Shops in Vegas: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
11-20-2006, 11:24 AM
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Shops in Vegas: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
This thread's purpose is to list good and bad experiences with shops here in town. This original post will be updated with good and bad shops as people share their experiences. Capiche?
GOOD SHOPS
1. Glass House Kustom Paint - Paint & Body - "Good service. Pricing was a little on the steep side, but the quality of work is good. The biggest downside is the location. Right now they are working out of their home off of Eastern & I-95." - 350ZNV
2. J&J Vinyl - Custom vinyl decals - "Awesome service, selection of colors, and quality of work. Prices are very good as well. No complaints" - 350ZNV
3. Silver State Motorsports - Dyno Jet - "They have competitive prices on dynos. We had a club dyno day there a while ago and they were good to us. They are geared towards Ford cars & trucks though so I don't know how good their work and knowlege would be on a 350Z or G35."- 350ZNV
4. 1320 Motorsports - Dyno Jet - "Great prices on dynos. Only problem is, its an above ground dyno so getting lowered cars onto it can be tricky." - 350ZNV
5. Hi Tech Paint and Body - Paint & Body - "Had my Stillen bumper painted there. I gave them the paint code and it came out perfect. I had asked them to also do some custom grille work installation, but he called me a day later and said that he didn't want to do it since he wasn't sure if his guys could do it to my liking. Most places would have butchered it and just let me live with it." - rob209
6. Dudley's Engine & Transmission - Engine and Transmission Work - "Good service. Easy to deal with. Honest." - 702Fairlady
7. Ultimate Electronics (Corey Lewis) - Car Audio & Video - "Simply amazing custom stereo work. Has done 3 of my cars, all flawless, and he is a very cool guy. He works at the Ultimate off of Rainbow & Alta and his days off are Mon. & Tues."- 350ZNV
8. Sunland Collision - Paint & Body - "We had Kelli's Stillen spoiler painted & installed here. Great service, great turnaround, paint matched perfectly, quality work, and the price was great. No complaints at all." - 350ZNV
9. Dakotas Custom Classics - Anything Mechanical - "Their main focus is hot rods & muscle cars but they do work on all types of vehicles and are knowlegable in all of it. They did a buch of stuff on my dad's 1969 Camaro. Great customer service, great pricing, honest dealings, great work. No complaints." - 350ZNV
10. Z Mobile Detailing - Mobile Detailing Service - "Mark is a great guy, who uses great products, and does a great job on your car. I love the fact that he is a car enthusiast and even more specifically a Z enthusiast, so you know he will take care of your car like he takes care of his." - 350ZNV
11. Pro-Tect Film - Clear Bras - "Great guys, and they do a really good job. Their clear bras cover more of your car than competitor's and they can even do custom ones for aftermarket bumpers and hoods." - 350ZNV
BAD SHOPS
1. BCE Designs - Custom vinyl decals - "Does good work and has good prices but you can NEVER get a hold of the guy. Very frustrating when you are on a time limit." - 350ZNV
2. Winner's Circle Kustom Autobody - Paint & Body - "I had a horrible experience there. Color didn't match, prices were high, shady buisness practices. Full story in post #2 of this thread." - 350ZNV
3. Sin City Performance - Installation & Parts - "Maybe the worst experience I have had a shop yet. Horrible service. Story in post #3 of ths thread." - 350ZNV
4. Vegas Powdercoating - Powdercoating (obviously) - "At first they seemed like a quality shop with quality work. They did have great customer service, but after only 1 month, the powdercoat is easliy scratched off with a fingernail and they messed up some of the hardware on the caliper by essentially powdercoating them in place." - 350ZNV
5. United Nissan Service Department - Warranty Work and Repair - "Mis-diagnosed transmission problem and charged $600 for it." - 702Fairlady
6. Circuit City Henderson - Audio Install - "They had stripped away some insulation from the radio's power wire, wrapped the Sirius power wire around it and wrapped electrical tape around the whole mess. The ground wire was just stripped back and wrapped around a bolt. They didn't use any wire connectors at all." - i8acobra
GOOD SHOPS
1. Glass House Kustom Paint - Paint & Body - "Good service. Pricing was a little on the steep side, but the quality of work is good. The biggest downside is the location. Right now they are working out of their home off of Eastern & I-95." - 350ZNV
2. J&J Vinyl - Custom vinyl decals - "Awesome service, selection of colors, and quality of work. Prices are very good as well. No complaints" - 350ZNV
3. Silver State Motorsports - Dyno Jet - "They have competitive prices on dynos. We had a club dyno day there a while ago and they were good to us. They are geared towards Ford cars & trucks though so I don't know how good their work and knowlege would be on a 350Z or G35."- 350ZNV
4. 1320 Motorsports - Dyno Jet - "Great prices on dynos. Only problem is, its an above ground dyno so getting lowered cars onto it can be tricky." - 350ZNV
5. Hi Tech Paint and Body - Paint & Body - "Had my Stillen bumper painted there. I gave them the paint code and it came out perfect. I had asked them to also do some custom grille work installation, but he called me a day later and said that he didn't want to do it since he wasn't sure if his guys could do it to my liking. Most places would have butchered it and just let me live with it." - rob209
6. Dudley's Engine & Transmission - Engine and Transmission Work - "Good service. Easy to deal with. Honest." - 702Fairlady
7. Ultimate Electronics (Corey Lewis) - Car Audio & Video - "Simply amazing custom stereo work. Has done 3 of my cars, all flawless, and he is a very cool guy. He works at the Ultimate off of Rainbow & Alta and his days off are Mon. & Tues."- 350ZNV
8. Sunland Collision - Paint & Body - "We had Kelli's Stillen spoiler painted & installed here. Great service, great turnaround, paint matched perfectly, quality work, and the price was great. No complaints at all." - 350ZNV
9. Dakotas Custom Classics - Anything Mechanical - "Their main focus is hot rods & muscle cars but they do work on all types of vehicles and are knowlegable in all of it. They did a buch of stuff on my dad's 1969 Camaro. Great customer service, great pricing, honest dealings, great work. No complaints." - 350ZNV
10. Z Mobile Detailing - Mobile Detailing Service - "Mark is a great guy, who uses great products, and does a great job on your car. I love the fact that he is a car enthusiast and even more specifically a Z enthusiast, so you know he will take care of your car like he takes care of his." - 350ZNV
11. Pro-Tect Film - Clear Bras - "Great guys, and they do a really good job. Their clear bras cover more of your car than competitor's and they can even do custom ones for aftermarket bumpers and hoods." - 350ZNV
BAD SHOPS
1. BCE Designs - Custom vinyl decals - "Does good work and has good prices but you can NEVER get a hold of the guy. Very frustrating when you are on a time limit." - 350ZNV
2. Winner's Circle Kustom Autobody - Paint & Body - "I had a horrible experience there. Color didn't match, prices were high, shady buisness practices. Full story in post #2 of this thread." - 350ZNV
3. Sin City Performance - Installation & Parts - "Maybe the worst experience I have had a shop yet. Horrible service. Story in post #3 of ths thread." - 350ZNV
4. Vegas Powdercoating - Powdercoating (obviously) - "At first they seemed like a quality shop with quality work. They did have great customer service, but after only 1 month, the powdercoat is easliy scratched off with a fingernail and they messed up some of the hardware on the caliper by essentially powdercoating them in place." - 350ZNV
5. United Nissan Service Department - Warranty Work and Repair - "Mis-diagnosed transmission problem and charged $600 for it." - 702Fairlady
6. Circuit City Henderson - Audio Install - "They had stripped away some insulation from the radio's power wire, wrapped the Sirius power wire around it and wrapped electrical tape around the whole mess. The ground wire was just stripped back and wrapped around a bolt. They didn't use any wire connectors at all." - i8acobra
Last edited by SinCity350Z; 03-09-2007 at 09:35 AM.
11-20-2006, 11:36 AM
#2
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BAD SHOP - WINNER'S CIRCLE KUSTOM AUTOBODY.
My experience was terrible. First off, the guy tells me that to fit my Nismo replica body kit it was about 5 hours of work at $38/hour and 3 days to complete. So I drop the car off. I was going to have the kit painted elsewhere since I was getting the paint job for free. I get a call a week later saying the body kit has been fitted but the kit cannot be taken off of the car since they had to mold parts of it on to get it to fit right. The painter I had lined up wouldn't paint the kit unless it was off of the car so I had to pay Winner's Cirlce to paint it for me. I tried to give the guy the paint code and he says they don't use paint codes and they have a fail safe method of paint matching. So I leave again and another 5 days later, I get a call that the car is done. I go there in the evening to pick it up and as I am walking around the car, I noticed a huge primered patch on my rear hatch. I said to the guy, "What the hell is this?" He says that there were a bunch of dents in my hatch when I brought it in, like someone had taken a hammer to it, so out of courtesy, they patched and primered them for me. This is complete bullsh*t because I know for a fact that there were absolutely no dents in the hatch when I brought it to them. Also, why would the fix them without telling me before hand, and if their story were true, why would they primer it, but not paint it? So after arguing with the manager, he finally agrees to fix it for me. So the car is there for another 3 days while they fix the hatch. So I go down there again when the car is done to pick it up. Again, it is dark outside, and the kit looks great under the parking lot light. So I go inside to pay the bill. I look at the bill, and they charged me WAY too much. Double what I was quoted for the hourly wage. So I ask them how come it is so much and the guy tells me that they charge customers double the time it takes to do the work just in case their employee screws up the first time. When he said that, I lost it. We got into it and finally I just got so frustrated I just paid the bill and left. The next day in the sunlight I noticed that the body kit they had painted was a lighter shade than the rest of the car. Pissed off enough already, I just left it because I didn't even want to deal with them again.
My experience was terrible. First off, the guy tells me that to fit my Nismo replica body kit it was about 5 hours of work at $38/hour and 3 days to complete. So I drop the car off. I was going to have the kit painted elsewhere since I was getting the paint job for free. I get a call a week later saying the body kit has been fitted but the kit cannot be taken off of the car since they had to mold parts of it on to get it to fit right. The painter I had lined up wouldn't paint the kit unless it was off of the car so I had to pay Winner's Cirlce to paint it for me. I tried to give the guy the paint code and he says they don't use paint codes and they have a fail safe method of paint matching. So I leave again and another 5 days later, I get a call that the car is done. I go there in the evening to pick it up and as I am walking around the car, I noticed a huge primered patch on my rear hatch. I said to the guy, "What the hell is this?" He says that there were a bunch of dents in my hatch when I brought it in, like someone had taken a hammer to it, so out of courtesy, they patched and primered them for me. This is complete bullsh*t because I know for a fact that there were absolutely no dents in the hatch when I brought it to them. Also, why would the fix them without telling me before hand, and if their story were true, why would they primer it, but not paint it? So after arguing with the manager, he finally agrees to fix it for me. So the car is there for another 3 days while they fix the hatch. So I go down there again when the car is done to pick it up. Again, it is dark outside, and the kit looks great under the parking lot light. So I go inside to pay the bill. I look at the bill, and they charged me WAY too much. Double what I was quoted for the hourly wage. So I ask them how come it is so much and the guy tells me that they charge customers double the time it takes to do the work just in case their employee screws up the first time. When he said that, I lost it. We got into it and finally I just got so frustrated I just paid the bill and left. The next day in the sunlight I noticed that the body kit they had painted was a lighter shade than the rest of the car. Pissed off enough already, I just left it because I didn't even want to deal with them again.
11-20-2006, 11:49 AM
#3
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BAD SHOP - SIN CITY PERFORMANCE.
This wasn't with the Z, but a horrible experience nonetheless. I used to have an old Nissan pickup that I took down to them for a custom cold air intake. I called a few days in advance to set an apointment with them for fabrication and installation of a custom cold air intake from them. So I go down there and drop the truck off at 8:00am for my apointment and they said it would take 3 hours. I had my friend pick me up at the shop so I didn't have to wait there. So 3 hours later we go back to the shop and the truck is still in the same place I parked it and it hasn't been touched. So I go in to get the scoop and they apologized and said to give them another hour. An hour later we go back and the truck still has not moved. We do this back and forth for 8 hours. Finally, at 8:00pm, after my entire day, and my friend's entire day are wasted, we go back to the shop and the truck is STILL parked in the same spot I left it. At this point I am over the edge, and I decide to pull the truck into the shop myself. So I pull it into their bay, pop the hood, and start grabbing tools. The owner gets pissed and finally starts working on the car. He grabs a saw, and cuts off my stock air box. At this point, I am arguing with the cashier because I am not going to pay full price for this. The owner hears me and the cashier arguing and comes in and tells me to get the f*ck out of his shop. I go out to the truck and see the intake box cut off of the car and I tell him that I am not going anywhere until he fixes the car. He already had cut it so now he has to fix it. So then he proceeds to try and fight me, literally. The other shop mechanics had to pull us apart and his wife made him finish the job. She only charged me for the filter which was like $20 and I was on my way.
This wasn't with the Z, but a horrible experience nonetheless. I used to have an old Nissan pickup that I took down to them for a custom cold air intake. I called a few days in advance to set an apointment with them for fabrication and installation of a custom cold air intake from them. So I go down there and drop the truck off at 8:00am for my apointment and they said it would take 3 hours. I had my friend pick me up at the shop so I didn't have to wait there. So 3 hours later we go back to the shop and the truck is still in the same place I parked it and it hasn't been touched. So I go in to get the scoop and they apologized and said to give them another hour. An hour later we go back and the truck still has not moved. We do this back and forth for 8 hours. Finally, at 8:00pm, after my entire day, and my friend's entire day are wasted, we go back to the shop and the truck is STILL parked in the same spot I left it. At this point I am over the edge, and I decide to pull the truck into the shop myself. So I pull it into their bay, pop the hood, and start grabbing tools. The owner gets pissed and finally starts working on the car. He grabs a saw, and cuts off my stock air box. At this point, I am arguing with the cashier because I am not going to pay full price for this. The owner hears me and the cashier arguing and comes in and tells me to get the f*ck out of his shop. I go out to the truck and see the intake box cut off of the car and I tell him that I am not going anywhere until he fixes the car. He already had cut it so now he has to fix it. So then he proceeds to try and fight me, literally. The other shop mechanics had to pull us apart and his wife made him finish the job. She only charged me for the filter which was like $20 and I was on my way.
11-21-2006, 11:13 AM
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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Good paint shop - Hi Tech Paint and Body shop in Henderson. Had my Stillen bumper painted there - I gave them the paint code and it came out perfect. I had asked them to also do some custom grille work installation, but he called me a day later and said that he didn't want to do it since he wasn't sure if his guys could do it to my liking. Most places would have butchered it and just let me live with it.
11-30-2006, 12:05 PM
#9
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Got a recomendation of another shop off of LVRacingScene.com. Aparently the do pretty good work at pretty good prices. I am going to try them out on my dad's '69 Camaro for an exhaust system and then possibly have them do my roll cage for the Z if their work and my experience are good.
Dakota's Custom Classics
6012 Topaz St. Unit #5
Las Vegas, NV 89120
702-499-5372 - Steve
- Mufflers
- Cat Converters
- Performance Exhaust
- Roll bars & roll cages
- Suspension
- Performance tune-up
- Custom fabrication
- Any restoration, minor or ground-up.
They said that they have no problem working on import cars and have already installed a set of headers on a 350Z. I will let you know how my experience goes.
Dakota's Custom Classics
6012 Topaz St. Unit #5
Las Vegas, NV 89120
702-499-5372 - Steve
- Mufflers
- Cat Converters
- Performance Exhaust
- Roll bars & roll cages
- Suspension
- Performance tune-up
- Custom fabrication
- Any restoration, minor or ground-up.
They said that they have no problem working on import cars and have already installed a set of headers on a 350Z. I will let you know how my experience goes.
12-13-2006, 05:59 PM
#12
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Las Vegas NV
Posts: 502
Bad Shop/Dealership: United Nissan! Problem with them can be found below in the reason for the good shop.
Good Shop: Dudley"s Engines & Transmissions:
Was at Total Image Motorsports with my friend getting his intake installed on his tC. Told the mechanic about my clutch and transmission and the problems with United Nissan. He recommended me to Dudleys and to speak with the manager of the shop named Mark. Went down and Mark was very pleasant. He dropped what he was doing with a beautiful '77 Malibu 350, to come out and test drive my car. He took it out and when he shifted into 5th over 4K rpm it grinded so bad it screamed. He said the synchro is totally gone and anybody with any transmission/clutch knowldge could have spotted this synchro in an instant. When we got back to the shop he wrote me a repair order saying the 5th gear synchro was shot so I can take it down to the dealership tomorrow to demand my 600 back. He stapled his card to the order and said that if the service manager had any problems to give him a call and he would go to bat for me.
This now leads me to believe that United didnt even open up the transmission to look at the synchro. I will be going down tomorrow to demand all my money back, and if not I will be calling Channel 8 eyewitness news while I am standing in the managers office. I am going to get my money back and take it to planet nissan to have the transmission warranty done. I give Dudley's an A+ for being honest and just all around being very pleasant and helpful to deal with.
Shop is located on 4150 Losee Rd Right by the Cannery Casino.
Good Shop: Dudley"s Engines & Transmissions:
Was at Total Image Motorsports with my friend getting his intake installed on his tC. Told the mechanic about my clutch and transmission and the problems with United Nissan. He recommended me to Dudleys and to speak with the manager of the shop named Mark. Went down and Mark was very pleasant. He dropped what he was doing with a beautiful '77 Malibu 350, to come out and test drive my car. He took it out and when he shifted into 5th over 4K rpm it grinded so bad it screamed. He said the synchro is totally gone and anybody with any transmission/clutch knowldge could have spotted this synchro in an instant. When we got back to the shop he wrote me a repair order saying the 5th gear synchro was shot so I can take it down to the dealership tomorrow to demand my 600 back. He stapled his card to the order and said that if the service manager had any problems to give him a call and he would go to bat for me.
This now leads me to believe that United didnt even open up the transmission to look at the synchro. I will be going down tomorrow to demand all my money back, and if not I will be calling Channel 8 eyewitness news while I am standing in the managers office. I am going to get my money back and take it to planet nissan to have the transmission warranty done. I give Dudley's an A+ for being honest and just all around being very pleasant and helpful to deal with.
Shop is located on 4150 Losee Rd Right by the Cannery Casino.
12-14-2006, 06:41 PM
#15
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Las Vegas and Tulsa
Posts: 4
Stereo Shop
Hello hello. I am new to Vegas and this forum. Looks like a great group of guys and gals here helping out everyone. I was wondering, where can one get some nice work done for a custom stereo install in this town? I live in Tulsa, OK and we have more available than what you guys have here from what I can find. 
I just got my new 2006 Z Base and want to get some real sound in it as soon as possible. Thanks for any pointers!!!
CreamyZ
I just got my new 2006 Z Base and want to get some real sound in it as soon as possible. Thanks for any pointers!!!CreamyZ
12-14-2006, 08:55 PM
#16
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Creamy - Thanks for reminding me. I have an AMAZING stereo guy here in town that does awesome work. His name is Corey Lewis and he works at the Ultimate Electronics off of Rainbow & Alta. (702) 258-8800. His days off are Mon & Tues so don't call on those days.
12-16-2006, 11:24 PM
#17
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Originally Posted by 350ZNV
Creamy - Thanks for reminding me. I have an AMAZING stereo guy here in town that does awesome work. His name is Corey Lewis and he works at the Ultimate Electronics off of Rainbow & Alta. (702) 258-8800. His days off are Mon & Tues so don't call on those days.
P.S. You can send pictures of the Chevelle to poolplaar@***.net if ya want.
12-17-2006, 04:00 AM
#19
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 26
Great thread!
I have a midnight blue exterior and drive the north side of the 215 every day. With all the cement mixers and gravel trucks on that section my car gets "stoned" way too often. I need to get a good paint job in the near future - Thanks for the advice!
I have a midnight blue exterior and drive the north side of the 215 every day. With all the cement mixers and gravel trucks on that section my car gets "stoned" way too often. I need to get a good paint job in the near future - Thanks for the advice!
12-17-2006, 08:46 AM
#20
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Originally Posted by CreamyZ
350zNV you were definitely right about Corey. I went by there today and I think we have got a great set up and good start on my stereo system. He installed my alarm system today and did an unbelievable job. He said I need to see pictures of your Chevelle. Thanks again for the recommendation.
P.S. You can send pictures of the Chevelle to poolplaar@***.net if ya want.
P.S. You can send pictures of the Chevelle to poolplaar@***.net if ya want.
Edit: Found them...
And then one of the car...
Last edited by SinCity350Z; 12-17-2006 at 09:06 AM.
Hope mine turns out as nice as yours. I miss my Chevelle now. 
01-02-2007, 05:56 AM
#23
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 362
Originally Posted by 350ZNV
Yeah, he is awesome. I have some pictures of my Chevelle's stereo system on one of my computers, just have to find them.
Edit: Found them...
And then one of the car...
Edit: Found them...
And then one of the car...
01-18-2007, 04:31 PM
#25
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GOOD SHOP
Sunland Collission
Robin Lewis - Estimator
5947 Boulder Highway, 89122
898-9600
After being refered here by NForce1, who also had a great experience here, Miss_350ZNV took her Stillen spoiler to them for paint & installation. The customer service off the bat was excelent and stayed that way. She dropped the spoiler off to them on a Tuesday in the late afternoon. The facility was large, very professional, and very clean. They got the paint, painted it, and dried it by Wednesday evening. We brough her car down for install first thing Thursday morning and they had the spoiler installed and the car washed by 3:00pm when we picked it up. The paint matches perfectly and we left them the fuel door off of the car so they can make sure it will match. The quality of work looks awesome and the installation was perfect. The best part is the price, which was $205 out the door. I will definately be using them in the future.
Sunland Collission
Robin Lewis - Estimator
5947 Boulder Highway, 89122
898-9600
After being refered here by NForce1, who also had a great experience here, Miss_350ZNV took her Stillen spoiler to them for paint & installation. The customer service off the bat was excelent and stayed that way. She dropped the spoiler off to them on a Tuesday in the late afternoon. The facility was large, very professional, and very clean. They got the paint, painted it, and dried it by Wednesday evening. We brough her car down for install first thing Thursday morning and they had the spoiler installed and the car washed by 3:00pm when we picked it up. The paint matches perfectly and we left them the fuel door off of the car so they can make sure it will match. The quality of work looks awesome and the installation was perfect. The best part is the price, which was $205 out the door. I will definately be using them in the future.
