deputydog95

Does Chris still not tell you what it's going to cost till the job is done?

I remember almost falling over at the prices he charges. He is soooo expensive. Hell of a nice guy though and he's very thorough.

We have a lot of Porsche specific shops in our area. How did you choose C2? Chris is a BMW/Mercedes guy. Not that he can't work on Porsches, but seems like most of his clientele are people looking for Renntech or Dinan upgrades.

There is actually a Porsche race shop literally down the street from Chris

deputydog95

I would love to do an OEM bar. Completely ruins the usability though. When I had the oem roll bar in my 996 cab, it wasnt bad because I could put the top down, load the car up behind the bar, and put the top up.

Seems like it would be difficult just getting an overnight bag to the track in that thing now

I've been keeping my eye out for harness bars, if they even exist for the GT3. I miss running with harnesses.

TRAKCAR

Expensive yes, all was according as quoted and he does it all with one stop shop, delivered on time as promised. Nice to deal with. His sidekick Andrew is great with details and the finishing touches.

C2 work on my car was recommended by Porsche dealer, the dealer wrote check to C2 and financed it all into car. I think that is where Chris got his start, but unsure.

He did at least a couple of RS MKI before and send me detail pics before I did my car. I went there 2 times, once to test sit for my custom seat brackets and custom work on the roll bar (Moved and tilted back). Second time he picked my wife and me up from airport a week later and I have not spoke to him since.

All was done right the first time and all is still rattle free.
Nice guy, he won't budge on price, charges plenty and delivers what he promised and charged for.

Izzone

I went with the oem bar for track safety....I think it is build better than most and I am not crazy about a bar mounted into the seatbelt mount

Chris was not that expensive.....he did track cars bar and I wanted to make sure it was done right....

deputydog95

I guess "expensive" is a relative term...

Chris is expensive though. Shop around. There are plenty of people that are as competent (and actually more so) that charge a lot less. Chris does have a "boutique" atmosphere and personalized service. I stopped using Chris a long time ago because he can be a little on the arrogant side, and again.... his prices

One of the things I'm certain contribute to Chris' prices are that he has many customers that don't ask what it costs (must be nice), and he has to farm a lot of things out so clearly he has to mark those things up. It didn't take me to long to figure out that he sends his alignments to cars and concepts around the corner and his wheels/tires went to another shop (don't remember the name) down the street. Who knows what else he doesn't do himself. They need to make a buck so the surcharge gets passed along to the customer. I had better luck going to shops that can do it all under one roof.

There are 5 different dedicated Porsche shops in the Tampa area that I would go to before Chris. Vortex Motorsports is literally down the street from there. Although rumor has it there may be some "financial restructuring" going on there.

Now one thing Chris is good at is custom fab. He charges a fortune to do it, but he can make you just about anything. His carbon work is exceptional.

However, for something as simple as a roll bar or track prep... he would not be my guy. I've seen Suncoast Porsche in Sarasota do dozens of these and probably for half of what Chris charges. It's not rocket science. They did my roll bar in the 996 in about 2 hours and the last time I was there they were putting an OEM bar in a .2RS

I still remember when Chris was carrying a product called smarttire. This was before TPMS became standard. I asked how much installed? He quoted me something like a grand. I then asked how much for the equipment alone. He quoted me somewhere in the neighborhood of around $500. I went online when I got home and bought it for $200 from the company itself and installed it in about 15 mins. Ran it by the tire shot to do a quick dismount/sensor band install/mount. So had I had about $300 into it vs Chris' quote of a grand.

He can be so arrogant that he actually turns down some jobs. I asked him to do a short shift kit (oem) for my 996. He declined and said it was too small a job.

That was the proverbial straw and I was done with Chris. He is a nice guy personally though. I just don't like doing business with him. He's picky about jobs, doesn't like to quote prices, and charges way more than everyone else. My .02

If I was in Orlando I would be going to Titan. Sharp group of guys. And south florida, man you guys have the pick of the litter down there. As much as I'm not a fan of the owner of Foreign Affairs, they are a good shop and can be trusted to do good work.

mooty

votex... hum...
i dont know. i dont care about install cost or parts cost. even at 100% more expensive, it's just a few k's. if they dont do it right, the time and the hassle you go through.....

if i take time off goto a track day. the car fails to perform, i just lost $4000 or so that day + getting my heart rate up and calling ppl to scream at them. it's not worth it. VERY FEW ppl get things right and when they do, i will pay for their skills.

i have had over 20 cars prepped now. i look for details.

when my cars are build, i dont bother testing. i just go and race it. the last two cars, i raced it the first time it's out. 4 races, 2nd, 1st, 3rd and 3rd. if the builder can't get the car FULLY done, they are not very good imo. even my harness is fit perfectly for my size. THAT is worth money.

not that cheap is bad. but pick the ppl you feel good with, then just pay.
dont let price dictate who you choose. when you roll the car, you dont want to 2nd guess if the harness was hooked on correctly.

mooty

back and forth tire shop, driving time, scolding from wife....
that's worth about $1000 to me....
if you have the time, then you are doing it right.
i just can't find enough time and i only sleep 3-4 hours a day.

mooty

most high end shop are like this.
orbit, jwe, FL, TRG, etc etc.
i tell them when they are 1/2 done with my car that i may or may not pay them when they are done. that usually get them to tell me price quickly. i have title and they cannot put mechanic's lien on a car. i can play hardball too. but really it's down to whom you trust.

deputydog95

If had Mooty money I wouldn't care either And even if I did have Mooty money, paying more than I have to for something is just not what I do.

We have true Porsche shops in our area that do track prep and support. C2 isn't one of them. I'm just sayin'......

I understand your point Mooty about paying more for getting it done right. However, in this instance they offer no more expertise than anyone else for a lot more money. I've known about Chris' shop since 03. I used to go to his previous location way back when. Its the principle of this to me. I will not be gouged. I run a business and I do not overcharge my customers just because I can. Up until a few years ago, I would always shop Chris' prices when I had a project. After consistently being so far out of line compared to everyone else, I just stopped calling. Its almost like he just makes up numbers over the phone. However, if C2 has people lining up to pay and they're willing to do so, so be it. I just won't be one of them

On a side note, if you have to wait on your car, his location has an abundance of hookers, lingerie shops, and peep shows if your so inclined

Izzone

There is a reason he has people lining up

All I hired him to do is a roll bar install, wanted someone with reference cutting up my car

I have got a quote for all work performed.....before staring and found it reasonable

mooty

On a side note, if you have to wait on your car, his location has an abundance of hookers, lingerie shops, and peep shows if your so inclined

Nice
I will ship my cars over.
I've exhausted SF districts.

Izzone

Mooty.....it really probably is the best strip clubs in the country...come visit....ship your stripper gt3 and I will care for it for you after transit

We can goto sebring after

deputydog95

TRAKCAR

If and when I get my trailer to the West coast I might take a Mooty car and hold it hostage untill he shows up at Sebring. But first i must show up a LS..... I did drive it on simulator yesterday ;-)

deputydog95

Trak / Izzone

Either of your going to Sebring next weekend for the PBOC event?