For those of you who have replaced your exhaust with an aftermarket one, where did you go for the installation? Speed shop? Dealer? Midas or local muffler shop? I am thinking about doing a Solo or Borla but not sure where to have the work done.
Not a lot of speed shops here in Western MA but maybe someone has a recommendation for here that I am not aware of or in the Hartford area. Also, is a catback something that can be installed in a day typically?
Thanks!
A.W.
Not sure if this will help, but this is kind of how I look for service providers if I get into something I'm not comfortable with handling myself...
Start by talking to a business or someone you know and trust that is involved with performance and/or aftermarket modifications. Get recommendations on where you should take it from them. From that, make a few phone calls and ask some basic questions like:
1) Cost to do the job
2) How long they've been in business (this is important for warranty work mainly)
4) What kind of warranty the put on their work (I think at least a year or 12k is standard from exhaust shops parts and labor)
3) How much of the work in question they've done (if it's not primarily an exhaust shop for example)
4) Determine if whom you spoke to is someone you'd want to do business with. Were they knowledgeable about the products and services? Were they helpful? Is it someone you'd want to deal with in the future if you need to come back for warranty work?
Deduce 2 or 3 places from the phone calls, then take a drive and check out the shops.
Things to look for:
1) A place of business and not someones house garage.
2) Clean (within the realm of automotive work)
4) Equipment/tools well kept and maintained.
3) Employees that don't give you the creeps just to see/meet them.
4) Professional place of business overall
Things to avoid:
1) A guy in a house garage/shed with car ramps and a pint in his pocket. :scratchhead:
2) A business that's only been around a year or two. (not that they are bad per-say, but as a rule of thumb, 5 years + is good proof of a solid establishment that will be there if/when you need them.
3) Pushy salesmen that just try to up-sell parts and services. (not that recommendations are bad, just that if they are to overly pushy it's obvious they just want your $ and aren't that concerned about what you want or making you happy for repeat business)
I personally tend to avoid larger chain shops. Again, not that they are bad, but I've found smaller shops to be more interested in me and put in a little extra effort to make me happy and get the job done right over the larger name shops.
Anyhow, hope that helps!
