SGP Racing a Scammer?
12-20-2008, 04:02 PM
#701
I live 10 minutes away from sgp and yes mark does take care of the local boys first but would you expect it any other way were you lived. i have seen some people ask others why do you still go there if they are not any good . and my anwser for them is when it comes to builiding hi horsepower Z mark and some of his team are the some of the best in the country. and you may question that but look at the cars it the mags and the shows and the best only use sgp. customer service does sometime suck but the end product is ****ing awesome. and if you ever get to talk to mark about tunning a z you will know what i mean.This dude knows about it all from building to tunning everything.
sgp work done to my car to date
stoptech stage 2 o.e. brake upgrade
sgp work done to my car to date
stoptech stage 2 o.e. brake upgrade
by the english language.
.
12-20-2008, 04:18 PM
#704
Reality check: SGP has made good product and built some nice cars. That's why I chose them for a fully built auto trans.
SGP is the dominant shop in TX and for the Houston VQ scene. Although, locals have told me directly that they really have no other viable alternative shop to go to in the Houson area.
BUT... They are not exactly dominating the VQ scene or the import tuner car magazine attention nationwide. If I wanted to take the time... I could show you a half dozen cars of my350z members who got magazine features, NONE of which are SGP built cars. Also, SGP is not a shop that has been pushing the envelope of VQ development lately. They have not embraced new turbo kits or engine management that have become available on the market, nor have they participated in any R&D for either. Mark's bread & butter is still the Greddy TT and HKS FCon VPro. I bet he won't recommend anything else if you ask him to do a full build for you.
Lastly, SGP is not one of the three members of the 1,000+whp club. SGP is not keeping up with the rest of the community in VQ development IMO.
However, SGP does have a reputation for making a good built auto trans. A local AZ customer with one made 700whp on Intense's dyno earlier this year without any problems. The trans held the power just fine. This was a major factor in my decision to have SGP build my auto trans.
SGP is the dominant shop in TX and for the Houston VQ scene. Although, locals have told me directly that they really have no other viable alternative shop to go to in the Houson area.BUT... They are not exactly dominating the VQ scene or the import tuner car magazine attention nationwide. If I wanted to take the time... I could show you a half dozen cars of my350z members who got magazine features, NONE of which are SGP built cars. Also, SGP is not a shop that has been pushing the envelope of VQ development lately. They have not embraced new turbo kits or engine management that have become available on the market, nor have they participated in any R&D for either. Mark's bread & butter is still the Greddy TT and HKS FCon VPro. I bet he won't recommend anything else if you ask him to do a full build for you.
Lastly, SGP is not one of the three members of the 1,000+whp club. SGP is not keeping up with the rest of the community in VQ development IMO.However, SGP does have a reputation for making a good built auto trans. A local AZ customer with one made 700whp on Intense's dyno earlier this year without any problems. The trans held the power just fine. This was a major factor in my decision to have SGP build my auto trans.
12-20-2008, 04:34 PM
#708
I've been around long enough to know that not everything gets posted. I know SGP has been advertising an upgraded 20G turbo for the Greddy TT for years that is supposed to make the kit capable of 1,000whp. If Mark/SGP is on the verge of breaking a 1,000whp as ACI318 indicated, congrats to Mark, his staff, and the car owner.
Last edited by RudeG_v2.0; 12-20-2008 at 04:40 PM.
Yu caant tel mi Meri Chrismas tu. Taut yu wuss mi bregdrin
12-20-2008, 11:55 PM
#715
OK. It's late and I've just spent the last 2 hours reading through this and getting caught up on it. I do not currently have any parts at SGP. I do, however, have personal experience with them recently. I have a few issues with my car, which are either transmission related OR computer related. I do not know which one yet. Because Rude is at this stage in his build, I am posting this MOSTLY for his benefit, but others may find the information helpful, so I will post it here instead of PM.
Brief history: December 11th, 2007, I dropped my car at SRD in Tempe to build. The engine and trans were pulled and shipped to SGP in Houston around 12/22/07. I had the entire car built and modified and somewhere along the way switched to having Intense finish the project. This was not due to any problems with SRD, but simply because of their ability to work on the Pro-EFI and their experience with projects of this scale. I took the car on and off starting in August/September. I have the car, but it is going to UMS Tuning Monday morning.
Current Issues which MAY or MAY NOT be related to SGP products:
1. Car shuts down when you give it full throttle. This did not start happening until I had a TS reflash. i had them re-do the reflash thinking it was the culprit. Upon discussing it with Tadashi at TS, we feel that the MAF (necessary in 5AT Z's) is giving a reading over 4.75 volts and the stock ECU is shutting down. I have an HKS Fuel Cut Defencer on my desk right now which will be installed on Monday and will hopefully resolve the issue. Rude- Since you will be using the SGP 5AT and the Pro-EFI, I HIGHLY recommend that we touch base on this later this week. Send me a PM and we'll chat after I see how this works out. The Pro-EFI is one of the few systems that does not have a clamp to control/limit the voltage reading from the MAF. Once again, I do not know if this is the issue, but I currently believe that it is and truly hope so.
2. In gears 3 and 5 at lower RPMS, if I give the car a bit of throttle, the transmission slips and blows through that gear until redline or shift. I don't know if this is mechanical or electrical. I am really hoping that the HKS FCD resolves this issue. I don't want to waste time diagnosing each issue until I try the step in #1 above, so all I know is what it is doing and hope this is resolved along with #1 above.
3. Horrible shift delays, but not all the time. This has been present since the car first was built. It will drive fine a lot of the time, but a lot of the time, the shifting is delayed. This was discussed with Mark and he had not heard of it before. I am still hoping that the solution to #1 above is also the solution to this. Remember, the 5AT in this car is controlled by a separate computer, which gets some commands and some information from the stock computer. that's why I think this voltage issue COULD possibly resolve all of the issues at once. #2 and #3 are not all the time. They seem to happen once I have "gotten on it" a bit, and therefore I believe it to be related to the voltage theory which occurs during boost.
OK, so there is what is currently happening. Now for some advice based on my own personal experiences with SGP. This may or may not help, but I hope it can help someone.
1. DO NOT let SGP use their own shipping company. They actually use Estes, which is a good shipper, but 2 times they ordered the pickup incorrectly. My longblock and transmission were in 1 custom made crate. It was about 6' long and weighed probably 900+ lbs. Even though it was discussed at great length with Thomas, he did not order delivery with a lift gate service and SGP does NOT have a forklift. This led to delays in both the delivery of my parts to SGP and their return to me. Additionally, they NEVER provided me with tracking numbers (to my recollection), even though they were promised numerous times. If you order the shipping, you'll get the tracking information and no longer need to rely on the non-existent communication with SGP for updates on the shipping. That piece of mind is worth a $1MM!
2. Mark took care of me even when everything was said and done. It sucked trying to deal with them and get information/updates. They did, however, send me a few pictures of my parts at various stages of the project. They screwed up a few things (didn't send me my fly wheel and bolts at first and then Thomas only sent the bolts overnight and forgot the fly wheel
), but eventually I got everything. My TC was too loose for my power levels, so Mark sent me another one at no cost to me. He was very stand up about this and didn't hassle me for deposits, or anything like that.
3. My long block and transmission were there from the end of December until April 4th. I had them add the ARP L19's in January and I ordered a lot more than just my build services from them. My total invoice JUST at SGP was over $21,500! They did forget to send my Greddy TT kit at one point and then there was 1 wrong part in it, but they got the correct part from Greddy for me. There were huge delays with my exhaust system (AAM), but they were apparently delays at AAM, not SGP (arrived 5/28/08). My point is that it was extremely difficult to reach them and to get things done right, but they did get it done right in the end. I am very happy with my car in spite of the issues listed in this post. Basically, I can't run full throttle or high boost at the moment, which I want to do at the track on slicks, but it drives well on the street right now and I am assuming that my issues are NOT related to their products at this time.
I don't have any inside information, but from my experience SGP and Mark have great products, just shitty communication. I had to get VERY lucky to reach anyone at all during the 6 months of working with them. I was impatient and angry at a few points, but I kept a level head and tried very hard to find a solution to each new challenge as it was presented. It paid off in the end, IMO. About 1 or 2 months ago, I sent Mark and email with just a quick update on my car and the issues with the shifting. He replied very promptly, even though I didn't ask for anything from him. I think he has gotten himself further behind and deeper in the trenches lately and it is clearly making his shitty communication even worse.
I would recommend that if your invoice is paid in full and you have been waiting less than 3 months for your service/parts, that you hang in there and buckle up for a bumpy road. IMO, it will be worth getting through this with some hard work and patience, rather than try to get money/parts back through legal/alternative actions.
If you have waiting longer than 3-5 months, maybe a different approach is more cost effective/efficient at this point, but I'd consider all alternatives available.
Sorry for the super long post, but I hope it helps someone out.
Canadian- your problem and mine sound the same on the shift delays. Send me a PM if you don't mind sharing what is going on with yours in detail. maybe we can help each other figure out the problem.
Work Done/Parts Ordered through SGP:
Upgraded Longblock #1
ARP L19's added to huge list of services for the upgrade
3 year extended warranty
Full Race 5AT and Pro-Torque Converter
Tranny cooler; Fuel return system; RC 750 CC injectors; Greddy TT; FMIC
$21,551.80 including return shipping only
Shipped to SGP: 12/22/07 (I think)
Received longblock and transmission: 4/4/08
Received missing trans parts: about 1 1/2 weeks later
Received AAM exhaust: 5/28/08
Swapped TC at no cost: 8/28/08
Brief history: December 11th, 2007, I dropped my car at SRD in Tempe to build. The engine and trans were pulled and shipped to SGP in Houston around 12/22/07. I had the entire car built and modified and somewhere along the way switched to having Intense finish the project. This was not due to any problems with SRD, but simply because of their ability to work on the Pro-EFI and their experience with projects of this scale. I took the car on and off starting in August/September. I have the car, but it is going to UMS Tuning Monday morning.
Current Issues which MAY or MAY NOT be related to SGP products:
1. Car shuts down when you give it full throttle. This did not start happening until I had a TS reflash. i had them re-do the reflash thinking it was the culprit. Upon discussing it with Tadashi at TS, we feel that the MAF (necessary in 5AT Z's) is giving a reading over 4.75 volts and the stock ECU is shutting down. I have an HKS Fuel Cut Defencer on my desk right now which will be installed on Monday and will hopefully resolve the issue. Rude- Since you will be using the SGP 5AT and the Pro-EFI, I HIGHLY recommend that we touch base on this later this week. Send me a PM and we'll chat after I see how this works out. The Pro-EFI is one of the few systems that does not have a clamp to control/limit the voltage reading from the MAF. Once again, I do not know if this is the issue, but I currently believe that it is and truly hope so.
2. In gears 3 and 5 at lower RPMS, if I give the car a bit of throttle, the transmission slips and blows through that gear until redline or shift. I don't know if this is mechanical or electrical. I am really hoping that the HKS FCD resolves this issue. I don't want to waste time diagnosing each issue until I try the step in #1 above, so all I know is what it is doing and hope this is resolved along with #1 above.
3. Horrible shift delays, but not all the time. This has been present since the car first was built. It will drive fine a lot of the time, but a lot of the time, the shifting is delayed. This was discussed with Mark and he had not heard of it before. I am still hoping that the solution to #1 above is also the solution to this. Remember, the 5AT in this car is controlled by a separate computer, which gets some commands and some information from the stock computer. that's why I think this voltage issue COULD possibly resolve all of the issues at once. #2 and #3 are not all the time. They seem to happen once I have "gotten on it" a bit, and therefore I believe it to be related to the voltage theory which occurs during boost.
OK, so there is what is currently happening. Now for some advice based on my own personal experiences with SGP. This may or may not help, but I hope it can help someone.
1. DO NOT let SGP use their own shipping company. They actually use Estes, which is a good shipper, but 2 times they ordered the pickup incorrectly. My longblock and transmission were in 1 custom made crate. It was about 6' long and weighed probably 900+ lbs. Even though it was discussed at great length with Thomas, he did not order delivery with a lift gate service and SGP does NOT have a forklift. This led to delays in both the delivery of my parts to SGP and their return to me. Additionally, they NEVER provided me with tracking numbers (to my recollection), even though they were promised numerous times. If you order the shipping, you'll get the tracking information and no longer need to rely on the non-existent communication with SGP for updates on the shipping. That piece of mind is worth a $1MM!
2. Mark took care of me even when everything was said and done. It sucked trying to deal with them and get information/updates. They did, however, send me a few pictures of my parts at various stages of the project. They screwed up a few things (didn't send me my fly wheel and bolts at first and then Thomas only sent the bolts overnight and forgot the fly wheel
), but eventually I got everything. My TC was too loose for my power levels, so Mark sent me another one at no cost to me. He was very stand up about this and didn't hassle me for deposits, or anything like that.3. My long block and transmission were there from the end of December until April 4th. I had them add the ARP L19's in January and I ordered a lot more than just my build services from them. My total invoice JUST at SGP was over $21,500! They did forget to send my Greddy TT kit at one point and then there was 1 wrong part in it, but they got the correct part from Greddy for me. There were huge delays with my exhaust system (AAM), but they were apparently delays at AAM, not SGP (arrived 5/28/08). My point is that it was extremely difficult to reach them and to get things done right, but they did get it done right in the end. I am very happy with my car in spite of the issues listed in this post. Basically, I can't run full throttle or high boost at the moment, which I want to do at the track on slicks, but it drives well on the street right now and I am assuming that my issues are NOT related to their products at this time.
I don't have any inside information, but from my experience SGP and Mark have great products, just shitty communication. I had to get VERY lucky to reach anyone at all during the 6 months of working with them. I was impatient and angry at a few points, but I kept a level head and tried very hard to find a solution to each new challenge as it was presented. It paid off in the end, IMO. About 1 or 2 months ago, I sent Mark and email with just a quick update on my car and the issues with the shifting. He replied very promptly, even though I didn't ask for anything from him. I think he has gotten himself further behind and deeper in the trenches lately and it is clearly making his shitty communication even worse.
I would recommend that if your invoice is paid in full and you have been waiting less than 3 months for your service/parts, that you hang in there and buckle up for a bumpy road. IMO, it will be worth getting through this with some hard work and patience, rather than try to get money/parts back through legal/alternative actions.
If you have waiting longer than 3-5 months, maybe a different approach is more cost effective/efficient at this point, but I'd consider all alternatives available.
Sorry for the super long post, but I hope it helps someone out.
Canadian- your problem and mine sound the same on the shift delays. Send me a PM if you don't mind sharing what is going on with yours in detail. maybe we can help each other figure out the problem.
Work Done/Parts Ordered through SGP:
Upgraded Longblock #1
ARP L19's added to huge list of services for the upgrade
3 year extended warranty
Full Race 5AT and Pro-Torque Converter
Tranny cooler; Fuel return system; RC 750 CC injectors; Greddy TT; FMIC
$21,551.80 including return shipping only
Shipped to SGP: 12/22/07 (I think)
Received longblock and transmission: 4/4/08
Received missing trans parts: about 1 1/2 weeks later
Received AAM exhaust: 5/28/08
Swapped TC at no cost: 8/28/08
12-21-2008, 04:47 AM
#716
New Member
iTrader: (13)
sounds like you missed the storm over there marshal....but u can tell reading by how things are now some of the symptoms were there already... in particular the comunication, i know you will get your issues resolved 
12-21-2008, 04:59 AM
#717
Great post mrg1981. Seems like you have had the same experience as others. Possibly some of the same issues as well with your trans. I can only hope that these are isolated and non-related incidents. I guess we will see when Rude gets his parts installed.
I'm blown away at your ability to remain level headed after paying that much money, waiting that amount of time and still having the issues you are having. Good luck getting your gremlins sorted out.
I'm blown away at your ability to remain level headed after paying that much money, waiting that amount of time and still having the issues you are having. Good luck getting your gremlins sorted out.
