 lists in my original post. I will continue to update them as others make contributions.

This thread could be killed at any time, and I understand if it is.
I am just feel that it would be nice to share such info.

jason

 

[duner]

Duner -
I do appreciate your concerns, but would still like to give this a try.
jason

It's good that you appreciate my concerns on this. I’m sure, however, that you are unaware of all the fighting, complaining and crap that has gone on in the forum and behind the scenes when it comes to the different shops that are in this area. Many people have been banned and there have been some hurt feelings. This issue is the biggest problem in the NW Forum.

I understand the value in what you are trying to communicate here. But the risk of liabilities is high. There are also the possibilities of the fan boys getting bent out of shape when their favorite shop is given a bad rating.

This thread will disappear and other actions may be taken by the staff as we see fit.

Keith

 

[ASD]

Duner,

I see both sides to this but what good is Stangnet if we can't discuss shops abilities so others don’t get burned? We all have similar passion for our mustangs and want to help out our fellow stangers but it seems lately that is not acceptable here. When are you guys going to let shops become vendors like the other sites?

I think Vristang idea is a good one but you will have all kinds of stories good and bad about every shop which I feel does two positive things.

1. Keeps shops honest with cost, quality and service.
2. Helps mustang owners make a better decision of who to go to.

Just my two cents……….
AD

 

[duner]

Duner,

I see both sides to this but what good is Stangnet if we can't discuss shops abilities so others don’t get burned? We all have similar passion for our mustangs and want to help out our fellow stangers but it seems lately that is not acceptable here. When are you guys going to let shops become vendors like the other sites?

I think Vristang idea is a good one but you will have all kinds of stories good and bad about every shop which I feel does two positive things.

1. Keeps shops honest with cost, quality and service.
2. Helps mustang owners make a better decision of who to go to.

Just my two cents……….
AD

I like the idea of this thread. This isn’t the first good idea Jason has had. He made an excellent suggestion to create a 5.0 Tuning Forum.

I too have a stang and a desire not to be screwed by a crappy shop.

Alan, recently you have seen first hand some of the retarded crap surrounding a shop getting their nose bent out of shape.

All I'm saying is if this thread gets nasty it will disappear. I'm not saying we can't give it a go. I am saying it's not going to be a sticky.

I'm not a fan of "Forum Sponsors". That always turns into a forum where the "sponsor" is never on the receiving end of negative comments. This also stifles the introduction of parts and equipment that the “sponsor” doesn’t sell or install. Thereby limiting the wide open discussion of a competing product. Maybe SN will have forum sponsors one day. I don’t know.

One of the problems about a user posting negative feedback about a shop is the inevitable response. Most of time in here we keep things reasonable. But there’s always the chance the discussion will turn into a flame session like threads have in the past.

There are some rules and guidelines that the entire staff and its ownership needs to manage. These concerns don’t apply just to the NW Forum. Posting subjects and statements that can be considered slander can have legal repercussions for the site owner. The staff has a responsibility to balance the wants of the users with the requirements set forth by the site owner.

If anyone else wants to comment, send me a PM.

 

[vristang]

duner,
I have been thinking this over today.
It did seem like a great idea, but I do see it going bad as well.

I can't see any good coming from this thread.

Feel free to delete it or lock it or whatever.

For others reading this, here is why I had a change of heart.

No doubt there would be more negative brought up than positive.
I hate the idea of someone else getting burned by the shop that nailed me, but Stangnet is not the right place for what this thread will eventually turn into.

Also, all the positive talk on the local shops would start to look like sponsorsship. This is not something that would encourage open discussions.

This will be the last time I post here.

This Thread Must Die!!!


Duner, thanks for being the voice of reason on this matter

 

[DarkBuddha]

WTF? "We might hurt someone's feelings"... whine whine whine... c'mon, the truth may hurt but legit feedback from local folks is valuable. I know this kind of thing could be abused, but for anyone who works for a paycheck and has to pay for work or parts wants to know if they're going to be treated right and not get screwed. I'd be willing to sacrifice lots of hurt feelings to save one ruined project or car.

 

[duner]

WTF? "We might hurt someone's feelings"... whine whine whine... c'mon, the truth may hurt but legit feedback from local folks is valuable. I know this kind of thing could be abused, but for anyone who works for a paycheck and has to pay for work or parts wants to know if they're going to be treated right and not get screwed. I'd be willing to sacrifice lots of hurt feelings to save one ruined project or car.

This is not some touchy feely crap from me. Obviously, you don’t know me. I don’t give two ****s about a shop owners feelings who’s getting flamed when he deserves it.

However, who decides if he deserves it? A customer who could be just as messed up as the shop owner?

Feedback from a user is one thing. The shops are going to want their chance to retort. This is when the threads turns into a big pile of crap. I have yet to see this scenario work out well.

If we had a thread that listed every shop that has not performed to our complete satisfaction every shop in our area would be listed. Every shop I’ve every used has done something I didn’t like.

I never said that users couldn't post a thread asking if a certain shop has their crap together. But a thread that’s stickied at the top of the forum that lists every shop that has not performed to the level the customer thinks he deserves. I don’t think so.

 

[duner]

The site owner has chimed.

I'm closing this thread.

If anyone has any concerns PM me and I will address them.

Keith