Tri-State Vendor Review 2.0 (Local NASIOC vendors only please)

[turboICE]

Engine has been overhauled so doing a bunch of stuff that is easier to do with engine out than engine in...

First thing I did was check out AZP's ordering catalog area - http://azpinstalls.com/index.php?opt...d=66&Itemid=90 and contacted Paisan/Mike to get everything from them that I could get from them before going to other vendors for the remainder of the stuff. That way I didn't have to worry about packages being left out at home while I was at work. When everything is in, I popped on over and picked everything up and hung out for a while.

Ed

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[Jose99]

Drove up today for my short shifter and bushings to be installed. I gotta say they do some great work! Quick fast and painless,And yet very proffesional.They will be seing my car again for sure!!!

[AWDRIFTER]

went there yesterday for my 60K service and couldnt be happier, thanks!

[slates74]

Thank you to AZP installs for the excellent buying/install experience on my 08 WRX Kartboy SS w/ Bushings. Everything went on with out a hitch and the company was top notch to work with. Felt very comfortable and welcomed by the staff. They're very knowledgable and extremely helpful. Two Thumbs up!

[LeggySpecB]

Was looking for a local shop to care of my baby =)

Went to Bill and Vince for an oil change last Friday. Switched up to Rotella T6 Synthetic. Will go back again for my other needs.

Thanks again guys!

Alan

[Rfed]

Had a Akuma install motor mounts and Perrin control arm bushings on my 08 WRX. Evan did the install, of course car did not want to cooperate for him. Evan got job done as usual. Feel is a world of difference. I was afraid of a harsh ride with bushings, but not so. Thanks Evan!

Then it was Johns turn to tune car. John is the owner met him for first time. Helluva nice guy. My car would not boost for some reason, smoke test was done and no leaks. The first thing John thought was EBCS and he was right. He hooked up a MBC to tune and did his magic.

Akuma has a Mustang Dyno my results were 300 HP and 300 ft lbs torque. John thought this was a safe tune for my car which has stock clutch and trans.

It was a great experience watching these guys work and talk to them. I would reccomend them in a heartbeat.

[Broken Motorsports]

Originally Posted by LeggySpecB

Was looking for a local shop to care of my baby =)

Went to Bill and Vince for an oil change last Friday. Switched up to Rotella T6 Synthetic. Will go back again for my other needs.

Thanks again guys!

Alan

Thanks Alan! Good seeing you and hope to hear from you again soon.

_billy

[Dom Terreto]

Originally Posted by Rfed

Had a Akuma install motor mounts and Perrin control arm bushings on my 08 WRX. Evan did the install, of course car did not want to cooperate for him. Evan got job done as usual. Feel is a world of difference. I was afraid of a harsh ride with bushings, but not so. Thanks Evan!

Then it was Johns turn to tune car. John is the owner met him for first time. Helluva nice guy. My car would not boost for some reason, smoke test was done and no leaks. The first thing John thought was EBCS and he was right. He hooked up a MBC to tune and did his magic.

Akuma has a Mustang Dyno my results were 300 HP and 300 ft lbs torque. John thought this was a safe tune for my car which has stock clutch and trans.

It was a great experience watching these guys work and talk to them. I would reccomend them in a heartbeat.

haha your car and myself need to work on out relationship! Glad you enjoyed the experience. I look forward to the next struggle.. I mean upgrade hah.

Cheers,
Evan

[NYCS2]

Thanks to the Crew at AZP, three sets of hands help me avoid alot of F-bombs in my garage.

[AZP Installs]

Originally Posted by NYCS2

Thanks to the Crew at AZP, three sets of hands help me avoid alot of F-bombs in my garage.

Thanks! Glad to help you out!

-mike

[turboICE]

After quite a miserable time first working with poorly fitting parts and then with crap that broke - I finally got my car to the tuner!

I met John from Akuma at a New Jersey Motorsport Park member day on Thunderbolt. I also instructed his wife on Lightning at PDA/NASA NE event a few weeks later and spoke with him some more.

I had been running a Cobb OTS stage 2 tune with a lot of mods preparing for an ATP 3076R upgrade. After a just a few brief chats about Subarus and what was happening with my car, he asked if I would like him to look over the tune. Literally in right around 90 seconds he remapped my boost tables. The car was instantly transformed with much more linear power and smoother throttle response.

I have always been picky about who I would let tune my car to something more than safe conservative OTS tunes and was concerned about finding someone who I would let tune my car after the turbo upgrade. I have worked with good tuners and most were actually hard to work with - but I did anyway with the ones I could trust. The nice thing here is that John has been easy to work with. Also he has impressed me several times during our conversations on all types of topics as someone who thinks through his decisions to reach logical conclusions. Rather than shot gunning sound bites with the hope of impressing and at the same time distancing the customer from the tuner.

Despite my arriving a day late after more car drama, John fit me into their schedule to get a solid tune. They smoked the intake system to make sure there was no leaks (I always recommend it saves immense amounts of frustration on the dyno itself) which I was really pleased with. He discussed with me how I was going to be using the car and my goals and how I would like to get there. Then he went to work, but even then remained accessible and engaged - which I have found rare amongst tuners.

The hour ride home was a joy (despite 105* on the GSP and no A/C) the car is incredibly drivable while having great pull all the way to red line. Can't wait to get it out on Pocono tomorrow.

I would recommend Akuma (also met Doug and Evan working away on a GTR) to anyone without any hesitation.

I would like to also thank the others in the area that have helped me along the way since I first concluded it was time to overhaul my engine:

Phoenix Performance for overhauling my long block and giving me confidence to move forward.

AZP Installs for great deals, talking through crap and tolerating me.

A W E Tuning for working with me on getting my braking taken care of.

[93V]

Please only post reviews of registered NASIOC vendors.

[growling_boxer]

Originally Posted by Mulder

Please only post reviews of registered NASIOC vendors.

Mulder, shouldn't that be specified on the first page? It is not clear that this thread is intended only for registered vendors. It only says it is for review of vendors in the tri-state area. So, where should we review other local shops? Or aren't we allowed to review non-registered vendors anywhere on NASIOC? Enforcement is certainly not uniform.

[93V]

Originally Posted by growling_boxer

Mulder, shouldn't that be specified on the first page? It is not clear that this thread is intended only for registered vendors. It only says it is for review of vendors in the tri-state area. So, where should we review other local shops? Or aren't we allowed to review non-registered vendors anywhere on NASIOC? Enforcement is certainly not uniform.

not only that but the review section shouldn't be in the classifieds section.

besides, who wouldn't want the information i posted up? that's the point of it.

[turboICE]

Please only post reviews of registered NASIOC vendors.

This was the very first I had heard of this as well and was surprised to see it as I always thought this was a thread to the broader benefit of the region rather than one of commercial benefit. At least it had been historically.

[Mulder]

It's a common-sense extension of the NASIOC vendor rules. Reviews of non-vendor shops, especially in a sticky thread, will give them free exposure and advertising that our supporting vendors are paying for. I will go ahead and change the thread title to clarify its purpose.

[Dyl911]

I posted this over on LegacyGT.com, but I wanted to given props to AZP Installs. They spent an entire morning chasing down a rattle in my rear suspension. They really wanted to make sure it was done right, and it was.

Thanks, guys!

[broosewee]

Went to Lee Berbs over the weekend to tint my rear glass. He did a great job at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

[sidewayz]

uh ohhhhh. Lee burbs isnt a vendor

[broosewee]

Originally Posted by sidewayz

uh ohhhhh. Lee burbs isnt a vendor

I contacted him through the AZP website, if that's any consolation.

[jxkim]

Went to AZP and was very unhappy with my experience there. Rather not get into details but I will say my review is that they are not as good as you are led to believe by the "reviews" here and found similarly online. (i.e. bias) I will be staying away in the future.

Anyways I am surprised that THE SHOP CT is not more written about. It is about 1.5 hours from the GWB. I didn't have the best experience at the shop (bad time management and bad luck combined) but in the end they do what they do well. Gerry, the main contact through website, is a very nice guy. Jimmy, who handles all the in shop stuff, is very knowledgeable and a good guy. They do installs and can also dyno tune. (I did both) They have reasonable rates especially when compared to similar shops around tri-state. I didn't have the best experience to be honest, but I will still bring my car back there.

[mindlesschaos]

Just got a turbo install and a tune from them. Great service and very friendly. i would highly recommend them for any work to be done or tune.

[Mulder]

Just a reminder, as per the title of this thread please post only reviews of current Tri-State NASIOC vendors. If the vendor is not currently registered here with a blue user name, they may not be reviewed in this thread. In that case you may still post a review in the general NASIOC vendor review section-
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=58

[BraveSTi]

I was referred to Rich by a buddy and my experience at Precision Tuning has been nothing short of professional, knowledgeable, genuine and friendly. Rich and his crew know their **** and he is honest, but like a family member honest. Every install so far has been done by them and they now have a loyal customer hailing from Brooklyn.
Big-up to Rich, his team and his lovely wife Nicole who is also on-point with the subbies!!

-Hernandez

[NYCS2]

^ Rich- actually turned me away, he gave me his dead honest opinion on tuning issues with a 4eat.