lots of quetions

[bbak11010]

Hey guys,

I live in michigan and will move to richmond, va next week.
Before I go there I just need to get some info so Im posting up here.
I hope you guys can help me out with this.

I need to find a good shop where I can take my car regularly. I used to take it to my friend here.. since there aren't any local shops that can work on our cars.. but i believe richmond is better than here.. so if you guys can recommend any good shop around richmond that will be awesome!

Also, Im looking forward to do dyno tuning.. so that would be another shop that I will need to find..

one last thing.. here in michigan we dont have annual emmission test..but i heard virginia does have the test.. and my car.. im pretty sure that it won't pass the test.. i need to figure out how you guys do it over there.. is there a shop i can go to? or.. i really don't have any idea what to do.. so i need some help..

that's all.. any help would be appreciated!!

i hope there is va gathering sometime soon so i can meet some va 3s people.



John

[robtj22]

Let me be the first to welcome you to Richmond. I don't know how much help I can be. For the emmissons test, I think its more of a locality type thing. I have never had an emmissons test done while I was going to the shop. But now I have a friend that does my inspections. To my knowledge though I don't think they do. I of a shop in Goochland about 20 mins from richmond that dynos. Rates aren't to bad.

[Turbo79]

Good luck in your move. I'd recommed trying to do the maintenance yourself. You'll save a bundle. Definitely hook up with the VA crowd.

For dyno tuning, I'd recommend 3SX. They're down in Charlotte - a ways from you, but well worth it. They took my car from 330 to 505 awhp by dyno tuning. Chris is the master. I've got a thread on it - search for "dyno tune"

[bbak11010]

thanks guys,

How much does it usually cost to dyno tune a car? say tuning from 0.

[rtman619]

The guys at 3SX will charge you probably somewhere in the ball park of $400 to tune it. That's with them doing all the work and assuming your not running AEM EMS. They are a great group of guys, and now have been pissed off twice by me. Not because I'm an ass, but because they couldn't get it tuned due to underlying issues (bad rebuild). There's a place down here in HR that's got a AWD dyno I guess, but I've never been there and I don't know how much they've worked on 3S's. And as Turbo 79 said, try doing the maintenance yourself. It's not really that difficult once you get the crap out of the way. It costs like $300 to change the spark plugs at a shop, but you can do it yourself for less than a hundred.