Tony Callas saved me $4000 and a giant headache
05-23-2010, 06:07 PM
#46
Rennlist Member
I wish nothing but the best for Tony Callas. He's a Porsche guru of the first order and, from what I can tell, a nice guy to boot.
But even more than that, I would be amiss if I didn't let my fellow 993 brethren know they can get the same quality work elsewhere and save money; to me, that's really good Karma!
Sharing information that will allow a fellow Rennlister to save some real money without sacrificing quality is one of the major strengths of a board like RL. Information is power, after all.
But even more than that, I would be amiss if I didn't let my fellow 993 brethren know they can get the same quality work elsewhere and save money; to me, that's really good Karma!
Sharing information that will allow a fellow Rennlister to save some real money without sacrificing quality is one of the major strengths of a board like RL. Information is power, after all.
05-23-2010, 06:14 PM
#47
) He has some great stories about being the only Japanese-Hawaiian the techs at Porsche training in Germany had probably ever experienced.They could easily charge more money. They keep their overhead very low and don't do any costly promotion. The fact is they have many celebrity customers (from their Porsche Beverly Hills days) who could readily pay a lot more; e.g., James Woods is one of their customers.
I'm satisfied with them for several reasons, and with the work they do as just part of it. They are also genuinely nice guys. For me, it's not all about what they charge. It's like finding a good doctor you can understand and have a rapport with; that's equally important, imho.
05-25-2010, 08:58 PM
#48
Rennlist Member
06-02-2010, 10:56 PM
#49
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FWIW - Tony and team are the only ones that touch our car. The world is big enough that there is space for other good shops, but Tony's shop has worked the best for us. The passion, integrity, communication, experience, expertise, etc. are worth far more than just the service for turning a wrench or replacing a part. They're also nice guys and they make it easy to do business with them.
They don't compromise on getting the job done absolutely right and doing it completely. They're not a discount shop, but are thoughtful when "spending" your money. When Tony or Ray is working on your car, your car is the only thing in the world that matters to them. They take it personally. They remember what happened with your car last time and the time before that. That's the difference that you're paying for when compared to other shops who may quote lower on a job by job basis.
We wanted the best and that meant Tony and team - period. If Tony is reading this, I've probably made him uncomfortable with the good words, but its nothing that I haven't told him directly. Besides, the shop is also infected with the racing bug which is always a good sign of people who have the passion.
They don't compromise on getting the job done absolutely right and doing it completely. They're not a discount shop, but are thoughtful when "spending" your money. When Tony or Ray is working on your car, your car is the only thing in the world that matters to them. They take it personally. They remember what happened with your car last time and the time before that. That's the difference that you're paying for when compared to other shops who may quote lower on a job by job basis.
We wanted the best and that meant Tony and team - period. If Tony is reading this, I've probably made him uncomfortable with the good words, but its nothing that I haven't told him directly. Besides, the shop is also infected with the racing bug which is always a good sign of people who have the passion.
06-04-2010, 05:31 PM
#50
Concidering where he is coming from, Tony Callas has to be good, very good indeed. I have been using Rennsport Porsche Works in Sealy, Texas (one hour drive west of Houston) for all my Porsches, where Tony's father Mike Callas has been running the shop for nearly three decades. Mike is probably one of the best (if not THE best) air cooled Porsche mechanics in the US. I can highly recomend Rennsport and Mike Callas to all Houston Porsche owners!
When he test drove the car after the suspension install he figured out that the front wheels were not balanced properly and I left the shop with a "transformed" and perfectly set-up car after he fixed this.
06-05-2010, 02:22 AM
#51
Sometimes value isn't the same as price. I know of countless examples where Tony and his crew have saved me and others thousands because they just knew the right thing to do, or not do, right off the bat. No trial and error. No unnecessary work. Tony learned the craft and the customer service side of the business right and runs his shop that way. Price may seem high, but the value is there.
06-06-2010, 12:21 PM
#54
Sometimes value isn't the same as price. I know of countless examples where Tony and his crew have saved me and others thousands because they just knew the right thing to do, or not do, right off the bat. No trial and error. No unnecessary work. Tony learned the craft and the customer service side of the business right and runs his shop that way. Price may seem high, but the value is there.
On the same token, if I know someone who can provide the same quality work for $100 that another shop is charging $150, I'm going to go with the shop that charges less.
Rich folks with money to burn may not care about such things, but common sense dictates that to pay more for something that can be had for less, without any compromise in quality, doesn't make sense, in my humble opinion.
07-30-2010, 09:53 PM
#55
Intermediate
Tony and the guys at Callas Rennsport in Torrance, Ca are the best mechanics around you can possibly find. They are all well trained, the shop is neat, the prices are fair, and he backs his work. If you are in the western US, he is worth the trip. I am located almost 300 miles away, and he is the ONLY shop that I will use for my 2000 C2 cabriolet. They are simply the best.
07-30-2010, 10:13 PM
#56
Rennlist Member
I may have responded earlier...but Tony et al are ...
exceptionally knowledgable on the 993 car. Tony does a 993 Tech Session once a year. It is awesome...you will learn something, guaranteed!
07-30-2010, 11:06 PM
#57
Rennlist Member
Concidering where he is coming from, Tony Callas has to be good, very good indeed. I have been using Rennsport Porsche Works in Sealy, Texas (one hour drive west of Houston) for all my Porsches, where Tony's father Mike Callas has been running the shop for nearly three decades. Mike is probably one of the best (if not THE best) air cooled Porsche mechanics in the US. I can highly recomend Rennsport and Mike Callas to all Houston Porsche owners!
I had the A/C fail on my 993 last week, drove it out to Mike at lunch on Thursday (nice long lunch break) in 30 min he'd conclusively determined that the evaporator had cracked and that there were no other leaks or errors in the system. Painful repair ahead of me, but I'm 100% confident that's what the problem is. I could have spent 10 hour diagnosing and changing resistors, etc...
Plus, MC and Ms. Daisy are always fun to talk to ;-)
sean
07-31-2010, 03:05 AM
#58
Rennlist Member
Here's another shout to Callas Rennsport. Very honest and genuine people!
My story ...
I brought them my 993 targa because the top was just not lining up properly after a complete rebuild on the cable system for the glass targa top. Tony quoted a price based on his time. As the project became more involved we agreed to raise the hours spent on the car by a few to be fair to all.
As it turns out, I ended up keeping the car with them for over a month as Tony and Ray insisted they were going to solve this problem. They easily spent 5 times the time to resolve my problem. I even had a day or two to work side-by-side with the masters as we determined everything that was wrong with it.
Tony and Ray are terrific to work with and really demonstrate a tremendous love for what they do.
Also, their tech sessions are very informative for any Porsche owner. Glad to know them.
Marc
My story ...
I brought them my 993 targa because the top was just not lining up properly after a complete rebuild on the cable system for the glass targa top. Tony quoted a price based on his time. As the project became more involved we agreed to raise the hours spent on the car by a few to be fair to all.
As it turns out, I ended up keeping the car with them for over a month as Tony and Ray insisted they were going to solve this problem. They easily spent 5 times the time to resolve my problem. I even had a day or two to work side-by-side with the masters as we determined everything that was wrong with it.
Tony and Ray are terrific to work with and really demonstrate a tremendous love for what they do.
Also, their tech sessions are very informative for any Porsche owner. Glad to know them.
Marc
X10.... correction: "beerS"