70gteeo

I bought a stock 2005 Mustang GT convertible last June. It only has 16K on it. I have changed out the shifter to a MGW. Put GTA mufflers on. I also added a cold air intake (APE). I will need work done on my car for ever reason comes up that I can not repair myself. Should I look for a service repair shop or a Mustang performance shop? I would think that a Mustang Performance shop would be more expensive then a service shop? I would also think that going to a dealer is not the accepted way to go. Also I live Silver Spring, Maryland if you could list any shops in my area. Also should I get a tune or just leave the way it is? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Steve

Warpig12354

Don't go to the dealer. You only need a tune if the diameter of the CAI is wider than the stock one (you would need the tune to adjust the air/fuel ratio due to the increased air being sucked in). Even if you don't need one, it still really wakes up the car either way.

Entaille

this really should not be performance shop vs service/repair shop. you should go where you feel comfortable and where you've built a relationship with a mechanic you can actually trust / stands behind their work. I find these kinds of folks more frequently at an enthusiast / performance shop.

the dealership, to me, is only seeing my car for warranty work and even then they are a thorn in my side.

2005Redfire6

+1, I would avoid a dealership. Personally what I did was I found a service center that I like to deal with and people that treat your car like theirs and they do the small things like tire balancing/alignment, emissions. When it comes to have like a transmission swap/clutch done, ect. I use a performance shop.

Shift

In a general sense.
Performance Shops & Parts Shops can get parts easy for you, or you can for yourself.
Performance Shops charge more but know how to get you the power, what to do, and how to install it right the first time.
Install/Parts shops charge less but typically go by "rule of book" and install based on cars in a general sense. Typically dont do the best job although they get it done. May be wrong, or installed in a poor manner.

I went to a parts shop. 70 bucks an hour install. They didnt do anything right. Hurst installed wrong, cams buck and rattle, exhaust rattles, got no hp from cams, etc. although its on the car and it was "relatively" cheap. Just started going to a performance shop. 90 bucks an hr install, but the fixed and perfected my Hurst, fixed the rattles, did it quick, and is giving me more power. I am having them do my 3.73 gears soon.
Also note parts shop hit you hard in parts cost and lower on install. Performance shops give lower parts prices/you can get them cheaper, but charge higher on install because that is what they're good at. I couldn't be happier after i started going to the performance shop. I'd suggest that over dealer or general shops.

70gteeo

Thanks for all the input. I asked some the guys who have the new GTO's they turned me onto a performance shop close to my house. The shop works on new mustangs, camaros, corvettes and 60th and 70's muscle cars. What a great find. The owner said they can get me most times in 1 to 2 days thats more to what I am looking for. I also locate a Mustang Performance shop Horsepower by Hermans. I spoke with them and they have a back-up most of the time 7 to 10 days. I have never owned a Ford before and not plugged into where to get someone to work on my car. This is a great forum with a lot of information about Mustangs and what you can do change there altered state of performance. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction, Steve