| Hpnatized9 |
02-14-2011 02:50 PM |
Hills Garage - my Experience
A few months ago I started noticing that my ride was getting really, really rough. More than usual for my boosted ’03 Z and I knew that another tune was in order. Not to get too into it, but my last tune was a really bad experience. I was lied to and overcharged (haven’t we all been?) and the car wasn’t right beginning with the ride home. Anyways, after that experience I started doing a lot of forum checking, looking at everyone on the East Coast. I was determined to have the job done right this time and I kept hearing about Hills Garage and how Frank really went the extra mile for his clients. I had no idea how fast I was going to put that to the test…
So my first conversation with Hills Garage was surprising. It was around the first of the year, and I was planning ahead for a Spring tune. Suzanne was more than willing to spend as much time on the phone as I needed. I was surprised that even when they were not there, the calls are forwarded to where clients can talk to someone. I never had a situation where I was left wanting to talk with them was not able to. Yes, I am a needy client, and yes, they were more than accommodating to that. Frank explained all the ins and the outs to me regarding what I would be expecting. But anyone is willing to go the extra mile to earn a new client, right? I mean the fact I was shopping around meant that they had to put a little extra time into me, right? But would it continue? I have to say that up to this point, they were living up to the high expectations I had after all the searches I did on them. So I set my appointment up for March, as I live about 4 hours away.
Of course, things rarely go as planned. 2 weeks ago, my throttle started going insane. My engine was detonating, vibrations galore – and that was under normal driving conditions – No boost! I called up and they worked me into the schedule. If I could have taken the weekend, Suzanne would have made room for me the next weekend. Unfortunately, unlike some of the members here, my world does not revolve around my car (Don't get offended, just a little humor...) So we set it up for 2.11.11 drop off at 9:30 p.m.
Frank is a great guy, instantly warm and reassuring. After working from 8:00 that morning until 5:00 and leaving directly for Baltimore, I wasn’t in the most social of moods, but Frank and I sat down and went over the game plan without me having to repeat myself. Ended up being one and a half hours talking about everything from my cars to the wheels another client had brought in for his G35. I say this for 2 reasons: First – my wife was pissed that I lost track of the time and had to wait on me. Second – Frank was cool. One of those guys you have to pull yourself away from because you can lose track of time. But being "cool" and knowing how to fix a car don't always go hand in hand.
So about his work.... By now it is 11:00 and what does he say? He’s getting right to it. Now, by no means am I advocating everyone and their mother coming to Frank wondering why their build isn’t finished the next day. I had an emergency from 4 hours away, and 2 days for him to look over a car he had never seen, fix the issues, and hopefully get it re tuned. So when he calls me up at 10:00 the next morning, I was surprised he beat me to it. Normally I am the one banging down the door to find out what in the world is going on with my car. The communication was beautiful. I got a call every 3 hours with the problems that were mounting up – everything from holes 5/8” thick in my turbo piping, to shoddy vaccum work that said previous tuner decided to rig up on my HKS Boost controller. Things I paid the previous tuner to fix/install correctly (from what I hear, this tuner closed his doors a little while ago) but never was.
The detonation was with finger loose spark plugs, vaccum leaks galore, water/gas/oil buildup in the piping, etc. all were diagnosed and fixed Saturday. I mean, Frank went crazy working until 3 or 4 that morning, and kept saying “I am not sure this is all going to be done with enough time to do the retune”. He had an event that he told me on Friday he would be attending on Sunday. What did he do? His exact words Sunday morning were “I was going to go, but I think your problems are a lot more important”. Who does that? And on a Sunday too?? So he and his tuner Frank got my Z on the Dyno Sunday afternoon. Frank and Frank, not even kidding. He turns the wrenches, and his tuner with 20 years experience pressed the keys. Again, I was skeptical when I heard that Frank (the tuner) was top 12 in the nation. 3 hours later, my car was done. How does it run, you ask?
I am skeptical no more. I never thought my car could be as sound, smooth, and powerful as it is now. Did I mention Smooth? After driving it the 4 hours back down to where I live, I told my wife I wanted to unpack and go back out on the road. I didn’t know my car was capable of being in its current condition, guys. It is like a brand new car, and all I want to do now is find a secluded little stretch of road and go. To say that the tune is ridiculous is an understatement. I gained 5 points on the vacuum – went from -19 to -23 which means my spool up is that much faster. After being used to a rough ride, I compare it to sleeping on concrete (or jail) for a year, and then finding yourself on a King sized, pillowtop mattress with the woman (or man - whatever, I don't judge) of your choice next to you. Yea.....
To be up front, Hills Garage isn’t the “cheapest”, though his rates are fair. But with what he charges you will get the best service, the best communication, a knowledge mechanic and helluva tuner. I know these forums are rough, and that posts like this are asking for a flaming. But that is alright – if this helps just one guy who is on the fence then I am all for it. I am not trying to start a debate here about shop A vs Shop B - I want to do right for fellow members looking for a great garage, and I want to do right for Frank for going the extra mile. I have nothing to gain by sharing my experience with you. But know that I will tell whoever asks (and I get asked a lot) about who got my car running the way it does, I’ll point them to Hills Garage. The hype was lived up to, plus some. The results were more than what I had expected, and Hills Garage has a client for life. Truth is I probably won’t get a chance to make another trip for a while, unfortunately.
So in a nutshell, this was my experience: Best ever.
Thank you, Hills
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