xander1100

well cant really do anything about it, my own fault for not getting a written estimate first. just gonna find someplace cheeper next time im getting work done.
dont get me wrong, the work is VERY VERY good, and they did swap one of their flex pipes for the cheepie one i got (really only a $20 difference, still a nice gesture) but the cost was about a 100-150 more than i was expecting. called a few other places and the average quote i got was "probably 3-500, depends on how much welding fitting and cutting i gotta do"...which honestly getting a circular pipe to fit a t28 and getting it to bend sharp enough to clear the ac is a lot

Tony the Tiger

It's just a wrong first step that you took.. The shop did notify you that they could not give you an price estimate for the downpipe... At that point, you should have expected it would easily taken over 4+ hours just because they couldn't estimate it. Almost every shop can get a good estimate for a several hour job, but only beyond that which shops cannot give you a quote at all.

So this really concludes that you have went to the wrong shop for the wrong type of work from the beginning. You should have went to a more Honda oriented fabrication shop so that stardard jobs like turbo kit installs, downpipe/exhaust work, etc.. are within regular acceptable pricing. I bet if you brought a carbureted big block Chevy to a Honda tuning shop and ask them to do work, it will be once again, you will not get any price estimates and they would have no idea on the man hours involved. You will usually get raped because the shop could in fact, spent those man hours to get the job done.

Whenever you want real "custom" work done and this shop is the only feasible option around your area, you just have to take it in the a$$ and pay for a shop to do work they are unfamiliar with. If not, you have to go elsewhere.

For my own shop, I have developed a habit of tackling jobs of all kinds... Automatically, customers trust me just because I am not a "Honda" or a "Toyota" shop.. On my website, I have done all sorts of cars and all sorts of jobs, and somehow it becomes a trust thing when customers know I am always up to tackling new projects and my price will be reasonable and fair. Whenever a job is reaching high dollars, I will call them before I continue to proceed. For a $700-800 labor job, it's debatable because I usually start calling when it reaches over the $1k mark for a custom exhaust work.

xander1100

took it to a shop that specialized in exhaust systems. not real "honda guru fab shops" in my area, since i wanted to keep the drive less than 30 miles since my car isnt tuned yet.

d16sandrail

my god! this really opens my eyes to the difference between the Oregon market and the California market. I get people that hang up on me when I tell them $250 for a stainless downpipe! tig welded, mandrel bent, just as nice as the $800 you see. I guess most people see the $99 ones on ebay, even if it doesn't fit they're application, they just assume it can still be done that cheap.

boostedb20z

iTrader: (1)

i made 365whp @ 26psi on a piston and rod gsr setup with the stock greddy dp this was on a mustang dyno. So i hope you make alittle more just wanted to throw this out there so you know you can reach your goal

Thanks,
Eric@DMTune.net

xander1100

heard different things about hte greddy kit and what HP it makes, average ive seen with stock DP is 230-250 ish. either way a 3" will spool faster and make more HP than the stock 2 inch eblow and 1.75 inch pipe. now the qustion is, wa your car able to hold onto that 350 hp or did it drop off after a second or 2?

ABK

Yea I would just tell them they can keep it, lol. What a bunch of morons. You can get a t28 flange with a 3" vband already welded to it for like $80. Then it will take couple hours just to finish it. I've put downpipes together in 3 hours and I don't even have a welder. I have to put it together with tape and take it to get welded lol. Works out good all the time but is sort of a bitch. In 12 hours I could of made you 4 of them.

boostedb20z

iTrader: (1)

ill try to get a graph it was a customers car

ok i was wrong on the dp it has the stock elbow but a 2'' flared to 2 1/2'' dp to a 2 1/4 ws2 but it held alot better then i thought it would but here you go.

This pull was 322whp and 294wtq on 22psi and it made 365whp and 315wtq at 26psi
Setup was
Stock block gsr 81.5mm
cp 9:1 pistons
eagle rods
acl race bearings
200k stock gsr head with stock cams
stock intake manifold with butterflys out
this was on e85 and crome and tuned by me DMTune

xander1100

lol e85 makes a huge difference. no e85 dealers right near me and im using 91 oct which is the highest avialable in CA.

jsw_1986

I want to see pics of this $600 downpipe, since it's more than what I sell ramhorns for....

Topdawgg

id like to see it also

scartail

12hrX65$/hr=780$. Yikes!!! I would have bought my own welder, and tried it myself, for that price.

to the OP, aren't you in california? fabs/tuner shops should be all over the place. bummer.

in some states, they have to notify you in writing on quotes. And if they deviate a certain percentage above, they have to write it down.

xander1100

sorry been trying to get my digi cam to work, gettng a new one by tomorrow