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Northern California Rotary shop thread

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Old 02-11-13, 11:26 PM
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That's what she's telling me also.

I told her how this must be a common occurrence with his customers.

Back in the day there wasn't a receptionist so you'd get Paul every time.

Now all you get is Judy and she's horrible.

She says she passes messages along to Paul and it's up to Paul to follow up. Well he never does so what do you do? You call again, and you get Judy and the cycle starts all over.

I am a young executive that runs a million dollar business and I get stuck with this stupid receptionist. I don't want to bitch her out on the phone because only god know what she's probably done to my car already, but I tried knocking some sense into her and she just doesn't give a ****.

I'm literally willing to shell out what it takes to get the car back to tip-top shape even if he told me the motor has to be replaced. Thing is, he hasn't even spent 1 hour to tell me (or even lie) about that. That's what pisses me off.

If there is a better shop near that area that can do this type of work I will gladly tow it over.
Old 02-12-13, 10:25 AM
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well you can try Rick's rotary in pleasanton. probably be a better turnaround rate since it seems money is no object. both shops are a bit pricey but Rick's is moreso.
Old 02-12-13, 10:46 AM
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Money is a factor but if I'm paying top dollar I expect high quality service and high quality work.
Old 02-12-13, 11:13 AM
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well, not many other options. PR motorsports in Hayward but i have heard some dirt on them. Rick knows his way around these cars, but i wouldn't say you will always receive top notch work.

for the work you need(FPD) you will want a specialist and Rick/Paul are the only 2 nearby you.

if it was something more major i would say it might be worth shipping the car down here but not for something relatively simple like that. the price difference between Paul and Rick for that particular job isn't going to be a huge discrepancy, just don't let him nickel and dime you unless it is obvious the repairs need attention.

Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 02-12-13 at 11:17 AM.
Old 02-12-13, 07:04 PM
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It's my work that requires the FPD. But yeah I know that Paul would be the go-to guy... I don't really have any interest in going to "The Shop" in San Bruno since they worked on the FD I own previously and honestly I believe that they half-assed a lot of it.

I am also considering Mike @ Mr. Mazda--he owns an FD and something like an FPD I think I'd be comfortable enough trusting him with it, any opinions with them, Karack?
Old 02-12-13, 10:37 PM
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Well I called today and got a different person, Dave.

Same response, different guy.
Old 02-13-13, 02:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Norms
It's my work that requires the FPD. But yeah I know that Paul would be the go-to guy... I don't really have any interest in going to "The Shop" in San Bruno since they worked on the FD I own previously and honestly I believe that they half-assed a lot of it.

I am also considering Mike @ Mr. Mazda--he owns an FD and something like an FPD I think I'd be comfortable enough trusting him with it, any opinions with them, Karack?
that's the first negative thing i have heard about The Shop, although i haven't heard too many reviews about their work so far.

if you think Mike can handle the job, ask him if he thinks he can. if he owns an FD he should be able to give you an honest answer if you trust him.
Old 02-14-13, 12:05 PM
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From what was told to me, I heard Mike owns an FD with an LX7 swap.

Upside about the work being delayed for so long is free storage. Gives me a lot of time to do projects in the garage. lol.
Old 03-01-13, 03:52 PM
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For those interested in an update:

I called Rotorsport today and wanted to see if the offer of "come pick the car up" attitude still stood.

Thinking I was going to have to tow this to Ivan's shop, Paul told me my car was "DONE".

"DONE"? Yes DONE.

I didn't expect that at all.

He said that they lost an employee so work was going slow. He ended up re-hiring an ex-employee that knew rotaries so he pow-wowed through my car for the past 5 days.

Anyways I haven't gotten my car back yet but when I do, it's off to Rishie's shop @ AutoRnD for wheel stuff.
Old 03-01-13, 10:53 PM
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glad to hear it worked out somewhat in the end. hopefully he offered up an apology.
Old 03-06-13, 07:31 PM
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Finally got it back!

Runs better than when I first purchased it. I swear it was the Ignition coils. I've had nothing but Ignition problems with this car and every other Rotary I've ever owned.

Old 03-25-13, 10:35 PM
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I removed my motor and stripped it down to the block. I want to get it rebuilt and street ported. Any local techs in the Bay Area? And around how much would it cost since the motor is out and it's stripped to the block .
Old 04-02-13, 01:44 PM
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Originally Posted by RotaryEvolution
if you think Mike can handle the job, ask him if he thinks he can. if he owns an FD he should be able to give you an honest answer if you trust him.
Mike@Mr.Mazda owns an FD, and is local to me. I have called and consulted his services. He was very nice and helpful. I recommend anyone give him a call. They're not rotary specialists, but Mike for sure knows his was around one, and drives a very nice example.
Old 05-08-13, 05:44 PM
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CA

Originally Posted by revhard510
I removed my motor and stripped it down to the block. I want to get it rebuilt and street ported. Any local techs in the Bay Area? And around how much would it cost since the motor is out and it's stripped to the block .
Did you find a place to get a rebuild? I also need a rebuild but i'm in Sacramento, and I don't I want to pay over $400 to ship the engine core to and from anywhere. I would prefer to drop it off at a shop myself.
Old 06-01-13, 08:59 PM
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Anyone here with an extra aluminum ast tank for sale?!
Old 06-03-13, 12:04 PM
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for most of the bay area shops it is actually cheaper to call a freight company and send it out.

i don't know of any budget rebuild shops in the norcal area.
Old 06-04-13, 03:14 PM
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A couple years ago, I had an engine shipped up from Phoenix, which cost ~$200 + insurance on R+L carriers. I would imagine shipping to/from Las Vegas should be less. Add that to your cost and it's still a lot cheaper than going to a Bay Area shop and asking them to source and engine for you.
Old 07-02-13, 04:47 AM
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Might be off topic but is anyone familiar with a shop around Sacramento/bay area for power fc tuning? I was considering waiting on another tune day with Steve Kan, but I don't really have that flexible of a schedule to work with lately. Just thought I'd ask.
Old 07-02-13, 04:05 PM
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You can try Big John at Evil Genius Racing in West Sacramento. I'm sure he can do it, but you'll have to accommodate his schedule.

Personally, I'd like to see Ben schedule a trip down here to SFBay or Sacto, but I guess business has picked up in sin city.....
Old 07-11-13, 12:49 AM
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My experience with Evil Genius Racing: Paid for my rebuild 5/22/2013 and was promised a return time of 2-3 weeks, and just got it back 7/10/2013. So if you want a rebuild and don't care how long it takes to get finished then I strongly recommend Evil Genius Racing lol.... I would have sent my engine to Lucky 7 Racing or to Rotary Evolution. Also about the service with Evil Genius Racing, John was very considerate about the cost of the rebuild and tried to build it within my budget. My engine was a S4 13bt street ported by Lucky7 previously and ended up getting both rotors replaced with S4 NA rotors and a S5 front housing replacing the old.

More on my build

Also with the Power FC tuning, I just got a PFC as well and will be attempting to tune the car with the help of my older brother if we are able to get the hang of it I can probably help you out as well Young Gunner

Old 07-11-13, 04:17 PM
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If he finished yours, then hopefully mine would be finished as well. I suppose for mine it would take a little bit longer considering I gave him my car and ask him to pull the engine for me, rebuild it, and place it back. I dropped off my Rx7 to John mid Feb of this year. Crossing my fingers! lol! Did John happen to mention anything about another turbo engine for a black FC? I seriously can't wait to get mine back haha!
Old 07-11-13, 05:24 PM
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Originally Posted by DriftNinjaZX
If he finished yours, then hopefully mine would be finished as well. I suppose for mine it would take a little bit longer considering I gave him my car and ask him to pull the engine for me, rebuild it, and place it back. I dropped off my Rx7 to John mid Feb of this year. Crossing my fingers! lol! Did John happen to mention anything about another turbo engine for a black FC? I seriously can't wait to get mine back haha!
He was working on an FD, he just pulled the engine and was about to rebuild that one. I did see a Black vert FC there, that was yours?
Old 07-11-13, 09:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Agrovain

He was working on an FD, he just pulled the engine and was about to rebuild that one. I did see a Black vert FC there, that was yours?
The one with a off colored green hood sitting on top of the car right? Lol not a vert but that should be mine. I stopped by a couple weeks ago just for an update. Told me that he wouldn't start on the FD til he got the FCs out of the way. So hopefully I'll get a call from him soon. If not I'm gonna stop by lol!
Old 07-11-13, 09:43 PM
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I wonder if they know how bad of a rep these guys are getting on here
Old 07-11-13, 10:06 PM
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I remember someone telling me to be careful about EGR. But I figured, I was in no particular rush at the time since I was still in school and wouldn't have time for it til after graduating. What happened exactly? All I could find was a post by someone saying that they held his car at the shop for a much longer period of time than expected.


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