[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by laynlo15

I know Matt and Stefano very well, they are a top notched shop. I met them since they were a Magnuson dealer and I was a tech/customer service for Magnuson. They've helped me out a few times when I needed parts that I couldn't find. Matt's helped me out a couple times with some tuning also. Great group and glad you had a good experience with them. They really have worked hard on there 2650 Maggie programs and are making great power with there cam and head designs also. They've also become a dealer for Toohighpsi products and have some Zl1 close to a 1000 rwhp. I probably know the shop your talking about but won't mention it since you decided not to name them.

Yeah, Matt and Stefano are great people. It's crazy how much RWHP they can make on a Camaro and still make the car safe to drive.

[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by ZLAV1N

+1 for Nickey.

I am not surprised to hear this story, a couple of very knowledgeable gear-heads and even better men.

Close to 6 or 7 years ago, they helped me out of a similar situation when I had my 2010 SS.

Lesson learned, don't always buy on price...

I agree with you that they are very knowledgeable and great people!

That's fantastic to hear they were also able to help you out!

[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by adamjwilson

agreed! But I am glad it all worked out for you in the end and the second shop did it right. Nice Car!

Thank you!

[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by LT4Greg

Glad they helped you out and got your Camaro running much better! Remember you always get what you pay for is what I have always been told and seems to be the case in your situation.

Thank you!

[laynlo15]

Originally Posted by Chris_Karl

Yeah, Matt and Stefano are great people. It's crazy how much RWHP they can make on a Camaro and still make the car safe to drive.

Glad its worked out and I know you went thru some bad times with this deal. Pretty sure your good to go now.

[The Maverick]

Originally Posted by Chris_Karl

Yeah, it sucks. I don't know how I would get my money back. The 1st shop has you sign papers before, and I'm sure there is something in the fine print about no refunds, or if something happens, they are not responsible. I honestly don't remember what the paper said.

A trip to small claims court may be worth your time - particularly with someone from the new shop as a witness, since it seems like they have documented the errors of the first shop.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclope...-overview.html

[Spaceme1117]

You should specifically name who the 1st shop is so people can avoid it.

[JTS]

Originally Posted by Spaceme1117

You should specifically name who the 1st shop is so people can avoid it.

I half to agree , that's what these Forums are all about. To share ideas , experiences, mods , and share The Good Bad and Ugly to patronize or STAY AWAY FROM .

[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by laynlo15

Glad its worked out and I know you went thru some bad times with this deal. Pretty sure your good to go now.

Yes I am very happy with the car now!

[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by The Maverick

A trip to small claims court may be worth your time - particularly with someone from the new shop as a witness, since it seems like they have documented the errors of the first shop.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclope...-overview.html

Thank you for this information!

[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by Spaceme1117

You should specifically name who the 1st shop is so people can avoid it.

Ok, I will. I don't want anyone to have the same problems as me and waste their money. I will edit my post, but the shop was Speed Inc.

[Chris_Karl]

Originally Posted by JTS

I half to agree , that's what these Forums are all about. To share ideas , experiences, mods , and share The Good Bad and Ugly to patronize or STAY AWAY FROM .

That's true. I will edit my post, so no one has the same problems as me.

[laynlo15]

Originally Posted by Chris_Karl

I am making this post not to tell you where to go but to ensure you don't make the same mistake I made by choosing the wrong shop, wasting a lot of money, and hurting your vehicle.

I took my ZL1 to the 1st shop in Illinois (Speed Inc) to have it get modified. Ultimately, I took my Camaro to Nickey Performance to have them redo and fix all the problems from Speed Inc.

Nickey Performance took a video of my car to explain what happened and what they had to do to fix it. I will put the link below:



Nickey removed my supercharger, and they noticed that when the 1st shop put it back on, it was crushing wires and not put back on flush. The 1st shop charged me to have the transmission tuned, but Nickey found out they never tuned it but just unlocked it. Nickey also looked inside my engine with a camera and noticed the 1st shop had damaged my pistons because of the 1st shop's tune and the 17 lbs. of boost. I am running on 93 Octane, and Nickey said 17 lbs. of boost was putting too much stress on my Camaro.

When I got my Camaro back from Nickey Performance, it drove a lot better! I am pleased with the work Nickey Performance delivers to customers' vehicles and know my Camaro is now in good hands. If you are looking for a shop to modify your Camaro or Corvette, I highly recommend Nickey Performance and pay once instead of me paying to have the job done twice.

Below I will tell you about my problems with the 1st shop.

Mods I bought through the 1st shop -
American Racing 2-inch headers (Catless) with X pipe
Magnuson 2650
custom grind LT4 cam
CNC ported heads
Big Gulp cold air intake
103 TB
DSX Fuel Pump

The Camaro made 887 RWHP/825 RWTQ with 17 lbs. of boost on 93 octane after leaving the 1st shop, and I immediately had issues with my car after I picked it up.

#1 - (Catch can)
I ordered a Might Mouse catch can, but it wasn't there when I opened my hood. I told the shop about it, and they said they forgot to put it in because there was a problem and had to send it back to the Mighty Mouse company. They ordered another one, and I came back to have it installed. I took the car back home, and on the second start-up, white smoke started coming out and filled up my garage. I drove my car around the block, and smoke was still coming out, but it eventually stopped after 5 minutes. The next day I started my car, and the same problem happened. I called the shop and took my car back in. They remounted the Catch Can differently, and I took it back home. The following day the same problem happened again. I returned it to the shop to have them tell me I don't need a catch can and that they were having trouble with other customers' catch cans and the Catch Can on their ZL1. They took off the Catch Can, but I wanted to have it for the extra protection, but they talked me out of it because I thought it was the Catch Can acting up.

When I took my car to Nickey Performance, I asked them about putting a Catch Can on it, and they recommended I put one on. Nickey Performance noticed that when they put on the Catch Can, the 1st shop installed the wrong valve, causing the smoke from the first time I had it on.

#2 - (Spark plug wires and Spark plug)
A few weeks after my Catch Can problem, my Camaro started to misfire when I started it on a cold start, and it sounded like gunshots. I had to return the Camaro to the 1st shop to replace the spark plugs. At the end of the season, my car started to misfire again. I had to explain my issue to the 1st shop and told them that when I put my car in manual mode, under 2000 RPM, the vehicle started to pop and sound like it was under stress when I gave it a good amount of gas. The 1st shop said the spark plugs needed replacing and were misfiring on one of the banks. I mentioned that my car is in manual mode most of the time, and the 1st shop said to stop driving in manual mode because that was more than likely the problem of the misfiring and putting too much fuel with the spark plugs. I felt terrible because I love driving in manual mode and didn't feel the same driving in automatic. I took the car home, and it started to misfire for the third time, so I took it to my local dealership, and they found the spark plug wires were fried and needed replacing.

#3 - (Dipstick oil leak)
My Camaro kept giving me check oil notifications, even when I had just had my oil changed. I took it to the 1st shop, and they checked it and said everything was OK and probably the last person who changed my oil didn't put the right amount. They put in 4 quarts but didn't think it was strange that I was missing so much oil. They said I would go through a lot of oil because I have a high-horsepower vehicle, so I must fill it more often.

When my car was at the dealership for the spark plug problem, I mentioned the oil problem. Oil was getting on my headers and coming out of my exhaust, causing smoke when I would accelerate, which is a huge fire hazard. The dealership discovered that when the 1st shop installed my headers, they mounted the dipstick incorrectly. The dipstick was crushed, causing oil to leak and giving me a low oil notification. Nickey performance fixed the dipstick problem by relocating it.

As I mentioned, this is not a post to steer you toward Nickey Performance. I just wanted to share my experience proving you get what you pay for. I chose the less expensive shop at first, but they ultimately lacked the knowledge and expertise that Nickey Performance has. Other shops just care about putting out numbers, but Nickey cares about your vehicle's longevity. I saw a few cars in Nickey's garage that the 1st shop initially worked on. They had the same build and boost levels. These cars had blown engines that had to be completely re-built. I'm just happy I came to see Nickey before my Camaro saw the same damage.

1st Dyno sheet is from the 1st shop and 2nd dyno sheet is from Nickey Performance.

I almost gave it up but thought that was up to you since it was your thread and your experience.

[DamonZ28]

Originally Posted by Chris_Karl

Ok, I will. I don't want anyone to have the same problems as me and waste their money. I will edit my post, but the shop was Speed Inc.

That's interesting. They were the go-to shop for 4th gens, back in the days of the Midwest F-Body Association (MFBA). Apparently they've fallen behind.