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Vendor Review- NSX Modified

Joined
7 February 2001
Messages
1,617
Location
CORONA, CA USA
I have been a supporter of Larry Garcia at NSX Modified for some time. It occured to me that although I post lots of positives from my experiences, I have never posted an official review for him where others can add their experience. I have never met a mechanic that gets into his work more than Larry, and it's about time I posted a review for him.

By the way I support him, it seems as though we are good friends and I have known him for a long time. The truth is that I have only had my NSX for 8 months now and use Larry almost exclusively. There is a reason we have built such a relationship in such a short time.

When I was still purchasing my NSX 8 months ago, I came upon NSXPRIME. I was looking for someone to inspect the NSX that I was to purchase. Someone here mentioned NSX Modified to me.

So I give them a call and Larry answers the phone. I tell him that I am buying a new NSX and that I need help inspecting it. He mentions that there is a monthly meeting Thursday night and I should come by. He will be happy to inspect my NSX for me that night.

I meet Larry that Thursday night and he comes off as a good guy (and also very busy). It's obvious he is straightforward and enjoys what he does. He spends 30 minutes inspecting the car that night inside and out, then takes me on a test drive to insure everything is fine. For this, he charges me absolutely nothing.

Since then, I have gone to NSX Modified on a regular basis. Larry did my initial maintenance, fluid changes and valve adjustment the following weekend. That weekend, I learned that he is motivated by what he does and not by trying to squeeze money out of customers. He would rather go the extra mile and do something special... and have that customer come back again later. I spent that Saturday at NSX Modified. Not only did I have my valve adjustment done, but while everything was apart, he had an idea. We had my engine done in red and replaced most of the hoses with red, silicone hoses.
As we worked, I could tell he was having fun and just wanted the engine looking beautiful.
I left that day with my engine compartment looking like a million bucks, and only $150 out of pocket over the maintenance cost... for my new red engine covers, silicone hoses, and other odds and ends.

This is how every succesive visit to NSX Modified has been for me. Every time I work and spend time with Larry, I gain more respect for his abilities and appreciate his extra effort for me. He runs an open shop and I have learned a great deal watching and helping out where I can.

This last Tuesday night, I was back at NSX Modified to have my NOS removed. Because everything was hidden under the engine, a lot had to be removed to get it all out. The entire top block of the engine was removed to do it properly. While the block is apart, Larry starts porting and polishing it because he wants to add some power and for the engine to run even smoother. Once he finishes, he begins polishing the outside of the block so it matches the rest of my chromed engine compartment. Of course, while everything is apart, he cleans EVERYTHING out including injectors, liners, gaskets, etc. I now have a new, completely cleaned and oiled block, polished inside and out, back in my engine compartment. He readjusts the timing and I go for a drive. The car is running like a beast and extra smooth! I have a large grin on my face.
biggrin.gif


I thank Larry for all the work and also take pictures of the new Turbo on Sinbad's car.
He tells me what I owe him for the night's work and my jaw drops. I will not mention any prices, but let's just say I paid him considerably more than he asked for just to be able to sleep that night.

It was obvious he spent that night (till 1am) working on my engine out of love for his work. He sat there cleaning, polishing,
washing everything, just looking forward to get everything back in there to see how that baby looked and ran afterward. This is the essence of why I have such a great relationship with NSX Modified and why I continue to have my work done there.
Every trip is a learning experience.

I do not work for NSX Modified. I do not sell anything or make any profit from NSX Modified. I am an extremely satisifed customer that has been treated like gold by NSX Modified from DAY ONE.

There is a reason he is always so busy and in high demand. When you treat your customers this way, you become popular very quickly. He is a one-man show and has a horde of NSXers knocking on his door, all while supporting a race car (Flamemobile) at the same time. He is tough to reach by phone unless you call multiple times. You may have to make appointments far in advance as he has a busy schedule. However, if you are lucky enough to live nearby, stop by his shop. See how willing he is to help out and discuss all things NSX. I live an hour away and feel lucky that I have someone within that distance to work on my NSX. I will continue to drive that distance regardless of whether there is something closer. Every trip to NSX Modified has been time well spent.
www.nsxmodified.com



[This message has been edited by ilya (edited 25 October 2001).]
 
It is too bad that Larry doesn't have the time to get online and talk about his services, great solutions for NSXs and performance development. Most of us hear about Larry from Doug's racing stories. When Larry first opened up NSX Modified, i was one of the first customers to use Larry, to install short gears plus ring and pinion for my newly acquired NSX 2 years ago. Larry did a great job with the install for a good price, but also answered a lot of questions i had about the NSX, offered good advises and made numerous adjustments got rid of the little annoyances. Larry has serviced my car ever since and the level of service continues to be great.

I was also one of the first people to buy the Zanardi suspension from Tracy and had Larry install it. not knowing everything at the time and it was Larry's first experience with the setup, he made sure everything work properly...but months later found that the sway bar would make a clunking noise in certain conditions. so he figures out that the factory zanardi cars had a spacer that prevented the clunking noise and had me come back to retro-fit my car with his new swaybar mount setup...

The last thing he install on my car is his specially made clutch for the NSX. When i bought my car, it had a new clutch at 32k miles and 24k miles later, i was wearing out the clutch and i had never like the feel of it for street driving. Larry installed his clutch in my car which was better price than any other, made of combination of organic/ceramiic/carbon materials and it feels awesome! great feel for easy street driving and bites like crazy when i launch the car. (if you need a new clutch, you should contact larry and talk to him about it...i don't understand all of the details, but it feels really good. it has been on my car for 6000 miles now and still feel the same...it should last much longer than the factory clutch...we'll see i put a lot of miles on my car and i am a bit tough on the clutch.) it is too bad a product like this doesn't get talked about or marketed so more people would know about it.

Anyway, sometimes the people who provides a good service to us consistently doesn't get talked about on our list or the forum because they works hard and don't spend time online (so he can spend more time on our cars!) doesn't get more of the exposure. i am glad this is bring brought up because more of us should benefit from the services he provides. (but not too many because he needs to work on my car!! jk ;-)

Terry


Thanks Larry!
 
Posted to the listserv today:

Hello everyone!

I don't post often to the listserv, but some of you may know me from the forums or local club meetings and events. I decided to post
this little thank you to Larry and NSX Modified as it is the best way I can thank him for what he has done.
Not that he needs the business as I have to wait 2 weeks as it is just to get an appointment. =Þ
I feel this thanks is the least I can do for what he has done for me.

A couple of months ago, I purchased the Comptech 4.55 R&P from David off the list. He was offering an oustanding deal and I jumped on it.
What only we know is that the deal would not have been possible without Larry's help. David needed a stock R&P ASAP in exchange for
the 4.55 and was looking for someone who has one laying around. After calling Larry and speaking with him, he offered to let me borrow
a stock R&P. He basically gave me a stock unit to send to David. Once I installed the 4.55, I would give my stocker back to Larry.
Thank you Larry for making this deal possible for me.


A couple of months later, I finally had the R&P installed. For a price I will not mention publicly because it may upset others who have paid
double or more, he installed my R&P for me, resurfaced my flywheel, clutch, and cleaned out my tranny. I already had an RM clutch before the
install. During the install, after Larry had pulled out my clutch, he had to deliver some bad news. The mid plate on my RM clutch had
a piece broken and it was only a matter of time before it started having problems. I had saved for some time to have the R&P installed, and the added expense of a new clutch was not something I had budgeted for. Knowing I was in a bad situation, with my car on the rack and not having the current funds to pucrhase a new clutch, Larry managed to outdo himself once again. He said don't worry about it, threw in a slightly used stock mid-plate at no cost, and threw my RM
piece in a pile with other RMs. Apparently this is a common problem with that clutch.
I thanked Larry profusely for what he had done for me and I was on my way.

I am a good customer meaning I'm a man of my word. I always pay what I promise, I don't haggle for pennies, and I always support him for
doing such a great job for me. I have posted thank yous for various things he has done in the past on the forums. However, what he did for me
was so exemplary, I feel I had to post it to a larger audience.


One week later, during my drive to Orange County, MY CLUTCH BROKE! I was accelerating in first, depressed the clucth to shift into 2nd... and was
locked out. I couldn't shift into any gear. I somehow managed to force it into 5th gear and cruised the rest of the way to my destination.
I called Larry in a hissyfit telling him I'm an hour from home, my clutch gave out, I did nothing wrong, and wondering what I should do.
He asked if I needed help getting it towed to the shop. I said no and that I could probably force the gears and get it over there in the morning.
I was about an hour away from the shop.


The next morning, I arrive at the shop and drop off my car. He shows me my old RM clutch. He had the piece that broke welded and said
it would not break again. He would put my original RM back in the car! I didn't like the stocker at all after having the RM, but wasn't about to
complain since I got it for free. ; )

Larry completely dissasembled the tranny again and found the problem. Apparently, the mid plate he gave me had a manufacturing defect (which was
not noticeable to the eye) and it cracked. This also caused the damage of two of my Kevlar plates from the old RM. He stayed until 2am on Monday
night working on my car. I was stranded an hour from home with no way back.
He disassembled everything, put my RM plate back in, put in two brand new Kevlar plates, and had my car ready that night while I slept in
his office ( I was getting sick from the lack of sleep and too much work).

How much did Larry charge me for all this work? ZERO, ZIPO, NADA! He says the aftermarket vendors will not warranty most of their parts. You bought it,
it breaks, too bad. Not in his shop. When he installed my R&P and new clutch (for FREE) the first time, my tranny became covered under his
warranty. Nothing in writing, just his word. Whatever happened during my install, through no fault of my driving or his work, my clutch failed.
He completely fixed my car, on short notice, for NO CHARGE.


It's said that finding a great mechanic that you can trust is worth gold. I can not imagine the kind of cost I would have incurred through a dealer
for this kind of nonsense. I feel the least I can do is to tell my story and send it out to the largest audience I can find. I have only had my NSX for a year
and have no idea how my ownership experience would have been without NSX Modified. They introduced me to the NSXCA, inspected my car
free of charge, and have done things for me that one would never expect from a shop.

I know he has plenty of business, and this email may mean that I will have to wait even longer for appointments in the future, but Larry deserves
the additional recoginition that I hope this email will bring. I have supported him for a long time because of his generosity toward me, but have
witheld from publicly gushing on the Listserv. What he did for me during this deal, from making it possible in the first place,
to saving me from disaster, is something I absolutely had to share with everyone.
Larry, you are THE MAN and I hope NSX Modified continues to do well for years to come. I can't imagine
owning my NSX anymore without having this shop to service it.

Thanks again. There is no way I could repay you for everything you have done this last year, but I sure as hell can try with this email.
 
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