Balefire

Looking for routine maintenance work and perhaps some light mods for my new to me stock RX-7 R1.


Any experience with Pugi Mazda in Downers Grove or CJ Wilson Mazda in Countryside for routine work on their RX-7? I only ask because they are quite close to me in the west suburbs of Chicago.


Otherwise it sounds like
Banzai Racing in NW Indiana
Elite Rotary Shop in Des Plaines, IL (which only has a FB page, no website nor does google know about it)
Shook Motorsports in Rockford, IL (whose website is currently lacking)


Closed
A-Spec


Any experiences with the above or recs?
Thanks!

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

I suggest you call shops during normal business hours and find out who answers the phone. This will start the process of weeding out the "hobby" shops where your car will only get worked on after hours and weekends.

Be very careful taking the car near any Mazda dealer.

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Glad you found a car Balefire.
I'd be REALLY careful with a dealership. Most techs have never opened the hood on any RX7, let alone a turbocharged rotary. And they all tend to up-sell terribly.
If practical for YOU, I'd download a copy of the Factory Service Manual and read through the Gen 3 stickys to do your own routine maintenance...or take it to a trusted local shop. Probably a lot of local owners to net-work with for tips and advice too. There is nothing really significantly different about changing oil, plugs, brake pads etc. on this car than most others. For specific preventative stuff, or anything else that might come up...if I lived as close to Banzai as you, I'd take it there. 3 hrs doesn't seem long to people like me in serious fly-over country.

farberio

iTrader: (7)

Shook is still around and does great work, certainly his focus is on the work and not the website.

adracer

I, for one, can speak well of my recent and ongoing experience with the somewhat newly-established Elite Rotary Shop. I learned of Elite's proprietor, Mr. Sal Scianna, through Howard Coleman. When Howard agreed to rebuild my engine a few months ago after a number of e-mail and phone conversations, he suggested Sal for my "to do" list. Because I wanted a number of other things done at the same time (switch out twins for a single turbo with associated waste gates and BOV, AI system, IC upgrade, ABS delete, A/C delete, manual steering rack conversion, surge tank and exhaust fabrication, plus battery relocation, ECU and gauge installation) which amounted to a general resurrection of the car after years of storage and inactivity, I was willing to allow a couple of months for the car to be worked on, and it helped that I would be out of the country for work during much of that. On very short notice and with Howard's good word on my behalf, Sal agreed to take on my car.

With that background, here's where Sal stands with me. His attention to detail is considerable, and while he is unafraid to voice his opinion for various ways forward with the car, he is always willing to defer to me, the customer. He has kept in solid contact with me, providing me with updates on labor hours, parts pricing, and overall progress. What's more, he and Howard have met at the IL/WI border a couple of times to exchange my engine before and after the CPR rebuild. Howard has ordered a number of parts on my behalf and had them sent to Sal, and there have been a few items which Sal sourced himself due to time and availability constraints. Although the build, as all of them do, has taken a few steps beyond my original vision and budget, I think I have been well-informed and ultimately in control during every decision-making fork in the road.

Here's another thing: Sal is enthusiastic. If I'm not careful, I'll ring up some lengthy long-distance phone conversations with him about different ideas for the build, and he speaks both about the technical and aesthetic/emotional aspects of this car. His own RX-7 (FD) is a pretty thing to behold, and his experience gained in the years BEFORE opening this dedicated shop definitely shines through. What's more, he has arranged for interior and exterior detailing of my car as "part of the deal" prior to pickup, and I am sorely looking forward to seeing it again.

My car arrived at his shop on September 16, and it will probably be picked up before December 1, which is right in line with my relaxed timeframe. Some parts hiccups and unanticipated fabrication for the intercooler and a couple other items slowed things down, but to me, this was immaterial. His labor rates are competitive, and his attention to detail has thus far been excellent. The fact that my car was coming out of storage in Wisconsin and went to Elite Rotary for an extended pit stop (with corresponding engine work by CPR in WI) before it comes home to me in Virginia was a serendipitous turn of events. I have no reason to believe my car will be anything but extraordinary when I see it in a few weeks, and I can certainly relay my further experiences here after that. In the meantime, that's my CYM on his FB page. I know he's holding back on photos because he has told me he will post more of them after I get to see the car in person. I look forward to that, as well.

Lord Bro

I'm giving this place a try based on your review, and so far have also had a good experience.

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

I guess Sal/Sam (whichever he is going by now) has finally run out of shops to try to scam. He has burned bridges with nearly every shop in the mid-west, we banned him and his buddies from our shop over a decade ago. All I can say is beware. Do your research, screen name Justanother7 currently, however the guy has started more new accounts then I can keep track of.

Here he is pushing his new shop in the third person https://www.rx7club.com/midwest-rx-7...urg-il-924464/

Interesting reading

https://www.rx7club.com/bad-fugly-bu...kills-1067173/

https://www.rx7club.com/build-thread...build-1059182/

https://www.rx7club.com/shops-part-s...ports-1032790/

https://www.rx7club.com/bad-fugly-bu...mance-1058475/

Howard Coleman

iTrader: (6)

i do not refer engine clients to full service rotary shops casually.

i also have zero dollars being kicked back to me for a referral as it would be a conflict of interest.

while i have operated CPR for 6 years and over 75 BREW motors i am closer to Sal than any other engine customer. we met June 2014 when Sal delivered his motor to me. the motor had been built by someone in Rockford and was, well, it would be hard to describe how badly it was built... the builder talked a great game and clearly either didn't care or didn't know what he was doing.

so Sal and i started out w what should have been a fresh well built engine that actually was a pile of junk. during the ensuing 17 months Sal and i worked together thru a number of highly complex issues and as a result Sal's motor is running like a clock and making over the six mark at 25 psi.

while i built the motor a great deal of the credit goes to Sal and the decisions he made re fixturing the all important support systems etc.

Sal is creative, no-nonsense and has an eye for aesthetics. above all, i have found him to be trustworthy. i would never, never refer an engine client to someone whom i didn't trust.

Sal and i have worked w Mark and his project which arrived on Sep 16 will finish within a week of the target which was Thanksgiving. considering the car was a total rebuild, engine, the brand new Borg Warner S300 SXE, suspension, brakes, engine bay re-spray... i am impressed.

not surprised. knowing Sal. shortly the pictures will speak for themselves, and Sal.

Howard

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

I have known Sam/Sal for over 14 years, not just a few months. I have seen him scam people first hand, he stole thousands of dollars from one of my customers for services he never rendered.

Sam/Sal actually gave my personal FD to a paint shop in Chicago as payment for a paint job on his 88 AE. It took me 6 months and countless headaches to hunt it down and get it back. I clearly did not know that he never paid for his paintwork, when I agreed to allow him to take my FD to Chicago. Basically he stole my car and I had to go hunt it down and pay to get it back. He is the absolute FURTHEST FROM TRUSTWORTHY as it gets.

I still have all the emails from a decade ago.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Wow, this thread sure got interesting in a hurry.

I've been around rotaries and FDs since 1998, and if someone was a scammer/liar/thief back then---- I still consider them in the same category in 2015.

My unasked for advice..... be very very careful who you deal with, generally speaking. You'd be surprised by what you hear over the years from unhappy customers. I've also torn down numerous engines from 'reputable' shops and been astounded by what I've seen with my own two eyes. And yes, I have pictures to document and prove it.

After going on 20 years in the game, here's who I can recommend based on personal experience. Note I don't have personal experience with every single builder/shop. It's a short list indeed:

Chris Ott/Ari Yallon at Rotary Performance in Garland Texas
Chris Sanders at Banzai Racing in Indiana
Ihor Huk and *ahem* myself at IRPerformance
Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda for OEM parts needs
Heath Friedland at Sakebomb Garage for aftermarket parts needs
Bryan Nickell at BNR Supercars for turbo-related work
John Renna, Ray Wilson (if he's still around) for tuning
Johnny Bruce at Gorilla RE and David Jerome of DJSeven fame are two other blokes I'd 100% trust to build a rotary engine for me.

I don't have much experience with the California crowd. You'll notice some northeast shops conspicuously missing from the above list......

I could list at least a dozen people/shops to avoid like the plague.

If I hurt someone's feelings, pound sand. I call it like I see it

Edit: being that I posted in this specific thread and mentioned one poster but not the other..... I've never torn down a HC/CPR motor so can't comment on his handiwork. Hey Howard

rotorhead_izzy

iTrader: (36)

I will jump in on this.... I met Sal/Sam a couple of years ago. From what I have experienced, Sal is a stand up guy. Yes he is very emotional and I could see how some people could be turned off by him by his personality, but I stand by him. He has never done work for me because I do my own work, but he and I have bounced numerous ideas off each other and talk on a regular basis. He also has a great hookup with a great tuner, and he and I have set up a few dyno days and tune sessions with Nelson.

I know my comments probably won't sway anybody one way or the other, but I figured I'd put my .02 out there.

Izzy

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

We used to get phone calls once a week from people in Chicago that Sam/Sal sold used parts to, he would then tell them that he left the parts outside our shop and they were stolen. This was in the months during the paint work incident. Not only was he trying to harm our reputation he was stealing money from unsuspecting Chicago RX-7 owners.

NOTHING is ever left outside our shop, EVERY car & part is kept inside at all times. We own 3 buildings totaling over 12,000 sq ft, including a dyno facility.

Sam/Sal is plenty "likeable" most good conmen are, however he is your all around Scammer/Lair/Thief. There are not a lot of people that have earned a lifetime ban from our shop, Sam/Sal is the top of the list.

Balefire

Based on a few good recs here as well as west suburb location and availability, I also tried Elite Rotary Shop.

I had a very good experience. The owner was honest, straight forward. Very good body of knowledge. My requested repairs and maintenance were done in a timely fashion. Communication was excellent. Labor was accurately charged. I hope they are around for a long time because I plan to be back in the spring for some upgrades. Thanks!

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

I hope that works out for you. Leopards do not change their spots.

There is a good reason why we have so many IL customers, but some people have to figure it out for themselves. Unfortunately that lesson usually cost them an engine. I hear the same story over and over. Banzai Racing Customer Gallery

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Glad to hear you had a positive experience

Out of curiosity, what kind of work did you have done and what were the labor rates?

Balefire

Post purchase inspection. JDM rear seat install. Other interior work. Oil change. Plugs.

They charge 100 per hour for labor. Cheaper than Porsche. More than shade tree mechanic. I thought the rate and hours billed were very reasonable.

SnailBums

iTrader: (15)

Mazda in Country side is good if you want to do Dealer specific work. There is a tech there that is a big rotor head, building a truck at the moment. Definitely not a noob with rotaries. There is also a salesman there with a Red FD and my friend works in the parts department.

If you need aftermarket parts (oem or aftermarket) you are more then welcome to shoot me a message. Im located around the Palos area.

Just my .02

As for the rest of the "debate" going on, Im just gonna stay out of the other part of the conversation going on in this thread.

Mike

kibbles906

iTrader: (-1)

had a few conversations with sal at elite, straight up guy always trys to help, even hooked me up on a clutch kit for my FD, called 4 different shops nobody can get it, had it the next day. a+ in my books

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

If four different shops tell you something is on backorder and he pulls one out of his ***, then I would be concerned that it is a fake clutch kit like the ones from SR, especially if it is was an ACT you were looking for. The real FD HD & XT ACT are on backorder until 2/7, he does not have a secret supply of them.

kibbles906

iTrader: (-1)

really dont know what the beef is between the 2 and i dont care, called you guys gave the girl the part number and said unavailable, called sal he told me unavailable, tried to get me into the 6 puck kit which one of his vendors had and was going to order that one but the following day his vendor was able to track this one down.

looks legit to me... dude did me right and next till ill call him before calling you







...

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

You don't know what the BEEF is? The ******* STOLE my car and has scammed a dozen people that I know personally. Sal has no less then 5 screen names on this forum alone. You can do business with whoever you want, do not come on here complaining that you got scammed and were not warned. Opening a shop a couple months ago does not legitimize any of his actions.

I AM TELLING EVERYONE, DO YOUR RESEARCH. The Bad Business & Bad Guy sections of this forum are full of stories about fly-by-night shoddy shops that burn people. Don't be a victim.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Chris, please PM me any info (including multiple screen names) that you have on this member.

thanks

Howard Coleman

iTrader: (6)

"Sal and i have worked w Mark and his project which arrived on Sep 16 will finish within a week of the target which was Thanksgiving. considering the car was a total rebuild, engine, the brand new Borg Warner S300 SXE, suspension, brakes, engine bay grime removal... i am impressed.

not surprised. knowing Sal. shortly the pictures will speak for themselves, and Sal.

Howard".... 11/24/2016

the car was finished 11/31/2015 and the pictures, uh, speak for themselves...







the conversion features my CPR spec engine, CPR turbo manifold and the new ultra efficient 550+ hp capable Borg Warner S300 SXE 62 turbo. add that to Elite's beautiful build and one more FD is transformed into a dual purpose street/roadracing terror soon to be seen at VIR.

nice going Sal!

Howard

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

You are correct, the pictures DO speak for themselves. Anyone can paint a UIM, that does not make it a great build with attention to detail. I see a shoddy, back-yard, amateur level build, with at least a half a dozen things that I can see just from the "UH, self speaking pictures" that I would never do.

Let's start:

1. Using no idler and stock pulleys, asking for overheating problems
2. Belt cranked all the way to top of the adjustment, because there is no idler, say goodbye to the bearings
3. Positive cable run all the way through the engine bay to the fuse box, fire hazard in the making.
4. Cheesy, loop line for the power steering delete
5. Water temp sensor mounted on the cold side of the thermostat, so it only functions after the car reaches operating temp.
6. No idea what to make of the brake booster hose.
7. Stock map sensor is not going to allow that car anywhere near 550+
8. Looks like the garbage ebay VMS plug wires were used
9. from an aesthetic standpoint I can't stand when people don't use the acorn nuts on the throttlebody

I could keep going but that is already more than half a dozen. Can't imagine what I would find if I was standing next to it.

I do not see anything remotely resembling the work from a "full service rotary shop", I see the work of a third rate parts installer that cuts corners. A full service shop knows how to rebuild an engine and tune a car, no need to farm it out since the shop is FULL SERVICE. If you aren't building and tuning, you are just installing.

Janniegirl

Is there someone specific I can talk to at Banzai?